Chapter 2

Recombination

The elevator doors slid open with a soft chime, Atlesian technology working flawlessly to deliver Jaune to the main communications hub of the Cross-Continental Transmit system for the Kingdom of Vale. There were several students milling about, and several more making calls to loved ones scattered all over Remnant, though not nearly the numbers one would expect on a weekend. This alone was testament to the exodus from Beacon, and Jaune was glad for the lack of a wait. Settling into a small cubicle, he punched in the number from memory, depositing a twenty lien note from his wallet to cover what was sure to be an extended call. The telecomm splash screen was pleasant, if innocuous, and his call went through after several seconds. The display flickered to life, switching from a cool palette of blues to the interior of the Cotta-Arc kitchen, by the look of things, Saphron wearing a slightly surprised look on her face.

"Hey, baby bro! I thought you didn't have the plan minutes to video chat across Remnant," she said, still obviously cheerful to see him in the flesh, as it were.

"I was still on campus when you called. Hiking over to the CCT was worth the effort."

"Awww, you're still such a second mama's boy!" Saphron beamed, her smile growing wider at the gentle barb. Second Mom was a title she'd worn with pride while still living at home, something she'd taken very seriously as firstborn of the Arc children. "Surprised you didn't want to talk when I called a little bit ago."

"I was just seeing my friends off, Saph. Would've been rude not to," Jaune replied, bristling only slightly.

"Sure you didn't mean to say girlfriend?"

"Several of them are female, yes," he shot back drily, deflecting the question.

"Uh huh," she replied with a skeptical scowl. "Who's that over your shoulder?" she asked, and Jaune's gaze flicked left as his head turned.

"No one?" he said, slightly confused as to where the conversation was going.

"Other shoulder," Saph corrected, whipping his head around in the opposite direction. "Huh," she added almost absently.

"What?" Jaune asked.

"So what's her name?"

"Who?"

"Your girlfriend, dork," Saphron replied, eyes narrowing in annoyance.

"Don't have one," Jaune fired back truthfully, but still on edge. He knew his eldest sister's tone of voice when she was about to spring a trap.

"Suuuuure," she retorted, clearly not believing him. "Terra, honey? Can I get your opinion on something?" she called out, looking past her scroll to do so.

"You really want me to roll my bloated ass off the couch? I just got comfortable," came a distant, testy reply.

"Sorry, babe. Hold on a sec, Jaune," she began, the video feed bobbing drunkenly as his sister walked out into the living room, one final jiggling motion seen as she settled into the couch, and Terra Cotta-Arc came into view as well. She looked haggard over her glasses, but her expression brightened as she focused in on her wife's scroll.

"Hey, Jaune!" Terra began with as much energy as she could muster.

"Hey, Terra. You okay? You look kind of…not good," Jaune replied, settling on the most diplomatic phrasing he could.

"Long day. Don't sweat it," Terra said with a soft sigh. "Or did you not tell him?" she demanded of Saphron, shooting a dark glance her way.

"It's not like he calls…anyone. Too busy being the big man on campus instead of my adoring baby brother," Saph grumbled.

"Oh for…gimme that," Terra growled softly, seizing the scroll. Extending her arm, she favored Jaune with a wider shot of the pair of them. Terra was reclined against her wife, head nestled comfortably in the crook of Saphron's neck. The blond's arms were wrapped affectionately over her wife's, the both of them encircling Terra just below her bust line.

And just above a very obviously pregnant belly.

Jaune blinked hard, coming to terms with all the implications laid out before him, his view forcibly pivoting back to a closer shot of both of their faces again.

"Ummm, wow. Congratulations, you guys!" he said at last, an awkward waver to his voice.

"That's…not what I was expecting, really," Terra said, her expression confused, even as her wife's smile threatened to evaporate.

"No, no! I'm…I'm really happy for you both, Terra. Seriously!" Jaune tacked on, trying to salvage the situation. "It's just kind of a shock, really. I'm gonna be a…uncle," he added, tripping over the last word.

"We discussed this Jaune, remember? Over winter break?" Saphron gently prodded him. "You knew this was coming."

"Yeah. Still kinda weirded out by it. But it's a good weird!" he hastily amended, proffering a goofy grin in an attempt to allay the girls' anxiety.

"Remind me how he's still single, honey?" Terra asked sardonically.

"Oh that reminds me!" Saphron replied, a mischievous gleam in her deep blue eyes. "You've got such an eye for color, hon, I just had to ask for your help."

"Oh?"

"Jaune, can you look to your right again?" his sister asked, arousing Jaune's suspicion yet again even as he complied with the strange request.

"I see," Terra said simply, peering closer into the screen and adjusting her glasses a bit.

"What is it?" Jaune asked nervously.

"That's what I was wondering," Saphron retorted, suppressing a giggle.

"Midori Cosmetics, Luscious Lava, if I'm not mistaken," Terra said sagely.

"Huh?" He grunted.

"Okay, so let's take this from the top, o brother of mine." Saphron began, a predatory smirk commandeering her lips. "What. Is. Her. Name?"

"What are you…?" Jaune began, before he spied his own video feed in the corner of the display. Peering closer, the huntsman-in-training turned again to his right before spying the blatant set of lip prints gracing his left cheek. These soon disappeared, or at least they now seamlessly blended into the deep crimson of his blush.

When did Pyrrha start wearing lipstick?

"That's, umm, just from my partner," Jaune stammered, furiously, and fruitlessly, rubbing at the long-wearing lip color.

"Suuuuure," Saphron replied unbelievingly.

"Not that kind of partner, guys. Seriously. Totally platonic," Jaune reassured them. Or tried to, at least.

"Mmmmhmmm," Saphron replied skeptically.

"In fairness, none of it was on his lips, hon," Terra piped up helpfully.

"See? Terra agrees with me!" he shot back, a little too desperately.

"Oh, I see how it is. How could you, Ter?" she wailed melodramatically.

"Oh, shut it. I love you enough to turn into a damn whale so that we can have a kid together," Terra groused at her wife.

"I know, honey. I love you too," Saphron replied, planting a soft kiss on Terra's scalp.

"So, umm, when are you due?" Jaune asked, desperate to change the topic of conversation.

"September twenty-fifth. Summers are mild here, but it's still going to suck," Terra added.

"We've already got the nursery ready!" Saph added, tangible excitement creeping into her voice. "I'll send you pictures!" she gushed.

"Thanks, sis, but you know that was always Mom's thing, not mine," he said truthfully, noting how Saphron's eyes dipped low in response. "You still haven't told her yet, have you?" he asked as a follow-up, already knowing the answer.

"It's not like this is something you can just handle over the scroll, Jaune."

"I know, Saph. More than any of us, I know," he added reassuringly. They were the two closest to each other out of the Arc brood, and Jaune was intimately familiar with the desire to remain clear of their parents' well-meaning meddling in their lives.

"Yeah," she said softly, relaxing a bit. "Actually, that's what I called about. You got Dad's message right?"

"About the family vacation? Yeah. Don't know that I'm going. I need to find a good place for some supplemental training over the summer."

"It's only two weeks, Jaune," she gently implored him. "You know Ivy misses you terribly."

"Yeah, that's what Mom keeps telling me in her emails. Wait, why are you so invested in me going?" Jaune asked suspiciously.

"Because I want you to go?" Saphron countered, her tentative tone betraying her. Jaune merely cocked an eyebrow to convey just how much he didn't believe her reasoning. "Fine, I need you there for moral support," she admitted after a pause.

"You're going?" he asked, surprise creeping into his voice.

"No," she said flatly, bringing an arm up and tightening her hug down over Terra's shoulder. "We're going."

"Oh," Jaune replied, blinking twice in disbelief.

"Yeah. You're the only one of us who gets me, and the only one who knows about Terra already."

"Saph," Jaune said, trying to reassure the one sister he never would have guessed would need it.

"I'll throw in a bag of those jelly beans you like…" she added sweetly.

"That hasn't worked since I was twelve, Saph," he replied drily.

"If you show up, I'll love you forever and ever and ever, with chocolate, cherries and whipped cream on top!" she escalated, reaching deeper into her sisterly bag of tricks.

"Is this how she tricked you into marrying her, Terra?" Jaune asked.

"Nah. I held out for sprinkles," she replied with a soft smile.

"Bitch, I'm adorable and you know it," Saph fired back playfully.

"Yeah, you're the cute one, and I'm the smart one," Terra countered.

"Is that a dumb blond joke? You're outnumbered here, you know."

"Yeah, but he can't do anything about it. Besides, he knows I'm not talking about him, right, Jaune?" Terra asked with a raised eyebrow and a smirk.

"Hey now, I'm not taking sides here. You're both pretty. And smart," Jaune responded, reprising his role as sibling mediator to settle the argument and maintain his neutrality.

"True," Saphron conceded, nuzzling into her wife's hair once again. "I did marry you, after all."

"Mmmmm, and don't you forget it," Terra replied, turning to give the Saphron a long peck on the lips.

Jaune sighed softly, knowing full well that he had to rip the bandage off just as much as Saphron did. "All right. I'll be there. So long as you promise to be there for me too?"

"Done!" Saphron immediately piped up, her mood lightening considerably. "Just think, hon! This time next week, we'll be out in the wilderness, under more stars than you've ever seen! Perfect for long smooches in a hammock together," she added, practically purring now as she nuzzled her nose against her wife's.

"All right, you two. Don't make me get the spray bottle," Jaune joked.

"Yeah, but as my delightfully cute and wickedly smart woman said, you can't hit us from where you are. Such a dumb blonde," Saphron chuckled, thinking herself immune to any counterattack.

"Hey, Terra?"

"Yeah, Jaune?"

"Right side, third rib from the bottom. Thank me later," he said with a soft smile.

Saphron's eyes went wide, her body frozen in shock at her brother's betrayal. Terra quizzically regarded Jaune's smug smile for a moment, before realizing exactly what had just transpired. Jaune's view of things spun wildly as Terra pounced, jabbing a finger into the location mentioned and prompting a shriek of laughter from Saphron in response. Once the scroll landed, Jaune was left looking at the ceiling of the Cotta-Arc living room with only the voices of the couple to provide an account of what was happening.

"But I'm not ticklish, Terra!" Came her mocking tone, nearly overwhelmed by the giggling laughter of her wife.

"Terra, I swear GAHHHHHHH!" she tried to reply, cut off as Terra renewed the assault. "You're gonna aaack! Pay for this, Jaune!"

"Best. Brother-in-law. Ever," Terra growled triumphantly.

"See you next week, Saph!" Jaune practically sang before he terminated the call with a contented smile.

That settled, Jaune placed his scroll into the interface slot, logging in to all his accounts before opening his email. Scrolling through his feed, he found what he needed, and he began laboriously hunting and pecking at his keyboard, with all the speed and accuracy of an actual sloth.

Nora would be proud.

"But Daaaaaaad!" Violette Arc whined, her wide azure eyes latched onto the navy blue qipao gracing the mannequin in a storefront window. Embroidered golden peacock feathers ensured the garment was certainly more exotic than the loose floral print blouse and capris she was currently wearing.

"No buts, Vi. You and your sisters can go shopping after we're settled at the inn," Renard Arc firmly reminded his third daughter.

"Fine," she grumbled back.

"Hard pass," Marguerite chimed in, flicking at her scroll. "They still haven't fixed the crap reception out here, I see," she groused, closing the device and slipping it back into the pocket of her jeans.

"This is Shion, not downtown Vale, dear," Rose Arc reminded her. "We're out here to spend time together as a family, after all," The matriarch reminded her horde, folding her arms under an ample bust.

"But not everyone's heeeeeeerrrrrrre!" wailed Ivy, the youngest.

"Everyone is here who wanted to be here, Ivy," her father gently rebuked her.

"Renard," Rose tutted, trying to rein in her husband's ill temper.

"Still the truth, Rose," he huffed back. "But regardless, we're going to get out and enjoy ourselves, after we get checked in," he reminded everyone, lifting the arms of a not-insubstantial trolley borrowed from the airship station, weighed down with luggage and camping gear enough for ten.

Periwinkle Arc simply took a deep breath of pristinely clean air, a faint smile on her lips as the scent of jasmine wafted from the small planter boxes in front of the shop. "I love it here, daddy," she said wistfully before adjusting her glasses.

"I know, Peri," he replied with a smile, ruffling her unkempt blonde mop. "Come on, everyone. The faster we get to the inn, the faster everyone can abandon me."

"Daddy!" Pearl piped up, wrapping her diminutive arms around his waist. "I'm not leaving you! I promise!" she squeaked, rocking back and forth in a pale sundress until she bonked her head against the haft of her father's weapon. "Ow," she said softly, rubbing her head where she had struck the combination bearded axe/shotgun.

"Yeah, Dad. You promised you would take me weapon shopping, too!" Olivia added, brown cargo pants topped with a simple white button down shirt and leather jerkin betraying her future career choice much like a neon sign.

"I said we would look, Liv. A Huntsman's weapon is something that has to perfectly fit their combat style. Their personality. If they don't have what suits you, there are plenty of other options available," Renard added sternly. He wasn't entirely happy with his daughter following in his footsteps, but what father would be?

Olivia simply grumbled irritably about his answer, kicking a small rock down the street before following the rest of the family onward.

Shion was bustling, as much as a village its size could be at least, the summer heat not yet risen to unbearable levels. Many of the locals regarded the new arrivals with curiosity, a few of the older shopkeepers waving to the Arcs, remembering their previous visits over the years. Without much further distraction, aside from Rose having to corral the younger girls from time to time, the clan made their way to the lone inn at the center of town, black lacquered doors highlighted in a deep red swinging open with the slightest creak of the hinges.

The room was typical for central Anima, bare wooden floors spotless and bright of finish, a few potted plants providing a splash of color. A wide staircase leading upstairs sat adjacent to the front desk, a middle aged woman calmly standing watch there with her long ebony hair done up in a plait that hung over her left shoulder. The girls were content to settle onto the assortment of low couches scattered about the lobby, save Marguerite, who accompanied her parents to the front desk.

"Do you have a signal booster on site?" she asked, holding up her scroll.

"No, miss, I'm sorry. We haven't found one strong enough that doesn't cost more than the entire property," the innkeeper explained apologetically.

"Eff. Emm. Ell," Margie groaned before joining her sisters.

"I apologize for my daughter, ma'am," Renard said quietly.

"Kids," the woman said with a smirk.

"Indeed. Anyway, we'll be needing accommodations for two adults and six children. One single bed and three rooms with double beds should be sufficient," Renard began, already digging into his trousers for his wallet.

"I'm sorry, sir, but the inn is completely booked for the week," the woman replied, trying to be compassionate.

"All of it?" he retorted, disbelief mixing with the frustration of three days of intercontinental travel with seven young and not-so-young women.

"Yes, sir."

Renard Arc gripped the edge of the desk hard enough to generate an audible creaking of the wood, his eyes closed as he took several deep breaths.

"Ren?" his wife asked, gently clasping his shoulder. "It'll be okay. We'll just have to start camping earlier than we planned."

"I just wanted one night in a real bed, sweetheart. I've been camping in the wilds for the last two months, and barely made it home in time for our flight," Renard lamented.

"I know, dear. And I'm so very glad to have you back, my big, strong, handsome husband," she added, voice dipping into positively sultry tones as she ran her hand through Renard's lion's mane of golden hair.

"It's almost not fair you knowing how to do that," He grumbled softly.

"Ugh, Mom, can you two...not?" Violette snarked from behind them.

"One of these days, you're going to understand, Vi. When you're old enough to date," Rose fired back, still loving on her husband.

"Yeah, when you're thirty," Renard thoughtfully amended.

Violette audibly rolled her eyes at that comment before everyone was brought short by a gasp from the staircase.

"You're early."

"Jaune!" Ivy screamed, dashing up the stairs to fling herself into a bear hug of her brother, her face buried in Pumpkin Pete's smirking visage.

"Oof! What the heck are you feeding her, Mom?" he asked, lifting his apparently heavier sister up into his arms. "How you doing, sprout?"

"Mmmm, good. I missed you."

"We missed you," their mother reinforced.

"Yeah," he replied oh so eloquently, his hand finding the back of his head.

"Son, I…" his father began, before even he was brought short by the sight of Saphron and Terra rounding the corner of the staircase.

"Dad," Saphron said neutrally, the tension in the room ramping up even further.

"Saph," Renard acknowledged with a similar unease.

Rose took a tentative step forward, sapphire blue eyes brimming with tears. "It's good to see you both," she said at last, voice quavering ever so slightly.

"Mom, I…" Saphron began, taking a couple steps down as well.

"Rose, Saph, give the young lady some room to get by. I'm sorry, my dear, bit of a family reunion," Ren said warmly, addressing Terra.

"Ummm, yeah. Introductions," Saphron began with an uneasy smile. "Terra, this is my mom, Rose, my dad, Renard. That's Marguerite, Violette, Olivia in the vest, Pearl, Peri with the glasses, and the little one is Ivy," she said, indicating each in turn.

"Hi," Ivy said from her nest in Jaune's hoodie.

"Everyone," Saphron continued, taking Terra's hand in hers and bringing her forward, "This is Terra Cotta. My wife," she finally pronounced, draping her left arm across the smaller woman's shoulder to show off her wedding band.

"Well, someone's been busy," Margie observed, puncturing the awkward silence.

"You have a room, I take it?" Renard asked his son.

"We all do, actually. Here," Jaune replied, having to make a concerted effort to dig into the pocket of his hoodie, as Ivy was doing her best Taijitu impression directly over it. After several seconds, the blond huntsman-in-training managed to extricate a handful of key fobs, offering them to his mother. "Paid through the end of the week," Jaune added, drawing a raised eyebrow from his father, burly arms folded across his broad chest. Rose flicked her gaze at her husband briefly, reading his face like an open book.

"Marguerite? Can you get the rest of your sisters settled, and move all the luggage upstairs please?" the true head of the Arc household spoke in measured tones.

"Sure, Mom. You heard the lady, get the lead out," she barked, knowing full well not to buck her mother right now. "You too, Ivy!" she added, seeing the girl in question still plastered to her brother's torso.

"Awww, we just got here!" Ivy protested as everyone else followed their orders.

"And you can catch up in a little bit, sprout. Your father and I need to speak to your brother and sister," Rose chided softly. "This time of day, I assume the dining room is free?" she asked the innkeeper.

"Yes, ma'am. Tea?"

"That won't be necessary, thank you," Mama Arc replied evenly. "Jaune, Saphron," She directed to her wayward children, the both of them cringing at that tone of voice. The two of them hesitantly finished their descent, before walking across the lobby to the dining room. Rose closed the distance to her husband, placing her hands on both of his shoulders, her deep blue eyes gazing intently into his. "Ren? Calm. Civil," she said softly in admonishment.

Taking a deep breath before letting it go in a long sigh, Renard Arc nodded once before turning about and heading to the dining room as well, Rose following immediately after. Once they were there, she turned around to close the shoji behind them, only to utter a gasp of surprise when she nearly bumped into Terra, her face a mix of apprehension and determination even as she slid the panel into place behind them.

"Miss…Terra, is it? Not to be rude, but this is a family matter, and…" Renard began in his best diplomatic tone.

"What!?" was Saphron's stunned response.

"Excuse me?" Terra fired back immediately after, her eyes wide in righteous fury.

"So much for civil." bemoaned Rose Arc, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"Just because I'm not what you wanted for your daughter doesn't make me any less family!" Terra Cotta-Arc lashed out with all the rage of a woman dragged halfway across Anima whilst five months pregnant.

"Now wait just a damn minute!" Renard countered, trying to regain ground.

"I don't care how old-fashioned you are, you're not avoiding this. We love each other enough to start a family together, so you can either accept it, or stay the hell out of our lives!" Terra barked even more harshly.

"Old-fashioned?" Ren countered, clearly on his back foot now.

"Yes, Dad. Remember you losing your damn mind when you caught me and Selene in bed together? Right before I left home?" Saphron demanded angrily of her father.

"It was a lot to process, Saph," he replied.

"Oh, and you weren't pissed off because I was with a woman instead of a man?"

"I would've been more pissed if it had been a boy, Saphron!" Renard retorted forcefully. "At least a girl couldn't get you pregnant!" he added. The three women in the room stopped to fix him with the same peeved look. "What?" he asked, perplexed in the extreme. His wife merely directed his gaze to her left with two emphatic hands framing Terra's belly.

"A woman's pregnancy or lack thereof is neither an assumption I make, nor a question I ask. There be Grimm down that path," Renard added sagely.

"Then why, Daddy?" Saphron pleaded, fighting back tears.

"Because you weren't supposed to grow up that fast!" her father shouted back desperately, the response silencing the room. "You're my precious little sparrow, not some woman, ready to do…" he pronounced, trailing off.

"Sex?" Saphron filled in, brutally honest not out of malice, but love.

"…That," he conceded, unwilling to even speak the word. "I... You're my firstborn, Saph. I… wasn't ready," he admitted, eyes finding the floor. "I panicked. I thought I'd lost my little girl forever," Renard added, voice barely above a whisper. "And then I did."

"Daddy…" Saphron said softly, slowly edging towards her father. "I love you so much. I'll always be your daughter," she continued, embracing him in a slow, but fierce hug. "But this little bird had to fly someday, right?" She asked him, powerful arms wrapping around her at last as he nodded slowly.

"You didn't even let us know," he finally said morosely.

"I didn't think you'd approve, Daddy. Or worse, show up and make a scene."

"We missed out on the happiest day of your life. I would have loved to have seen you. Walked you down the aisle," he rambled on wistfully.

"Ehh, it was more of a courthouse thing. We were saving money for a house," Terra chimed in.

"She'd have been beautiful in a potato sack," Renard countered with conviction.

"Yes. She would have indeed," Terra concurred, smiling softly.

"Besides, Dad, Terra's a really sweet lady," Jaune piped up helpfully.

"You knew about this?" Rose asked, voice icy cold.

"Heh. Heheh. Oh, shit," he said softly, offering a nervous grin to both of his parents, fingers furiously scratching at the back of his head.

"We asked him not to say anything, ma'am," Terra interjected in his defense.

"He always did listen to her better than his own parents," Rose observed, eyebrow cocked in annoyance.

"Moooooom…" Jaune responded, totally not whining like he'd gotten caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

"So," Renard began, releasing Saphron from his grasp. "I suppose you're my new daughter-in-law?" he began, looking Terra up and down appreciatively.

"Yes. Terra Cotta-Arc. Pleased to meet you, Mister Arc," she said pleasantly, offering a hand only to get pulled into a gentle bear hug. "Oof, careful."

"I'll have you know I've got plenty of experience hugging a pregnant woman. Never had any trouble being too rough," he added, warmth beginning to infuse his voice at last. "Except with that one, I think. Came out all weird," Renard amended, indicating his son with a nod of the head. "And please, call me Renard," he tacked on, releasing her at last.

"Yes, sir," Terra replied, still uncomfortable with the concept.

"And why not the other way around?"

"Pardon?" Terra asked, confused.

"I mean what's wrong with Arc-Cotta...yeah, doesn't really roll off the tongue, does it?" he mused, answering his own question.

"Same conclusion we came to." Saphron piped up, relieved that her father wasn't making an issue of the matter.

"So, umm. How...exactly?" Renard asked, flicking a glance down at Terra's abdomen.

"We're fortunate in Argus. I've got access to an Atlesian OB/GYN through work. Fertility treatments are pretty advanced these days," Terra said smoothly, as if she'd been expecting the question.

"I...see. So how did you pick…"

"Oh! No, Dad. It's not like that. They've got a technique for two women to have a child together now!" Saphron piped up excitedly. "You remember, Mom? You sent me that article last year!"

"Yes, I did. Wasn't trying to give you a suggestion, dear," Rose retorted with a slight smile.

"Let me show you something," Saphron added, digging out her scroll and flicking through her photos until a blurry black and white image was found. "Come here, Mom." She amended, crowding both parents in where they could see before tapping the screen. The black and white image came to life, clearly recognizable as video of an ultrasound, blobs fading in and out of existence with only a few resolving into something familiar.

"What am I looking at?" Renard asked skeptically.

"That," Saph said calmly, pausing the video in a spot that best displayed the object of the search. "Is Adrian. Your grandson. In every way that matters," she stated proudly.

"I don't see it," her father said softly, leaning in to get a better look at the screen.

"Oh for the love of… There's the head, there's one of his little arms, and there's…" Saphron explained with what little patience she could muster, pointing out each feature before trailing off.

"Oh!" he finally exclaimed. "That's a boy all right!" he shouted proudly.

Rose looked at her husband, her simple Renard, with a chuckle, taking in the tableau with a soft smile. After a moment, she noticed her only son, still standing slightly apart from the group. He'd never been one for doting over maternity, being only eight years older than her youngest, but Jaune had always been there for the girls, no matter what they put him through. There was a warm, mature smile on his face, attractive beyond the simple maternal instinct she had for all her children. Something had changed behind those eyes, improving the boy beyond her wildest hopes. No, not a boy.

A man.

"Jaune, sweetie, can you give me a hand? I want to make sure the girls haven't turned our quarters into a train wreck," Rose asked sweetly.

"Uhh, sure, Mom," he said hesitantly, looking over to his sister. Saph looked back over her shoulder briefly before giving him a curt nod of approval. She...they were going to be fine now. He followed obediently after his mother, closing the shoji behind them both to allow his father and the new additions to his family bond. "Looks like they've gotten everything off the trolley. Was there anything else outside?"

"That's not why I pulled you out here," Rose said sharply.

"Ma'am?" he asked, already feeling like a guilty eight-year-old boy again.

"I'm only going to ask you this once, son. Is. She. Lying?"

"About?" Jaune asked, trying to buy time to figure out how much trouble he was in.

"Is Adrian our grandson?" she hissed quietly, not chancing anyone eavesdropping.

Jaune paused briefly, trying to figure out the best way to phrase his answer.

"I swear on my word as an Arc, that child is your grandson," he solemnly declared.

His mother regarded him for several moments, her gaze intently boring into his and getting nary a flinch in response. She smiled at last, that clever grin that heralded something wonderful, or something terrible, for whomever it was directed toward.

"You are a wonderful brother, Jaune, and I am proud to call you my son. I can't think of a handful of men on Remnant who would have done what you have," she said in admiration.

"Umm, thanks? I'm not sure what you're talking about, really," he replied hesitantly.

"You do remember I was your father's attending physician before I was his wife, right?"

"Yeah?"

"So three things. That article I sent your sister. That technology is still in the very earliest phases of testing. Even if it weren't, something like that would cost tens of thousands of lien. And at the end of the day, they still can't synthesize a Y chromosome," Rose listed ticking off each point on her fingers.

"Meaning?" Jaune asked, still trying to play catch up with his mother's mind.

"Meaning...Neither one of those girls could possibly be Adrian's 'father'," she concluded, complete with air quotes.

"Oh," Jaune summed up. "Don't tell Dad?"

"Like this family needs the drama," she said reassuringly, pausing for several moments to allow her son to relax. "So, did you and Terra…?" she asked, trailing off suggestively as Jaune's cheeks exploded with color.

"NO!" he whisper screamed before calming down just a hair. "Are you joking? I have a hard enough time looking her in the eye as it is right now. If I'd actually...I couldn't even be in the same room as them without having a heart attack. I literally passed out when they asked me," he confided, finally having someone he could actually share the story with.

"Oh, it couldn't have been that bad, dear."

"Really? And I quote: 'Hey baby bro, this is my wife, Terra Cotta. We've been thinking about it, and, well, we'd like you to put a baby in her!' close quote," Jaune said, returning to a whisper. "And when I woke up, she already had my hair braided. Again. Just to show Terra," he groused quietly.

Rose Arc attempted, unsuccessfully, to stifle a giggle at the image, remembering all too well the pranks he had patiently endured as a child.

"Got her back though."

"Oh?"

"I told Terra where she was ticklish."

"You, Jaune, are a very..." she began, poking him firmly in the chest and then stopping herself. Several more experimental prods landed on his chest, a couple more on his upper arms, and even one in the center of his abdomen. "Dust, you've put on some muscle," she said, almost awestruck.

"I guess. Good food, excellent training," he summarized succinctly.

"You really are there at Beacon, aren't you?" she asked softly. "It's not just putting on airs to impress us, right?"

"Well, not right this second, but yeah. Why would you think that?"

"It's just… Your father said you couldn't have been still enrolled. That you never would have made it through initiation," she said, ashamed to have believed it.

"That...is a story for another time. Maybe when everyone is there?" he said, offering her a gentle smile.

"Sounds like a plan," Rose Arc replied, heart overflowing with pride.