Oscar's weapon, gone from his grasp, and Ruby was back in Torchwick's apartment.

Her ear to the scroll, "Uncle Qrow! I have a question!"

He'd been made, still frantic, to take his weapon or knock the scroll away. Until Roman pressed his own cane to Oscar's temple. He froze, then suppressed a gag seeing Ruby's tights on the ground and realizing Torchwick was only wearing his slacks.

"Uncle Qrow, I need you to check right now if your Harbinger arcs completely!"

Torchwick's brows shot up, "Qrow Branwen is your uncle."

Ruby nodded and then whined, "Drunkle, this is very important!"

Her brows furrowed, shaking her head, "No hitches?" looking back at his cane. "Complete arc?"

Silence.

Ruby stammering, "I-I'm not sure what I'm looking at. Um, apologize to your dance partner for me. Thanks, uncle Qrow."

Quirking her head, she pulled an all too familiar pouch from her belt.

With his free hand, Torchwick raked his hair back, "Do you always have a weapons tool kit?"

Laying out the cane, Ruby nodded, "Yeah, it's great to be able to maintain my team's weapons on assignment."

Oscar dry heaved, "Do you think that's hot?"

Roman pressing melodic cudgel firmly into Oscar's skull. He held up his hands, "The jig is up. She's going to find out my secrets anyways."

She wiped at her eyes, "I thought we're friends," Her voice quivered, "This is the cane that shot me."

Oscar watched the hooked cane fall as the ginger gripped the shorter man's throat throwing Oscar to the ground. He couldn't breathe, yet he smirked, enjoying that Roman couldn't stop a semblance.

Blip.

Three seconds into the past.

A valuable semblance that catalyzed this whole fucked up scenario.

Roman's hand clutched Oscar's neck. He snatched the falling melodic cudgel, snapping it on Roman's knuckles, forcing freedom. As he sucked in precious air, aiming between Torchwick's brows. Oscar couldn't shoot, but Torchwick didn't know that.

The blind hatred he knew his Ruby had towards this man unfurled in Oscar's gut, "You really shouldn't throw tantrums because someone threatened your toy."

This felt good.

It was almost as if he didn't watch his best friend on her deathbed.

A small callused hand rested over his. With those warm silver eyes to look into. He remembered the first time she looked at him like that. He was terrified that they would all die because their enemies wanted to make a statement. He must have been 13 back then.

"Hey, Oscar? This isn't gonna be easy, but the fact that you're even trying says a lot about you. You're braver than you think."

His Ruby...this Ruby saw him for who he was and was trying to be. She never confused him for Ozpin. When she opened her mouth, he listened.

"You're hurting." She looked at the weapon she had started to open up. "You need to talk to someone. I'll lend you an ear..." she brushed a tear off his cheek, "Or a shoulder if you need."

Oscar's grip relaxed, and Roman quickly took his weapon back. "Out."

Ruby nodded and reassembled Oscar's weapon.

Roman pinched the bridge of his nose, "I wasn't talking to you, Red."

"I have questions. You do too."

"I have him on my payroll, but he might not have answers."

She pulled at her hair, "You're so! So!" she stomped her foot and gestured at all of him.

Roman's lip twitched in amusement before sobering, "He tried to kill you."

"I know, and if you don't want him in your apartment. I won't force it," her nails picked at the cane, "I'm going with him. Because that gear is in Harbinger right now." she pointed to the barrel of dust rounds, "That is in Myrtlemaster. And I suspect I know his scope."

Ruby treasured weapons, so she learned all she could about them. When Oscar needed a new cane, she was quick to dismantle the deads' and forge him something beautiful.

He whispered, "Her name is Thorn."

Roman glanced between Oscar and Ruby, "The kitchen dining table is there. I'm getting a drink. Red?"

"Milk!" She braced her palms on his chest and bounced up onto her toes. Torchwick looked down on her fondly before kissing the tip of her nose.

"Can you put on a shirt?" Oscar really did not want to see that bite mark. He felt it belonged on Jaune or Weiss.

Roman snapped, "This is my apartment."

Ruby threw up her hands, "Being polite is sometimes more important than asserting dominance!"

Oscar remembered Neo flopping exhaustedly onto the couch after Ruby had visited them bringing baby gifts. Both women were visibly strained. Oscar rubbed his wife's back and thanked her for welcoming Ruby. Those pink & brown eyes shot in an annoyed glance before typing, [It wouldn't be so difficult with her if I didn't have to see how much he changed her for the worst.]

Is Roman changing her for the worse? Oscar worried that he would wish he had stopped this relationship in five or so years.

Roman buttoned up his shirt. "I believe Oscar here has a story for us." He typed something on his scroll. She peered over her boyfriend's forearm, her eyes lit up before zooming to the cupboards and pulling out cookies.

Neo blipped into the living room, holding a carton of mint chocolate chip ice cream. Ignoring the men in the room, she ran over to Ruby and pulled out plates. Both girls maneuvering seamlessly around each other, giggling [Neo silently] as they created ice cream sandwiches.

Ruby chirped, "Want any?"

"No, thank you, I don't like sweets."

Everyone stared at each other.

Oscar and Roman spoke simultaneously.

Neo broke the awkward tension by vaulting over the counter and, with the tip of her umbrella, picked up Ruby's tights and glared at her brother.

Torchwick narrowed his eyes, "Not that it's any of your business...but we haven't-"

"Ro! Your employee is present!" Ruby sank behind the counter. Her hand snatched up to take a plate of cookies and ice cream down with her.

Oscar's brain was still stuck on how delighted Ruby and Neo were around each other. His hand shot to his pocket, pulling out a cigarette before he caught something that almost hit his face.

A cigar.

Roman, annoyed and opened his window. "If you must smoke in my home, smoke something decent."

Neo stuck her tongue out at Oscar and rubbed her fingers together.

"I do buy the cheapest smokes I can." He leaned close to the window, and Ruby moved back to his cane. After pulling it apart some, she closed her eyes, black lashes fanning against her cheeks.

After a steadying breath, "Are we family?"

Not the question he expected, and he choked on the cigar. "Not by blood...but by experience. Rubbles, in a few years, we become teammates, best friends, and you are my sister."

Roman's hand tightened around his cane, "Then why did you shoot her?"

Ruby detached his scope, he knew she didn't need to confirm, but she looked at the bottom, "I gave him that task."

Neo's eyes widened, dragging Ruby to her breast.

"NO! I'm not suicidal!"

Oscar always wished they would get along like this, taking a slow puff of the cigar, "I time traveled. Hence me having parts that are currently in other weapons."

Roman picked at his nails, "As a man who can get anything built. You probably spend a great deal of lien to get these particular custom parts."

"Ro! Harbinger's gear was made by Qrow. He couldn't make it again if he wanted. If it breaks, the whole tip of the scythe would have to be reworked."

Roman, "Not something you should be announcing to a roomful of criminals."

Ruby covered her mouth.

Oscar pulled out his wallet and glanced up, "May I borrow a knife?"

Torchwick, "Why ask? You have one up your sleeve and two in each boot."

"Figured asking would be less threatening." flicking out his wrist, using the knife to cut the leather, pulling out a photo.

He held it to Neo, she gasped.

Roman leaning over his sister, "What is this, Oscar?"

A photo outside of his farm. Oscar wearing a suit, and Ruby was right beside him. His arm wrapped around Neo, who was notably pregnant and in a bright pink dress. Blake was grinning, and she was missing one of her cat ears. Nora's arm was in a sling, and she leaned heavily on Mercury.

Oscar took a shaky puff of a cigar. They never did have a photo of all of them...it was the closest he had.

"After we defeated Salem," Oscar looked at Ruby, "She um tries to destroy the world."

Ruby gives him a thumbs up, "Oh good thing we beat her!"

"After we stayed at my farm. Neopolitan, finally agreed to marry me. I was 20 in this photo, and she was 25." he wouldn't add that they had been together for 5 years at that point. Neo snatched the photo and stared open-mouthed.

Roman gripped his hair, "There is a fault in your logic. I'm not in the photo. I would never miss something like this."

Oscar looked away. Now that it had to be said, he couldn't bear it.

Ruby offered, "Maybe you took the photo?"

Roman clenched his jaw.

Oscar shook his head, "No Tai did. Roman had been dead already for 7 years. It's why I'm here, to change that."

The photo fell to the floor, and Neo gripped his shirt, forcing him to look at her, -explain- intoned in her features.

Roman looked at Red, hand cupping her cheek. Oscar knew that look, Neo gave it to him plenty of times. It hurt knowing you'd leave a loved one behind. With a sweet hum Ruby leaned her cheek into his hand.

Oscar couldn't believe that Roman Torchwick and Ruby Rose were in love.

Ruby breaking away from her boyfriend, "Oscar, I believe you and we want to help. So, how do we change the future?"

Roman scratching his head, "First, we need to know what happened. Saving me can't be your only objective."

Ruby shook her head, "First we need a team name!"

Oscar knew, he knew for years what he'd name it if Roman survived. "Team O-N-R-R. Team Honor."

Ruby puffed up her chest and then turned to the sound of a forehead slamming against the counter.

It was Neo's mourning the melting of the ice cream.

Oscar, "Well at least you never grew out of that." Oscar took a deep breath and told them what his version of Ruby said about the Fall of Beacon

Ruby gasped, "I MURDERED MY BOYFRIEND!"

Oscar, "in the original timeline, he was not your boyfriend, he was being a literal terrorist-"

Ruby, "HE WOULD NEVER!"

Roman, "Actually I would If someone had legitimate leverage...which with Cinder being dead. I don't have to consider it in my choices now."

Ruby stared at Roman, her mouth agape, "People would die."

Leaning back against the wall, "How much are their lives worth?"

"You've anonymously donated across the city."

"Workforce development Red. Skilled people bring in money and make the place habitable. Nice places have nice things...stealable things."

"Why do you even like me?"

"With your blasted hero's complex?" He looked aside and brushed his fingers along her cheek. Neo snuck a photo of the open display of affection.

Oscar offered, "I think you gave him feelings."

Roman's long fingers curled into a fist, "Fuck you."

"Your sister certainly enjoyed it."

His cheek stung, Oscar, didn't even see her move, "Sorry Neo."

She glared daggers at him.

Ruby twisted her fingers, "the Torchwick family tree had silver eyes. It's a rare trait…"

Roman pulled out his green contact, finally revealing his heterochromia, his breath shallow, "Red, are we related?"

Oscar choked back a laugh and did his best to recall Ozpin's ledger. "Remus Torchwick and Summer Rose didn't share a relation for 10 generations. So that would make them 8th cousins? So you and Ruby then are 9th cousins? I would argue a strong no."

Both of them sighed in relief.

Maybe Oscar should have lied. Instead he watched Ruby, Roman, and Neo exchange overwhelmed glances and he knew he said all he could for now. "We will discuss this further. It late and you all have a lot of information to process."

Roman holding open his door, "I think right now we have to prioritize the safety of Vale. It is the best way to put a dent in Salem's plans for now."

When Oscar left, Ruby tried to shake her head straight and looked at her scroll, "the buses for the night have shut down."

Neo typed in her scroll, [i can teleport you back]

Ruby looked between the siblings, "I've already texted Yang that I'm staying here. I didn't know how long it would take with Oscar."

Neo shrugged, [I'll get you something to sleep in, and if you want, you can share my bed. Dum Dum snores.]

Her boyfriend halfheartedly snapped, "I do not."

Neo rolled her eyes and walked off to her room. Ruby stood to follow, and Roman stiffly walked to his own room.

Ruby dressed in a frilly pink gown sat on the edge of her friend's bed. "Must be weird to know that you get married. To see your husband."

Neo huffed [I tried getting him into bed, and I got a big no]

Pinching her bottom lip, "I mean there is a 13-year-old version of him. Maybe he doesn't want to take you from him?"

Neo rolled her eyes.

"Well, do you want this 21 year old chain-smoking clearly in pain man? He remembers burying you...and your son."

Neo chewed her lip and thought about how happy he looked even when scolding her. The way he talked to people about the things that they love with such enthusiasm. How he could really see her and allow her to be as she was without changing her.

A 13-year-old boy couldn't make her feel like this.

Ruby gripped her hand with a bright smile. Neo didn't realize she had been thrumming it. "Go get that chimney!"

Neo silently laughed and went over to her nightstand, giving Ruby a condom and a pointed look.

Ruby muttered, "I do have an IUD."

Neo's brows shot up

"No! I got it when we started making field trips at Signal. It's convenient to have only a dot."

Neo grabbed her scroll [look Torchwicks are sluts.]

Ruby flushed all over, "he and I already talked about it, and um he gotta test. I did too, to be fair."

Neo pinched her slightly taller friend's cheek, [legit surprised he was clean]

Ruby covered her face, "I don't think I should be talking about this with his sister! And I don't even know if we're still together."

[then you really need to talk this out with him]

"Now?"

Neo patted her head [Yup and I'm going to try to understand my own cutie]

"You really got a thing for freckles"

A sassy wink, [one might call it a fetish]

Neo blipped out of her room. Ruby smiled at her friend's attitude before peering into Roman's room.

"Ro?"

He stared blankly at a textbook, glancing over and smiling, "now that is a terrible look."

She glared at him, and he went to his closet, pulling out a faded black button-up tossing it to her. "Just so I don't feel my retinas burn when I look at you."

She slipped off the gown and buttoned up his shirt. She heard his sharp intake of breath. "Ro, you've seen me like this plenty."

"Well it is rare for your underwear to match."

She wasn't going to admit that she hastily bought cute bras, not realizing they were supposed to match her panties, "I still want you but do you still want this?" She gestured vaguely between them.

His hands went to her hips, "Of course."

"But I killed you."

Tossing her into his bed to crawl next to her, pulling little Red tight, "If you haven't noticed, I'm right here. And in this other timeline, it sounds like Oscar was reporting your experience when you were distraught about seeing Vale fall and a robot friend die. You would not have been a reliable witness."

"Which how did I make friends with a robot!" Then, settling down, "How are you so steady right now?" She looked into his green and silver eyes.

His brows furrowed, "I'm fucking scared, Red. I died, and I can see how I can still die. You have an idea now of how dangerous this situation is. Perry and I are doing what we can, but Adam has no steady course. The idea of leaving my sister and you to mourn me has me shaking." His fingers dug into her hips. "Not only that, some freak of my genetics makes me the only person who might be able to save the fucking world."

Her boyfriend was feeling too much.

Her lips ghosted over his cheeks, his nose, his forehead. In the darkness of his room, she could only make out his silhouette, but she swore his eye was glowing.

"Roman Torchwick, I promise you we're going to do the impossible together."

"Are we really going to try to save the world?"

"Well how else are you going to continue to steal nice things?"

Laughing, "oh and I call bullshit on your molybdenum alloying."

"ROMAN! How is it you cannot science!" She giggled and kissed him. He sighed happily to have her close enough to sense her as they innocently fell asleep.

XXX

Neo pulled on her prettiest illusion, the one where she actually looked like a Torchwick. Then, smiling sweetly, she knocked on the door. Neo could not recall the last time she knocked on a door. And this speaks to how badly she wanted to get her (ex? Future? Possible?) Husband to let her in. Metaphorically...and currently literally.

Oscar was perplexed by her unusual behavior and she pushed her way inside.

"You know Neo, you just defeated the purpose of knocking." He sighed and moved over to his stove, "do you like mint tea yet?"

She nodded, she watched him putter with an unlit cigarette in his mouth. He made sidelong glances at her with angrily gritted teeth.

He pulled out a pair of chipped mugs and waited for the water to boil.

He couldn't even look at her for more than a second. But, of course not, he knew intimately how much of a bi-colored freak she was. Her arms wrapped tightly about her and she wished she was even smaller.

She felt his hands on her shoulders, sympathy...no it had to be pity in his eyes.

Softly, "Can you...look like yourself again. It's hard to understand you under your illusions."

Her skin cracked, leaving her to expose her freak of nature. His hands went through her hair, one in brown and the other in pink. "You know I loved waking up with this mane all over me. It was a mess, and your tresses definitely destroyed many vacuums. Still, I love this or how your eyes would switch colors when you're being mischievous." warmly smiling, "Which is probably always." Gently scratching her scalp, "I was fifteen, and I just thought we were dancing in a club. The first time I noticed your eyes switch was before you kissed me." His thumb at her jaw forced her to look up at him. The cigarette fell from his mouth, "Neopolitan, you are the most beautiful woman I have ever met. Even when we were enemies, I saw that."

She put on a false bravado and flipped her hair over her shoulder.

"Show me more respect than to lie. I already know you believe you two tones made your father leave."

Closing her eyes and nodded slowly. If only-

"If only you truly looked like a Torchwick, and had silver eyes. Maybe your father would have stayed."

Her hands closed into Oscar's shirt and held her.

"What kind of father only wants progeny that fulfills his duty. I wish for your sake he saw you and adored you for exactly who you were. His daughter." Oscar cradled her into his arms, carrying her into his tiny lump of a bed. He smelled of smoke, and it didn't matter. She stained his shirt with salt, and that didn't matter.

He felt like home and she felt safe.

That mattered.