A/N thanks for your reviews and support.

Sins007: thanks for your review, my friend. I'm so glad you enjoyed it! There truly isn't enough deadpan out there.

Zoran Dawn-Eclipse: thanks for your review, my friend. So glad you enjoyed it!

Warnings: Panic attack

Oscar's POV

Confused he blinked awake. Something warm and firm was gripping his hand. Voices muffled but fearful sounding could be heard above him. Through his blurry vision, he could see three figures all around him. They were too tall to be Ruby and the team and the wrong colors to be Atleasean military. Maybe he was in Mantel.

He croaked out hoarsely his voice younger than he remembered it being, "Do... dont fight. Please..."

The pressure on his chest lifted before a hand touched his head. Gentle fingers carded through his hair. It was like his dad used to do before he died. Against his will, Oscar leaned into the touch.

Off to the side as his vision was clearing he heard a chuckle. Auntie? What was she doing in Mantel? It wasnt safe!

Then memories returned to him as his mind cleared of confusion. Oh right. He was in the past according to Ozma.

As expected of his aunt she was by his side. Her hands clutching his as if they were a lifeline. It surprised him at how young she looked. Even if it was only a few in the past she looked decades young than when he left home. He never noticed how the stress of the world's events got to her until now.

Wait both of her hands were clutching his own. Who was? He turned to look at the person standing before him. The man had tousled silver hair and calm amber eyes. He wore an unzipped black suit over a dark green, buttoned vest and green shirt along with black trouser shoes and long, dark-green pants.

There was no mistaking who this man was even without hearing him speak. This was undoubtedly Ozpin. Oscar had lived with him in his head for over a year. Seeing him and hearing him were two different things. He felt the breath catch in his throat as he was unsure what to say.

Talking to Ozpin, in the beginning, had not been easy. He was ashamed to admit that he had been terrified of the voice in his head. As time passed though he grew to trust Ozpin which made it so much more painful when he realized what the other was hiding. Not that he blamed Ozpin for hiding it. That was something that was difficult for either of them to come to terms with.

Guilt at his role in revealing Ozpin's secrets ate at him. Seeing the man right in front of him now was almost enough to send him into a panic attack.

Another hand appeared out of the corner of his eye. Reactions born from his time in Atlas and Haven sent him jumping away from the hand. In doing so he fell from the bed he was lying on at Aunt Emilly's feet. He flinched as he tried to reach for his cane but found nothing there. Pain erupted in his shoulder and he remembered that Ja... Ironwood had shot him.

Shrugging off the pain he focused on what was important. Where was long memory? Then he felt stupid. If he was in the last it was unlikely that he would have Long Memory. It was still in Ozpin's possession after all. He could see part of the handle sticking out of the other end of the bed.

Looking up he found Doctor Nero, someone he had known since he was young holding out his hand. His grey eyes now held hesitancy as he met Oscar's hazel eyes.

"Sorry," apologized Oscar softly, "I wasn't expecting that."

Nero soothed softly, "It's fine Oscar. I was just going to check your aura to ensure it is healing properly."

"My aura?"

What was... oh right. The meeting with Ozma was real and he had been given a choice. To pass on or to survive and try to fix the past.

Ozpin moved closer and Oscar jumped jarring his shoulder again. This time he could not hold back his whimper. Nero held out a hand to stop Ozpin from moving any closer. Then slowly so that the jumpy child could see everything he was doing he moved around the side of the bed.

When Oscar didnt move away from him, he knelt down so that they were eye level. He asked softly, "Can I check your injury? I need to make sure the aura transfusion is working."

Hesitantly Oscar moved closer to the man so that his injury could be looked at. His mind was still trying to process that he was in the past. By the looks of his body, he was about 12 years old just as Ozma had said. Then gunshot wound seemed all he had from the future but only time would tell. He would need a weapon as soon as possible to test if his skills had returned as well. Gods he hoped so without Ozpin's voice guiding him it would be much more difficult to relearn all of it.

Warmth spread through him as Nero's aura encased him. It pressed against his own prodding at it as if looking for something. Oscar's aura was slow to respond but eventually, it did. Light green aura mixed with a shade of darker green jumped across his body.

It only lasted a moment before Nero's hand moved to examine the bandages. Oscar's aura faded and he felt drained. It was worse than when he first began training it. What was wrong with him?

Movement caught Oscar's attention and he turned to face it. Ozpin bent down so that he was at eye level with the child. Once again their eyes met and for the first time in a while, he felt at peace.

Ozpin asked quietly, "Do you need help up?"

For a moment Oscar considered him before nodding. He allowed the man to help him to his feet. Swaying slightly he turned to face Nero. The doctor was frowning as if he was deep in thought. That did not bode well for him as he just had his aura checked over.

Ozpin hesitantly stood by his side as they waited for the doctor to figure out his thoughts. Finally, the man said, "For the moment Oscar your soul and aura are stable. Or at least as stable as it can be all things considered."

"What do you mean?"

Every part of him screamed that he was not going to like the answer. There was something about this he would not like. It had to do with his aura being so sluggish.

Nero glanced at Ozpin briefly, getting a nod in response to a silent question before he continued, "I'm not going to pull punches on what happened, Oscar. Your soul was torn in half and it was a very near thing. With your aura damaged by this, it wasnt able to heal the wound."

Oscar knew what came next. No living being could live with only half a soul. They would be pulled towards the other side. By all right, he should have died because Ozpin's soul was torn from his own.

"How am I still alive?" He questioned bluntly, "I'm not an idiot. Everyone knows that you cannot live with only half a soul."

Nero grumbled, "I was getting to that kid. As for how you're still alive we used what is still an experimental treatment. An aura transfusion," at his confused look the man sighed, "Aura transfusions are only used in the most extreme of situations. They are extraordinarily difficult as the person giving aura has to be a match. Most successful cases have been with parents."

"My mom and dad died," snapped Oscar, "It was four years ago. You know this!"

There was slight hysteria at the end of his words. With the hysteria came static in his ears. He could see Nero's lips moving but he couldn't hear what was being said.

No matter how much time passed it still hurt to think about that day. He hadn't reacted this badly a long time though. Maybe it was because of all that had happened in such a short time.

No time to focus on it now. He had to get his breathing back under control like Jam... Ironwood taught him. Ironwood wasnt his friend. Not after nearly killing him. Shit now the sides of his vision was greying out! Why couldn't he get enough air in?!

A hand grabbed his and brought it to an unfamiliar chest. He could feel exaggerated deep breaths under his palm. It took him several moments for the static to fade from his ears.

Looking up he found worried amber eyes staring down at him. Ozpin... right he was safe. He was with Ozpin and despite them having no history in this time he was safest with the man.

Aunt Emilly whispered her eyes betraying her shock as he looked up at her, "I've never been able to calm him down that fast. How did you?"

"I teach a school full of children," Ozpin answered smoothly, "Not everyone is ready to face monsters so easily. I require all my staff to know how to identify and react to a panic attack as well as flashbacks. When we identify a student that needs help the entire staff is informed of what caused it. This allows us to better aid the students."

"Very noble of you Headmaster," said Nero.

The man gave the doctor a nasty look before concern turned back to Oscar. It took the boy a few moments before he was okay enough to stand up. A gentle hand was on his elbow guiding him to the bed. Gently he was pushed to sit on it and his attention was once more given to the doctor.

Nero looked pained as he continued, "I do remember your parents, Oscar. I remember very well about what happened that day. However, you looked so different from when I last saw you I didnt recognize you. So I took some blood to try and find a potential match. There was a parental match for you in the huntsman database."

Oscar blinked stupidly for a moment before realization hit him. Oh. Oh no. That meant Ozpin was in fact his dad. How in the hell did that happen? Why did he not know that he was adopted?!

Betrayed hazel eyes turned to his aunt who looked away guilty. Answers didn't come from her but from an unexpected source.

"This is my fault," admitted Ozpin quietly, "I had a mission in this village a little more than 13 years ago. There I met your mother and while I was here we dated. It wasn't for long as she knew that I would have to leave. I made the mistake of leaving without a word. Many of us believe in not saying goodbye. That to say goodbye is a sign of bad luck. In my youth, I was one of them. If I had known she was pregnant I would not have left her or you. For that I am sorry."

Sincerity laced every word that was spoken. As much as Oscar didnt want to he could see the similarities in their appearance. Like-minded souls as well as father and son. Who knew?

Ozma had to have known and if they spoke again, Oscar was going to give him a piece of his mind. There were certain topics one did not avoid. Like the paternity. Scheming wizards he swore.

The adults exchanged uneasy glances. It was obvious they didn't know what to make of his silence. If it was back in the original timeline Oscar would have tried to deny it. He would have demanded another test be performed right in front of him.

However, Oscar was no longer the naive boy he used to be. He knew the dangers of what Nero spoke of. If they had chosen the wrong person the transfusion could have destroyed what was left of his soul. That was why Aunt Emilly couldn't have helped him. She wasnt related to him by blood.

Gathering his thoughts he asked quietly, "What now?"