So, Summer Rose is my favorite character after Ruby, so I just had to do something with them together, and not with one of them dead.
Summer felt something small and soft poke her cheek. She groaned and tilted her head in the opposite direction. This time something gently pushed her cheek. "Wake up, mommy," a small voice said.
"But Ruuuubyyyy, I'm tirrrred," Summer moaned, mimicking her youngest on almost every morning.
She was hugged from both sides. "Happy Mother's Day, mommy!" Yang chirped. "We made you breakfast."
Summer opened her eyes and looked at her two beautiful, smiling little girls. "Well, isn't this a sight for sleepy eyes."
Ruby laughed in her cute way and looked at the door. "Daddy! She's awake!"
The door swung inward and Tai walked in holding a folding table with a generous stack of pancakes on top. "Morning sleeping beauty. How you feeling?"
"Tired." Summer let her head fall back to her pillow. "It's too early."
"Really? Have you seen the time?" Tai set the table down right by Summer's side.
Summer turned her head to the clock and blinked. Ten o'clock. They let her sleep in for three hours. They really wanted to make the day special. "Oh. I guess I better get up then." She pushed herself into a sitting position and both Ruby and Yang backed away. The smell from the pancakes finally caught Summer's nose. "Oh boy. That smells good."
"We helped!" Yang gently bounced on the bed, her pigtails jumping all over the place. "I put of the chocolate sauce and whipped cream."
"Did you now?" Summer took her first good look at the not-so-short-stack. Sure enough, in addition to the traditional maple syrup, a bunch of strawberries rested on top, with a volcano of whipped cream as a hat, with chocolate lava running down the sides. "And the strawberries were…Uncle Qrow's doing?"
"No, silly." Ruby shook her head fervently. "I made those!" Translation, Tai cut them and Ruby arranged them, probably stealing a few pieces for herself.
"It's beautiful girls." Summer looked up at her husband. "And how did you contribute to this?"
Tai shrugged. "Chocolate chips inside of course. These two don't know the secret."
"We would if you told us." Ruby's shoulders slumped and she put on her best puppy dog face.
"You'll find out when you're older." Tai ruffled Ruby's hair.
"It's tricky. I don't even know how to do it." Summer reached for a fork, then noticed something big was missing. "Who forgot the orange juice?"
"Sorry!" Yang crawled off the bed and walked over to Summer's dresser. She picked up a large glass filled to the brim with juice. Never before had she walked so slowly, so carefully as she approached her mom with the staining drink.
Summer reached down and took the glass from Yang. "Thank you, Phoenix." She took a quick sip from the glass so it wouldn't overflow.
Tai rested a hand on both Ruby's and Yang's shoulder. "Come on girls. Let's give your mom some space.
Yang backed up, but Ruby launched herself forward and wrapped her arms around Summer. "I love you, mommy."
Summer leaned forward and kissed the top of Ruby's head. "I love you too, Gem. Now go follow daddy. I'll be down soon." Ruby pulled away and trotted after Yang and Tai, her cape billowing behind her. She continued down the hall, stopped, then ran back to pull the door closed. Summer felt her eyes well up. This day almost didn't come.
She shook her head to drive those thoughts away before they took root. The pancakes were calling her. Tai always did such a good job. Summer taught him well. They were never gooey and never burnt, and always homemade with the right amount of chocolate chips. The extra flavoring from the girls made it even better. Nothing outshone anything else. She could taste the love that went into every inch of her food. The juice was good too. Must have been from Mary's farm on the other side of Patch.
With her breakfast finished, she grabbed her Scroll off her nightstand. As she had every Sunday for the past seven plus years, she looked for a text from her partner. As like the last three weeks, she had no messages waiting for her. Summer grimaced. If Raven drank the bandits Bool-Aid again, Summer was going to drag her back to Patch by her ear, lock her in the basement, and force her to watch Hisney movies and home videos of Yang and Ruby playing together, and wouldn't let her out until she was ready to cuddle up next to Yang every night and read her a bedtime story like moms should. Yang needed to know her real mother, the one who only started to show herself at the beginning of her fourth year at Beacon, the one who jumped around as much as Summer when she found out she was pregnant.
Summer shook her head and stood up. She stretched and yawned as she walked to her closet. A quick wardrobe change later, she was in her combat outfit, which over the years had turned into what she wore just about everywhere.
She left her room and heard terrible singing coming from downstairs. The others must be watching FruitTales or something along those lines. It was Sunday after all. Summer made it halfway down the stairs before she saw the projection. Sure enough, the 'Raiders Who Do Nothing' were on screen. Ruby and Yang danced in the space between the projection and the couch with Tai watching over them. "Awww, you started it without me?" Summer fake moaned.
Three heads turned up to Summer. "Oh. We can start over," Ruby suggested innocently. "We wouldn't mind."
Of course she wouldn't, Summer thought with a smile. "That's fine. I've seen this like a gazillion times." She walked down the remainder of the steps and plopped down on the couch. Tai draped an arm across Summer's shoulders. Ruby and Yang continued their nonsensical dance until the Funny Song ended. They then jumped onto their parent's laps, Yang on Summer, Ruby on Tai.
Unfortunately, Tai's scroll rang before the show ended. He reached to a side table and answered it while Summer paused the show. "Hello?" he answered normally. Almost instantly, his eyes hardened, but the rest of him stayed the same. "I'll see what I can do." He sighed and pocketed his Scroll. "Looks like Qrow is having trouble with his truck again."
Truck. Armed robbery. "Good luck. Hope you fix it for real this time."
"Same here." Tai picked Ruby and set her down on Summer's lap. "Hopefully I won't be long."
"Do you have to leave?" Ruby pouted.
"I won't be long." Tai walked to the front door and grabbed the tool box sitting by the foot. Inside were his spiked gauntlets, the tools of his trade. "See you later." He waved and stepped out the door. He probably put on a burst of speed as soon as the door closed.
"Ah well." Summer wrapped her arms around her little girls. "More of you for me."
"Yay! Time with mommy!" Ruby cheered.
"Can you hit play?" Yang asked.
"Patience." Summer pulled her arms back, and flicked one of Yang's pigtails.
"Hey!" Yang batted her mom's hand away. "Don't do that." She put on her best glare, but it was always a cute pout. Summer just smiled at her oldest and hit the play button. The slight forgotten, Yang glued her eyes back to the screen.
Summer looked at the top of her little girls' heads. Ruby and Yang were two peas in a pod. They did practically everything together. Neither of them were happy when Yang started Kindergarten and Ruby had to stay in preschool. Now they were both in elementary school, and they were ecstatic about it. There was rarely a time where they weren't happy together.
But…three months ago, Summer almost lost them, or rather, they almost lost her. Raven of all people was there to get her out of danger, but only that. When Summer woke up in the hospital, Raven was gone, and she had two terrified and teary eyed little girls holding onto her…Their faces still haunted her. Summer swore that she would never let her girls be in that position again. She wasn't going to be like Raven and abandon them.
Summer wrapped her arms around Ruby and Yang again. She leaned her head down and kissed both girls' hair. But they didn't notice. They kept on watching one of their favorite shows.
The credits rolled and Summer turned off the projector. "Now that that's over, how about some cookies?"
Both girls snapped their heads up and beamed up at her mom. But Ruby's face slowly fell. "But…dad said you're not supposed to work today."
Summer put on her own puppy dog face. "But I like cookies too." She looked between the cute little faces. "Could you make them for me?" Ruby's face brightened once more and she locked eyes with Yang. Both nodded and they scrambled off their mom's lap and scrambled for the kitchen. Summer chuckled to herself then followed the energetic bundles of joy. In all likelihood, she'd be doing most of the work herself, but she'd let the girls think they were doing it by themselves.
Ruby and Yang stood in the center of the kitchen, staring at various cupboards. "Mommy?" Yang looked up. "Where's the recipe?"
Summer reached into one of the upper cupboards and took out the recipe book. She opened it to the most used page in the whole thing. "Most of the ingredients are up high, so I'll have to get them for you."
Yang jumped onto a chair and looked at the book on the table. "Can I read it?"
"Of course. Tell me what you need."
Yang turned to the pages and her smile disappeared. "I…uh…" She looked to her mom and to her sister still on the floor. Summer knew that look. Yang wanted to impress people, but she knew she was in over her head. "Pr…Prehe…Preheaht oven to three seven five…circle F?"
"That comes later." Summer pointed to the ingredient list at the top of the page. "What do these say?"
Yang's head sunk between her shoulders. "What is that?" She pointed at the first item on the list, or more specifically the amount. Fractions. The bane of every child's existence, especially when they could barely add ten and ten together.
Summer covered the one and the four. "For now, whenever you see something like this, say 'slash' between the two numbers."
"Okay." Yang looked back at the paper. "Two, one, slash four, cup…cups fl..flo…"
"Sound it out," Summer encouraged.
"Flow…floor…flour…flour!" Yang looked up to Summer for confirmation.
"Very good." Summer turned to her youngest. "Gem, could you go to the far cabinet and take out the two things of white stuff?"
"Okay mommy!" Ruby trotted to said cabinet and opened it. She reached inside and pulled out what looked like the flour container. Ruby let it tip over, but it didn't spill. Thank God for child proof containers.
Summer turned back to Yang. "What's next on the list?" The process continued for the rest of the ingredients, and onto the actual baking. Before anything was mixed, Summer set the oven for twenty-five degrees below the recommended temperature. The girls loved a doughy center. Ruby took care of mixing the liquids while Yang took the solids, until they became too much for her small arms. In the end, Summer did most of the mixing.
When the dough was done, they all took spoons and lumped dough onto a couple cookie sheets. At one point Summer caught Ruby hungrily eyeing the dough on her spoon. "Ruby," Summer said in her light mom voice, "not until after the sheets are filled." Ruby's shoulders slumped and dumped the spoons contents onto the cookie sheet.
When both sheets were filled, Ruby and Yang backed away from the dough, and more importantly, the oven. Summer slid both sheets onto the center rack and closed the oven. She turned to her little girls. "While we're waiting for the cookies to be done, how about a game of Huntress?"
Ruby's and Yang's eyes widened, and Ruby jumped wildly. "Yesyesyes!" she cheered.
"Can we be the Huntresses this time?" Yang asked with a huge smile on her face.
"I guess that makes me a Beowolf, then. Good luck finding me." The girls ran out of the kitchen and to the stairs. "No running on the steps!" Summer called just as her girl's reached the bottom. They both slowed down and took one step at a time. As soon as they reached the top though, they ran off to their room and out of sight.
Summer brought a hand to her chin. "Hmmm, where's the best place to hide." She eyed the couch. Of course, the girls would find her right away, but that was the point. She walked to the space and crouched down.
The girls' door closed upstairs. Summer poked her head out from behind the couch only enough for a single eye to see out. Yang held a small plastic sword about the size of a real dagger. Ruby chose a Fren pistol that was way too big for her. She'd been favoring that one a lot lately. Yang chose a different 'weapon' each time.
Ruby whimpered at the top of the stairs. "Where is she?" She walked down the stairs looking around the room with her gun at her side. Poor form, and that could get her hurt out in the field…if she chose to follow in her parent's footsteps that is.
Yang had both hands around the hilt of her 'sword' and held it out in front of her in what looked like a defensive position. That was good, but her fingers held the weapon too tight. "We'll find her. We always do."
Only because I want you to. Summer giggled to herself and pulled her head back and listened for her girls. It sounded like they separated. Summer turned around and looked toward the kitchen. Ruby walked in that direction and out of sight. The sound of opening and closing cupboards came from the kitchen. Summer's smile disappeared. Don't open the oven. Don't open the oven. Summer was ready to teleport in there and snatch Ruby away if she heard that sound, but it never came. Ruby walked out of the kitchen scratching her head and her oversized gun dragging on the floor.
Summer pulled her head back and looked around the original side of the couch. Yang was looking under and around several other pieces of furniture. Her grip on her weapon had loosened and the point almost scratched the hardwood floor. She looked just as confused as Ruby. Then she turned toward the couch and Summer pulled her head back in. Small footsteps grew louder. Summer propped herself up on all fours ready to pounce.
The front door opened behind Summer and Tai stepped in. "Hey girls, I'm home." He looked down and blinked at Summer, who had frozen in place.
"Daddy, do you know where mommy is?" Ruby asked.
Tai looked down at his wife. Summer shook her head and ran a hand across her neck in a kill it motion. Tai looked to where the voice came from. "I just stepped in the door. Your guess is as good as mine. Anything I can help with?"
"We're Huntresses and mommy is a Beowolf," Yang explained. "We have to find her."
"A Beowolf, huh?" Tai set his toolbox where he picked it up from and stood directly over Summer. His legs pinned Summer in and he leaned forward on the couch. "That's a very dangerous Grimm. Having one loose in the house, that's not a good thing."
"How do you fight them, daddy?" Ruby asked.
"Well, for a professional Huntsman like myself, It's fairly easy." He backed his legs out so Summer could slither free. She did and crouched behind Tai. "Beowolves are like dogs, so they're easily distracted. Throw a ball toward them and they'll chase it, some of the time. Others, you've got to hit them head on." Summer placed a hand at the small of Tai's back and slowly extended her legs. "But something you never, ever want them to do is get behind you."
Summer jumped up and wrapped her arms around her husband and kissed his neck to make it look like she was biting him. Tai threw his arms up in mock surprise as Summer pulled him to the ground. Summer kissed Tai's cheek. "Thank you," she whispered.
Tai winked and let out a fake sounding scream. "Help! It's got me! I'm defenseless!"
Ruby ran around the side of the couch and pointed her weapon at her mom. "Leave daddy alone!" She pulled the trigger and a foam dart shot out. Summer rolled of Tai and growled at her youngest. Ruby fired another shot, this one Summer didn't even need to dodge.
"Let's get her Ruby!" Yang said from behind Summer. Summer whipped her head around and saw Yang standing by the prone form of her father.
I'm surrounded! They probably don't even know they're doing it! Summer's spirits soared, but she couldn't show it. She growled at both her girls, waiting for one of them to make the first move. Yang ran at Summer with her sword in front of her. Summer waited for the last moment and rolled out of the way. The girls needed to think they stood a chance and it wasn't all their mom's work.
Summer heard another shot and ducked just in time. Ruby had three more darts, and Summer wanted the last to be the 'killing' blow. A cute yell came from Summer's right. Yang was charging her again. Summer 'glared' at her Phoenix. She gently batted the plastic sword away. Yang stared at her mom with her jaw dropped. Summer leaned forward for the 'killing blow,' a quick peck on the cheek, but Yang dodged out of the way. She's getting quick.
Summer heard another shot, and this time felt something ping off her rear end. She howled and collapsed on the floor with her tongue hanging out of her mouth. Huh. They got me. Either they're getting good, or I'm slipping.
"Is it dead?" Ruby asked. More footsteps came from the direction of the voice.
"Maybe?" Yang said unsure.
"Poke it." Ruby's voice now came from the same direction as Yang's.
ONLY poke it Yang. Last time Summer was a Grimm, Yang used her plastic bat to hit her mom in the back of the head repeatedly. Summer hated yelling at her girls, but that was one point that she had to. Under no circumstances are Yang or Ruby allowed to hit anyone in the back of the head.
Thankfully, the plastic sword poked Summer's cheek a few times. She didn't move a muscle. "We did it!" Yang cheered
Nope! Summer snapped her eyes open and looked up to her girls. She pounced forward and grabbed both of them. She turned around in the air so she was on the bottom and not her girls. They fake screamed and tried to get out of their mom's grip, but they couldn't gain any ground.
Summer turned her head to her Gem and blew raspberries on Ruby's cheek. Ruby squealed and tried to push her mom's head away. Summer let it happen and did the same to Yang. Her Phoenix squeaked and struggled even harder. Summer switched targets one more time, drawing more laughs out of Ruby. "Mommy! Stop!"
"I'm not mommy!" Summer declared to the ceiling. "I'm a terrifying Beowolf!" She kissed the cheeks of both her daughters in turn. "I saw two cute little girls in my territory and I couldn't let them walk freely." Both Ruby and Yang went limp, probably thinking the kiss took them out of the game.
Summer stared at the heads of her little girls. Yang was breathing heavily, while Ruby was trying to hold back her giggle. Tai was sitting up by the couch watching the scene as well. Summer tightened her arms around her girls. "Okay, I'm mommy again."
Both her girls released their giggles and wrapped their tiny arms around their mommy. Ruby crawled up and buried her face in Summer's shoulder. Yang was content where she was. Tai dragged himself over from the couch. "Mind if I join you ladies?"
"Not at all, Tai" Summer jerked her head to the side. "Get in here." Tai slid in next to Summer and draped an arm over all the girls. Summer hummed happily and rested her head on the floor. Her girls only gripped harder.
The front door opened again and Qrow stepped in. He had a pair of gloves in one hand and the every present orange soda in the other. He also had a box under one arm. "Hey Tai, you forgot your…" Qrow blinked as be looked at the cuddle pile on the floor. "What did I just walk into?"
"Uncle Qrow!" Ruby and Yang squealed at the same time. They pushed themselves off Summer and ran over to their uncle. They latched themselves onto their uncle's legs.
"Pipsqueak. Firecracker." Qrow took two steps forward, bringing his nieces with him. "Geez, it's not like I'm not here every other day."
"You said I forgot something?" Tai pushed himself off the floor and leaned his back against the couch.
"Oh yeah. You forgot your gloves in the garage." Qrow tossed Tai the gloves. Summer cocked her head and raised an eyebrow at her teammate. Tai didn't wear gloves under his gauntlets.
Qrow smirked and shrugged. "Happy mother's day, Sum."
A buzzer rang in the kitchen. The girls' heads turned toward it. "Cookies!" They detached themselves from Qrow and ran to the kitchen.
Summer stood up and jogged there herself. "Don't open the oven!" she called by habit more than anything. She entered the kitchen and saw Yang in her high chair and Ruby climbing into hers. "Good girls." Summer grabbed some oven mitts and opened the oven. The cookies looked about as close to perfect as her cookies could get. The fact that Ruby and Yang played a significant hand in making them this time around made them even better.
"I thought I smelled something good," Qrow said as Summer took out both cookie sheets. "Summer's infamous peanut butter-chocolate chip cookies. I knew I came over here for something else."
Summer set the sheets on the stove and reached for a spatula. "You got here last, you get last pick. That's how this works." She ran the spatula under all the cookies and unstuck them from the metal. "Then again, all of these look so good. I don't think there'll be much of a difference this time around."
"Who gets first, mommy?" Ruby asked from the table.
"When these cool off, I do." Summer said matter of factly. "It's Mother's Day, after all." She turned to her girls. "The question is who gets second?"
"I read the book!" Yang chirped.
Ruby lowered her eyes, then slowly looked up with a tremble in her lower lip. "Please, mommy."
Summer smiled at her youngest. "Of course, Gem."
Yang's jaw dropped and she looked between her mom and sister. "But I did more work!"
"Yang," Tai said from the doorway, "do you want to have a pick after me?"
"She said the magic word, kido," Qrow chipped in. "Even I know that." He took a swig of his soda.
"Hmf." Yang crossed her arms and turned her head away.
"Yang," Summer used her slightly heavy mom voice, "do you want any cookies at all?"
Yang's head stayed turned away, then slowly turned to Summer. "Sorry, mommy."
Summer's shoulders relaxed. This was an improvement. "I forgive you, Yang." Her oldest returned her gaze to the table in front of her. "And who else do you owe an apology to?"
Yang turned her eyes up. "Sorry, Ruby."
"I forgive you, Yang," Ruby said with a smile. She looked up at Summer. "Can Yang please go after me?"
Joined at the hip, even when they're mad at each other. Summer turned to Yang and awaited the word. Yang looked up with a small smile. "Please, mommy?"
Summer returned the smile. "Of course, Phoenix."
"Now that that's taken care of," Tai walked forward and placed a hand on Summer's shoulder, "pick out the one you want, and I'll save it for you. Why don't you go pick out a movie."
"It's not a problem. I'm just-"
Tai put a single finger over Summer's lips. "Today's your day. No work. You've already cheated a little on that."
Summer let her whole body relax. "I think I will." She turned to the cookies. "I want...this one!" She pointed at one of the bigger ones on the two sheets. Must have been a Ruby one.
"You got it." Tai kissed Summer on the cheek. "I'll call you when they're cool."
"Thank you." Summer kissed Tai on the lips.
Everyone else in the room groaned. "Uncle Qrooooow!" Ruby moaned. "Mommy and daddy kissed."
"I know." Qrow covered his eyes with a hand. "A little warning next time?"
"Hm, nah." Summer walked toward the door. She smirked at Qrow and punched his shoulder on the way past. He was still such a kid at times. Then again, that side of him was only visible around the girls.
Summer knelt down by the family's collection of movies and looked them over. All the ones that were there were kid friendly, not that there were too many others in the house. Hmmm, what haven't we watched in a while? Summer ran a finger across the plastic until one caught her eye. She pulled out 'Cerise and the Dragons of Vale.' The girls absolutely adored the dragons, though Yang liked Halcyon more.
"Don't you have Scrollflix?" Qrow asked.
"Canceled it two weeks ago." Summer stood up and faced her teammate. Qrow now sat on the couch, the box on his lap. "There's nothing good on it. It'll never catch on."
Qrow shrugged. "Point." Summer sat on the couch next to him. "How's your stomach?"
"Better." Summer rubbed her belly where she was hit a few months ago. "Hasn't bothered me in two days...then again, I haven't trained much in that time."
Qrow nodded. "Any return time?"
"Well, the White Fang is having a rally in Vale next week and they're asking for security."
"White Fang?" Qrow raised an eyebrow. "Since when are you an activist."
"I'm not, but Ghira Belladonna's people called me last week. Yeah, I know, that doesn't happen much." Summer turned her head away. "Apparently they've gotten some credible threats recently. Ghira wants someone to be on the lookout. If there's some political malarky in there, I don't know."
"You taken him up on it?"
"No. I don't know if I can." Summer paused. "I know I've said this a million times, but thank you so much for helping look after the girls when I was in the hospital."
"You'd do the same thing for me if I was in the hospital...and had kids." Qrow pushed the box to Summer. "Speaking of which, something from me." Qrow looked back to the kitchen. "And a little birdy."
Summer blinked and mouthed, "Raven?" Qrow nodded. Summer took the box and opened it up. On top rested an extra large bag of Sunburst Jellybeans. "Feeding my addiction, huh?"
"Of course. I've got this stuff," Qrow raised his orange soda, "you've got those."
"These'll be gone by tomorrow night." Summer took out the bag and gasped at what she saw underneath. "You didn't! Qrow, it's not my birthday to, is it?"
"I don't think so, unless you've been lying to us."
Summer took out the autographed Spruce Willis picture. "How did you even get this?"
"You know he doesn't just play Huntsmen right? Ran into him in Mistral about a month ago on mission. Told him about a certain team leader who got out of the hospital a month before, who just happened to be a big fan of his."
"Qrow, you're the best." Summer used an arm to pull Qrow in for a side hug. She pulled back and looked at what was under the picture. A piece of paper with her name on it sat on top of what looked like a small collection of Flame Wheel cars for Yang. Raven somehow figured out Yang liked them, and had been sending Summer some in secret for years.
Summer took out the paper and opened it. It was definitely Raven's handwriting. 'Hey Sum. I've been tracking one of her minions for the past few weeks, so I haven't been able to text. I'm writing this three days before when you read this, and Qrow can confirm. Happy Mother's Day. You're doing a much better job than I ever could have with Yang. Give these to my little Firecracker, not like she needs anymore. Your partner, Rae.'
Something tapped against one of the windows. Summer looked up and saw a raven bumping its head against the glass. She kept her face straight and pointed at the open spot on the couch next to her. The bird shook her head, then flew off.
"You know she'd be in here if she could," Qrow soothed.
"Do I? If she's here, she might as well show her face."
Qrow hesitated. "There are people that are hunting her-"
"And the same people Raven ran from nearly killed me. I'm still here." Summer clenched her fists and eyes. She took several deep breaths. She didn't need Qrow reminding her why Raven left in the first place. "I'm sorry. I...It's Mother's Day. I want Yang to meet hers."
"I hear ya." Qrow paused. "She know yet?"
Summer shook her head. "No. But I've talked with Tai. She's old enough."
Qrow grunted. "I don't envy you." He took a sip of his soda.
"But not today." Summer lifted her head. "Today she's still my little Phoenix. Nothing can take that away." A chair backed up in the kitchen.
Summer snapped her head back. Tai always lifted the back legs of a chair. That was all four legs. A faint gasp filtered through the air, and not a happy one. Summer activated her Semblance and teleported into the kitchen. She saw Ruby more than halfway to the floor arm first. Summer dove and just got her hands beneath her youngest before she hit the floor. She teleported again, with Ruby in hand, to directly above where she was. She kicked her legs back beneath her and landed back on her feet. White rose petals rained down around them.
Ruby shook in Summer's arms and snuggled close to her mom's chest. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't do that."
"She okay?" Tai asked from his place by the oven.
"I don't know." She did, but she needed to humor Ruby right now. Summer gently peeled Ruby away. "Does anything hurt?"
Ruby's eyes watered and her lips trembled. Did she actually hit the floor? Or was she getting really good at faking it? She moved her right arm forward, and there actually was a red mark there. Summer leaned forward and kissed the center of the red spot. Ruby pointed to her right cheek. That didn't look red, but Summer kissed that as well.
The water retreated from Ruby's eyes and her trembling lips became more pronounced, like she was trying. She pointed to her forehead. The edges of her lips curled upward. She just wanted more kisses. If Yang wasn't in the room, Summer would have obliged. "You're such a drama queen, Gem. You're fine."
"B...but…" Ruby added even more trembling lips, but couldn't keep the corners flat. "It hurts."
Summer cocked her head and raised her eyebrows. "Does it?"
Ruby's lips stopped quivering and she averted her eyes. "No…"
"Now, what did we learn here, Ruby?" Tai asked, now standing over Summer and Ruby.
"Don't stand on my chair and push away from the table to get cookies faster."
"That's a good girl." This time, Summer did kiss Ruby on the forehead before picking up one of her rose petals and tickling Ruby's nose with it. Ruby giggled and pushed the petal away. Summer chuckled as well and set her little girl back on the floor. Yang ran in from the side and hugged Ruby. She probably had flashbacks from when she fell off the back of the couch and broke her arm last year.
Summer stood up and shot a glare at Tai. He winced and held his hands up in surrender. He'd be paying for his lapse in attention at some point in the near future. Tai shook his head. "Girls, cookies are cool enough."
Ruby and Yang separated and stood by the wall, looking up at their mom with big eyes. Summer walked forward and saw one set apart from the others. "Thanks for saving this one."
"Not a problem." Tai's voice shook slightly. He knew what he was in for. Summer walked away and took a bite of her cookie. It was just as good as it looked. Ruby and Yang then ambushed Tai and clung into his legs until he lowered the cookie plate to their level.
Just as Ruby took hers, familiar music came from the living room. Ruby turned toward it, her cookie hanging in her mouth. "Dragies!" she cheered through her food. She ran out of the kitchen, cookie still in her mouth.
"Wait for me!" Yang followed her sister, cookie by her side.
Tai joined Summer by the wall and offered his wife an arm. "Shall we join them, m'lady?"
Summer hooked an arm through Tai's. "We shall." Together, they walked into the living room. Ruby and Yang were goofing off in the open space where they 'danced' earlier, and Qrow wasn't helping. Someone needed to get all three kids in their seats.
Happy Mother's Day!
And yes. I'm still holding onto hope that Raven isn't completely evil.