A/N: Aaand, we're back! Sorry about the mild delay, life caught up to me. Thankfully, this chapter is a bit longer than the others, so I hope that make sup for it! So far, a feature of the story has been shifts in PoV between the line breaks. This is going to continue, but I want to let you know, a stand-alone ellipses (...), signifies a time skip without changing PoV. Oh, shout out to Ikedawg43, whose "Wash it Away (But It Comes Back Stronger) is another one of my favorite Post-V3 stories.

Enough of all this though: thank you for reading, and please enjoy chapter fifteen!

Jaune was awakened as a sudden weight crushed down onto his chest. His brother senses had failed him astoundingly, sleep vanishing.

"Ooof!" he wheezed.

"Morning, Jaune," Verte said from atop his stomach.

"Morning, Verte?" He could have thrown her off, but chose not to.

"Happy birthday!" She threw her arms around his head and squeezed. He wriggled an arm between his throat and her choking hug, managing to take a breath.

"Thanks, Verte." His sister released her death grip and hopped off his bed. He sat up and stretched his arms, then spotted his other sisters & his team gathered around the doorway. Ren was smirking beside the open door; the traitor had let them in! Damn his ninja skills!

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JAUNE!" Most of them cheered quietly, recognizing he was just waking up, but Nora and Verte had no such restraint. Verte rushed to his armor rack, and chucked Crocea Mors at him.

"Get dressed, Jaune, we've gotta go!" She eagerly bounced from foot to foot. He was utterly lost. "You're teaching me how to fight!"

That was how Jaune found himself standing in the training circle, wearing his armor while Verte faced him down with Crocea Mors. She drew the sword, nearly dropped it, and extended the shield. Her arms sagged under the weight.

"Nope! We start with the basics, Verte." She frowned at him.

"Yeah, won't I need the sword for that?"

"Nope! Basics is footwork!" She stared at him flatly. Taking a page from his partner's book, he strolled up to her and lightly shoved, sending his little sister sprawling to the ground. She let out an indignant squawk, but he went on. "We're going to work on your footing, until I actually have to try when I push you."

"Ya know, I figured we'd jump straight to slashing and stabbing…" Verte sounded a little disappointed.

"If you really want to learn to fight, this is where you start." Jaune didn't want to doubt his sister, but getting a feel for her commitment was important. With a sigh, she sheathed the sword.

"How should I stand?"

…

Verte was bent double, hands on her knees as she breathed hard, while Jaune was just beginning to work up a sweat. "Right! That's a good first lesson." He smiled a brotherly smile at her astonishment.

"But you guys are out here for, like, twice as long!" she protested. Her hair, out of its normal braid, was plastered to her neck and face, clothes soaked in sweat.

"Do you feel like you can go another two hours?" He smiled as Verte paled a little. "So, this is what Pyr felt like training me? I'm not sure if that's a good or a bad thing." He was incredibly proud of Verte's determination, but a little frustrated at having to explain what seemed almost natural to him. Everyone has to learn something for the first time, some time, and he was just as bad once.

With not a small amount of help, Verte and he headed back to the house. His little sister promptly collapsed on a couch next to Rose, while he headed over to the shelves. Nora swung her gaze between them, grinning her devious smile. "Soooo, how was practice?"

"Grble" Verte retorted.

"Sounds like a good one! Jaune, can I set her workout program?" Jaune only felt a tad guilty at the all-too eager look on her face.

"Of course, Nora! You know best for that sort of thing!" A good leader delegates!

"Hate you so much right now, Jaune. Happy birthday." Rose looked as if she would bite her own lip off, trying to not laugh as she did up Verte's braid.

…

Noire, Vi, and Ren cordoned off the kitchen for preparations, and from the sounds of it, they were all going down to Orleans Park for lunch. The girls were complaining that the river would be too cold for a swim, but clear skies and a nice view were just fine by him.

Once the cooks' permission was gained, the party took to the streets. Rouge and Marron whined about teachers named Arc, Noire and Vi grumbled about students named Arc, and Nora lamented the fact Ren wouldn't let her help with the food.

He would never admit it to Nora, but Jaune was immensely relieved she wasn't: he liked being able to keep his meals down.

It took a little hiking, but the group found a space large enough for them where they wouldn't disturb others. Blankets were spread, bags were emptied, and the spread was assembled! Jaune kicked back with his sandwich, admiring the season in swing. The trees were still carrying plenty of green, but the maples and birches were on their way to turning: a few pines stood their ground, of course. And junipers.

Giggle, giggle.

His mom, Noire, Vi, and Ren were talking about something, but he couldn't hear over Verte and Rose's mad scrabble up the tree behind him. Marron, Rouge, and Pyr were laid out in the sun, jackets pillowing their heads as they enjoyed the brief, mild warmth of the afternoon.

He watched Pyr lounge for a while. Too long of a while, as Nora plopped down next to him.

"Sooo, how are ya, Jaune? Enjoying the park?" Her wide grin was either knowing or just Nora-manic; he could never tell.

"Well, it is a nice day out, and lunch was really good. And later, I get to take you guys to my favorite place to get a bite!" He offered an innocent grin. She offered the same back.

"I'm dying! But, it kinda stinks it was too cold to go swimming, right?"

"Eh, it's fine. Still nice out, right?"

Nora nodded slowly, still grinning like a loon. "Yup, great view out here…"

"Yeah? I always loved visiting the park, and I like being able to bring you guys along." "Deflect, deflect!"

Nora, apparently, took the bait. "It actually is pretty nice out here, Bar.

"This's been fun. I mean, we came out here because of some terrible stuff, but actually being here has been nice. Bar's pretty cool, your sisters are friendly, and JNPR still gets to be together!" Nora flopped onto the ground, taking a bite from her sandwich.

Jaune noticed his sandwich was gone.

"Thanks, Jaune. I know I can be a pain sometimes, but you never complain. Makes me feel at home."

Jaune just shrugged: "Well, what are friends for, Nora? I mean, you're practically family." She stared at his sisters pointedly.

"I don't think you need more sisters, Jaune."

"I don't, but I wouldn't mind getting another one." Nora fired back up, staring him down with an even bigger Nroa smile.

"Ooh, only one? There a reason you only want one more, Jaune?"

"Damage control!" "Hey, I think Ren needs your help with the drinks, Nora!"

Nora was off in a flash. Jaune made sure to promise Ren, mentally, to pay him back for throwing him under the bus.

…

Green's Diner was a second home to Jaune.

Well, since going to Beacon, he guessed it was more of a third home now, but still home! The narrow building was set in the heart of Bar. the restaurant receding farther from the street than Mr. Green's hairline. The smells of fried food and burgers wafted out, welcoming him back.

"I love this place." He declared simply to his friends and family.

"We know, Jaune, trust us." Marron griped. Heretic that she was, she had never appreciated Green's.

They bustled through the doors, and a girl Jaune vaguely recognized from school led them to a booth in the rear of the diner. The eclectic decorations ranged from signed jerseys to Hunter's photos to old copies of aircraft nose art. He knew it all by heart, but JNPR were overwhelmed by the sheer number of things hanging from the walls. Marron called it tacky, he called it awesome.

He was halfway slid into his booth when he realized it was already occupied: Blanche popped up from her crouch, dragging him off balance and into a crushing hug.

"Happy birthday, little bro!"

Naturally, he hugged her back as hard as he could.

"Blanche! They said you couldn't make it!" He looked back to see Pyrrha was recording them, smiling triumphantly. "How are you?"

The rest of the party piled in, just barely fitting at the table. Blanche let go of him and moved to make room for Noire.

"Well, I'd be doing better if you didn't always want to get a heart attack on a bun for your birthday! I'm doing alright, Jaune. Military's been mostly quarantine duty for the month: Hunters go into the danger zones."

They all harassed Blanche for details on Vale, and Blanche was nonstop on how they'd been in Bar, but their waitress' arrival called a halt to the festivities. Jaune couldn't help but shake the feeling he knew this girl: Gris was her name. He ordered the double chili burger, as per tradition, and patiently waited for the rest to finish. Ren was still trying to be healthy, and ordered a grilled chicken sandwich. He was grateful to see Pyrrha partake properly with chicken and waffles, and Nora with a garbage plate. She'd probably order a second one, too.

"Okay, where do I know Gris from? School? It's killing me." Rouge stared at him dumbfounded, while Marron started to laugh.

"Jaune, you asked her out junior year."

"I did?" He'd been shot down more than a few times back in school. Blanche swiped at the top of his head, missing as ducked beneath it.

"Well, let no one say Jaune Arc can be defeated by rejection," his elder sister declared.

Nora sniggered at that: "Weiss would agree with that!" Blanche broke from her attempt at a noogie, locking onto Nora.

"Who. Is Weiss?" Jaune's head slammed into the table as Nora began to recount the Weiss saga, again. Pyrrha patted his head consolingly while Blanche chuckled and laughed at her poor brother's expense.

"Jaune, you need to learn your lessons one day…" Blanche offered as she bit back more laughs.

"Hey, this isn't entirely on me! Dad said all you need is confidence!" His sisters looked to their mother.

She blinked owlishly at them. "Well, confidence is important. Your father first asked me out covered head to toe in mud and missing a boot." Huh, he never knew that before.

"Confidence and persistence aren't the same thing though, honey."

"As much as I appreciate almost all the women in my life waiting until after I crash and burn to give advice on girls, I've already figured out I need to change my methods. And last I checked, I wasn't the only single Arc child." He made his conversational escape as Blanche, Noire, Vi, Rouge, and Marron all turned on each other.

He'd learned a long time ago that sisterly infighting was his ticket out of a bad situation. Noire and Blanche were debating that guy and this date, while Marron had scooted closer to Rose, as if to hide behind her youth.

"Just because big brother is terrible with girls doesn't mean I am too!" Rogue declared, shaking her hands at Vi.

"Well, I suppose that explains why you never bring boys home." She quipped easily. Rogue turned beet red amid frantic denials. She was saved by the arrival of several trays of food, of course. His burger was delivered with its small mountain of fries and a shake, and he could see Mr. Green coming over from the kitchen to speak with the Arc clan. Jaune let out a contented sigh.

"I love this place."

…

They'd gone to dinner early, but stayed late. Blanche still had a million and one questions about how the team had been doing in Bar, and the team had an equal number for how Beacon and Vale were doing. The chaos of a large family made straightforward conversation all but impossible. Still, they all happily gave it their best shot. All of his sisters, Blanche aside, had finals coming up, but Jaune wondered if Verte and Rose would be attending a normal school next year. Verte hadn't said anything overt to him, but training with the sword and getting a workout regimen spoke louder than words.

If he had paved the way for his little sisters to follow their own hearts, then he'd accomplished at least that. They wouldn't have to cheat their way in. Jaune shook himself from the dire thought, and refocused as Blanche and Noire sat him down in the living room, while the other rushed off.

Vi returned with a wrapped box, Nora a tall bag, his baby sisters with their own mystery package, and Ren & his mother with a cake.

Ren was a great cook, and his skills in that field were one of the few things he was prideful, even arrogant about. Given that Ren had apparently whipped up a three-tier cake large enough for a dozen people together in today's spare time, he once again felt no need to burst Ren's bubble.

They set the massive blue & green thing down on the coffee table, along with plates, and handed him a knife. Ren took a moment to revel in everyone's praise, then nodded for Jaune to cut the cake; the crowd proclaimed Ren's greatness again when it was revealed he'd dyed the cake's layers to colors of his sisters.

"Ren, I really have no idea you pull this stuff off."

His brother's small smile would be equal to someone else bouncing in glee. "Oh, I have my ways, especially when it comes to family. Happy birthday, Jaune!"

Rose powered through her slice, then dropped her box on his lap dramatically. "This one's from the four of us, Jaune." He finished swallowing his bite, set his own slice aside with not a little regret, and turned his attention to the gift.

The box was absolutely packed with comic books. Flipping through the first few, Jaune realized he'd had a few of these at Beacon.

"They're replacements", Rose offered by way of explanation. "Rouge knew which one you took to Beacon, so we got as many of the ones you lost as we could. We couldn't get all of them, but we tried." He'd had a few expensive comics with him. He'd been collecting and receiving them for years, but this was still a lot. He couldn't imagine the amount of sitting or odd-jobs it would have taken them to pay for all of these.

"Thanks, girls; I'll take better care of them, this time."

"And, take better care of yourself." Vi announced imperiously, clunking her box next to him. "From the twins and I." He switched the boxes over, idly noting the weight before reaching inside.

It was armor. White, like his current piece, but much larger and with some bronze trim, and a serious set of metal gauntlets, too. Huntsman gear, from his older sisters.

"It looks great…"

Blanche snorted. "Just make sure you use it! Stay safe out there, little brother." He nodded, hoping they didn't see him tear up a bit.

"Me next, me next!" Nora bounded forward, setting down a small stack of plates and dropping her bag at his feet.

Jaune couldn't help but notice the cake was missing several more pieces than he remembered.

"This one's all me, Jaune, and I know you'll love it!" Her infectious grin spread over to him, sure enough. He scooted the armor aside, fishing the bag onto his lap. Reaching in, he felt glass? He lifted out the present.

South Menagerie Gin.

Jaune shoved the bottle back into the bag, but it was too late.

"Since you're 18 now, Jaune, I figured we could make it official with some good spirits!" He put on a weak smile, praying his mother and Noire didn't read too much into the gift choice.

"Thanks, Nora, we'll give it a try later?" She frowned a bit at his phrasing.

"Wait, Yang said you-" Ren's hand slapped against Nora's mouth, pulling her away.

"I'm sure we can trust Yang's suggestions, Nora, but why don't we finish off some of the cake first?" Ren and Jaune's eyes met, and Jaune silently passed along his thanks and an 'I owe you'.

"Come on, Yang, you were supposed to keep quiet about the club trip!" Noire would skin him alive if she knew he'd had this stuff before.

Yang was right though: he did like the brand.

To help sell Ren's distraction, Jaune dutifully moved to cut and distribute more slices, letting his adoptive brother's recreation of heaven distract the audience.

Jaune had stepped out of the living room some time ago, and she surmised he was trying to get a little quiet amidst all the bustle. Eventually, Pyrrha found her partner seated on the back porch; she set down her gift softly before making her way over to him, sitting on the step beside him. He looked over to her as she sat, and smiled.

"Hey, Pyrrha."

"Hello again," she offered with a warm smile. "Have you been having a good birthday, then? I've been looking forward to it for some time now."

"You've just been looking forward to an excuse to eat cake, I'm onto you."

She pouted, crossing her arms: "Drat, my master plan revealed! How could you have possibly known?"

Jaune assumed a smug look, sticking his nose into the air. "My first hint was when you stopped at the Redeye for pastries four times last week. Underneath all that ridiculous amount of training is a sweet tooth to rival Nora, and we all know it." They stared each other down for a moment, then burst out laughing.

"No, it's been great, probably the best I've had in a while." Jaune's face was a little flushed from the laughing. He looked away from her though, set his eyes on the field. "I was worried. Really worried. I didn't know how they'd take it. Everything that's happened.

"I was worried my team and my family would hate each other." He looked back at her then, "Thank you, Pyr. Having all of you together is about as good a gift as I could ask for."

She put on her most winning smile, reaching back for her present. "Really, maybe I should go return this then? I don't want to have a bad second act."

Jaune actually spotted it then and smiled at her. "I'm sure you thought of something great, Pyr. Is this from the team?" She handed it to him, smiling.

"No, just from me. Go ahead!"

With the same enthusiasm Jaune gave everything, he tore at the wrapping, eventually revealing what it hid.

A guitar case.

Jaune looked back at her in surprise, and she nodded him on. Delicately, he flicked open the locks and pushed up the lid.

Wonder of wonders, a guitar was in the guitar case. She was not very experienced in instruments by her own admission, but she'd been very thorough in ensuring it was a fine instrument. The dark wood had an almost red hue, though in the evening light it was nearly black, but the Arc crest was inlaid with pride on the guitar's head. He removed it from the case reverently, holding it against his chest.

"I know you miss your old guitar, and I saw a music store in Bar some time ago. You wouldn't be you if you didn't have your music."

"Pyrrha…" Jaune looked as if he were going to cry, and Pyrrha welled up a bit herself. Slowly, gently, he lowered it to his lap before turning to her. "Thank you, Pyr, I love it. I- I don't know what else to say." She felt a lump in her throat, her heart pounding in her chest.

"You could play a song for me."

Jaune looked at her for a moment, then back down at the guitar, nervous. He'd played in the dorm often enough, but that was at them, around them: not for them. He had only played for someone once at Beacon. She thought she saw Jaune's eyes widen a bit, but he reached down to take up the instrument before she could be sure. "Alright, just give me a minute." She just nodded, unable to speak.

He checked the tune for a moment, making mysterious adjustments, then just held onto her gift; he was probably looking for a song he could play. He grinned for a moment, then twisted to face the field while looking down towards her feet. "I think I have the right one."

Pyrrha couldn't really construct a sentence at the moment, so she just nodded for him to go on. Jaune coughed a bit, settled himself and the guitar into place.

He strummed it lightly, and they both winced as he hit a very bad note. "Sorry, I'm a little rusty."

He reset, eyes focused on his fingers and the strings. He began again, and started to softly accompany is playing.

"Hush your cries, close your eyes. Stay with me,

"Let's just dream, quietly, of what… might… be."

His singing voice was a little rough, no doubt as rusty as his playing supposedly was. She didn't care, it was wonderful.

"Calm your fear, I'll be near, to you I'll cling,

"Rest my friend, time can mend… many… things.

"I don't know the answers, tomorrow's still unknown. But I can make this promise, you won't be alone."

She could feel herself move closer, inch by inch.

"There's a quiet place, in my embrace, a haven of safety where,

"I'll dry your tears, shelter here, in… my… care.

"But even when we stumble, and someday when we fall. What I will remember, that I had you through it all."

He was turning towards her, playing to her, not into the air as before. He was watching his hands, trying to make the song flow.

"I don't know where we should go, just feeling farther from our goal.

"I don't know what path we will be shown… but I know that when I'm with you I'm at home.

"Yes, I know that when I'm with you I'm at home,

"Yes, I know that when I'm with you I'm at home…"

The song ended slowly, sweetly, and Jaune raised his head to face her. They were inches apart. He carefully removed the guitar from his lap, setting it back in the case delicately. His movements were deliberately slow, as if he might scare her off. He never looked away. "So… what did you think?" The question was barely above a whisper, desperate to not break the trance.

"I think it was wonderful.

"I'd like it if you played for me again later…"

"…I'd like that, too." She could feel his breath on her, neither one of them moving a muscle away. Agonizingly slow, Jaune leaned towards her.

The last time, it had been full of passion, almost forceful. She'd been lucky to have not rammed her face into his nose with her ferocity. This kiss was light, a little hesitant. It lasted for an eternity, and was still too short. When Jaune leaned back, his eyes locked onto hers. She found her voice after a moment.

"I'd love it if you did that again, Jaune."

He smiled as he leaned in again: "I'd love it, too."

The world could end right now, and she wouldn't care.

After a couple of blissful infinities passed, Jaune remembered everyone else might get curious and come looking, or maybe not. Nora could be running interference for them, after all. Still, it wouldn't do to be gone for very long. They unwound themselves, Jaune took up his perfect new guitar, and they headed for the door. As he held it for Pyrrha, she stopped. "Should we tell them?"

At first, he was a little taken aback by the question, but then he actually started to think about it. "Maybe we should be quiet for a while? Nora, at least, is gonna freak out, and I don't think my sisters would be calm either." She giggled a bit at the thought.

"Just a day or two, then? For us." She walked by with a wink, and Jaune almost forgot to follow her inside.

Post: Thanks for coming along on the ride, guys. I'll see y'all next week