A Man of Honor

by That Guy Smoking a Pipe

The minute I stepped foot in this city I was living a lie. I had hoped those lies would help me reach my dream of becoming a huntsmen but it took me down a different path, it took me into the depths of this city's criminal underworld where I learned that among thieves there is honor. AU where Jaune expelled from Beacon infiltrates the Vale Mafia and becomes a different kind of hero

40. Family Funeral

Chapter 39: Family Funeral.

"I don't say we're better than anyone, but we're as good as anyone, always remember that! And between you and me, we're better than most." ~ Sonny Franzese.

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There was no sleep between Blake and I that night. As nice as it would have been to just fall asleep in my comfortable bed cuddled with her after we had exhausted ourselves, it just wasn't in the cards for us. There were dangerous men downstairs and it wouldn't have been wise to fall asleep. We had made that mistake before.

But we spent a long amount of time just laying there together in our post coital bliss. My back against the headboard, her head rested on my shoulder, my nose buried in her hair. Her cat ears moved, tickling my jaw. She stared at my chest, or rather the twin shisa lions tattooed on my chest, she traced her finger across them gently in a manner I found appealing.

"Do you like them?" I asked her, running my fingers through her silky black hair.

She nodded slightly. "They look good and they strangely suit you." She told me as my hand brushed against one of her fuzzy cat ears, she released a quiet and pleasurable sigh. "Do you like my ears?" She asked me.

"I do… it's a shame that you feel the need to cover them up with that bow." I told her with a little smirk. "They're very expressive."

"Maybe one day I won't." Blake said to me, a faint smile curling her lips.

I reached over to my nightstand and grabbed my leather cigar case pulling out one along with my gold plated lighter and cutter taking that first sweet puff of Vacuan tobacco.

"Must you do that?" Blake asked me, her face scrunching from the thick smoke.

"Sorry… I just tend to think better when I smoke." I told her. "And it might be cliche, but I have come to find that it really is nice to smoke after sex. But I can put it out for you."

She smirked and moved sitting forward. She covered herself with the bedsheets. I didn't understand the display of modesty given what had just transpired but it seemed to me that we were in an awkward state not wanting to fully admit to what we had just done together. Saying I liked to smoke after sex didn't really do much to cut the tension that was between us now.

"Don't bother," Blake said, getting up from the bed, keeping her back towards me and grabbing my black shirt off the ground along with her underwear. Her own clothes were bloody from our earlier embrace so she settled on stealing mine for the moment, she put my shirt on to keep some sense of modesty. "My throat is a little dry… can I get a glass of water?"

"Sure." I told her. "Cupboard above the sink." I said, sliding out of the bed and grabbing for my boxers. "How uh… how about I make you some breakfast?" I asked her, putting on my sweatpants and not bothering with a shirt since she had taken mine.

"That sounds nice." Blake said, reaching up for one of my glasses and pouring herself some water from the tap.

"Bacon and eggs?" I asked her. "How do you like your eggs?"

She nodded to me with a small smile that suited her perfectly. "Sunny side up."

"Me too, any coffee?" I asked her. "Oh wait… you prefer tea."

"I do, do you have any?" She asked me, taking a seat at my kitchen table with her glass of water.

"Yeah I have some breakfast tea." I said opening a cupboard and taking it out. "I suppose we're both going to need caffeine."

"Since we didn't sleep." Blake said awkwardly, but a small naughty smile curled her lips.

I nodded, filling a kettle with water and setting it on the stove to boil as I got out all the fixings with breakfast. I wanted to actually talk to her about what had just happened but I had no idea how to even bring it up to her. It wasn't bad, but this was pretty uncharted territory for us.

Thankfully she decided to do that herself.

"Jaune… about what just happened." She said tentatively to me, hesitating to finish the sentence.

"It doesn't have to mean anything, Blake." I told her. "We're just two friends who wanted some physical comfort, that's it, nothing more."

"I wasn't going to say that!" She snapped but the guilty expression on her face told me otherwise.

"Yes you were." I told her calmly and without judgement. "Or something like that."

She sighed. "Ok… I was… but hearing it now I don't exactly like it, if I did say it I'd take it back." She admitted to me.

I opened a package of bacon and started putting it into the pan to sizzle as I started to prepare some toast. "Alright… So what are you saying now?" I asked her.

"I… I don't know Jaune." She admitted to me. "I… I think I needed that same as you. I haven't been with anyone since Adam and with everything that's going on I have no idea what to make of it. But labeling it as just nothing doesn't sound right to me either."

"Blake, I'm used to it being this way. It's not a bad thing, hell I was a virgin before coming here. And all my flings have just been that, friends wanting to have fun." I explained to her. "It's that way with Neo and the rest."

"And you're happy with it being that way?" She asked me a bit of concern in her tone.

"I think happy is a stretch." I admitted to her. "But what I'm trying to say is… there's no need for any guilt."

"I don't feel guilty, just confused." She admitted to me. "I don't regret what we just did Jaune. It was nice and like I said I think a part of me really needed it. Not just the release but… but you were very kind to me Jaune, you were attentive and I… I actually felt good about myself and I was able to forget about all these things that have been stressing me out. It was good and fun and I don't feel guilty."

"Well I'm happy that you were pleased with my performance. And for what it's worth I feel the same way, I needed it and I had a lot of fun." I said to her honestly as I started cracking the eggs. "And if you're confused then that's fine too Blake, but we don't need to put any label on it, I don't expect anything."

She nodded to me and crossed her arms over her chest. "Thank you, it's at least nice not to have any pressure about this. You know… there's a part of me that's starting to wonder if I have a type." She told me with a heavy sigh and a slight giggle.

"And what's your type?" I asked her with a smile. I was actually curious where I could possibly fit into her particular tastes.

"I think I like bad boys… and blondes." She said, looking into my eyes adding in that last part with a bit of a smile.

I raised my eyebrow a little taken aback by both her candor and her label of me. "I'm not a… bad boy?" I said finding those two words completely unsuited for me. Since when has anyone been able to call me a bad boy?

"Jaune… you're in the mafia. I can't really think of a better description for a bad boy." She said, teasing me just a little. "First Adam, Sun and now you. Bad boys, and I think Adam is proof that it's not always a good thing."

I wasn't quite sure how to think about that.

"I might not be as bad as Adam, but I certainly come with a lot of baggage you're better off without." I said to her honestly.

"Most of that baggage seems to be coming from this mission." She told me with another pleasing smile. "When you're out of it I'm sure you'll be ripe boyfriend material." She told me encouragingly.

I was about to ask her to clarify that when the kettle started whistling. I took it off the stove and poured us both a cup and put the tea bags in, I set them both on the table as I readied the rest of the food.

"Ripe boyfriend material huh? Does that mean you'll give me a glowing character reference to Weiss when I'm back at Beacon?" I asked, trying to make light of this with a joke. Blake didn't seem to find it very funny though, she just frowned over her steaming cup.

"Are you still carrying a torch for her?" She asked me.

"Not really… just a joke." I admitted to her, taking the eggs off the skillet and dishing out the bacon before the toast came out of the toaster.

She nodded to me silently but the frown held. She blew on the tea and took a sip.

"Would it bother you if I did?" I asked her, finding the attitude she held about it a little strange.

"I… I don't know. Like I said, this is just confusing for me right now." She admitted. "But I mean… we just had sex Jaune. We might not know what to make of that but whatever that means I'm not exactly flattered to have you talk about going out with Weiss."

"It was just a joke." I sighed, putting her food down on the table in front of her. "But you're right, that's bad manners and I should know better. After all, I am a Gentleman."

She frowned again at me and spoke plainly. "I don't like you calling yourself that."

"Why not?" I asked her with a raised eyebrow.

"Because it's the name of a mobster, Jaune." She told me, averting her eyes to look at her breakfast.

I paused thinking about that. I almost told her that I was a mobster but I stopped myself realizing that'd just upset her even more. Besides she had a point, if I was going to leave this all behind I couldn't be thinking about myself like that. "You're right, I'm sorry. I'm trying to step away after all."

"It's alright, Jaune." She told me. "I… I understand what it's like, thinking of yourself as a different person. I was like that when I was with the White Fang… it took me a while to deal with the fact that I wasn't like that anymore."

I nodded, sitting down with my own plate of food. "I don't really know when I stopped thinking of this persona as a mask." I admitted to her. "One day it just started to feel as natural as breathing."

"I understand that, in fact… I never thought of the White Fang as a mask until it tried leaving it." Blake said to me. "Listen… I'll talk to Ozpin for you as soon as I can. I'll work something out with him to get you out of here as fast as possible."

"And my crew." I reminded her firmly. "CRDL and Deery… they're dead without me." I told her hating the fact that so many people I considered friends would be left behind but they were the ones that needed protection the most. If I ran they'd all be in the line of fire. Especially Deery, without me she was free game for the White Fang which might as well be a death sentence for her.

"Are you sure that Ozpin can agree to that?" Blake asked me.

"If he doesn't then we don't have a deal." I told her. "It's as simple as that."

"But Jaune-." she said.

"I'm not going to leave them Blake!" I interrupted before she could give me a reason to cut away from them. "If I did then I really would be a coward. Whatever else I've done I've brought them into this, and if I leave then so do they."

"Alright." Blake said with a nod. "I'll tell Ozpin that you have conditions for being pulled out of here. But if he doesn't agree and you don't have a deal… What then? Can you convince them to run with us?" She asked me.

"No. I'm not even sure I can make them agree to run with me back to Beacon. But if they can't get out, then I'm staying, Blake." I told her.

"Jaune!" She said, her eyes widening.

"I'm serious!" I told her. "I know we talked about running together but I can't do that Blake. I have people here that depend on me!"

"If they depend on you then they can run with you." Blake told me. "From what you've told me Cardin has become a good friend to you. I think he might go if you asked him."

"Cardin has a family Blake! Here in Vale and they depend on him. I'm not going to kill that just because Ozpin isn't willing to honor our deal. Things changed." I told her sternly. "Going on the run sounds nice, maybe even romantic in some way, but I can't do it. There's too much at stake."

She looked at me a long moment before looking down at the table with a defeated sigh. "You're being stubborn and idealistic. You know that, right?"

"I'm sorry." I told her honestly.

"Don't apologize… I actually admire that about you Jaune." She told me before taking a sip of her tea. "If I was in your position with team RWBY I like to think I'd do the same thing in your shoes. So don't apologize Jaune… you're being noble, and I can't fault you for that."

"Just talk to Ozpin. Maybe he won't let me back into Beacon. But if he'll save us from this I'll tell him everything I know. Whatever good it is." I said, doubting that I had enough information for Ozpin to make a difference but it was the only bargaining chip I had.

"Alright… and try calling him with that scroll again." She told me.

"I will… if it still works." I told her remembering how in my frustration I had smashed it on the floor.

"Just give it a try. I don't know how soon I can talk to Ozpin but it could take a little bit." Blake told me. "So just hang on for me."

"I understand. I'll try getting in touch my own way. But until we know what's happening Blake, stay away from me." I told her. "This was already dangerous enough… if we meet again it'll be because I'm getting out. With the Family at war I'm going to be surrounded by wiseguys most of the time and I'm going to attract bullets." I sighed remembering everything that had just happened last night. I wondered how things were downstairs. Was Sal's body still in the walk-in freezer? I hoped a health inspector didn't show up while I was keeping a corpse not ten feet away from my frozen meat.

Blake reached across the table and touched my hand. I looked at it for a second before lacing my fingers with hers holding it.

"Be safe, Jaune." she told me looking into my eyes.

"I'll do my best." I told her, giving her my best smile.

"Do better!" She told me, not returning my smile and giving my hand a squeeze. "Whatever you have to do, stay alive."

"I will!" I said, returning the squeeze and looking into her eyes. "I'll do whatever I have to to get out of this alive."

"Good." She said with a nod.

We sat like that for a minute hand in hand for a long minute before we leaned forward and kissed. It was soft and tender. She ran her fingers through my hair and I put a hand on her bare thigh feeling her soft skin turn to gooseflesh from my touch.

We broke away keeping close to one another breathing heavily from the exchange. I wanted to kiss her again but I knew it was a bad idea. If I kissed her again I'd become distracted and that was the last thing we needed, our fun had to come to an end sometime.

"Our breakfast is gonna get cold." I told her pulling away before the temptation to kiss her again was too great.

She giggled and nodded seeing my point. "Yeah… sorry."

"Don't apologize." I told her, turning those words back on her.

She sighed. "I just feel like I'm being unfair to you."

I shook my head. "You're fine." I assured her.

"When this is all over and you're safe… when I can think clearly. We'll figure out what this meant." She told me.

"Fine." I said with a smile. A foolish part of me was actually hopeful. What if I did go back to Beacon with Blake? How would things be different with us now? She said we'd be friends after this but now there seemed a chance for there to be more. "Just do me a favor."

"What?" she asked me.

"Don't spend all your time at Beacon focused on this. Just try to enjoy yourself there." I told her.

"I'm wasting my time there. Roman, the Fang… something big is happening and I need to know what it is." she said to me.

"No, you need to be a normal student." I told her.

"I'm not a normal student." She told me.

"But you should be. And when I get back it's what I'm gonna want too. So just… relax with your team instead of fretting about all of that or me. Go take Sun to that dance and have a good time." I told her.

"Yang tried talking to me about the same thing. I had to try so hard not to mention any of this to them." Blake told me.

"Yang is right." I told her.

"I know." she said, finally picking up her fork and cutting into her eggs. "But I'm not going to be able to stop worrying."

"Just try." I said picking my own fork up and starting to eat.

Blake nodded to me. "I don't think I'm gonna be able to look Pyrrha in the eye after this." She said idly as she spread jam on her toast.

"What does Pyrrha have to do with this?" I asked her, not understanding her point.

"Uh… nothing." Blake said dismissively. "It's just hard with all these secrets."

"Hopefully it won't be much longer." I told her assuringly.

We ate in relative silence together knowing that what needed to be said had been said. Finishing up she got her clothes back up a little stained with the blood from that hug. She moved towards the window, dawn had arrived and the first rays of sunlight were coming in.

"I guess this is goodbye." I told her, looking at the window. I really didn't want her to leave, a part of me just wanted to flee out the window with her. But I knew that wasn't possible.

"Just for now." Blake told me, putting her hand on my shoulder. "I'm going to get you out of this Jaune. I promise you."

"Don't make promises you can't keep." I told her, averting my eyes from her.

She nodded sadly but touched my face turning it back to look at her. "Then I promise that whatever happens next, I'll be here for you."

I nodded to her. "That's better."

She leaned forward and gave me a parting kiss before stepping away towards the window. "Take care of yourself Jaune, I'll see you soon." She said before opening the window and climbing away, jumping out of sight.

I touched my lips that she had just kissed. It felt nice but I couldn't shake the guilty feeling of leaving the life behind. I kept thinking about Roman and Neo, they weren't the villains Blake thought of them, not to me. I knew there was nothing serious between Neo and I but I still felt like a dirty traitor getting ready to jump ship. A part of me actually wished that I had been born into this life like she had, it seemed like that would have made everything easier for me. It would have made my feelings clearer.

I cleaned the dishes, dressed myself and went downstairs to check up on the club. I put on the mask of a mobster and it fit me like a glove. Sure enough my club was still packed with wiseguys all eating my club's food and sleeping in the booths. Cardin was already up with a pot of coffee, filling people's mugs as they sat at the bar.

"Hey." Cardin said, pouring me a mug and sliding it across the bar to me.

"Hey, thanks for letting me get some sleep." I said, if only I did actually sleep. I started to feel more than a little guilty leaving Cardin with the grunt work while I was upstairs fooling around with Blake and planning to cut and run from this life.

"No problem, boss. You needed it more than me." Cardin told me.

"Any news?" I asked him, falling back into the role of wiseguy. I might have been preparing to throw away the mask of a mobster but for now it was what was going to keep me alive. I had to wear it.

"We got a coroner to take Sal's body away." Cardin explained to me. "And news has gotten around about his death. Lisa Lavender just did the morning news on it." He explained as I drank my coffee, he had prepared it just how I liked it.

I nodded to him. "Anything else? Any more attacks?" I asked him.

"We got word of a few more." Cardin told me. "Just some soldiers that got ambushed around town. A couple of other attempts against the Capos but they managed to dodge them. So far it's looking like we've got a half dozen dead. But not everyone is accounted for." Cardin told me.

"That's good, it's sounding like we killed more Atlesians than they killed us." I said, trying to analyze it. Already I was trying to think of the war in cost and losses. But I knew this was just the beginning.

"One of Paulie's guys came around." Cardin explained. "Roman wants to have a sit down here, he says he's sure this place is secure with all this security we gathered."

"Good. We can start preparing for our retaliation." I told him, even trying to leave, I wanted to get some justice for Sal's death.

"Boss… I'm with you on this. But I have a concern." he told me.

"What is it?" I asked him.

"It's my family… Michail knew about them and that probably means that Nicky can get to them." He said to me.

I nodded seeing his worry. In the Vale mafia there were rules against targeting families in hits, you could capture and question them but there was no killing unless specifically authorized by the Don. It wasn't much of a comfort to my own worries about my family since capture and question could be pretty awful in it's own right. But the Atlesians didn't share that reservation. Meaning they were in danger. "Alright… when was the last time your mom and siblings had a vacation?"

"It's been awhile." Cardin told me.

"Have they ever been to Mistral?" I asked him.

"We've never had the money for a vacation like that." Cardin told me.

"Then they're getting one now." I told him, reaching into my pocket for a wallet taking out one of the credit cards I had for the various accounts I had set up with Roman. "Buy some one way tickets and get them out of town. Say it's a gift from me." I told him.

"This can be going on for a long time, boss." He told me tentatively.

"We'll see." I told him knowing that it may very well be more than a week before the war died down. But hopefully if I managed to jump ship before too long we could think of a way to get them back soon after Ozpin had pulled all of us out of here. I just needed to keep them away until then. "Just get them out of town for a while and let them use this for as long as they need to, buy a timeshare if you have to."

He took the card. "Thanks man."

"Don't mention it. We need to stick together right now. We were always worried this would turn bad and it has." I said with a defeated sigh.

"I'll try to tell my mom and siblings not to go too crazy with this." He told me, looking at the little plastic card.

"Let them splurge." I told him with a wave of my hand. "Tell your mom to come home with her luggage packed with Mistrali silk dresses, in fact buy her and the rest of your family first class tickets. Have them live the good life for a change of pace."

Cardin just looked at the card. "You've done a lot for me, ya know that right?"

"It's just money Cardin. Right now I have more of it than I know what to fucking do with." I said to him. "You know… you can go with them. Keep an eye on them and make sure they don't come back until I tell you it's safe."

Cardin shook his head. "No. You need me. And so does the rest of the crew."

"Your family needs you too, I won't hold it against you." I told him.

"They're going to be safe thanks to you." Cardin told me. "And this Family needs me more right now."

I nodded admiring his conviction. I wished it was that easy for me. I wished I was more like him, Cardin had real loyalty,

A couple of guards at the front door opened and I turned watching Roman walk in alongside Junior and Neo along with a number of capos. Neo stepped past Roman and made a beeline straight for me.

"I'm - happy - to - see - you - safe." She told me with a small smile.

"Likewise." I said to her with a smile. "How's Paulie?" I asked her.

Neo pointed her thumb over her shoulder and I saw that he had arrived with Roman. He was dressed up in some bandages for the burns but he looked more pissed than hurt. In a moment I noticed that all of Roman's capos were arriving. Tony to Victor, the only capo who was absent was Sal. Taking a look at Roman I noticed that his white jacket was now ornamented with a black band of mourning.

"Good to see that you managed to get out of there Gent." Roman said to me looking at me up and down. "Did you get my message?" He asked me.

"Cardin told me you wanted to have a sit down here." I told him.

"Yes I do, you gathered a formidable force so it seems like the safest place to have everyone get together." Roman told me motioning to everyone from the Family and the Clan who had gathered along with the handful of members of the 24k Dragons who had shown up.

"What's mine is yours, Don Torchwick." I said to him with a nod. "And I'm sorry about Sal."

Roman sighed and reached into his jacket pulling out a black armband for me. "He'll be missed, and we will have our vengeance." He assured me. "Let's get upstairs, everyone should be here soon."

I put on the black armband and went upstairs towards the private room next to the cigar lounge. It was the same room I had gotten made in. We got in a few pots of coffee with everyone and people trickled upstairs. Junior and his underbosses took one end of the table with Roman on the other, Roman allowed me to sit with the rest of the capos. Melanie and Miltia stood behind Junior with Tonen and O-Ushi sitting closest to him.

It wasn't just Roman and I who were wearing the black armbands of mourning. It was everyone, even the Clan members were wearing them in respect for Sal. O-Ushi kept giving Paulie worried glances across the table, she really did care about him and I imagined seeing those burns from the crappy bomb was boiling her blood.

"Thank you everyone for being here." Roman said starting the meeting off once everyone had sat down or was standing around the table with a coffee in hand. "And thank you Jaune for hosting this sit down." To which I inclined my head respectfully.

Roman pressed his hands on the table and released a sigh. "We got hit hard last night." He told the room simply. "I am not going to sugar coat this for you all. We're at war now, Nicky started it and we are going to fucking end it. But we're going to have a hard road ahead of us."

Roman set his scroll down on the table and we listened to a recording. General Ironwood's voice came over the speaker.

"The violence that plagued the city streets last night only shows our presence here during the festival to be a necessity. Criminals like the White Fang are more organized and dangerous than ever and cannot be underestimated." He stated from the small scroll. I clenched my fists, his soldiers leave the area just before the hit goes down and he starts claiming that he's fucking protecting this city. I thought about that innocent girl who got shot, her blood was on Ironwood's hands as much as anyones.

Roman clicked off the recording and pocketed his scroll. "We are facing adversity unlike ever before. Our enemies are not only fellow criminals but a foergin army who is doing whatever they can to subtly aid them. The fight ahead of us is going to be difficult, we are presented with a storm we must weather. Right now Nicky is hoping that we're gonna strike back, he's counting on it. Because he knows he can hide behind the Atlas military while they're in town, he knows that if we make a dumb move they're gonna start kicking down doors and handle his dirty work. He's a fucking coward! And we're not going to play his fucking game!"

Everyone around the table nodded. Including Junior. "I agree." He said to him. "As angry and sad as we are for this blatant attack and the loss of Mr. Salearit. But neither the Clan nor the Family can hope to face off against the Atlas Military, even with their reputation tarnished. We need to understand that rash actions and overt public displays of violence will only harm our business. We need to be patient, after all… revenge is a dish best served cold."

"So what!?" O-Ushi said to her boss. "We can't do nothing about this!"

"We're not going to do nothing." Junior said to her.

"Indeed." Roman agreed with him. "For one we need to understand where we stand. Nicky just gambled and lost. He only took out Sal and a handful of soldiers. A regretful loss that he will pay dearly for but it does very little to weaken our position. His stunt has brought more heat to the city and while he can hide behind the military we can also take advantage of this heat, the badges are in our pocket after all and they have the real power here. He can't make a big move like this again, if he does it's going to be too much trouble."

"So that's your plan!?" Victor Stracci said. "You're just going to sit back and wait for Atlas to leave and hope they don't try anything like this again?" He asked him.

"Quiet Victor!" Paulie said to him. "I don't recall you getting burned or dodging bullets last night!"

"And I don't want to wait for someone to start shooting!" Victor said. "If this heat really scared off Nicky then he wouldn't have tried hitting us!" He said to the room. "We need to sit down and hash this out with him or strike back."

"We're not going to make a deal with him!" Tony said with a scowl. "We all know what this is about, Nicky wants us to cave and let him deal his drugs in our territory. And we're not going to fucking let that happen!"

"Agreed!" Paulie said. "Not now, they're just trying to push us out with that poison. They talk a big game about us earning but they're just trying to sell us a noose to hang ourselves with."

"We're not going to deal, not right now." Roman told them all. "And we are going to strike back, and we're going to strike hard!"

"But you just said right now isn't the time for rash action." Tony said to him.

"It isn't time for us to act rashly." Roman told them. "But if General Ironwood wants to think of the White Fang as a threat we might as well give him a show." He said, flashing a sinister smile.

"We're striking back with the Fang!?" I asked him, my eyes widening. It made sense, having a third party strike back at them to divert attention away from the Family.

"I don't know, boss." Paulie said to Roman. "I'm all for breaking heads right now but they took Sal. It's personal and I don't want to leave something like this in the hands of someone else, vengeance should come by our hand."

"I share your sentiment, Paulie." Roman told me. "But like I said, we're just biding our time. Adam and the Fang are just going to buy us a little more. They're going to give those Atlesian bastards something else to worry about while we sharpen our claws."

"I like it." Junior said from his end of the table. "The Atlesians already know this is going to be a war on two fronts. Making it three will certainly give them something to think about. And with too much media attention here in Vale we can't conduct a war properly."

Tonen nodded along with his boss. "Our business had already taken enough hits with those soldiers stomping around our neighborhoods. It might have gotten better since that scandal but it's still bad. And we have to keep our police contacts under wraps. If we just start shooting up the city while a bunch of tourists and junior huntsmen are in town it's not going to be a good image. And we need that image to function."

"So what about us? How do we secure ourselves while we wait for the festival to end?" I asked, wanting to know how best to stay safe during all of this. How to keep my head down before the bullets really started to fly.

"Stay armed, stick to your people and keep your police contacts close." Roman instructed us. "And above all, trust each other! The last thing we need is to be doubting each other and trying to save our own skins because times got a little hard. If you think anyone is working against us tell me. I'll decide if we should act on your suspicions."

"And that goes for the Clan as well." Junior told his people. "We are to stand united during this time, and we will strike together when the time is right, but only when it is right."

"One more thing." Roman said. "We've already started to make arrangements for Sal's funeral. I expect everyone to be there, and I do mean everyone."

"Isn't that risky?" Paulie asked. "Having us all gather into one place? I understand the need for this meeting but we should probably spread out after this."

"We'll get the police to provide security for the funeral. If the Atlesians want to try shooting it out with the badges that's their problem. But Sal was an important guy to the community, he'll be missed and right now we need to remind everyone living in our territory that we are strong and united and that his passing means a lot to us." Roman explained.

"You can count on the Clan being there as well." Junior assured him.

"Excellent." Roman said. "We're going to get through this everyone. Just be patient."

"What about us?" Fat Mike said motioning to the soldiers he stood with, Sal's soldiers. "Where do we stand now that Sal is gone?" He asked him.

"With the Gentleman here." Roman told him, motioning to me. "As I instructed last night he is to take command of Sal's soldiers for the time being and that order is going to stand indefinitely. I know his time here has been short but Mr. Arc has earned my confidence in these matters."

"Very well Don Torchwick." Mike said with a nod of his head.

"Thank you Don Torchwick." I felt a little flattered but also uncertain that he was entrusting me with such a large number of people. Roman had more faith in me than I deserved.

"I will endeavor to do my best for all of you." I said to them, I meant every word, until I remembered my plans to leave a second later.

The meeting adjourned and everyone went their separate ways to make plans for security and protecting their business arrangements. Junior and O-Ushi both wished me well and warned me to be careful before leaving.

War in the mafia is an interesting thing. Usually when people think of war they imagine guns and battle lines and troop movements. It's sort of like that but on a smaller and less complicated scale. We made sure that our businesses were looked after. Anyone that paid the Family or the Clan protection was now getting to see what their money was buying them. We had soldiers patrolling the streets to make sure that our shops and restaurants didn't get hit. The gangs who swore their allegiance to us were watching every street corner and occasionally passing through into Atlesian territory just to keep their guard up.

Sal's soldiers got me a feel for his businesses both legal and illegal. His fishing boats, his tuna canning businesses, his dumping grounds. I set them all up protecting them which was a good thing because the Atlesians were starting to put the squeeze on us.

Workers got threatened and beat up. There were even the occasional case of arson that was covered up to look like electrical fires. As Cinder wanted I started overlooking the incoming shipments of weapons.

Sal's import business wasn't as big as some of the other capos in the family. But like with those Atlesain Paladins that I was helping to bring in were far rarer and specialized than just some crates of rifles and ammo. Shoulder mounted rocket launchers, both anti-armor and even anti-air stinger missiles. We even got a few crates of 20mm cannons designed to shoot down airborne grimm and anything else that flew over. Not that it couldn't be leveled at the ground to blow away anything trying to come at you.

Roman assured me that the Fang wouldn't be bringing these weapons to fight against the Atlesians. He told me the last thing we needed to bring to this fight was heavy ordinance.

I hardly had a moment to myself during all of this. Roman didn't want any of us going around alone and vulnerable so I spent every night with my crew and around a half dozen of Sal's soldiers around me all protecting each other.

For the most part I spent the first few days of the war both anxious and bored. Little was happening, and I wasn't getting any word back from Ozpin. When I tried calling him again he didn't pick up. There was no word and no messages from him. I wondered if I would get any word for him, I wondered if Blake was arguing at him about the terms or if he was just keeping quiet until he pulled whatever magic he had planned on using to pull me out of here.

Or he had just left me out to dry. But it was rare when I could actually have a moment alone to use the scroll. Cardin and my crew were usually sleeping in my rooms with me most of the time.

I finally got to meet Cardin's family. He was sure he had seen some suspicious looking guys outside his family's apartment just before they were supposed to leave on that vacation the next day so he invited us and the rest of the crew to have dinner at his place.

"You know… Cardin bragged about this lasagna." I said sitting at the dinner table in the small apartment. It was a tiny little place. I told myself to buy Cardin's family a nicer and more spacious apartment before they got home. Then I remembered that I was supposed to be out of the business before that happened.

Preparing to leave the life behind and get away from all the bullets that were about to fly I couldn't help but look at everything I was going to leave behind. It was hard, and it didn't take much for me to start having second thoughts. I kept looking at Cardin and the rest of my crew and telling myself that it was to protect them more than everyone else. But I wasn't going to give them a choice. I hated myself.

Mrs. Winchester was a short plump woman with very homely features who beamed with pride when I complimented her cooking. "Thank you Mr. Arc… I am so glad you decided to come around. I've been telling Cardin to invite you over for dinner one of these days. You've done so much for us!" She said, placing the last slice of lasagna onto my plate, stealing it out from under one of Cardin's younger brothers who was hoping to claim the leftovers. Cardin's family really did live hand to mouth.

"Hey!" The young man said indignantly looking over at my plate with a bit of envy. It had become clear to me that tall and broad were very much shared traits of the Winchester family.

"Quiet down Tommy!" Mrs. Winchester scolded. "Mr. Arc here deserves to have an extra slice with everything he's done for Cardin and us."

"I assure you that Cardin here has certainly done plenty for me." I said to her with a smile. "You know, I offered to let him go with you on that vacation, but he insisted he stick around and help me with my business." I said smiling over at Cardin as he chowed down on his mother's home cooking with gusto.

"What is your business exactly?" One of Cardin's younger sisters named Mary asked me, she was a tall pretty brunette who kept looking at me.

"I own a nightclub, and a few other small businesses." I said to her noncommittal.

She nodded to me. "So what does Cardin do? Wait tables?"

"He helps Mr. Arc manage his businesses." Mrs. Winchester answered her for me.

"Yeah… but how?" Mary asked with a raised eyebrow.

"He helped me with security. A former Beacon student can make a pretty good bouncer among other things." I said dismissing the conversation.

"Can I come work for you?" Cardin's younger brother Joe, a younger pimply boy, asked me.

"No you can't." Cardin said to him firmly. "You're still in school Joe."

"I never learn anything, I'd rather be working a job and making money." Joe said, looking at me. "Come on, I'm a hard worker and I'm tough enough to handle some rough customers.

"Cardin is right." I said backing him up. "Stay in school while you can, it'll get you far."

"But Cardin barely got out of regular school and now he's bringing home the bacon." Joe said.

"And between his work for Mr. Arc and my waitressing I think we can agree there's more than enough bacon in this home." Mrs. Winchester said to him. "Besides, Beacon or not, Cardin at least finished his primary school."

"As did I." I told him. "If you graduate then maybe I can recommend you for a job."

"Why can't I come work for you?" Joe asked. "I'd rather be helping you at a club than stacking bricks."

"Let it go!" Cardin's oldest sister Angela said from across the table. "Just be glad that we're going on a vacation for a change, Mr. Arc doesn't need you bothering him, Joe." She said to him looking over to me. "So… Do you have a girlfriend?" She asked me with a friendly grin.

"Yes he does, Angela." Cardin lied for me before I could shoot her down. I watched as his sister's face went scarlet and suppressed a chuckle, not warning to embarrass her anymore. I suppose I shouldn't have been surprised. Coming in with a ton of money I would get a lot of attention from Cardin's family.

The rest of the dinner and the night continued on like that. I stayed there eating some home cooking and watching some television until most of the house was fast asleep and ready to leave early to catch an airship for Mistral. Then it was just Cardin and I along with the two guys who used to work for Sal keeping watch from the car out front.

I sat in an old weathered armchair watching some movie on a small television screen. I had a hard time imagining Cardin growing up here, so many small people in a small place. "Are you serious about getting Joe a job?" Cardin asked me as we sat together.

"I just meant a regular union job." I clarified to him. "I wouldn't ask him to be a wiseguy."

"Good… I don't want the rest of my family getting mixed up in all of this." Cardin told me seriously.

"I'll make sure they don't." I assured him. "But you have to admit that's going to be hard given the proximity." I told him.

"I'll do what I can to keep them away from the life." Cardin told me.

"Do you think you might ever leave it?" I asked him, wondering if perhaps he would warm to the idea of leaving this all behind with me.

"Maybe." Cardin said to me. "But I'm not gonna be a huntsman, and I can't see myself being happy working a normal job for little pay. Not after doing this. I don't know… maybe I'll be in it for life. Get made like you did."

"What about going to another huntsman school?" I asked him. "We certainly could get you enough cash to go to Haven or someplace."

"Maybe." Cardin said. "But… I don't know. It just wouldn't be the same you know? Working huntsman contracts and risking my life for a pittance? It doesn't excite me like it once did. You know?"

I hung my head knowing exactly what he was talking about. "Yeah… I think I do." I said, feeling my stomach sink.

We spent the rest of the night there in the apartment until morning seeing his family off at the airport. I told them to come back when they felt like it and was assured they would be away for at least two weeks. I had no idea how I was going to keep them out of town longer than that but I figured it'd be a bridge I could cross later.

I tried getting Cardin to go with them one last time but he was committed to stick by my side now that we were at war.

The day of Sal's funeral had arrived. I dressed in my finest black suit and took a car with the rest of my crew there. Roman had made it painfully clear that everyone was to be in attendance and when we pulled up in front Saint Leonard's Cathedral I could see that was exactly what had happened.

There was a massive crowd. And not just a bunch of wiseguys walking in, all kinds of people had shown up. The police were there with barricades set up. I held my bouquet of flowers up to hide my face from any reporters when I went inside filing into the line to pay last respects during the viewing.

Sal's open casket was upfront near the altar along with his wife Gabbriella who had a traditional black veil covering her face. I spotted Junior and O-Ushi up ahead of me with the twins. It was strange seeing the two of them both dressed in black instead of their customary white and red. If it wasn't for their hair being different I wouldn't have been able to tell the two of them apart dressed like that.

A hand clasped my own and I looked over to spot Neo holding my hand. She didn't look like her usual self. She had used her semblance to disguise herself turning her white pink and brown hair into simple brown. But her unique eyes were the giveaway. And she too was dressed appropriately in a black dress that went down to her knees covering her nylon covered legs.

"Hey." I greeted her as we moved up the line to lay down our flowers and pay final respects. There were so many flowers laid around Sal's casket you could have opened a florist shop.

"How - are - you - holding - up?" She asked me with a sad look on her face.

I shrugged. "Not well." I admitted to her.

"Do - you - blame - yourself?" She asked me, looking sympathetic.

"A little." I said, casting my gaze over towards the widowed Salerari feeling anxious as the line moved forward towards the casket and towards her. I did not look forward to speaking to her, I didn't know if I could.

"No - one - blames - you." Neo told me. "You - were - just - as - much - a - target - as - Sal."

"I don't think it's going to be much of a comfort to the widow." I told her bitterly.

Neo looked like she wanted to say something supportive but instead decided to save it. I appreciated it, I felt patronized having people tell me I was blameless.

I watched as a group of women stepped forward laying a large wreath of roses down besides Sal's casket before approaching Mrs. Salerari and exchanging some silent words along with a few hugs.

"Who are they?" I asked Neo. "There's an awful lot of people here, not just the Family or the Clan."

"They're - from - the - local - women's - shelter." Neo told me. "Sal - founded - and - made - regular - donations." She explained to me.

"Really?" I asked her, finding that bit of news sad as well as endearing.

"Sal - and - his - wife - liked - their - charities." Neo told me with a little smile. "That's - who - Sal - was."

"That just means his loss is even bigger than ever." I said with a pain in my chest.

Neo nodded sullenly, sparing me from any sugarcoating.

The line kept moving forward with attendees laying down their flowers and saying their respects to Sal and his wife before it finally came time. I laid down my bouquet of roses by the altar and approached the casket.

He really did look like he was just sleeping peacefully in that coffin. I stared at him for a long moment before leaning down and giving his forehead a respectful kiss. I hadn't been to a lot of funerals in my time, and I had never done anything like that before. But many of the wiseguys in front of me had, like a final sign of affection before departing. He was Family.

I couldn't help but look at his corpse thinking about how much harder this would be if it was Cardin or Russel or someone else lying dead in there. If the war continued and I stayed put then this would be one of many funerals I'd be attending.

A lot of people say that you can only leave the business in a coffin. Sal had left it just so and I could only hope that he was in fact at peace now.

"Thanks for everything Sal. I just wish I had the time to get to know you better." I told him honestly. I wanted to promise him that I would do right by his boys but since I was trying to get out I knew it'd be a lie and I wasn't about to lie to a dead man. That was too low even for me.

I waited as Neo paid her respects to him as well. Also giving his face a kiss goodbye and taking a moment to look at him. She probably gave him a few quiet words of her own.

I took a deep breath and steeled myself before turning to Gabrella Salerari and stepping close.

"Neo!" the kind woman greeted pulling her into a comforting hug. "It is good to see you, are you doing well?"

Neo nodded to her with a smile. "Sal - will - be - missed." Neo told her, letting me translate for her.

Gabrella nodded to her before looking at me. "Is this your boyfriend?" She asked her with a pleasant smile.

"No I'm uh… I'm Jaune Arc." I said taking a step forward and offering her my hand.

She looked at me and my offered hand for a very long moment. "Arc?" She asked me before taking my hand. "You were the one with him when he…?"

I nodded to her, not waiting for her to say it. "I am very sorry." I told her unable to look her in the eyes as I spoke.

She held up her hand and stepped closer. "I'd like to talk to you later. During the wake." She told me, keeping a hold of my hand.

I didn't want to talk to her anymore than I had to but I had no right to refuse her. "Of course." I said to her with a nod. She shook my hand and squeezed it affectionately before letting Neo and I step away so the rest of the mourners could meet with her. Cardin and my crew were behind me giving their respects to Sal.

We took our seat in the church pews waiting for the service to start. Neo and I approached the pew near the front sitting next to Junior, O-Ushi and the twins. O-Ushi unscrewed the cap on a flask and handed it to me.

"Is this your first funeral?" She asked me solemnly.

"I've been to a couple of others." I said. I had been there when my grandfather had passed. "But none like this. There's so many people here."

"Sal was a nice guy. He would have been happy to see so many people." Junior said as I accepted the flask and took a swig of the whiskey. It did help to take the edge off.

"This is certainly the biggest funeral we've been to." Milita said with a somber tone of voice.

"Did you know Sal?" I asked them. I personally had barely spoken to him even when Roman was having me act as liaison between the Clan and his capos.

"We were acquainted." Melanie said to us. "We actually know his wife Gabrella better. She ran a number of charities for him. Like that women's shelter."

"Or that therapy center." Miltia mentioned with a regretful sigh.

"I've been to too many funerals." O-Ushi said with a shake of her head taking the flask back from me.

"How many?" I asked her.

"Too fucking many to count." O-Ushi told me.

We waited quietly for the rest of the mourners to finish paying their respects to Sal before the priest took the podium to begin the service. He was a short balding bespectacled man dressed in robes adjusting the microphone towards him. "Hello everyone. I am Father Matteo, and I have been asked by Mrs. Salerari to give the eulogy."

"Today, I look out and see all the people who have come here to pay their respects to Salvador Salereari. Many of you here today know Salvador as a friend, a family member, or you know of him through his actions in the community." He began addressing the packed pews.

"I consider myself lucky to stand here today to say that I knew him as a friend." He told everyone. "I remember when I first met Sal. We were both very young growing up on the south side of town and we met each other at school. He was in my class and he had a nasty habit of getting into trouble. He would constantly prank the teachers. One time, he put glue on the seat of the teacher's bathroom, I saw him leaving just before the principal walked in to get stuck. The fire department was called to get him off of that seat."

Entire church laughed at that. I too had a chuckle trying to imagine the young Sal being a troublemaker at that age. It was difficult to imagine him as a kid.

"Since I was in the hall when it happened I was questioned about the incident. But I stayed quiet. I knew that Sal, yes everyone called him Sal even back then, I knew that Sal having the reputation he did in school would have likely been expelled. So I stayed quiet. A week later I found myself being bullied by some older kids and Sal jumped right in. He didn't win the fight, those kids were four years older and bigger, but Sal had a razorblade sewn in his cap and he went down taking a bigger trashing than me. That was when we became friends. Sal was always different, he was never afraid of getting into trouble. But he also never hesitated to stick his neck out for me or anyone he considered to be his friend. His family wasn't exactly wealthy, but compared to mine he always had food on the dinner table which was more than could be said of my family. A year after meeting him I got a shine box and started working as a shoe shiner just to help my family get by. When some other kids with shine boxes threatened me over taking their business, Sal sneaked firecrackers into their boxes and destroyed their shine supplies. They never bothered me again, and when Sal learned that I was spending all my earnings on groceries he stole some so I wouldn't have to spend all my hard earned money helping to feed my family."

The priest took a long time looking over the crowd, releasing a nostalgic sigh. "That was the kind of person Sal was. It didn't take long before he started moving up in our neighborhood. Seeing me making money with my shine box he bought his own. Not so he could shine shoes himself, no Sal wouldn't do that, be bought them so he could rent them to other kids to make some money. In all my life I had never known a more enterprising spirit. And he was always generous with his money. When my thirteenth birthday came around my parents bought me a new pair of shoes, Sal bought me a brand new bike."

The priest removed his glasses to rub his beady eyes. "I will not deny that Sal did many immoral things for his wealth. His own family, his own father did many devious things. My father wanted me to stay away from Sal lest he influence me. Sal himself at that age always talked about leaving school and helping his father with the business. And when Sal turned fifteen he did. He started working with his father, he ran numbers, he worked as a bagman. He even stole hubcaps off of cars. But even though we weren't going to school together he still stuck around to make sure that all his friends were well taken care of. Until he turned eighteen, he was caught committing check fraud and was sentenced to five years in prison. He was out in two for good behavior while I and the rest of the kids my age got regular jobs. And when Sal got back from prison it was like he had never left. He went right back to his criminal ways in no time. But he didn't stay in town for very long. When I turned twenty I was just entering the priesthood while he was leaving Vale for Mountain Glenn. He and his whole family claimed that their future was in the new town, Sal even invited me and a number of friends along but I wanted to stay and take care of my family. He left wishing me well on my path in the priesthood. He would call me, or write letters about how well things were going for him in Mountain Glenn. His family had invested in a number of businesses. I finally thought that Sal had made it big like he always said he would, it looked like he was putting his life of crime behind him to go straight. During those ten years Sal transformed himself from a neighborhood hoodlum to a respectable man of business."

I already knew where this story was going. If I ever found myself face to face with Ozpin I was going to ask him for the truth about Mountain Glenn. I wanted to know if Roman really did go to him on his hands and knees begging him to save the city. Speaking of Roman, I realized that I hadn't seen him here yet. I took a moment to look around the church not seeing him anywhere.

"Where's Roman?" I whispered to Neo. With how important he said it was for everyone to be attending today I found it strange that he wasn't anywhere to be seen.

Neo shrugged to me and put a finger to her lips telling me to stay quiet as father Matteo continued on with the eulogy.

"When Mountain Glenn fell to the grimm the old neighborhood became a slum. Our poor neighborhood was overrun with refugees. I tried doing whatever I could in the inner city but it wasn't enough. People were hungry, they were sick, and many had lost their families along with everything they owned. When I saw Sal again he told me that he had lost his parents to the grimm like so many had. He had left his home behind with little more than the clothes on his back and cash stuffed in his pocket. It wasn't a lot. Most of Sal's family's businesses and investments were lost with the rest of the city. Everything he and his father had built for themselves was gone. But he took that money that was stuffed into his pocket and handed it to me. He told me that I should go out and buy food for the people. I told him it wasn't a question of money, I just couldn't get ahold of food. There was hardly enough to go around back then, so I returned his money. The next day he showed up with a truck full of food and medicine. I knew he stole it, how else would he get it? But the neighborhood needed help and as much as I wanted to refuse I knew the people who were hungry and sick needed it. And that's how it was for the next several years. Sal would come by the neighborhood with food or money, soon it was mostly money, he bought that tuna canning factory and offered jobs to the refugees, then he bought the boats, then he invested more and more around the neighborhood. And then he met Gabriella. She too was a refugee from Mountain Glenn, and a nurse who helped me out many times in the inner city, she worked in a free clinic that Sal donated to. He married her two years later in this very church, I had the honor of marrying them myself. Sal wouldn't let anyone else do it. From that day on the neighborhood got better and better as Sal and his business associates poured money into the neighborhood, they created jobs, they built homes."

The priest looked over sullenly at Sal's still body and shook his head sadly.

"I do not stand before all of you gathered here today to defend Sal's character. I do not stand here today to defend his ill gotten gains. Sal lived a treacherous life, a violent life, a life that caught up to him and ended violently. But nor do I stand here today to condemn Sal for his life. I am only here to say what I know about him. Sal was a criminal, but he was also a loving husband, a caring father and a generous friend. That is how I will always remember Sal and however you choose to remember him… I think we can agree that he was a man of many facets."

Father Matteo quietly stepped off the podium letting others come up and speak. No one else talked about Sal being a wiseguy. Everyone else talked about what he had done for the community and how much he had helped them. It meant a lot to me but the priest's words were the ones that echoed through my mind. To think that Sal had gone through and seen so much in his time.

Eventually the service ended and the casket was closed up. A few members of the Family stepped forward to act as pallbearers helping carry Sal out of the front door of the church. I followed the procession behind as we stepped out of the church onto the front steps of the church. I looked over at Neo again.

"So… where's Roman?" I asked her again.

"There's - too - many - people - here." She told me. "It's - too - risky - for - him - to - be - seen - in - public. That's - also - why - I'm - a - plain - brunette - today"

It made sense. It was why he hadn't been there at the Moonstone for the Grand opening. But still with Sal gone it didn't feel right for him to not be here with the rest of us. "So what is he doing right now?" I asked her.

Neo shrugged. "I - don't - know. But - he - said - he'll - be - at - the - wake."

I nodded. At least Roman wasn't going to be missing everything. "That's good to hear." I told her with a little smile. "Also… you're really pretty as a brunette."

Neo gave me a wry smile as we continued down the steps of the church.

They loaded the coffin up in the back of a hearse and we loaded up into our cars to follow it, limos had been rented for the occasion and the police kept the reporters at bay. Neo sat next to me as we along with at least a half dozen vehicles followed the hearse to the cemetery. The drive was somber with little conversation. Most of it was idly talking about the service itself commenting on the eulogy.

"Did you know all of that about Sal?" I asked Fat Mike who was driving.

"A little. Sal used to tell me all about Mountain Glenn. Apparently he made a small fortune back then." Mike said to me. "But all that stuff about the old neighborhood… Sal never talked about that very much. I wish he did, he sounded like quite a kid."

"Funny to think that he never even finished school." Cardin said with a chuckle.

Sal - learned - what - he - needed - to - know - on - the - street." Neo said with a bit of a smile. Like - me."

"He certainly did well for himself. But are we alright with that priest talking about him like that?" I asked her hoping that Father Matteo didn't cross any line during his eulogy.

"He - never - talked - about - the - family. So - it's alright." Neo clarified to me. "But - I'm - sure - Sal - told - him - plenty - over - the - years."

"Do you think Sal ever said anything damning in the confessional?" I asked her.

"If - he - did - that - priest - kept - it - quiet - for - decades." She told me. "He's - no - cause - for - concern."

I nodded as we reached the cemetery driving past rows upon rows of headstones. The bright sunny afternoon completely clashed with the atmosphere of the funeral.

We stopped and got out. Most of the crowd had been left behind at the church leaving only some close friends and family as well as the wiseguys. We stepped towards the grave as they readied to lower the coffin in. The headstone was red marble with one half blank ready for when Gabrella joined him in death.

Father Matteo gave a final benediction as the casket was lowered into the grave. Saying a prayer as he was finally set into his final resting place. Neo held my hand the entire time, I was grateful for it. But I couldn't shake the feeling of shame I had holding it. If she knew the truth about me and my plans she'd hate me, I had to choke down my own disgust at myself.

We parted from the grave for a little bit to talk and mingle with one another. I went over to a tree with Neo pulling out a cigar for a smoke before we headed over to the reception.

"I'm - sorry - I've - been - so - busy - lately." Neo told me.

"I've been busy too." I told her dismissively. "We're at war after all, nothing that can be done about it."

"Still… I've - missed - you." she told me with a faint smile on her face.

"I've missed you too." I said to her with a little smile.

"Just - wait - until - this - is - all - over." She told me. "We'll - paint - the - town - red - when - this - is - all - over."

I stopped myself from commenting on whether we'd live that long. I had gotten a bomb in my apartment before this war even truly started, I couldn't imagine what would happen next to me if this continued on. I had caused a fair number of problems for Nicky in my time so I had no doubt that it wouldn't be long before I was the target. Assuming that I wasn't the primary target when Sal got gunned down.

"Yeah." I said with a nod before taking another puff of my cigar.

"Mind if I join the two of you?" I turned and found it was Father Matteo. He had a tobacco pipe in his hand and a box of matches wanting to step away for a smoke as well.

"I don't mind at all." I told him, taking a long draw off the cigar.

"Did you two know Sal?" He asked the two of us.

Neo nodded to him. "We're - with - the - Family." She said in sign, I translated.

"Pleasure - to - meet - you." The priest answered, tucking his pipe away to speak in sign language.

Neo smiled, always happy to meet someone who could understand her without the help of her scroll and or a translator. "I'm - Neo." she told him spelling out her name on one hand.

"Pleasure - to - meet - you." He said, talking as he signed. "Sal - talked - about - you. You're - the - girl - Roman - adopted - from - Sister - Emma's, aren't - you?"

Neo nodded to him. "I - am. And - you - can - just - talk. I'm - mute - not - deaf."

"I see." the priest said with a smile. Taking his pipe out and striking a match to light the tobacco leaves stuffed inside.

I looked at Neo. "Sister Emma's?" I asked her.

"An orphanage." Matteo said as he puffed on his pipe. "Mr?"

"Arc, Jaune Arc. I'm with the Family as well." I told him looking over at Neo.

"I'll - tell - you - about - it - sometime." Neo told me with a little smile before looking over at the priest. "That - was - a - beautiful - eulogy." She told him.

"I'm glad you liked it." He said to her with a solemn nod of his head.

"It made me wish that I knew Sal better." I said to him honestly.

"I take it that a young man like you hasn't been in the Family for very long." He said to me, "It is a shame, Salvador was certainly a diamond in the rough."

"Do you ever regret it?" I asked him.

"Regret what my son?" He asked me with a raise of his eyebrow.

"Taking his money… benefiting from the business?" I asked him.

Neo gave me a curious look.

"Do I regret how he obtained his wealth?" He asked me. "Of course I do, but I don't regret accepting his help. We returned to this city when it needed help the most, and he didn't hesitate to help in the only way he knew how. There were many wealthy people in this city, some few might have even earned their fortunes honestly. But those honest men were never as generous as Sal. It is not my place to comment on his eternal fate but… Sal certainly did far more good and bad than most people I have known in my time as a priest."

"I see." I said puffing on my cigar.

"You seem like a troubled man." Father Matteo said to me.

"I uh… I was there when Sal was killed." I confessed to him. That wasn't what was bothering me, or at least it wasn't the only thing bothering me.

"Are you a church going man Mr. Arc?" He asked me.

I shrugged at him. "I used to be… my mother would take us every Sunday. But I fell out of the habit. Right now… I don't know what I believe in. I believe in a soul, but beyond that… I'm not sure."

Father Matteo nodded to me and put a comforting hand on my shoulder. "Well… if you ever want to get back into the habit, or if you simply want to talk to ease your burdens you're more than welcome in my church."

"Thank you father." I told him with a nod, not knowing just how to feel about his offer.

I finished my smoke and we went off towards our cars heading off towards Longshore for the wake.

Sal's home was actually fairly small considering all the other mansions in Longshore. Not to say it was a small home, it was massive compared to every other home I've ever stayed in. The driveway was wide allowing almost all of the arriving cars a place to park. Inside wasn't quite what I had expected. When I see a mansion I usually expect all kinds of expensive art, marble busts but for the most part it was pretty basic. There were paintings but none of exceptional quality or expense, in fact I realized soon that most of them had been painted by Miss Salerari herself.

There were drinks and food for everyone who mingled around the house talking around the house about Sal. Neo stuck by my side the entire time and as I went around talking to whoever I found familiar, which for the most part was my crew and the rest of Roman's capos.

"So Sal calls me up at like four in the morning and tells me he has the perfect thing for me to spend that dough on!" Paulie said O-Ushi and a half dozen other wiseguys wanting to hear some old stories. "I drive out there and he shows me this crappy ass rust bucket of a boat. It was so bad looking I was figuring he wanted to sell it off to some jackass, you know, pretty it up and scam them into buying it. But Sal tells me no, he just bought his first fishing boat and all he needed was a little start-up money to hire a crew. He promised me four times the return on my investment and all the free tuna I could want. I thought it was a stupid idea and that Sal had wasted his money on a boat that probably wouldn't even float. But I eventually relented, he wasn't asking me for much money anyways so I figured if it went bad we could sink it for the insurance money. So Sal gets out this bottle of champagne and tries to christen the boat, like they do you know. But when he slams the bottle against the boat it doesn't break. We spent like ten minutes trying to break that bottle but it was tough. And then we dented the side of the boat, the wood was so fucking rotted it cracked. So Sal and I just popped the cork and drank about half of it down before I thought of shooting the bottle. Sal didn't have a gun and told me he was a lousy shot so I did the honors. We didn't think about how we'd put a hole through the boat's hull. I had to pay and get it patched."

We chuckled at the story together enjoying the fact that the sorrow that had accompanied the funeral and the burial was starting to dissipate as everyone tried to talk about the good times and enjoy the free food and drinks available to everyone. I myself enjoyed a glass of port with another cigar. "Is that boat still around?" I asked him.

"Nah it sank years later, and I know what you're thinking. No, we didn't do it for the insurance money, it just so happened to spring a leak. Not that Sal didn't collect on the insurance." He told us with a devilish smile on his face.

"I remember that boat." A voice said boasteriously from behind us. We all turned to see Roman approaching his cane in one hand and a smoking cigar in the other. "And let me tell you Sal used it for a lot more than just fishing. It's a miracle it managed to stay afloat so long. I remember once we use it to smuggle in some pharmaceuticals and these fucking pirates tries swiping the score away from us. It was a miracle we didn't have to swim back home."

"Roman!" Paulie exclaimed. "There you are! I was starting to think that you'd never show up."

"Sorry I couldn't be there earlier. There were too many eyes there, it even made the news." Roman said, handing his cane and hat off to Neo who moved to set them by the coat rack where all of our coats and hats were stored.

"Anything to drink, sir?" I asked him.

"Thank you Jaune, I'll have a brandy." He told me, letting me step away into the kitchen and pour him a glass before going back into the living room.

"So… how'd you survive those pirates?" I asked Roman as I handed him his glass of brandy.

"Turns out those pirates had crappier boats than we did." Roman said with a grin. "It wasn't anything Melodic Cudgel couldn't blow out of the water. Not to mention those fishermen we brought along were pretty handy with shotguns."

"How long ago was that?" I asked him.

"Ah this was what… three, four years after Mountain Glenn." Roman paused thinking about it for a moment. "Yeah I was with Nikolai when it happened" He sighed and took a gulp of his brandy. I didn't bother asking more nor did anyone else seeing that the memory became just a little painful to him.

"How was the actual funeral?" Roman asked us, trying to move past the uncomfortable silence that had settled at the mention of Nickolai's name.

"It was quite nice." Junior commented, stepping forward with a glass of glengoolie in his hand. "But you were probably right to keep away from it. Neo herself even came in disguise." Junior said looking over at the girl who had made herself comfortable on the couch with the twins having some conversation with them.

She looked towards us hearing her name called and nodded in agreement. "Lot's - of - reporters - too." She said to her. "The - cops - kept - them - away - for - us - though." She explained to him.

Roman nodded with a small smirk curling his lip. "Well, at least we could send Sal off with a bang."

I nodded in agreement until I felt a small tap on my shoulder. I turned and saw Miss Salerari standing behind me. "May I talk to you now, Mr. Arc?" She asked me calmly. She had removed her veil and she looked me over with grey eyes.

I had been dreading this from the moment she had suggested we talk back at the church. I wanted to run and run but I had no right to deny her request to speak to me about her late husband. "Of course." I told her, giving Roman and Neo one more glance before following her upstairs into an old den that I quickly realized belonged to Sal.

"Please sit down." Gabrella said, motioning me towards a couch. "Can I get you anything… more port, perhaps?" She suggested to me moving towards a liquor cabinet.

"That'd be nice, thank you." I said, happy to have the excuse for another drink.

She took a bottle from the cabinet and poured a tiny glass of the dark red liquid. "I talked to some of our accountants. Sal was going to be transferring you a number of his businesses just before his passing. They doctored up the paperwork for the transfer and with Sal leaving me everything in his will I decided to sign them away to you."

"Oh…" I said stupidly, accepting the drink as she reached over to the desk grabbing a stack of papers and a pen and moving towards the small coffee table I was currently seated at. "I wasn't even thinking about any of that. I kind of assumed that it was all on hold."

Gabrella took a seat in a chair, handed me the pen. "Well I figured it would be best to honor Sal's final wishes towards the business." She told me. "I… uh, I added in a few more things… the rest of it I'm going to sign over to Mr. Torchwick."

"You're giving it all away?" I asked her.

"Not all of it. There's still some of the legal businesses I'm keeping a hold of. And by signing these agreements you're agreeing to send a percentage of the earnings to the listed bank accounts." She explained to me laying out the paperwork for me.

On the sheets were deeds to more than just the import business and the dump and the few other things we had agreed to. It was also Sal's fishing business and canning factory. It was a few restaurants, a couple of bars and even a half dozen bodegas all within the Family's territory.

"This is… this is too much." I said to her as I looked over everything she was giving to me. "I can't afford any of this."

"I do not ask for any money." She told me. "Just continue to send the listed percentages to my personal accounts."

"Is there anything else?" I asked her while holding the fountain pen.

"Yes." She said with a nod pulling one of the sheets of paper out. "The contract also lists a number of charities these businesses donated to. I would hate for them to be forgotten so I would ask you to handle them."

"I'd be honored to." I told her with a nod.

"I figured you would be." She said with a little smile. "Sal told me you wore the name Gentleman well."

"Sal talked about me?" I asked her. Finding it strange that she had even heard of me before her husband's death.

"A little, Sal would tell me a few things about his business. Especially when new members are made." She said to me.

I nodded and began signing the papers. Applying a fake name again and again onto dozens of papers.

"I wish I could have known Sal better." I told her as I continued to sign. "I think I might have really liked him."

"I am sure you would have. Sal was friendly with everyone." Gabriella said, shuffling the papers to the side. "May I ask, how did he die? I mean… What was he like in those last moments?" She asked me.

I took a long time to ponder my answer. For a moment I considered lying about the details and feeding her some bullshit I thought she'd want to hear. But I instead opted for the truth.

"He didn't do much in the fight. When we stole that car he tried giving that young girl some money for it before the bullets struck. I'd given him my gun but he never even fired a shot from it. I was trying to help stop the bleeding when he told me to stop helping him and to keep shooting. He told me we were all dead if I didn't. So I did, and sometime while I was he slipped away." I told her, feeling my eyes start to well up. I closed my eyes and turned away feeling a hot tear slip out and roll down my face.

I felt her hand touch my shoulder.

"Just before those gunmen arrived… Sal was talking about retiring." I told her, clenching my fist.

Gabriella Salerari giggled. It took me a moment to register but I opened my tear swollen eyes to find her laughing, putting her hands on my shoulders and embracing me. "You really didn't know Sal very well, did you?" She asked me with a warm smile.

"What do you mean?" I asked her.

"Sal always talked about retiring. When I met him as a young nurse he promised me that he'd leave the life behind after we got married. He promised me that by then he'd have enough legal businesses for us to live very comfortably. Then it was after we bought this house, and when we had kids, or his fiftieth birthday. I got sick of hearing him talk about it. I stopped holding him to that promise a long time ago. He was born a gangster, and I always knew he'd die as one." She told me with a comforting squeeze of my shoulders as I let the tears fall.

"I should have held his wounds closed." I told her, voicing my biggest regret. I didn't know if it would have made a difference, but just knowing that it might have plagued me with guilt.

"No," she said with a shake of her head. "You were right to listen to Sal. It might not have made a difference. And whatever the case… I know Sal would have preferred it to be him instead of you. You're young, and you have the rest of your life ahead of you."

I sighed. "Thank you. You know, when you said you wanted to talk to me, I thought it was because you wanted to be angry at me." I told her.

She shook her head. "No, no I'm not angry with you. I always knew that I could lose my Sal to this business. I knew that before I even married him. I knew what I was getting into."

"When did you know he was a gangster?" I asked her. "Did he tell you?"

"Eventually." She said with a smile. "But I sort of figured it out before he ever told me. He came by the clinic I worked at with donations. He could always bring me into the nicest clubs and restaurants. He gave me expensive gifts and jewelry, it was a lot more than anyone with a union job could afford. But the day I really figured it out was one night when a girl was brought into the clinic with a broken jaw. We'd seen her before, we knew it was her boyfriend. But the cops didn't do anything about it. But when I told Sal he started asking questions, who that guy was, where he worked, where he lived. And well... the next day that boyfriend got hit by a car and ended up in a body cast. That's when I realized that he didn't have a normal job."

"Were you scared?" I asked her.

"Scared!?" She laughed. "No, I was excited! I was young, and I didn't ever think that Sal would hurt me. But the thought that he hurt that vile man for me, well… you might think I was foolish but I was rather flattered."

I nodded to her and continued to sign the paperwork. "What are you planning to do now that he's gone?" I asked her.

"I plan on managing a few of our local charities." She told me. "But first I think I am going to get away for a while. We have a vacation home in Vacuo that Sal would always talk about spending our retirement. I think I'll go there for a bit, but like Sal I don't think I'll ever truly be done. I don't think I can leave my business behind any better than he could leave behind his."

"I wish you luck." I told her, taking her hand.

"You as well." She said, squeezing my hand.

I went back downstairs and mingled with the rest of the party. I felt a little lighter after talking to her, but I still felt like there was a burden upon my shoulders.

"Hey, O-Ushi?" I asked, stepping forward and gaining her attention as she talked to Paulie.

"Hey kid, what's up?" She asked me.

"The night of the hit… there was this girl. We took her car to escape and she was gunned down by the Atlesians." I told her.

"I heard about that." She said with an uncomfortable look at the floor. "What about it?"

"I think she was from the neighborhood." I told her. "Can you maybe find her family for me... I'd like to send them some money."

"Money isn't going to bring that girl back, Jaune." O-Ushi told me with a shake of her head.

"I know… but it's the least I can do." I told her. "Just find them for me and I'll write them a check."

"Don't do that." O-Ushi told me gravely. "If you just send them an anonymous check it'll send the wrong kind of message. I know a charity in the neighborhood, they'll handle it for you."

"Thanks." I told her.

She nodded and turned back to Paulie ready to continue their conversation. I moved into the living room and sat down on the couch next to Neo and the twins.

"How - did - it - go - with - Mrs. - Salerari?" Neo asked me.

"Fine, better than expected." I answered her as Miltia lifted her legs and draped them over mine while she leaned her back against Neo.

"What did she want to talk about?" Cardin asked, sitting in a chair.

"It was mostly business." I told him honestly. "She wanted to sign over those businesses Sal had talked about selling me."

"How much did it run you?" Melanie asked putting her feet up on Cardin's knees using him as a footrest.

"Nothing." I told her. "So long as I pay fifteen percent every month."

"Really?" Cardin asked me. "That's it? That's a fucking pitance."

I shrugged. "She wanted to keep it in the family. And… she added in a few other things."

"What - kind - of - things?" Neo asked me with a raised eyebrow.

"Some bars and a few restaurants. I think there was even a hair salon." I explained to them.

"What's the name of the salon?" Melanie asked me.

"I don't know… something trends." I told her, a little blindsided by the question.

"Luscious Trends?" Miltia asked me.

"I uh… I think so." I said to her.

"Oh I love that place." Melanie exclaimed, turning to me. "Please tell me you'll give us a discount."

"I think you two are the last people who would need a discount." I told them.

"You don't know how expensive their head stylist is!" Melanie told me. "It's two hundred lien just to make a fucking reservation." She said to me. "Come on… I'll make it worth your while, Jaune."

"How about I leave it all to Cardin and you can bring it up with him." I said dodging the proposal.

"What?" Cardin said, almost choking on his whiskey. "I don't know a damn thing about running a salon." He said to me.

"There's already people running it. I just need people to check it, make sure it's staying protected and earning and collecting the money. And if necessary maybe get some people on a VIP list as a necessary favor to a friend." I explained to him.

"Well considering we're at war I think it would be necessary to keep relations between the Clan and the Family at a high." Miltia said, looking over at Cardin.

I chuckled, happy to leave Cardin to deal with the twins trying to convince him to get him to agree to make personal use of the salon.

"Hey… turn on the television!" I heard Paulie cry from across the room. "Turn on the news!"

I looked at the rest of the Capos and wiseguys filing into the living room as I grabbed the remote and turned it on to the Vale News Network.

"Just a half hour ago police arrived into the industrial district in what they are currently claiming to be an anonymous tip. What they found was a scene of horror. Twelve men dead all believed to be affiliated with some kind of Altesian crime syndicate, four killed while entering the factory while the other eight were lined up against a back wall and gunned down." Lisa Lavender said as the screen panned to the inside of the factory, indeed it showed the back wall stained with blood but more than that was a freshly spray painted red symbol. The symbol of the White Fang.

"As you can see the mark of the White Fang has been painted over the murder scene in red paint. Police say witnesses claim they saw a half dozen fanus enter with swords and a machine gun. One was apparently even beheaded with a shotgun. And while not as shocking the police also uncovered three separate printing machines in the basement of the factory along with several million counterfeit lien and printing plates. It is too early to speculate but it seems whatever caused the terrorists to commit such a horrific act of violence was involved in this counterfeit operation."

I listened to Lisa Lavender go on and on as the news started to flood with information. It wasn't just this strike to this counterfeit operation they were running. It was news of a fatal car crash of an Atlesian businessman, a fire in an office, a poisoning in a restaurant.

I didn't believe it. While we were all here gathered for the funeral the White Fang struck. Harder and more effectively than I could have hoped for. And with far more precision than I expected.

Indeed the Atlesians were getting a message that this war would have many fronts for them. And what's more every member of the family and it's closest associates were here with more than enough alibis.

Everyone except Roman. Who was already wanted and had thus declined to appear for the funeral.

I felt a hand touch and squeeze my shoulder from behind. I looked up and saw Roman smiling wickedly at the television. "This is nothing." Roman told me. "This is just a statement, it's business. Revenge will have to wait, this is just a fucking appetizer."

---

Author's Note: Happy October everyone!

I hope you all enjoyed this week's chapter. I hope you enjoyed the aftermath of Jaune and Blake's little tryst as well as Sal's funeral. I liked the idea of Sal being the kind of gangster others could look up to, a mafioso who earned the respect and prestige he has in the city. And now Jaune is being forced to fill those rather large shoes of his during a violent and tumultuous time.

I have always tried to be transparent in this story so I figure I should address the love triangle Jaune is in. A LOT of you have requested that have this story turn into a Ménage à Trois between Jaune, Neo and Blake. And while I certainly find the idea interesting I am going to continue through with this story as I had it planned. Making such a romance believable would require a lot of work that currently doesn't fit into my planned out plot and changing things at this point could just be messy. And if I did that I would want to give it the time and attention it would need and deserve. That said, if I do write a sequel story I might consider trying to write it them but this story is going to continue how I planned with it just being a Jaune x Neo story. After all, Blake and Neo are two very different people with different views on sex and romance and I would need to develop their interactions and I would hate to try that half heartily. So I hope that clears things up.

Please review and share your thoughts and options. I always want to hear what you think of the story and how its developing. I read them all and they help me get back in front of my laptop week in and week out.

And of course I have to thank The Committee for all their help and support in providing ideas and beta reading this story. They helped me make it great and I owe them a lot. So thank you MidKnightMoonglow99, MajorBrony95, CrypidCobra, TheSlySage, BigBrain411, Firefly25 and DrknssRules1. You guys are awesome and I owe you all a lot.