Hello everyone and merry (slightly belated) Christmas! Or Yule, if you're a dirty heathen like me, or Hanukah, or Kwanza, or whatever it might be that you're celebrating this time of year!

I did not think I'd be getting this one out this month if I'm being honest. December has been a busy month for me between work and family gatherings and Halo Infin- nothing else. Just those two.

But get it done I did. I had the entire week before Christmas off of work so that free time really helped me get caught up on this chapter (and finish Halo Infinite). Had it not been for that this chapter would have almost certainly not come out till the beginning of January.

So a couple things to note going into this. First, this chapter was supposed to cover both events in Vale and at Sanctas like normal. That did not happen. This entire chapter is purely focused on the people in Vale and the events taking place there, so for you folks who prefer the Jaune and Vale centric content to Sanctas, here's your Christmas/Hanukah/Yule/Kwanza/whatever else present. Next chapter should balance it back out between the two storylines, but at this point we'll just have to wait and see how it goes as I'm writing.

Secondly I have a confession to make. We of course get introduced to Jaune's family in this chapter, but I realized as I was editing the chapter that I had only created six sisters instead of seven. As tempted as I was to just go "oh but Terra is technically the seventh sister since she married Saphron!" I knew that wasn't going to actually work. So I added a little passage that details why sister number seven wasn't with the others, cause there was no way in Helheim that I was about to rewrite this whole damn chapter (which is over THIRTEEN THOUSAND WORDS MINUS THE AUTHOR'S NOTES) just to squeeze her in. She will appear at a later date, I promise. Just not right now.

But with all of that out of the way, on with the story!


"What are you guys doing here?" Jaune laughed as he threw his arms around his father, Nicholas Arc.

"What, I'm not allowed to come see my son?" the huntsman retorted as he wrapped his arms around Jaune and squeezed him tightly. "Damn son, you've gotten tall! What are they feeding you at Beacon?"

Jaune had always been a tall kid, but his father had still been three inches taller than him when he'd left for Beacon. Now Jaune had a few inches on his old man. "Guess I had a late growth spurt," he replied with a nervous chuckle.

Jaune resembled his father in many ways. His old man's hair, cut short and combed back, was a shade of blonde that was only slightly lighter than Jaune's with silver running through it. A thick blonde beard, also dusted with silver, decorated his lower face. His body was well built and muscular with broad shoulders and a barrel chest underneath a simple grey shirt tucked into blue jeans over a working man's boots. At his belt was his father's own weapon, a simple bastard sword in a metal sheathe that could expand into a shield. Like Brillant Mors it was simple and straightforward, but it's creation dated back to the Great War and had been passed down his father's own family ever since then. Jaune shared his father's facial structure, a sharp jawline and strong chin, but his eyes were hazel where Jaune's were blue.

"I'll say. Look at you! You'd probably rip that smock apart if you flexed," Nicholas said with a wide grin. "Come on, your sisters are gonna explode if I keep you from them any longer."

Jaune didn't even make it half way to where his mother and sisters were waiting before a small missile leapt out from the pack and slammed into his midsection. Said missile had bright blonde hair like all of them and shining sea green eyes. "Big brother!" squealed the youngest of his sisters, twelve year old Juniper junior, or just June for the sake of simplicity.

Jaune reached down and scooped her up in a hug. He was surprised by how light she was. "Hey stinker! Miss me?"

"Uh-huh!" She threw her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. June had always been clingy, especially with him since he was her only brother. She'd cried so hard when he left for Beacon that he'd nearly decided to stay home just so she wouldn't be sad. "It's been boring at home without you," she pouted.

In moments Jaune was surrounded by a sea of girls with varying shades of blonde hair. As he set his littlest sister down one of them stepped forward and threw her arms around him. Her golden hair, the same shade as Jaune's, was long enough to reach the small of her back and flowed freely under a wide brimmed sun hat. Her hourglass figure, no worse for wear despite birthing and raising eight children, was clad in a blue sundress and a white jacket. To Jaune's mind Juniper Arc, his mother, was the best of moms in the whole of Remnant bar none.

"Oh my baby boy!" she cried happily as her arms wrapped around him. Despite her much shorter height and arms that were not particularly muscular she still managed to nearly squeeze the life out of him. "I missed you so much!"

"Mom... air..."

She released him and he took in a great gulp of fresh air. She swatted his arm. "Don't be so dramatic, I barely squeezed you," she laughed. Then she went back in for another hug.

Jaune hugged his mother back, one arm about her shoulders and the other resting on the back of her head. "Hey mom," he said with a grin. "How are things back home?"

"Home is fine, don't you worry about home. What about you? Have you been eating enough? Are you doing well in your classes? Has Mister Nathaniel been treating you right? Are you recovering okay?"

"I'm fine mom, I swear. Did you hear about..."

Her arms tightened around his midsection. "We heard," his father answered. He placed a hand on Jaune's shoulder. "Son, I am so sorry we didn't come sooner. When he heard about the attack we were packing up to come to Vale, but there was a sudden attack by Grimm."

Jaune's heart leapt into his throat. "Is everyone okay?!" He started looking around at his mother and sisters, looking for any signs of harm.

"We're okay. Everyone back home is too. Look outs caught wind of the attack and raised the alarm. By the time they arrived we were ready for 'em. Didn't lose a soul. We had to take the time to scour the surrounding land though to make sure there weren't more, and I didn't want to send your mother and sisters to the city alone after the Breach."

One of his sisters sighed dramatically. "We would have been fine Dad," she grumbled. Her blonde hair was shoulder length and framed her round face nicely. Her own eyes were a lighter shade of blue than Jaune's. Jean, his twin sister, had always been an independent soul. Oftentimes to a fault.

"Why didn't you call us?" Juniper looked up at her son with watery eyes. "Do you have any idea how worried we were? All we knew was that some monster had attacked you and you had been hospitalized!" She thumped her fist on his chest. "Why didn't you call us?!"

Guilt tore at Jaune's heart. "I-I'm sorry. My scroll was broken in the attack, and with everything else that was going on..." Weiss's 'conversation' with him, sending Nathaniel and CRDL to the hidden mountain, and Jacques's party. Not to mention Hazel, the attempt on his life, and his burgeoning suspicion of Ozpin. "-It slipped my mind. But that's no excuse. I should have let you know I was okay." He wrapped his arms around her again, giving her a light squeeze.

His mother sighed and squeezed him back before letting go. "This is why I didn't want you to be a huntsman. It's too dangerous for you Jauney."

Indignation flared up in him like it had every time she'd said that. As much as he loved her it was an old argument between the two of them. "Mom, I-"

Nicholas stepped in before things could get started between the two of them. "What matters now is that Jaune's okay Love," he said, and kissed her cheek. "And we're here now. So he can tell us about everything he hasn't mentioned before." He threw an arm around Jaune's shoulders. "Why don't you introduce us to Talon? We've been looking forward to meeting him."

As though on cue (indeed, he'd been patiently waiting for Jaune to introduce him) Talon swept down from the roof and landed in the courtyard. The Arc family stared in awe at him and Jaune couldn't deny the pride that welled in his chest. "Talon, this is my family. My dad Nicholas, my mom Juniper, and my sisters: Saphron, Amelia, Coral, my twin Joan, Viridian, and June." He frowned and counted out his sisters again. "Where's Olive? Is she still in Vacuo?"

"She is," Nicholas confirmed. "She was supposed to be back a week ago, but a sandstorm hit and grounded their bullhead. Way she tells it she's still digging sand out of the components."

Damn, that was a shame. But his second eldest sister has always been an adventurous spirit and had sated those urges by becoming a free lance archeologist. Vacuo was basically a dream come true for her.

He placed a hand on Talon's shoulder. "Family, this is Talon, my Gryphon."

Five of his six present sisters swarmed the Gryphon. Talon didn't mind though. He laid on the ground and closed his eyes contently as his sisters cooed over him and stroked his feathers and mane, basking in the adoration. "He's so cool!" gushed Amelia. Ever the tom boy her hair was in a pixie cut and she was clad in a simple t-shirt and cargo shorts. A bandaid was on her cheek. She likely wasn't actually hurt, she just thought it made her look tough, like she got into scraps a lot. It didn't naturally, and she didn't, but no one could convince her otherwise. "You sure he's actually yours dweeb?" She stuck her tongue out at him teasingly.

She yelped as he flicked her on the nose. "I'm sure," he said with a grin.

She growled petulantly and rubbed her nose. "Jerk!" Amelia leapt at him and suddenly found herself dangling upside down by one leg as he held her up. "Whoa! The hell?!" She clamped an arm down on her shirt to stop it from falling. "Put me down you asshole!"

"Ami, language!" Scolded Juniper.

"Grrr... put me down you butthole."

"That's better."

"Sorry, what was that?" He held her up with one hand and cupped an ear with the other. "I didn't hear a 'world's greatest brother,' in there."

"And you never will."

"Then I guess you'll just have to stay like this till the blood rushes to your head." He grinned at her.

His older sister pouted, a decidedly untomboy-ish act, and sighed. "Fine. Please put me down world's greatest brother. Who is also an a- butthole."

"Well since you asked so nicely..." Jaune lowered her down to the grass and released her leg.

She pushed herself up into a sitting position. "When the hell were you able to do that? You couldn't do that back home."

He shrugged. "I've learned a lot at Beacon." It was technically true, even if he was avoiding the real question. He really was strong. Stronger than he'd ever been. Amelia wasn't overweight by any means, she had a lean frame from an active lifestyle, but she was hardly dainty either. And yet he'd lifted her up like she weighed nothing. It hadn't even strained him to hold her entire body in the air with a single arm. The squire had always been stronger than average, and he'd been working hard and training relentlessly, but he'd never been this strong before.

"Is this what it's like to Ascend? This strength... it's incredible."

"Mhmm..." Talon mumbled in response, not paying attention to Jaune. The Gryphon was currently blissed out, flopped down on the ground as the other four sisters viciously assaulted him with scritches. June had climbed onto his back and had found Talon's sweet spot with unerring accuracy, scratching away at the spot where mane and feathers met. "Your sisters are just wonderful..."

An arm threw itself about his shoulders. "Gone from home for only a few months and you're already literally picking up chicks." Saphron wiped an imaginary tear from her eye. "I'm so proud."

Jaune's face flushed at his sister's words. "Saph," he whined. She always knew what to say to embarrass him.

His older sister laughed and squeezed him in a hug almost as tight as their mom's. "You really have gotten big! I can barely get my arms around you now." She poked his chest, which she was now eye level with. "Have you been taking steroids?"

Juniper's head snapped around to look at him, eyes flashing.

"No!" He yelped to curb her wrath. "No no no! No! It's nothing like that, promise."

"It better not be," the Arc family matriarch grumbled, eyeing his bulk with newfound suspicion. When it came to drugs his mother had a strict 'no tolerance' policy that was rigorously enforced. Joan had been caught in her room with a joint once. Only once.

"I've just been working out and eating healthy is all," he said, which was technically true, even if there was more to it than just that.

"Well whatever it is, you look good little brother." She tapped her knuckles against his chest. "I bet Terra won't even recognize you."

Jaune's eyes lit up. "Did she and Adrian come with you?" He'd only seen Adrian in pictures so far and was eager to meet his nephew.

"Yup! She was waiting here with us, but then Adrian decided it was high time to make a stink, so she's off handling that."

"No thanks to you!" a new voice called out behind them. Jaune turned and saw a woman with nut brown skin and glasses perched on the edge of her nose approached them carrying a little boy in overalls. Terra Cotta Arc smiled at her brother in law. "Surely that can't be Jaune I see? Last time I saw him he was tall blonde and scraggly."

The champion laughed and wrapped her in a hug as she did the same with her one free hand. "Terra! How are you? I haven't seen you since the wedding."

"I'm good big guy, finally getting ready to get off of maternity leave and back to work." They released each other and stepped back. The little boy in her arms cooed and reached out towards Jaune with both hands, giggling. "And this is your nephew! Say hello Adrian!"

"Babu!"

"Eh, close enough. You wanna hold him?"

Jaune blinked, then realized she meant him. "Oh! Uh, sure! Is it okay if I do?"

She laughed. "I wouldn't have asked if it wasn't. Honestly my arms could use a break. He's heavier than he looks. Here, I'll show you how."

She handed Adrian off to Jaune and showed him how to hold him. Much to Jaune's relief his nephew didn't cry when Terra let go of him. Quite the opposite in fact, he giggled and clapped his hands, staring up at Jaune with wide eyes. Jaune smiled down at him and bounced him lightly in his arms. "Hi buddy," he said softly. "Nice to meet you. Are you being good for your mommas?" He decided to take a page from Nora's book and lightly booped Adrian on the nose. The baby thought this was the greatest thing ever and squealed merrily.

"Look at my baby brother," Saphron teased. "If I had known you were so good with kids I'd have hired you as a babysitter."

"Yeah, I'm not flying out to Argus every time you and Terra want a break, sorry." He stuck his tongue out at her, which she responded to in kind. They burst into laughter and she threw her arms around him again.

"I'm glad you're okay," she said softly. "Terra and I saw the Breach on the news. We saw your fight against that... thing happen live. We wanted to come to Vale as soon as it was over, but dad insisted we wait until he was able to make it to Vale."

"Hey, I'm okay." He held up his free arm and flexed, straining the sleeve of his borrowed smock near to the breaking point. "It'll take more than that to take me down. I'm not the scrawny kid I was back home."

It was a bluff of course. The Dark Champion had almost killed him. The only thing that had kept him going was his drive to protect Weiss and all his friends from that monster. Had it not been for that his body would have succumbed to his wounds.

But his family didn't need to know that. No one needed to know that. He had to be strong for the people he loved. He had taken it upon himself to defeat Salem, and he would succeed or die trying, and dying wasn't an option.


Emotions were complicated things.

Lie Ren knew the moment that Pyrrha had returned to their team's dorm with tears running down her face that her talk with Weiss had gone as badly as he'd feared it would. He'd been in the shower when Weiss had come by, but when Nora had told him that the heiress had left with their teammate to talk to her he'd felt sure there was only one reason why: Jaune.

He suppressed a sigh as the champion told them about her talk with Weiss through her tears. Nora was sitting next to her on the bed, one arm around her shoulders as the ginger listened. He was standing off to the side, unsure of what to do. He'd never been very good with this kind of stuff. He didn't know how to help his teammate, though he wanted to. He just didn't know how to find the right words to help her feel better.

The monk sighed. If only Jaune knew how his partner felt about him... that would make everything so much easier in the long run. Ren knew that Jaune didn't see Pyrrha the same way she saw him. He cared deeply for her, for all three of them, Ren knew that. But their team leader had eyes for only one woman, and it wasn't Pyrrha. But all the same, if he knew about how she felt the two of them could at least talk about it and gets some closure. As selfish as it felt, Ren was getting tired of her constantly pining over him and never just coming out and saying what she felt.

He almost laughed at himself. Lie Ren, the guy who still couldn't face how he felt about his best friend, was wishing someone would hurry and open up about their feelings to someone. What a joke. Hypocrite he may be, he still knew he was right. The longer this went on the worse it was going to get. Now that Weiss had expressed her own feelings for Jaune it was only a matter of time before she went to him. And when that happened Pyrrha was only going to get worse.

Something had to be done. Pyrrha wasn't going to do it, and she might get upset at him for doing it, but he genuinely felt that it would be better for her in the long run if Jaune knew how Pyrrha felt about him.

He stepped forward and awkwardly placed his hands on his two teammates shoulders. "I'm going to go to the cafeteria and get us some food," he lied. "I'll be back soon."

Pyrrha nodded, wiping at her eyes. "O-okay."

Nora made to agree, then paused. She looked at him with narrowed eyes. His partner was loud and rambunctious, to a point that he even could tire of her antics, but she wasn't stupid and she knew him as well as he knew her. The ginger had caught onto his lie.

They had known each other a long time and been through so much together. They could practically read one another's minds. She knew where he was going and why.

"Trust me," he said to her with his eyes. "This has to be done."

Nora looked at him quietly, then at her sobbing teammate. She gave him a soft smile and a quick nod. "Alright. I trust you."

He smiled back at her and stepped out of the room. He made his way to the airship dock, wondering how he would broach the topic of Pyrrha's affection with his team leader. Should he just come out and say it, or try to steer the conversation in that direction?

Ren sighed and shook his head. "What I wouldn't give to have someone else do this," he muttered. Jaune was going to be distraught when he realized how he'd been ignoring Pyrrha, that was just who he was. He'd give a stranger the shirt off of his back and he'd give a friend everything he had if they needed it. Loyal and protective to a fault and beyond. He hadn't been that way before Forever Fall, but something about that Ursa fight and overcoming team CRDL had changed him. This business with the Gryphon Knights had changed him even further. Jaune probably thought he was hiding it well, but Ren could tell. His team leader was desperate to the point that he was driving himself to the point of exhaustion in his training. Sometimes Ren awoke in the middle of the night to the sound of the blonde breathing hard and shaking, as though he had just awoken from a terrible nightmare. Either something had happened or he had learned something that had was making Jaune push himself harder than ever. Something that scared him. He was reckless and foolhardy in battle, ignoring his own safety when others were in danger and leaping in headfirst. Bravery, courage, and the ability to leap into action at a moment's notice were hallmarks of any good huntsman or huntress, but reckless bravado got people killed. The mistralian boy had watched his team leader closely, making sure he didn't get in over his head. In the fight against Neptune he'd allowed himself to take hits he didn't need to in order to close the distance and engage his enemy. In his duel against Torchwick's stolen Paladin He'd immediately gone in alone instead of waiting for the rest of them to reinforce him.

And of course there was his fight against the Dark Champion.

Maybe the others getting involved would have done nothing but put them in harm's way. After all their weapons hadn't even pierced its hide, and even Nathaniel's attacks had done barely anything to it. But that didn't change how helpless Ren had felt as he'd tried to fight his way to Jaune's side as the massive Grimm tossed him around. How scared he had been of losing another family. It had been a miracle that Jaune's semblance, if indeed that was what that light he'd produced was, which Ren doubted, had manifested when it did. Had it not been for that he and Weiss would have died, and the rest of them would have likely followed soon after, along with the entire city.

Regardless of whether or not any of them could have helped him, it didn't change the reality that Jaune was displaying a worrying pattern of putting himself needlessly in harm's way at the drop of a hat. In his leader's defense his fighting style favored aggressive tactics and getting in close. He needed to without a ranged option. But that was no excuse for leaping headlong into the fray with no sense of self preservation. Physical strength and a large aura reserve wasn't enough on its own. Eventually Jaune was going to get himself killed, and Ren didn't want to live in a world where there was no Jaune leading team JNPR.

"Ren?"

He blinked his pink eyes, the familiar voice calling his name drawing him from his deep ruminations. He hadn't even realized he'd reached the dock several minutes ago, so absorbed had he been in his ruminations.

The ninja turned, already knowing who he would see. "Hello Weiss. Heading into Vale?"

The heiress gulped. She was clearly nervous. "Uh, y-yes. I was just going to..."

"Going to see Jaune."

"... Yes," she admitted, looking away from him. "Ren, did Pyrrha-"

"I know about the conversation you two had, yes," he stated calmly. He watched her closely, reading her reactions and body language. Her hands clenched, clutching at the edge of her combat skirt.

"Ren I never wanted to hurt Pyrrha, and I'm sorry that I did, but I couldn't hide it from her either."

"I'm not blaming you Weiss," he assured her. "Will you walk with me? I was going to see Jaune too so there's no point in us traveling separately."

She agreed and the two of them boarded an airship to take them into Vale. Fortunately they were the only ones in the passenger bay, so they had ample opportunity to talk. They sat across from one another to better converse.

"So why are you going to see Jaune?" the heiress asked him, then flushed pink. "N-not that you need my permission or anything! I-I'm just..."

"Weiss, it's okay," Ren said calmly. "I'm not upset with you."

She let out a shuddering breath and sunk into her seat, all decorum vanishing. "Maybe you should be. I hurt Pyrrha."

"Pyrrha was going to be hurt no matter what." It was an unfortunate truth of this messy situation. "Had she opened up to him about how she felt earlier perhaps none of this would have happened. The two of them might be in a happy relationship right now. But she didn't. She chose not to tell him, despite all of us, even you, encouraging her to open up to him. Because of that she could only watch as Jaune fell... well... you know." In love with Weiss. Strange that he found that word so difficult to say.

The snow haired girl's pale face flushed scarlet and she looked away from him, fingers touching her lips as though in memory of something. "Yes," she said softly. "I know."

They sat in silence for a few minutes, neither of them sure what to say. It was Ren who eventually broke it. "I know you're going to see Jaune. Are you going to tell him how you feel?"

Weiss, whose face was still a light pink, nodded. "Yes, but not just that. I still feel bad for Pyrrha, and I want to do something to help her."

Lie Ren's head cocked to the side, curious. "What do you mean?"

"I have a plan to help ease Pyrrha's heartbreak, even if only a bit. And I could use your help if you'd be willing to give it."

"If it means helping Pyrrha then I'm certainly interested. Fill me in."

"Alright, so here's what I was thinking..."


Weiss watched Ren as she finished laying out her plan. "So what do you think?"

The mistralian boy rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "It could work," he agreed. "Or it could make things even worse for her."

The heiress deflated. "You think so?" She hadn't considered that.

"Honestly it all depends on what Jaune does and how Pyrrha takes it. We can set it up but beyond that it's up to them."

She nodded. "I suppose so. Should I tell him then?"

"He needs to know how she feels, one way or another. That's why I was going to visit him." Ren looked out the window as the airship began to ease down and land. "He's going to be devastated when he realizes how she feels about him."

"Jaune doesn't love me. Not the way I want him to."

Pyrrha's bitter words came back to the heiress and she sighed. "Yes, he will be." Because he did love Pyrrha, but he loved her in the way he loved his family and friends. "But at least the two of them will be able to work this out when he learns about how she feels." And if her plan worked then hopefully things between the two of them would still be okay.

The airship came to a land and the two of them disembarked. Azure Memorial Hospital was only a short walk from the landing zone so getting there was no issue, even with the sidewalks thick with native Valeans and visitors from other kingdoms coming for the Vytal festival. Once inside they went to Jaune's room, only to find he wasn't there.

"He's probably in the open square stretching his legs," she said as she led the way. She had visited him more than anyone else on either team JNPR or RWBY. By this point she could probably find her way in the hospital with a blindfold on. "He prefers it to his room."

"Can't say I blame him," Ren responded. "Being stuck in there for as long as he's been would make anyone want to be anywhere else."

A couple minutes later Weiss pushed open the door leading to the square. "Jaune!" she called. "Are you... here..." She slowly came to a halt as her eyes landed on the focus of her affections, and the people surrounding him. All but one of them were startlingly blonde. "Who...?"

The scene only got weirder when Jaune turned around and she saw him holding a little boy with dark hair in his arms. His eyes met Weiss's and he froze for a moment, the two of them staring at one another. Then he smiled widely. "Hey guys! Come meet my family."

"F-family?" She stuttered, eyes wide. She wasn't ready to meet his family!

"Ooh, meeting the family already?" Amare teased. "Talk about a whirlwind romance." The heiress wisely chose to ignore the mischievous spirit.

Jaune handed the baby to the dark haired girl and strode over to them. "Yeah, come on! I'm surprised you guys are here but this works out." He placed a hand on their shoulder and guided them towards the mass of blondes. Just like always Jaune's hand on her shoulder sent a comforting warmth through her. "Weiss, Ren, this is my family. Family, this is my teammate Lie Ren and my... my friend, Weiss Schnee."

In a moment the two of them were completely surrounded. A big blonde man almost as tall as Jaune with a sword at his waist approached Ren, hand outstretched. "Nicholas Arc, it's a pleasure to finally meet one of Jaune's teammates at last! He's told us a lot about you, you know."

Ren took the hand and shook it. "Likewise, Jaune talks about you all a lot and shown us some pictures. It's a pleasure to make your acquaint-"

The ninja was pulled into a bear hug by the big man, entirely engulfed by a pair of large arms wrapping around his torso as he was picked up. "No need to be so formal! If you're one of my son's teammates then you're practically family!"

"Dad!" Jaune rushed over to him. "Could you please not invade my teammate's personal space when you haven't known him for even a minute?" The blonde boy asked in exasperation. It seemed to Weiss that this was not a new problem.

"Right, right. sorry kiddo," his father said as he set Ren down and released him. "Didn't mean to make you uncomfortable there!"

"It's fine," Ren coughed as he drew air back into his body. "I see where Jaune gets his... boisterous nature from."

Nicholas Arc grinned wide, gleaming with pride. "He takes after his old man alright." He slapped his hand on Jaune's back with enough force to nearly topple him. "Couldn't be prouder of him."

"Dad..." Jaune groaned, face burning with embarrassment.

Weiss's attention was drawn from the three men when something poked her side. She turned and saw a young girl, perhaps twelve, staring up at her with bright forest green eyes. "Hi! I'm June!"

Weiss smiled politely. "Hello June, I'm Weiss Schnee."

"Oh I know. Big Brother's told us all about you."

Her heart skipped a beat. "H-he has?" What had he told them? Did they know how she had treated him before, how unkind she'd been?

Another girl, her hair cut short in a pixie style and clad in shorts and a t-shirt, grinned in a way that reminded her of Yang when she was in teasing mode. "Oh yeah. I can't count how many times he's told us of your, and I quote, 'flowing snow white hair, like strands of winter drifting in- ermph!"

Jaune virtually materialized behind her and clamped a hand around her mouth. "Nothing!" he yelped, face scarlet. "I didn't tell them anything! Honest!"

"So who was it you were writing that poem for?" Asked another girl, a book tucked under one arm. Her hair hung down just past her shoulders and she was dressed almost like a librarian in a button up blouse under a light jacket and knee length skirt. Glasses rested on the edge of her nose. "You know, the one you asked me to help you with? What was the opening line again? Oh, right. 'Oh rose of winter, your beauty shines-'"

He darted over to her pulling the first girl with him and clamped his other hand around her mouth. "T-that wasn't me!" He said with a near hysterical laugh. "Ha ha! Ha! You uh.. you must have gotten it confused with someone else Coral! Yeah, that's definitely the case!"

"A poem!" Amare squealed. "He wrote you a poem! Ask to see it! You have to ask to see it!"

Weiss's own face was beginning to heat up. "You... wrote me a poem?" Before the idea would have annoyed her, but now...

"And a song!" chimed in June eagerly, hopping up and down. "Though it wasn't very good..."

Now that she was familiar with. He'd tried to serenade her in the commons outside the school some months ago. Jaune had a great many positive traits. His singing voice and guitar skills were not among them.

"June!" He hissed frantically, both hands occupied with silencing his other two sisters. "Can you not?!"

"Oh come on Jauney," another girl said, throwing an arm about his shoulder. "No reason to be so modest! After all you two are a thing now, right?"

"I... what?" Weiss's mind struggled to cogitate what she'd just said. Had he told them they were together?

"No!" He squeaked as he released his sisters and rounded on the new one, jabbing a finger at her. "We are not! I never said that Joan!" He looked at Weiss, face so crimson it was almost purple and his eyes wide with embarrassment. "I never said- I-I wouldn't just..." He sank to his haunches with a groan, hands over his face. "Talon, just bite my head off and end it please."

The gryphon, who was currently sprawled out on the ground with his eyes closed, huffed in what Weiss assumed meant no.

The heiress looked at the near catatonically embarrassed boy then at his sisters, who were all grinning in a way that Yang would have described as 'shit eating'.

This was Jaune's family? It was so lively. Bright. And big. She'd never thought a family could be this big. This...

This happy.

The snow haired girl smiled softly, her own face more than a bit red. "I believe you," she promised him. "A-and to answer your question we're just... friends." She cleared her throat nervously.

The girl Coral stepped closed and peered at Weiss, eyes narrowed. She rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "Hm..."

"Is something wrong?" the huntress in training asked nervously, leaning back a bit from the sudden intrusion in her private space.

"Why?" she asked suddenly, still eyeing the heiress.

"P-pardon?"

"Why aren't you two dating? He saved your life after all."

"Okay that's enough!" Jaune stepped between them and gently pushed his sister back. "Coral, you don't have a right to ask that. Tease me all you want, but I won't stand here and let you interrogate her."

"Fine little brother, fine," she replied as she stepped back. "I'll respect your wishes in this matter." She glanced at Weiss, eyes flashing. The huntress in training felt there was a silent for now at the end of that sentence.

"Okay, all of you back off. Please? Give my friends some space. You're all a lot to take in all at once." He looked back at Weiss, face still burning red. Hers was hardly any better. "Sorry about that. They can be... nosy."

"I-it's okay." She cleared her throat. "I'm sorry I didn't realize they were coming to visit you today. I didn't mean to interrupt."

"Oh don't worry. He didn't know either," a new girl said as she approached them. She was clearly the eldest sibling, with blonde hair that ran down her back and bright blue eyes. The dark haired woman was beside her holding the baby boy. "I'm Saphron. Saphron Cotta-Arc." She extended a hand. "Pleasure to meet you."

Weiss took the hand and shook it, grateful that one of Jaune's siblings seemed less inclined to embarrass him, and by extension her, into the dirt. "Likewise, I'm Weiss Schnee."

Sapphron smiled and gestured to the woman beside her. "And this is my wife, Terra Cotta-Arc."

"It's a real pleasure Miss Schnee," she said as she extended her free hand and shook Weiss's.

"Just Weiss is fine, and likewise Mrs. Cotta-Arc."

"Well if just Weiss is fine then so is just Terra," she responded cheerily as she held up the baby boy. "And this is Adrian! Say hello Adrian!"

Adrian, who had been fascinated with how well the fingers of his right hand fit in his mouth, looked at Weiss with wide brown eyes. He stared at her quietly, one finger still in his mouth.

Weiss leaned in a bit and smiled. "Hello Adrian," she cooed as she wiggled a finger at him. "Aren't you just the cutest baby?"

With a happy squeal he leaned forward and reached out for the heiress with both hands, one of which was still covered in drool. "Ma!"

"Whoa!" Terra shifted her grip to keep a hold of him as he squirmed in her arms. "Oh he really likes you. Would you like to hold him?"

Weiss blinked. "I... hold him? I-I don't know how."

"Oh it's easy. Saph, can you grab a- thanks love," she took the offered napkin from her wife and wiped the drool off of the baby's hand and around his mouth. "There, now you won't get drool on you. Probably." She made to hand the baby to the heiress, then paused. She glanced at Jaune and a small grin crawled across her face. "Say Jaune, why don't you take Adrian and show her how to hold him?"

Before her brother in law could respond she pushed Adrian into his arms and stepped back when he had a firm grip on the baby. "There! See, you're a natural baby holder. Now just show Weiss what to do."

"Uh... sure," Jaune said with a shrug. He looked at the heiress and turned so Adrian was facing her. "Just wrap one arm under his legs and put the other on his neck so you can support his head. It's easy, honestly."

Hesitantly she held out her arms for Jaune to give him to her. He did so and she wrapped her arms around the child like how Jaune described, one arm around Adrian's legs and the other on the back of his head. She was worried he might start squirming or crying, but he did neither. Instead the baby boy cooed and stared at her with wide eyes, grinning widely. "Ma!" He reached out with both (thankfully dry) hands and grasped at her ponytail, pulling on it.

"Ah, hey!" she laughed. "That's my hair you silly boy." She smiled at him as he ignored her and tugged on it again. It hurt a bit, but she could hardly bring herself to care. He was so cute.

"Hey bud," Jaune said softly as he stepped in behind Weiss and worked his finger into Adrian's grasp. "Why don't you pull on this instead?" The baby obliged and clutched his finger tightly in two tiny fists, cooing.

Weiss stared at the baby in her arms as he cooed and babbled, inspecting Jaune's finger like it was a great scientific discovery. He looked at Weiss with his wide eyes and held it up to her. "Da!"

"That's right Adrian, it's a finger," she giggled. "You're such a clever boy. Who's a smart baby? It's you! You're a smart baby!" She looked back Jaune who was smiling down at his nephew as the baby squeezed his finger and played with it. "He's so cute."

"Yeah, the Arc family makes cute babies," he joked. "It's like our super power."

"Oooh! Did you hear that Weiss?"

"Shut it," she whispered under her breath as her face heated up again. All of a sudden she was aware of just how close to her he was. If she stepped back she'd bump into his chest. She could lean her head back and rest it on his pectorals, nestle up against him while she held a baby in her arms, and-

Damnit Amare. "I told you to stop doing that," she whispered. "I know you're affecting my emotions again."

"Hmph, spoilsport. Fine, I'll stop."

"Did you say something Weiss?" the blonde boy behind her asked as he wiggled his trapped finger at his nephew.

She cleared her throat, cheeks dusted with pink. "Just ah... talking to myself." It was technically true.

"You know you can communicate with me without speaking out loud, right?"

The heiress blinked. "Seriously?"

"Seriously. Though if you want to keep talking out loud and looking like a mad woman then be my guest!"

She sighed and shook her head.

"Saph!" Jaune yelped behind her, making her jump. "Seriously?!"

She looked away from the baby just in time to see Jaune's older sister put away her scroll. "Hey, I'm allowed to check my scroll whenever I like," she said defensively, but there was no hiding the mischievous grin on her face.

The blonde boy groaned. "Just don't post whatever picture or video you just took online please."

"Oh don't worry, this is for my personal amusement."

"And mine," Terra added with a grin as she stepped forward to take Adrian. "I think we've hogged you enough Weiss. You still haven't met the rest of the family after all."

Oh right. The heiress had gotten so focused on Adrian she'd forgotten about the others. "Here you go," she said as she handed him over, albeit reluctantly. He was just so cute. "Bye bye Adrian," she said gently as his mother took him.

Adrian chose that moment to burst into tears and scream. He reached out towards Weiss with his tiny hands, grasping for her.

"Whoa hey baby, its okay!" Terra said as she bounced him. "It's okay Adi, shhh, it's okay."

"D-did I do something wrong?" Weiss asked nervously as he continued to wail. "I didn't mean to upset him."

"No no, you didn't do anything. Babies just get whiny sometimes." She kissed him on the forehead and patted his back. He continued to squirm and cry, reaching out for Weiss. "I guess he really likes you. Would you...?"

"Of course," she agreed, hoping she didn't sound too excited. "I'd be happy to take him."

Terra smiled gratefully and handed him over. As soon as Adrian was in her arms he began to calm down, cooing happily once more.

"Wow, you've really got a way with kids," Jaune laughed as he patted her on the shoulder.

"I guess so," she agreed softly as she held the baby boy. She stroked her fingers through his short black hair and he burbled in delight, taking Jaune's finger in his fists again.

"Ma! Da!" the baby cooed happily.

"Come on, I can introduce you to the others. I promise my parents and Viridian are more sane than the rest," he joked as he guided her towards a woman who was clearly his mother. Even if Weiss had just seen her on the street without any prior knowledge of who she was she would have been able to see the family connection. Her hair and eyes were the same color as his, and though her face was softer and more round there was no denying their shared looks. "Mom, this is-"

"I know who she is," Juniper said as she nodded at Weiss, a polite smile on her face. "It's nice to meet you Miss Schnee. I'd shake your hand, but yours seem to be full."

Weiss smiled back. "Likewise Mrs. Arc, and just Weiss is fine."

"I think I'll stick with Miss Schnee if it's all the same to you," the arc family matriarch responded coolly, the smile on her face suddenly too polite. It was an expression Weiss had seen a thousand times, one that said 'I don't like you, but I can't come out and say it.'

Jaune caught onto it too. "Mom, Weiss is a friend. She's helped me out a lot this past month."

"I'm sure she has, but I would hope she would after you nearly died for her." The expression on her face didn't change, but the look in her eyes grew colder and unpleasant.

Weiss withered under her gaze as guilt and nerves tore at her. She held Adrian close to her, head nestled in her neck. Jaune's large hand rested on her back, bracing her as he stepped forward, as though putting himself in front of her. "What happened wasn't her fault, okay? I'd have done that for any of my friends. For any of my family."

"Love," Nicholas Arc, who had been chatting with Ren, stepped in and placed a hand on his wife's shoulder. He leaned in close and whispered in her ear. After a moment Jaune's mother visibly calmed, closing her eyes and letting out a sigh. Her husband leaned back and smiled gently at her. "Okay?"

She smiled back and squeezed his hand. "Okay." She looked at Weiss. There was still mistrust in that gaze, but the hard edge was gone. "I apologize Miss Schnee... Weiss. I forgot my manners. I'm Juniper. Juniper Arc, but just Juniper is fine. It's a pleasure to meet you at last. We've heard a lot about you."

"L-likewise," Weiss stammered. Unconsciously she stepped into Jaune's side. His hand on her back moved to her shoulder and he gave her a reassuring squeeze.

"Mom, why don't you introduce her to Viridian?" He prompted pointedly.

"Yes, of course." She turned and Weiss a young girl standing behind her. Like all of the Arcs she had bright blonde hair. Her eyes were a soft brown color, and she was very pale. She was dressed in a baggy hoodie and pants. She smiled shyly and waved.

"Viridian's my second youngest sister, June being the youngest." He stepped away from Weiss and made his way to her. "Hey Virdi, can I get a hug?"

She wrapped her arms around him and he hugged her gently, patting her on top of the head. "Are you doing okay? The trip wasn't hard on you was it? How's school? That boy isn't giving you anymore trouble is he?"

Weiss could barely hear her talk. "I'm okay," she whispered. "The trip was fine, and Tom's left me alone since... well you know."

"Good. If he gives you trouble again let me know. I can always sic Talon on him." He leaned down and kissed her on top of the head.

Viridian whined and squirmed. "Jaune, stoooop! You're embarrassing me In front of your friends!"

He laughed. "I'm your big brother. I'm supposed to embarrass you silly."

Weiss giggled at the sight, Viridian ineffectually smacking her hands against his chest as he poked and lightly pinched her cheeks, teasing her. Adrian cooed and yawned, growing sleepy.

This is what a loving family looked like. They were messy, and chaotic, and ridiculous. Everything her family wasn't. She loved it. She... she wanted to be a part of it.

"There's nothing stopping you," Amare said to her. "Go to him. Tell Jaune how you feel, and you can be a part of this big chaotic family."

"I would love that," she admitted, "but there's one thing I need to do before I can."

She looked at Ren, who had fallen victim to Jaune's sisters.

"Hey there, I'm Jean." Jaune's twin leaned in close to Ren, eyes twinkling.

"Uh, hello Jean. I am Lie Ren."

"I love your name, it sounds so exotic. Is it Vacuan?"

"Er..."

"It's Mistralian little sister," Coral said with a haughty air. "You'd know that if you paid attention in class instead of making kissy faces at boys."

"Coral! I do not make kissy faces," Jean hissed indignantly.

"I'm sure. Why don't you run along and go play with Talon instead of invading Mr. Ren's personal space?"

"You're such a- gah!" She stomped off towards Talon, who was patiently letting June climb on top of him as he laid sprawled on the ground.

"You have my thanks," Ren said with an inclined head towards the older sister. "I don't think I've had the opportunity to meet you yet." He extended a hand to her.

Coral took it with a smile and shook it. "I'm Coral Arc, third eldest child of this ridiculous family, and you're quite welcome. I could tell you didn't want to be pestered, and Joan can be so childish."

"I don't know if I'd say-"

"After all," she tugged on his hand and pulled him in close, wrapping her arms around his. "Why settle for a girl when there's a much more attractive and available older woman close at hand?"

"Gah! You're as bad as Joan Coral!" yet another girl growled as she pushed her sister away. She was one of the ones who'd been teasing Jaune earlier, clad in a ratty t-shirt and shorts with a bandage on her cheek. "Sorry, those two are ridiculous. I'm Amelia, but everyone calls me Ami." Before he could respond she grabbed his hand and shook it, looking him up and down. "Hm. Not bad. Wanna find a shadowy corner and make out?"

"Uh... I have a g-girlfriend," he stammered, eyes wide.

"Seriously? Damn, oh well." She shrugged and released his hand. "You know what they say, you miss every shot you don't take. What's her name? She one of your other teammates?"

"Uh... no." Ren's eyes darted back and forth, looking for some avenue of escape. They settled on Weiss, who gave him a look that was the very definition of don't you dare.

"Her name is... Yang! Yang Xiao Long! She's one of Weiss's teammates, so you should go talk to her about it instead of me." He backed away quickly, retreating to the relative safety of Jaune, who had been so focused on teasing his little sister that he had missed the entire exchange.

Weiss knew Yang well enough to know that Ren had just sealed his own fate.


Jaune looked back as Ren bumped into him. "You okay? You like you've been through it."

"Your family is... a lot."

The blonde winced sympathetically. He was used to it of course, but Ren had never been great with strangers. "Sorry buddy, if I'd known you were coming I would have warned them to ease up on you. I hope they didn't scare you off. They're good people, really."

"No it's fine, and I can tell they are. Some of them are just very forward in their interests."

Damnit Jean. "I'll have a talk with my twin. Sorry about that Ren."

"Not just her," his teammate grumbled. "But thanks."

Jaune glanced at his little sister, who was eyeing Talon. "You wanna go play with him?"

"I don't know..."

"It's okay, he's really nice. He doesn't bite unless you're a Grimm, promise." He gently nudged her towards the war beast, who was sprawled on the ground and basking in the adoration of many of his sisters. Jaune was very protective of Viridian. He was protective of all his sisters, but Viridian more than the rest because of her condition. The only time he'd ever gotten into a fight at his old school was when he'd gotten into it with a guy in his year pushing her around. He hadn't been much of a fighter back then and pretty much never stood up for himself, but he was taller than the other students and plenty strong in his own right. The suspension he'd earned had been worth it to give the punk a black eye.

Hesitantly she made her way over to the Gryphon and stood in front of him as June sat on his back and Saphron and Terra held Adrian so he could reach out and sink his hands into Talon's soft feathers. He cracked an eye open and looked at Viridian and chirped softly. She reached a hand out and slowly placed it on his beak. He rumbled happily and slumped back down as she gained confidence and started scratching the space between his eyes.

"You really are a good brother. You know that?" Ren said as he placed a hand on his team leader's shoulder.

"I try to be," Jaune responded as he watched his family play with Talon. "Sometimes I feel like I fall short."

"We all do from time to time, but they clearly love you." The ninja smiled softly. "I never had siblings, but if I had... I would have wanted it to be something like this."

Jaune knew the story of what had happened to Ren's home town, how he and Nora had met and stuck together to survive. It had really put into perspective just how lucky he was that his family was alive and safe. "If this is bringing back bad memories..."

"No, it's not. It helps to see happy families. It tells me that not everything has a sad ending."

Jaune wrapped an arm around Ren and gave him a light squeeze before letting go. "Well if you ever want to change your last name to Arc there's plenty of space for more guys in the family," he joked.

"Oh I think I'm just fine," his friend chuckled. "But I appreciate the offer."

He looked sidelong at Jaune. "Though if I'm being honest with you Weiss and I didn't come to meet your family."

The blonde squire glanced at Weiss who was currently conversing with his father and Ami. "Yeah, I meant to ask what you guys were doing here. Not that I mind having visitors. I just wasn't expecting you two at the same time." On top of seeing Weiss made all kinds of feelings roil in his stomach. He couldn't help but think about what Winter had told him during her interrogation earlier that day.

"We need to talk to you about something. It's nothing that can't wait until you're done with your family, but we felt you needed to know."

"Ominous. Can I have a hint?"

"It's about Pyrrha."


"So you don't have any clothes that fit you anymore?"

"Heh, not really," he admitted to his mother, scratching the back of his head. "I kinda outgrew them all..."

She sighed and shook her head. "You silly boy." She stood on her tip toes and tried to kiss him on the cheek, but he had to bend down for her to reach. "I'll go get some clothes for you today and bring them to you tomorrow."

"Thanks mom."

"You're welcome." She threw her arms around him and hugged him tightly. "I love you sweetie."

"Love you too mom." Jaune hugged her gently and kissed her head. He had to give each of his sisters a hug before they left, and his father did his best to turn his rib cage back into splinters with his bear hug. Adrian, now asleep, had been handed to Saphron who'd thanked Weiss profusely for being so patient with her son. Final goodbyes said his family left the hospital, leaving him with Weiss and Ren, who had been patiently waiting for them to finish.

"So... yeah. That was the Arc family." He chuckled nervously.

"They're a lively bunch," Ren said with a smile.

Weiss smiled softly. "That's putting it lightly." She looked away. "I'm sorry I upset your mother."

"You didn't," he said quickly. The squire placed a hand on her arm. "Mom's... she's always been protective of me. She didn't want me to be a huntsman." It was why he hadn't gotten any training from his dad. She'd forbidden him from teaching Jaune how to do so much as throw a punch. Not that he'd let it stop him any. "Don't blame yourself, and don't let her blame you."

The snow haired girl smiled weakly and placed her hand over his, squeezing it gently. She looked up at him. "Okay."

Ren cleared his throat pointedly. They both leapt back and Jaune cursed at himself silently. He couldn't keep doing that. Despite what Winter had said that morning Weiss was still in a relationship with Neptune. He didn't want to jeopardize that.

"We still need to talk," Ren reminded the both of them. "I think it would be wise to retire to Jaune's room for this."

The three of them returned to Jaune's room. He sat down on his bed as his two friends pulled up chairs and sat across from him. "So what's up? You said this was about Pyrrha, Ren? She seemed okay when she came by yesterday."

His black haired teammate cleared his throat. "Yes, well it's..." he sighed. "Pyrrha has needed to tell you something for a long time now, but hasn't been able to bring herself to do so. I took it upon myself to come tell you in her stead and happened to bump into Weiss who had more or less the same plan."

Jaune's brow furrowed in concern. "What are you talking about? What has she needed to tell me?" He pushed himself up and held his hand out. Brillant Mors leapt into his grasp. "If something's wrong then we need to go help her now." He made for the door but a gentle hand on his chest stopped him.

"Jaune it's okay," Weiss said as she gently but firmly pushed him back down onto the bed. "Pyrrha isn't in danger, you don't have to worry about that. But we do need you to sit here and listen to us."

He leaned Brillant Mors against the wall and laughed nervously. "Guys, you're starting to kind of freak me out here. Can you just tell me what it is?"

The two shared a look. Weiss nodded once to Ren, who sighed and looked at his team leader. "Jaune. Pyrrha likes you."

"Yeah, well I should hope so considering that we're partners. She's pretty much stuck with me at this point."

Weiss groaned and rubbed her face with both hands. "How can you be this dense?" She looked up at him. "Pyrrha likes you romantically you dunce. She..." the heiress gulped. "She loves you."

Jaune stared at Weiss silently for a few moments. Then at Ren.

Then he burst into laughter.

"Seriously? You guys got me that worked up for a joke? Okay who did you lose a bet to, Yang? This seems like something she'd come up with."

"We aren't joking Jaune," Ren said, his face betraying nothing.

But Jaune knew better now that he was onto them. He laughed and shook his head. "Yeah and I'm the king of Vacuo. Come on, Pyrrha in love with me? What next, Beringels grow wings and start flying?"

"Jaune!" Weiss pushed herself to her feet and stomped her foot, grabbing his attention. "Listen to what we're telling you! This isn't a joke! No one put us up to this! We are telling you the truth!"

"I..." he shook his head, fighting to comprehend what they were telling him. "Pyrrha? No way. You guys must have misinterpreted something. There's no way Pyrrha likes me like that." She'd been saddled with him from the start of initiation. He'd been nothing more than dead weight in the first half of their time at Beacon and only recently had become an actual contributing member of the team rather than the weak link the others had needed to protect.

Hell she'd seen him at his very worst when he admitted to faking his way into Beacon, when he'd refused her offer of help because he'd stubbornly thought he needed to do it all on his own. When he'd been blackmailed by Cardin and forced to do the other boy's bidding for fear that his secret would get out. When he'd been humbled and came to her for the help he'd so desperately needed to have even the slimmest chance of making it in Beacon.

And she had helped him without a second thought. Despite his stubbornness she'd taken him under her wing and started tutoring him. She'd been so patient with him, always willing to answer his questions or show him the flaws in his technique. And she'd never asked for anything in return.

"No... no." He shook his head again. "That's not..."

How she'd always sat next to him whenever she could and how close she had sat, practically shoulder to shoulder. How she'd listen to his stupid jokes and laugh at them, even when he knew they were crap. How she'd hug him for longer than was necessary or ask him about himself, always listening attentively when he told her about his life back home in his little out of the way village. The way she'd clung to him at the dance or how she'd hung on his arm after she tripped on the way to the dance, which shouldn't have happened in the first place since she pretty much always wore heels, even in combat where footing could be treacherous.

Jaune let out a shuddering breath. "No..."

Weiss sat down next to him on the bed. "She's had feelings for you almost since the beginning of Beacon," the heiress said softly. "But she was always afraid to come out and admit it because..."

Because he'd never shown any interest in her. Since the first day of Beacon, even before Initiation, Jaune had been chasing after Weiss endlessly. Only when he'd finally understood that her interest had been elsewhere had he stopped, but he hadn't stopped loving her or thinking about her. "Because I was chasing after you," he said numbly. "Because I never even looked her way with the slightest bit of interest."

It was all suddenly, painfully clear to him. The soft looks she would give him, the way she would 'accidently' brush up against him, how she had rested her hand on his chest at the dance when he'd turned Cinder away, why they trained on the roof where other people wouldn't bother him, why she'd been so frustrated when Nathaniel had taken over his training. Moments of unrequited intimacy, chances to be alone with him, her desire to be alone with him staring him right in the face.

And he had ignored it all.

"I'm... I'm an idiot," he whispered as he ran his sleeve over his eyes as they grew wet. "I-I can't believe I never... how could I have...?"

He could barely imagine what he had been putting Pyrrha through this entire time. Watching Weiss date Neptune for a few weeks had felt like being stabbed with a hot poker, what must it have been like to have the object of your affections constantly chase after someone else and never pause for a moment to consider that someone who loved them was so close by?

"I... I have to go." He pushed himself to his feet. "I have to go to Beacon and talk to her. I have to make this right." How could he make it right? What words could he give her that could make up for months of willful ignorance on his part?

Weiss's soft cool hand wrapped around his and pulled him back down. "Jaune," she said softly as she held his hand. "Please, just wait."

He snatched his hand away from her. "Wait? I can't wait! I have to go see her! Pyrrha's my partner, and a member of my team. I have a responsibility to her." Especially when he was the source of her pain. He made for the door, fighting to ignore Weiss telling him to wait.

It was Ren that brought him to a halt.

"Do you love her?"

Jaune paused, hand on the door knob. He looked back at his friend and teammate. "What?"

Ren wasn't looking at him. He was staring out of the busted window. "Do you love Pyrrha?"

"What kind of question is that? Of course I love her, she's my partner."

The pink eyed boy looked back at him, his expression betraying nothing. "You know that's not what I meant. Do you love Pyrrha?"

Jaune's gaze slowly, inevitably, drifted to Weiss. She was still sat on his bed, watching him with pleading eyes.

He looked away. His hand slipped from the door. "No," he said softly. "No, I don't. Not the way she wants me to."

"Then you going to her won't help anything Jaune. Not right now. Please, sit down. Listen to us. We want to help both of you."

Reluctantly the squire sat down on the bed next to the object of his affections. She smiled weakly at him. "I feel that I have to come clean. Pyrrha and I had a discussion this morning. I... encouraged her to go talk to you and admit how she felt, but she refused because she felt that even if you did agree to a relationship with her it would be because you didn't want to hurt her, or because you were trying to move on from... someone else."

"From me," he knew she meant. And the worst part was she was pretty much dead on. Jaune would have absolutely done it for both of those reasons, but his partner deserved better than to be treated like his rebound. She'd been there for him more times than he could count in just about every way. She deserved his love, but... it wasn't his to give. Not anymore. It belonged to Weiss, had belonged to her for a long time.

"I never wanted to hurt her," he whispered as he wiped a tear off of his face. "I'm such an idiot. I should have realized how she felt on my own." Instead he had broken her heart. "How can I make it up to her?"

"That's why I wanted to talk to you," Weiss said as she took his hand in hers. "I have a plan. I don't know if it will work or not, but..."

Jaune nodded as determination set in. "I'll do it," he swore. "Whatever it is I'll do it. If there's a chance I can make this right I'll take it."

The heiress let out a breath and looked at Ren. He shrugged back. "It's your plan. You can explain it better than I can."

"I suppose so," she admitted. Jaune thought he caught a note of begrudement in her voice. She sighed and placed a hand on top of his. "Okay. Here's the plan..."


Four days later Jaune Arc was released from the hospital. His doctor had wanted to keep him in for one more day just to be sure, but he had been insistent. He was leaving today. He wouldn't wait another minute, doctor's approval be damned.

The sudden announcement that he was out of the hospital caught everyone off guard. By the time news vans had parked outside the hospital entrance he was airborne and flying back to Beacon Academy.

Pyrhha, Nora, Ren, and the girls of team RWBY were all at the landing pads waiting for him. Nora was bouncing eagerly on the balls of her feet, hopping from one foot to the other in impatience. Ren stood there with his usual calm demeanor, hands tucked into his sleeves as he watched the horizon.

Ruby and Yang were much like Nora, chatting animatedly and unable to keep still as they waited. Blake was reading her book, and Weiss...

Weiss was gazing pensively out at the city of Vale, hands clasped before her. She glanced at Pyrrha and two made eye contact before looking away from one another.

Pyrrha hadn't spoken to Weiss since their conversation in the gardens. In truth she'd barely left her team's dorm room unless it was to eat or train. She hadn't even gone to see Jaune. It would have just been too painful to be alone with him.

Word had spread about their talk and everyone knew about her emotional outburst. She didn't think Weiss would spread gossip about her. More likely someone had witnessed the exchange and had passed it around the school. And of course as it had spread the rumors had gotten out of control. Now people were claiming that the two of them had gotten into a cat fight over Jaune, or were sharing him, or some other ridiculous story. It was something Pyrrha was used to thanks to her time as a tournament fighter, and Weiss was likely also used to dealing with it. Naturally no one outside of their teams had actually asked either of them what had happened. Though in Pyrrha's case that may have been because Nora had loudly announced she would break the legs of anyone who bothered her friend. No one was going to question whether or not the stout ginger was actually crazy enough to do it. Everyone knew she was.

"There he is!" Ruby shouted as she pointed into the distance. Pyrrha looked and could see a dark spot rapidly approaching the school. In moments it clarified into the form of Jaune on the back of Talon coming in for a landing. Despite herself the champion fighter couldn't help the smile that spread across her face. Even if he wouldn't love her having him back home with them lifted her heart. Maybe things could return to normal now, even if only a bit.

The gryphon glided down with his wings expanded and landed with surprising softness on the dock. Jaune slid off of the back of his war beast and grinned at them all, the setting sun making his golden hair sparkle. "What, no parade for my triumphant return?"

Jaune had a new outfit, courtesy of his mother. He was clad in a brown leather jacket over a black V-neck t-shirt that hugged his torso and accentuated his musculature. His shirt was tucked into tight fitting dark blue jeans which were in turn tucked into knee high brown riding boots that hugged his legs. Crocea Mors was belted at his waist, and he had Brillant Mors slung over one shoulder.

Yang wolf whistled. "Hel-lo lover boy! When did you go and get a fashion sense?"

He blushed cutely and scratched the back of his head. His hair had grown out some during his stay in the hospital and framed his sharp features nicely. "My mom got these for me. It's a good thing I stopped growing a couple days ago, or this would have gotten too small for me fast."

the bombastic blonde brawler wiggled her eyebrows, looking him up and down with her hands on her hips. "Well momma must be desperate for grandbabies then!"

He flushed scarlet and Ruby smacked her sister on the back of the head. "Yang! Stop being weird!"

Her older sister laughed, and Nora couldn't contain herself any longer. She shot forward and plowed into Jaune at a speed just shy of the speed of sound. He laughed and caught her, managing not to be floored by the impact. "HIIIIIIII!" she squealed as she attempted to crush him to death. "WE MISSED YOUUUUU!"

"You do remember the number of times you came to see me in the hospital, right? Until you got banned for your raid on the cafeteria that is."

"That's not the same silly! Now you're back here where you belong!" She lifted him off of the ground with ease and held him up in the air. "Watch out world! Team Juniper is back in action!"

Pyrrha burst into laughter as Jaune tried and failed to squirm free of the ginger's grasp. She and Ren made their way over and he convinced her to drop their team leader before she crushed him to death. The two boys hugged tightly and Jaune slapped him on the back before they broke off and he turned to her.

As always Jaune's eyes were bright and cheerful as they gazed at her, but there was something there that had been absent before, an uncertainty she hadn't seen before.

Her heart skipped a beat. Did he know about her and Weiss's conversation? Had he learned about how she felt?

Her team leader held his arms open. "Hug, partner?"

She smiled softly and stepped into his arms, wrapping her own around his waist. His large arms wrapped around her and pulled her in, filling her with a comforting warmth. "Hey there," he said softly. "How are you?"

Oh no. He did know. He never would have hesitated to pull her in for a bear hug beforehand, but now he was being cautious, trying not to overstep his bounds. She closed her eyes tightly and rested her head on his chest "I'm okay," she lied, her arms tightening around him.

Then he did something unexpected. He kissed the top of her head. "I'm sorry," he said softly. "I've been such an idiot. I'm going to make it up to you, I promise."

"Make it up to me? Jaune, you don't have to-"

"Yes I do, and I will. You've been there for me so many times, through so much." He leaned back and smiled down at her. With a flick of his hand he waved Talon over and reached into a saddle bag. "It's time for me to return the favor."

He pulled out a bouquet of roses and held them up to her. Pyrrha eyes widened and she stepped back with a gasp, but was stopped by a hand on her back. She turned and saw Nora behind her, a big grin on her face. Ren was standing just behind her, a smaller but no less pleased smile on his own face. She looked away from them to team RWBY. Three of the girls were watching eagerly, but she was expecting to see jealously or bitterness or sorrow on Weiss's face.

She wasn't expecting the heiress to smile kindly at her and nod in silent permission.

Jaune's hand cupped her face gently and turned her back to face him. His eyes were full of compassion and gentle kindness as he held the bouquet out to her.

"Pyrrha Nikos, would you do me the honor of allowing me to take you out on a date tomorrow?"

Hesitantly she reached out and took the roses from him, as though expecting them to vanish as soon as she touched them. But they were real. This whole thing wasn't some dream she was having, it was reality. Jaune had just asked her out on a date.

She... she couldn't. He didn't love her the way she wanted to. He loved Weiss, not her.

But Weiss was standing right there and had as good as given her the go ahead, and... and he had asked her. Pyrrha had always thought that she would have to be the one to make the opening move, to confess her feelings to him and hope he might reciprocate them. She had never thought he would be the one to take the first step.

"What is this Jaune?" she asked softly, holding the roses to her chest. "Why now?"

"This is me being a good partner and giving you the one thing I can." He placed his hands on her shoulders and leaned in close. When his lips pressed against her cheek she thought she might faint right there as her heart thundered in her chest. "Please, accept this Pyrrha. You've done so much for me ever since we met. I would not still be here if it wasn't for you, and I don't just mean Beacon. You are kind, and honest, and loving, and selfless. But I'm asking you this one time to stop being selfless and start being selfish. Just this one time."

"Stop being the Invincible Girl for just a couple of days. Just be you. Just be Pyrrha Nikos, my partner and the girl I'm going to take out for a day on the town tomorrow. Okay?"

She held the flowers to her chest and took in their soft sweet scent, her eyes closed.

Pyrrha Nikos opened her eyes and looked up at her team leader, at the man she loved, her sparkling emerald orbs meeting his burning sapphire ones. She smiled warmly and leaned into him, melding herself against his warm body as she threw her arms around him.

"Okay."


And here it is, Amare's big plan. Pyrrha knows Jaune hasn't magically fallen in love with her out of the blue, but he still cares deeply for her regardless and wants to give her something that can let her down easily and give her something she's craved for months: a time for just her and Jaune to be with one another without distractions or anything between them.

Is it a perfect solution? No. Heartache is not so easily fixed, but at least this way she can just be with him for a time and get that closure she otherwise would never have. Besides, there's rarely ever a perfect solution. There are always going to be flaws or things you don't take into account. All you can do is the best you can and handle the hurdles when you reach them.

On a separate note that was a lot of Jaune's family. The vast majority of the chapter was about them. I hope it wasn't an arduous read for anyone. I tried to make them interesting and varied in their attitudes so things stayed fresh, but as this was the first time we met his family in this story there was going to be a lot of work done to flesh them out and establish their personalities for future chapters. And don't worry, they'll be cropping up again plenty. Jaune still has to introduce the chaotic mess he's a part of to the rest of his teammates after all.

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