Ruby awoke to pure silence, other than the sound of the fan running in the corner and what sounded like faint but audible voices from the window. Sitting up, she looked through the glass pane by her bed, the sunlight temporarily blinding her.

She saw team ORNJ, Blake, Qrow, and Yang all walking together in the distance, just in view of her window. Jaune was leading them, walking up in the very front, and Oscar was right behind him, talking to him. They all had their combat clothes back on, and their weapons could be seen on them.

They had left, without her. Why hadn't they tried to get her and have her get ready to go? How and why would they just leave her behind without at least waking her up or something? Confused and still tired, she yawned and quickly slid out of bed, hurrying to find her clothes and weapon.

But then a thought slid into her head, making her stop and think for a moment.

Do you really need to go? Do they really need you for this? After all, you only made the plan and helped carry it out a little. They have Uncle Qrow and Ozpin in case things get messy; I won't be much of a help. And besides, I'm so tired...

She mumbled something aloud from her jumbled thoughts, and then looked at herself in the mirror. She was half disgusted, half about to laugh, and half happy at the reflection she saw in the shiny glass.

Her black and red hair was a fuzzed mess, spiky locks sticking out here and there with a large portion of it all swept to the wrong side. Some of it was in her face, while some of it was sticking upwards. It looked a little nice in some ways, but overall, it looked funny to her.

Her tight black "pajamas" outlined every curve and bump on her body, but the most striking thing it did was highlight how pregnant she looked. Even though she was just about to reach her fourth month, her smooth, round belly stuck out to a noticeable visibility. Sure, it was the same size when she had looked at it uncovered, but there was something about wearing clothes over it and still seeing it...

Another light flutter of movement and Ruby was sitting on the floor, laughing. It had tickled, but not nearly enough to make her laugh. She was just laughing because she looked like a pregnant woman in the mirror, her friends had left without her for an important mission, and she was alone at Maria's house.

Or was she? Wasn't Maria still home? She surely hadn't gone with them on that mission; she hadn't seen her with the others, and the chances of her being anywhere else were slim. Or were they? That old woman could be shopping, for all she knew. The only way to find out would be to find out.

Slipping her large, loose red shirt on again, frowning at its ugliness, she exited her room, tiptoed down the stairs, and then carefully sneaked into the living room, relieved every time she only heard silence.

To her mild disappointment, she saw Maria, snoring loudly while rocking lightly in her rocking chair by the crackling, warm fireplace. Her hands rested on the sides of the chair, and she was very clearly in a deep sleep. Other than her, though, Ruby must be alone. There was no one else to occupy this house.

Sighing silently, she snook carefully back to the stairs, paused, and then decided instead to go into the kitchen. It was clean and empty, with no remaining traces of lunch. That didn't help because her stomach rumbled loudly as she set eyes on a colorful bowl of fruit that sat decoratively on the table.

Walking over to it, she reached over and grabbed a banana, smiling as she unpeeled it and saw the familiar pale yellowish color of the fruit inside. She held the banana up to her face to take a bite, sinking her teeth into the banana and savoring its sweet, mellow flavor.

But after she chewed it for a moment, the texture and thought of its mashed contents in her mouth nauseated her stomach. It was always like that when she at bananas, but her nearly absent morning sickness amplified it.

Hurrying as quietly as she could to the sink, she half spit, half gagged the chewed up banana from her mouth, trying not to breath in the scent of what she had just spit out. She didn't even open her eyes until she had took a step away from the sink, not wishing to see the unpleasant sight, either.

Taking a few controlled, quiet breaths, she glanced towards the half visible Maria, still sleeping and snoring soundly in her chair. Ruby breath a sigh of relied and then carefully opened the fridge.

I wonder if she has any watermelon...

The unsightly appearance and odor of a smoked, uncooked fish in an opened package greeted her, making her stomach flip and causing her to slam the refrigerator shut, rush towards the back door, and then burst out, the door slamming behind her.

She fell to her hands and knees, the coldness of the snow slowly ebbing away at whatever skin touched it. Despite the air being cold and numbing, Ruby took in deep gasps of it, relief flooding her as the frigid air seemed to cool her irritated stomach. Her breath puffed out in front of her in a large white cloud as she panted.

When the feeling and memory of the smoked fish and the banana had subsided, Ruby sighed and then stood up, hoping that Maria had not woken up from the sudden noise and had seen her doing that.

Maria could have found out...that, or could have decided that Ruby was actually ill and force some revolting tonic down her throat or something. Nice old people did those kinds of things, right? Not that they were wrong in that, it was just annoying for the kids...Dad was a lot like that.

The thought of Tai made a warm tear run down her cheek. Even though she hadn't missed him much when she had left his last, only a quick note to bid him goodbye, she missed him dearly now, longing to see his face and hug him. He was such a great dad, even if she didn't care to admit it.

Yang probably felt that way too, even though she herself hadn't exactly expressed any extreme gratitude to him. And she knew that Tai knew that they loved and appreciated him. Any father could tell that, whether his children said so or not.

Sighing again, she realized that she had shed more tears. So she sniffed, wiped them away, and then looked towards the crashing and roaring river in view of the backyard. Maria's backyard was long and stretched back to a bunch of rocks that separated her yard from another's. Next to that line of rocks was the river, the sounds relaxing and audible.

Ruby, ignoring the chilly weather that was beginning to annoy her, walked towards it, climbing awkwardly over the rocks, avoiding the neighbor's yard, and then was soon standing right beside the river.

The river roared and crashed its waves on other ones, creating a loop of crashing waves that were all carried by the furious, rushing current. Every splashing wave frothed at the ends and corners, creating a foam that either moved and settled on the sides, or was destroyed by the rest of the river.

The roar of the river drowned out all other noise, and it was so loud that when Ruby said something out loud, she could barely hear herself. There was something relaxing about standing there in the heavy sound of the rushing water. Like she was safe and secure here, and no one could hear her or tell her no about being here.

It was as if the loud noises being produced by the water served as some kind of veil, covering her from the views and worries of the others, letting Ruby stand there in peace. The weather was cold, though, and she knew that she shouldn't be so cold. So she told herself sternly that she would leave in a minute or two.

Watching the white, rushing water crash together and hearing its sounds was so comforting, and every time a particularly large rush of water collided with one only a little smaller, it would send a spray of water droplets to one side of the bank, depending on the size and location of it.

Even though the little droplets stung and felt like ice on her skin and thin clothes, she liked it. It was a fun little feeling, sending goosebumps up her skin and making her shiver. Her bare feet were beginning to numb some now, as were her hands that had been previously touching the snow.

Smiling at the river, she turned around and took a few steps forward, ready to head back to the house and maybe take another nap. No, maybe she'd call Weiss and tell her that the others were on their way to get the Relic...without her.

A bright twinkling caught the corner of her eyes, coming from the corner of the bank she had been standing on. Turning around again, she saw that another crash of water had caused a loose rock to stir, revealing a small crevasse. The shine came from there.

Curious, she approached it, kneeling down on a larger, more sturdy rock that was planted firmly next to the looser one. Lowering her head to see closer into the crevasse, she could feel droplets of water splash onto her face. The bright twinkle appeared to be sunlight glinting off of a shiny metal surface, something like the blade of a sword or something.

Slowly reaching her hand out, she poked her finger into the little crack thing, the tip of her nail barely scratching its surface. It was defiantly metal, and the barely visible dark blue marking-like thing etched on its side told her that it was likely a huntsman weapon. What other kind of sword had a symbol or marking on it, colored?

Grunting in frustration, she drew her fist back and brought it roughly forward, smashing it into the rock. An unwelcome pain in her knuckles was the end result, without a dent or a crack by the crevasse.

Shaking her head, she told herself that it was dumb to sit so unbalanced on a rock that was sticking right over a roaring river, trying to grab some sort of weapon out of a tiny crevasse that even her pinkie could't fit in. So she stood up and turned around, ready to go back.

"Ruby Rose!"

Ruby screamed in fear as Maria's stern voice shouted out from the back porch. Jumping with startlement, her wet, bare feet slipped on the semi-wet rock she was standing on, she fell forward, her feet slipping behind her. Then the next thing she knew, her legs were all in the freezing cold water and she was hanging onto the bank with her hands.

The river pulled violently at her, and her hands were also wet from when the snow had melted on them. They began to slip only moments after she had fallen, and she knew she'd be in the river at any second.

Her heart pounded in her chest, so loudly she could hear it above the crazy noise of the water, and fear, panic, and horror raced through her as her fingers slid from the rock she was clinging on.

All she could think to do before she knew she'd be pulled away was scream. She locked eyes, terrified, with Maria, took a deep breath and then screamed out as loud as she could,

"HELP!"

The moment the word was out of her mouth, the current yanked her in, her chin smashed into the end of the rock she was holding, and then she was completely immersed in the icy, numbing water. The sounds of water rushing by, underwater, filled her ears, and she began to immediately numb.

The current sent her everywhere as she got caught by various waves, tossing her around underneath the water's surface and banging her on some of the rocks jutting out from the ground and the sides. It hurt, but the pain was a cold, mellow sting, fading as she numbed more and more.

Thoughts raced through her head, vague, pointless thoughts that blew around chaotically in her mind as panic seized her completely. Images of Jaune, of Oscar, of the dead baby girl in her dream all flashed through along with the thoughts racing through her head, and before long, she didn't know where she was or what was happening.

Everything was an insane flurry of cold, numb, pain, and sleepiness. Bubbles, rushing water, the few times her head broke through the surface of the water, the shouting of someone or something, maybe even herself...

Her eyes flashing open, she told herself, through the haze, that she needed to swim. Somehow push against the current and go up. So she began tirelessly swimming upwards, adrenaline coursing through her veins. Exhaustion quickly began to overtake her, but she pushed on, anyway.

"That was when I realized that northern screech owls got their name for a reason," Oscar said, finishing his short little story, "That thing almost made my ears bleed the moment I woke up!"

The group, minus Jaune, laughed, and even Qrow smirked.

"Nah, I've had worse," Qrow said, sliding his hands into his pockets, "And I can tell you kids that a sword in your ear isn't much more pleasant. And it didn't almost make my ear bleed; it did make it bleed, and it was pretty bad."

"Oof, Qrow," Yang said, wincing with her teeth gritted, "That's almost as gruesome as the time Dad got impaled on a bush."

The group stared at Yang, some doubtful, some surprised, and some horrified.

"Wait, what?" Nora exploded, zipping next to Yang and leaving Ren behind, alone. Yang nodded seriously, a grin on her face. She pulled her hair all onto her shoulder and pet it while she spoke.

"Yeah, Qrow told me that back in Beacon, his team went on their yearly mission, and while they were fighting a giant Grimm, it hit my dad and threw him backwards, impaling him perfectly on a bush. And boy, was team STRQ popular when they got back. Dad was bleeding so badly, I heard they had to empty an entire trash bin of bloody bandages!"

"Ew, Yang!" Jaune said, despite his glumness. He had a soft stomach, and hearing revolting details like trash bins full of bloody bandages made his mind think of them, and then got his stomach churning.

Yang laughed. "Sorry, Vomit Boy."

Jaune rolled his eyes and the group all laughed together. The mood was fairly happy at the moment, and they had left the house about 7 minuets ago. They all had Ruby in their minds, hoping that she was alright. Leaving her behind hadn't felt very right, but they had done it anyway. Besides, there was no need in bring a sick person with them on this.

"Hey Jaune," Blake began, a question that had been lingering in her mind finally being vocalized, "When we get there, are we going to-"

Her question was interrupted by multiple frantic calls coming from behind them. They stopped and turned around, confused, only to find Maria running fitfully after them, waving her arms and shouting at them to come and help.

"What's the matter?" Qrow called back, jogging over to the old woman, "What's wrong?"

Maria smacked Qrow on the head with her cane while she panted for breath, panicked as all get out.

"Ruby's in the river!" she gasped, "I can't grab her, what with my age and back, and you all need to save her before it's too late! She's in the river and she's being carried off! You need to get there right away!"

Qrow's eyes widened and fear immediately filled him. Without a single trace of hesitance, he leaped into the air and transformed into a crow, flapping away as fast as he could in a flurry of black feathers.

"Ruby!" Oscar and Yang shouted in unison, racing off and following Qrow, who was almost out of sight already.

Jaune just stood there, surprised, with Nora, Ren, and Blake alongside him. They all looked at each other, wide-eyed, confused and shocked. Why in Remnant had Ruby even been so close to the river in the first place, especially if she was so sick?!

"C'mon!" Nora suddenly yelled, breaking into action, "What are we waiting for?! Let's save Ruby!"

The four of them rushed off, the others somehow barely visible anymore, towards the house.

Meanwhile, Yang had been shooting herself forward with her gauntlets, jumping up high, shooting, and then running along the thick tree branches from the many trees that grew along the river. Oscar had engaged a speed semblance from one of his past reincarnates, and was now slightly ahead of Yang, who was more above than below.

As Oscar sped down the river bank, one thought went through his head.

Save Ruby, save Ruby, save...

He skidded to a halt, nearly throwing himself off his feet when he saw her head bob above the surface of the water. Her hair looked entirely black, soaked through with water and plastered to her face, head, and the back of her neck. Her large, silver eyes were wide with fear, and her big red shirt wavered all around her.

Waisting no time, he leaped into the river, surprised at how frigid the water really was as it seeped into his coat and filled him with cold. It was only a little while after he began swimming franticly after her that he began to numb, and fear gripped him.

Summoning another semblance, he used his strength to push himself down to the river bottom and then began using the semblance to run swiftly along it, a trail of green following. He needed to get below her so he could shoot himself up, grab her, and then escape the raging water.

Letting go of his current semblance, he grabbed another, a blistering heat erupting from his hands, now glowing green, and warmed his whole body to a very high temperature, driving out all numbness.

He looked up, his eyes flashing green as another semblance was put to use for vision, and he caught of glimpse of her black form, the red shirt catching on a sharp rock close by her. She was stuck, below the surface, from her huge shirt.

Oscar, who had begun being tossed around again from the river, summoned another semblance, boosting himself upwards with huge momentum. He caught her in his arms and yanked her up with him, ripping the shirt and causing a gaping hole in it.

When both their heads popped up above the surface, the strong current had them under again, just as they had gasped a short breath of air. Ruby's largely ripped shirt floated off of her, and now the redness of it was no longer blocking her vision. It also made it a bit harder for Oscar to see her.

But he held her tightly, and she clung franticly to him, afraid to let go and not wanting to. She felt safe in his grip, in spite of all of the insanity happening at the moment. She was numb, aching, and only semiconscious, but still, she clung to him. She could feel the warmth of his body, and it was so nice...

Oscar felt Ruby's grip on him loosen and knew that she had lost consciousness. He clung to her even tighter as he fought for a way to get out of the river and onto the bank. He heard some shooting sounds, and when he finally got to get another breath, he briefly saw Yang in the trees above, looking down at them and in a hurry to get them out.

"Help us..!" Oscar shouted as his head went in and out of air, "Get out...of the...water! I-I'm stuck...Current's pulling us...under!"

He was sucked underwater again, just when he had been gulping in more air. So instead of getting a nice hasty gulp of air, he got a nice hasty gulp of water. Coughing hard, he watched a cloud of bubbles leave his mouth, and he knew he had just messed up terribly.

He was almost numb now again, and he had no idea if he was even holding Ruby anymore. Looking down again, he saw that his arm seemed to be woodenly holding her, stiff in place and holding her there.

Works for me!

Hardly able to move and loosing hope quickly, a final burst of adrenaline and the force of one more semblance sent him flying through the surface of the water. He free-fell for a moment and then crashed hard on the ground in a wet puddle.

Forcing himself to sit up, he burst into a terrible fit of coughing, and then he saw Ruby laying on the ground right next to him, eyes shut. He snatched her into his arms and immediately did mouth-to-mouth, closing his eyes and trying so hard to help her breath.

After a few short moments, she began to cough, but her eyes remained closed, and she was still in his arms, other than her chest moving up and down faster that he liked. But she was breathing.

The cold, chilly wind blowing hit him, and he began to instantly shiver. He couldn't stop himself from shaking so hard, and he just sat there with Ruby held tightly in his arms. He saw her bump, so round and perfect, and instinctively placed his hand on it, surprised to feel several lively movements.

For whatever reason, her stomach in particular was actually warm, and as their baby moved around, Oscar felt himself feel overcome with love, love for the baby and love for Ruby. Smiling widely, she began kissing Ruby's head over and over, hot tears spilling down his cheeks and dripping onto her hair.

Then he heard Yang land on the ground in front of him, panting. Her eyes were closed and sweat was dripping down her face as she wiped at it with her arm. She stood there for a little while, eyes closed as she caught her breath, and loaded Ember Celica with a punch of her fists.

Before she looked at her younger sister and Oscar, she turned around, hearing the others' hurried footsteps. Qrow was with them now, as if he hadn't left early at all. He had seen Yang trying to follow them and had seen that Oscar was just about there.

Turning back into a person midair, he had helped heave Oscar and Ruby up when they had launched through the surface of the river. Then he had turned back into a bird and flown over to the almost-there group.

The whole scene had only lasted a few short minutest, and by the time the others reached them, they were relieved to see their teammate and friends safe and sound on the bank, out of the water and alive. Jaune stood in front of them, blocking some of their view of the scene close up.

Jaune was also relieved to see that Ruby was now out of the water and breathing. He was even a little happy that Oscar had made it out too, and was grateful from his saving Ruby, despite how angry he was at him at present.

"Ruby!" he said, rushing over to them, "Ruby, are you okay? Oscar, is she okay? Is she hurt or anything like-"

He stopped abruptly, standing about three feet away from them. He didn't say a word, but just stood there in front of them. Oscar, confused, looked up from Ruby and looked at Jaune, wondering why he had suddenly went silent.

Jaune's face expression confused Oscar at first, but then, a painful, doom filled realization smashed into him, and he blanched, his shivering ceasing and his heart stopping. Then he heart began to drum in his chest, and his face grew unbearably hot.

Jaune stared, wide eyes with shock, at Ruby's visibly larger, rounder, and unmistakably pregnant stomach, with Oscar's hand laying lovingly on it.

Ladies and gentlemen boys and girls! The chapter you have all been waiting for has just released for you! Well, maybe the next chapter is really the one you want...I dunno. Ha. If anyone wished I had written a Weiss scene in this chapter, which I didn't, then please let me know either in a PM or a review. I would like to know if anyone here actually really wants those.

I've had this chapter ready for about 2 or 3 days now, but between school, work in general, and a couple other things I'm involved in with life, I haven't been able to post it. So thanks for you patience guys!

As a reply to FireWyrm2: The statement above is the reason I laughed when I read your most recent review. I agree, I've been putting the whole thing off for quite a while. Thank ya for your feedback, my friend! (they're a guest, so I can't PM them)

Thanks for reading and tune in for more chapters!