AUTHOR'S NOTES: Whew! This turned out to be a longer chapter than I thought it would be, and I still didn't get into quite everything.

Note that this is another chapter where RWBY Wings earns its Mature rating. We have some intimate moments (nothing too explicit, but it's still there) and a very brutal murder. Viewer discretion and all that.

I am going on vacation for a few weeks, so I may not get this updated as often as I like until July. I'm still planning on it, but wanted to let everyone know in case I miss a week or two. Definitely not quitting on this story, especially as we move into the home stretch. The war is far from over.

Wroclaw Air Base, Poland

5 September 2001

The flight to Wroclaw was made by Kingpin Four in silence. No GRIMM followed them out of Warsaw, not escorted by ten fighters. Everyone was exhausted, mentally and physically, and there was the knowledge that escaping Salem in Warsaw was at best a minor victory, one purchased in blood.

It was a long flight. The helicopter had to fly northwest to a safe place to refuel in midair, then southwest to Wroclaw, with the ramp shut the whole way. It didn't take long before the interior of the MH-53 smelled of sweat, blood, cordite, aviation fuel and oil. When they landed at Wroclaw finally, almost two hours later, they had to wait another half an hour as men dressed in chemical suits and gas masks washed the helicopter down with water and foam—they had flown through the fallout cloud on the way, though Wroclaw was out of the dangerous fallout zone. The ten fighters of Ruby, Ace and Reaper Flights had to do the same.

Otome Higurashi was alive. Men and women of Team Metal had taken turns giving blood to ensure that she remained so. Yang stepped off the ramp of the MH-53 as they rushed her to the base hospital. A few others of Team Metal would follow, though she was the worst off by far. None of the Delta team had died. The only death was Vine Zeki. Yang could see the three F-35s of Ace Flight parked in the distance, noticeably apart from Ruby and Reaper Flights. Harriet was leaning against her aircraft, with Elm and Marrow around her. Yang found herself actually feeling sorry for them, despite the bad blood that existed between the flights; only a week or so ago, Ace Flight had five members.

"Hey, Suds." Yang turned to see Soap standing there. He stuck out a hand. "You did good out there."

Yang shook his hand. "I'd say anytime, Soap, but I think I'm sticking to being a fighter pilot from now on."

He laughed. "Well, if you ever change your mind, you're always welcome with us." He slapped her shoulder. "Take it slow, Suds."

"Never do, Soap." Yang, despite it all, grinned as the big SAS man sauntered off. Behind him streamed the unwounded of Team Metal: Chaser, Shogun, Huma, Wraith, Trix. All of them either slapped her shoulder, shook hands, or gave her a nod; the latter was all Trix could do, since Benedykta was excitedly talking about America as they walked past. The Polish girl didn't even look at Yang, but she wasn't offended, and hoped that Benedykta ended up back in Chicago with her uncle making kielbasa or something. Even the nod was enough: Yang knew she was being saluted by some of the finest, most elite troops in the world, and that meant more than a medal ever would. She noticed in passing that JINN's console was strapped to Trix's leg, and one hand never left it. Yang felt an insane desire to say goodbye to the hologram; it would now finally be taken to Rissa Arashikaze and the CIA, where JINN was likely safest.

"Yang!"

Yang turned and was hit by a blur in a flight suit; had it not been for staggering back into the side of the MH-53, she would've ended up on the tarmac. Then it was all Yang could do to get a breath, as Ruby Rose squeezed her sister. "Yang! Oh my God, I was so worried about you! What were you thinking?"

Ruby pulled back, and Yang took a deep breath of oxygen, not caring if it was irradiated or not. "Ergh…yeah, missed you too." She ruffled her sister's already tousled hair, sticking up at odd angles from being under a flight helmet. "Well, you know…I knew those Delta Force types couldn't be trusted with airstrikes, so I had to go in." Yang was playing it insufferably cool. She motioned with her head to the helicopter. "And I had to make up for something." Ruby looked at her strangely. "Your boyfriend's back."

"Ruby?" Oscar stood on the ramp, looking like he was ready to collapse. A medic stood next to him, but Oscar had insisted on waiting, knowing that his friends—and Ruby in particular—would want to see him before he was taken to the hospital as well.

Ruby's silver eyes filled with tears. "Oscar?" she said in a small voice. She hadn't forgotten about him, but she hadn't thought he would still be there. "Oscar?" She moved slowly, then picked up speed as she mounted the ramp. Oscar put his hands out, afraid he was about to be glomped by Ruby, which his already battered ribs might not survive. Instead, she tenderly hugged him, then kissed him.

"You look like hammered shit, Yang," Blake said, walking up to her. "Can't believe you transferred to the Army. Can I have your F-23?"

Yang snickered. "Yeah, well, fuck you very much, Blakey." She hugged her friend, touching her forehead with hers. It seemed too affectionate, maybe, but Yang didn't care.

"Since you asked nicely, sure," Blake sighed. "But not until after I get some sleep. Between almost being murdered by Salem's kill team and almost getting my ass shot off by GRIMM, I think I need a break." She broke the hug and nodded at Pyrrha, who joined them along with Ren and Weiss. "And almost being rammed by Pyrrha here."

Pyrrha shrugged. "There seems to be a lot of that going around. Are you all right, Yang?"

"Yeah, I think I'll live."

"Blake." Ren put his hand on her shoulder. "Is Nora all right?"

The Faunus nodded. "She's all right, Ren. Feisty as ever." She didn't mention the scars.

Ren almost fell in relief, barely holding himself up. "Thank…thank you, Blake."

"What's this about a kill team?" Yang asked.

"Later." Weiss inclined her head towards her sister, who now joined them, along with Qrow. Winter Schnee graced all of them with an icy look. "Winter," Weiss said, hoping to defuse at least some of her sister's anger. All of them stiffened, remembering that Winter was still very much loyal to Ironwood.

"We don't have much time," she said without preamble. "We are standing outside in a fallout zone. While we may not be sustaining many rads, we are sustaining them, so this is what needs to be done." She glanced at Qrow, then continued. "Technically, everyone that is part of the 77th Tactical Fighter Squadron is still under arrest. However…given the mitigating circumstances…I will not enforce that. We have much, much bigger problems on our hands now.

"With that in mind—Captain Rose, since you seem to be in command of your motley crew, you will take them to Zagan. I say there because I know Captain Ren will want to see Lieutenant Valkyrie forthwith, and you will have the protection of the CIA. Major Nikos, I assume you will be following?" Pyrrha returned a short, angry nod. "Very well. Ace Flight will return with me to Poznan. JINN will remain with Delta, to be turned over to Director Arashikaze as soon as she arrives." She looked at Oscar. "Ensign Pine, you need to have your wounds looked to."

"I can travel," he insisted.

"That's fine; I know that you won't listen to me even if I order you not to." She pointed to Wroclaw's terminal building. "All of us need to get inside and change clothes, and shower. Team Metal is going to be staying at the barracks, so the terminal's showers are reserved for us. That should take care of any radiation. Then we will go our separate ways." Winter sighed. "I know I should arrest all of you, but given that I've disobeyed orders already to get this hooligan out of prison—" she slapped Qrow's stomach, which caused him to double over in surprise "—I would end up right next to you. I would remind you that all of you are still under orders to depart to RAF Lakenheath as soon as possible, but I know you intend to stay."

"Winter," Weiss said, "there must be an evacuation of the Polish civilians caught in the fallout zone. Mother and Whitley are working on it."

"Whitley? And Mother?" Winter's eyes widened, then she shook her head. "Whatever…tell me about it in a moment." She looked at Yang. "As you can see, Captain Xiao Long, Germans don't always mindlessly obey orders."

Yang rubbed the back of her head, remembering when she had figuratively thrown Auschwitz in Winter's face. "Er…"

"Forget it. Let's move." She waved at Ace Flight, then led the way to the terminal. Ruby held Oscar's hand until the medic forced them to part.

Though Yang would never know it, Trix did have an actual name: Cameron McCloud. She had gotten the tactical callsign for obvious reasons—she was a rabbit Faunus—but wasn't offended by it. Few people in the military got complimentary callsigns; Wraith and Shogun were the only ones she knew that sounded particularly badass. She didn't know how Soap had gotten his name, and she wondered what the story was behind Yang's Suds callsign.

As the women of Team Metal showered and changed into fresh fatigues, before heading off to the barracks for much-needed sleep, Trix made sure that JINN was secured in a waterproof canvas bag; it was marked as a medical kit to further disguise its purpose. The bag would also protect it from radiation, in case its metal casing didn't, though—despite the abuse JINN had taken—the casing was battered but intact. She had been told by Soap not to let it leave her sight. By the time that was finished, she was alone in the shower room.

The door opened, and Trix saw Benedykta walk in, glancing around furtively. "Hey there," Trix greeted her. Her Scottish brogue was thick, as it usually was when she was tired. "What're you looking for?"

Benedykta jumped in surprise. "Oh! Forgive…sorry." She walked over to Trix. "I…I waited until everyone was gone. I'm…" The girl looked at the floor. "I'm shy. Don't shower with others. Even girls."

Good Lord, I don't doubt it, Trix thought. The teenager had grown up in a radiation-soaked ruin, where if long-term exposure didn't kill someone eventually, there was always the possibility of being crushed by collapsing ruins, or trapped in a hidden void, or being killed by a feral animal—from what Trix had read in the mission briefing on the flight from the United States, some of Warsaw's more exotic zoo animals had survived the nuclear strike, and their descendants now roamed the city. It was likely Benedykta hadn't had much of a childhood, and given how she handled her AK-47 professionally, she had been thrust into adulthood very quickly. Not a place to be a young woman. "Well, go on in," Trix smiled. "I'll wait until you're done."

Benedykta bowed her head. "Thank you." Trix turned away as the girl stripped naked, arranging her clothes carefully on the bench. "Don't worry about those," Trix told her. "They're likely hot—ah, irradiated. Do you understand? And filthy. We'll get you new kit."

"Ah! Yes, I understand. Good!" Benedykta did up her hair into a ponytail with a length of cord, grabbed a fresh towel from a stack and walked into the shower stalls. Trix heard the water turn on and pulled off her own uniform, down to her underwear. She piled the filthy, blood-encrusted gear on top of Benedykta's clothes, for disposal.

Trix then heard a groan and a thump on the floor. Her ears twitched. "Benedykta?" There was no answer. "Benedykta, are you all right?" She padded over to the shower and stuck her head around the corner. The Polish girl was lying full-length on the tiled floor, water spraying over her, her back to Trix. "Benedykta!" Trix ran into the shower, turning her over. The girl was shaking, her eyes wild. Her hands came up to Trix, weakly scrabbling at her skin, and the shaking got worse. Benedykta's eyes rolled back and froth appeared at the corners of her mouth. Oh God, she's epileptic, Trix thought. She turned the girl back over on her side and turned to yell for a medic.

Neo struck. She had taken the cord from her hair and tossed it on the shower floor within reach, and now whipped it around Trix's throat. As the Faunus started to react—probably to toss Neo over her shoulder—Neo tightened the garrote and pulled backwards, planting her knee into the small of Trix's back, bending her spine. Trix was a trained Delta Force operative, like Soap via the SAS, but she had been taken by surprise, and in the shower, she could not get her bare feet under her. Her hands went back to try to pry Neo off of her, but the assassin's skin was slick, covered in a mix of soap and water, and she could not get a good grip. Neo continued to pull backwards with surprising strength for her small frame, until she heard Trix's trachea audibly begin to crack. The Faunus let out a rasping gag, made one last effort to pull forward, then her hands fell limply to her sides.

Neo kept the pressure on for another two minutes before she was satisfied that Trix was dead. She let go and unwrapped the garrote, then checked the Faunus' body. There was no disguising that Trix had been strangled, with ligature marks around her throat; the cord had actually broken the skin in a few places. Trix's eyes stared into nothing, her face contorted and distended in her death agony, but Neo had long since stopped caring about such sights.

She left the water running and dragged Trix's body back into the changing room. There was no one there. Quickly, Neo stuffed Trix into a locker, and shut and locked the door. She gathered her hair up into a bun, dried off as fast as she could, then dressed herself in the dead woman's tactical gear. Out of Trix's locker, she grabbed JINN in its bag. Neo smiled. "We meet again." She spared 'Benedykta's' clothes one last look—she had rather gotten attached to her persona, made up on the fly as she tailed Team Metal out of the Palace of Culture, to the point that Neo had found herself looking forward to going to America. She had considered murdering Emerald, Oscar or Yang during the firefight at the cemetery, then decided against it—there were too many variables, and she held no loyalty to Salem, who had already paid her handsomely. There was, however, two women that Neo Politan still had sworn to kill, and one of them was possibly within reach.

Neo dismissed the thought; there was no way to kill Ruby Rose and live. Instead, she slung JINN around her waist, jammed her hair under a baseball cap that she'd stolen earlier, and headed for the door with purpose. She didn't have long before Trix was missed, and not long after that before the body was found and the base locked down.

"Are you sure about this?" Qrow asked Winter. They stood in the terminal, watching Ruby and Reaper Flights take off, shaking the windows and the predawn darkness. "Ironwood's going to be pissed."

"I don't think he cares that much about my sister and the others," Winter replied. "Especially after I tell him they helped recover JINN. He might even want to decorate Oscar, given what he did to turn Hazel Rainart and Emerald Sustrai to our side. Hazel may have saved the 1st Armored Division by detonating that bomb early." She had debriefed Oscar in the hospital; Oscar was sure that Hazel had arranged the Belchanow explosion as a last act of defiance. "Emerald has agreed to tell us what she knows. She has intimate knowledge of Salem's operations."

"Yeah, assuming she's not an assassin planted by Salem to take Jimmy out." Even as Qrow said it, he wasn't sure. Emerald seemed sincere enough, but she was also a professional thief and con artist; she had certainly acted just as sincere at Beacon.

"She'll be debriefed by Arashikaze. I think we can trust her to be able to defend herself." Winter put a hand on Qrow's chest. "Qrow, the general will listen to me."

"You don't know Jimmy like I do," Qrow said. "It's the principal of it. I mean, he's right—we all disobeyed orders—but even making up for it by what Yang or Oscar did ain't going to be enough."

"Perhaps not." Winter watched Weiss and Blake take off, the blue shock diamonds streaming back from the engines of the Typhoon and the Tomcat. "But he's going to have much bigger things on his mind with getting our troops away from the fallout zone, and figuring out what to do next."

"Salem's off balance," Qrow observed. "If Jimmy can launch a counterattack, he might be able to drive the GRIMM back to the Vistula."

"I'll tell him that," she said. She turned to him. "And what will you do, Qrow? I don't advise you come with me. The general will throw you right back into prison—as it is, I'm probably headed there myself."

"I thought about heading out with Ruby and the others," Qrow sighed. "But I don't know, Winter. I feel like I'm not really much use to them. They've been getting along without me pretty good."

"Qrow—"

He held up a hand. "What I'm gonna do is fly over to Swidwin and tell Robyn what's going on. We can't trust the radio with this evac plan. Then we'll go from there." Qrow chuckled mirthlessly. "While I'm at it, I might just ask for asylum. I'm a fugitive with a stolen F-117 right now."

"Arashikaze will clear you."

"That's a big if, kiddo." He reached out and tucked back the white strands of hair that fell so alluringly over one eye. Normally, they were done up in a bun, but Winter had been in a hurry. "Wish we had a bit more time. I figured we could shower again. You know, just in case. Can't be too careful with radiation, y'know."

Winter gave him a sardonic smile. "Pervert." She stood on tiptoe and kissed him. "I may be court-martialed for it, but it was worth it, getting you out of prison."

"Don't go," Qrow said softly. "Don't go back to Jimmy. Stay with me."

"I have my duty."

"Fuck your duty."

Winter sniffed a laugh. "Qrow Branwen, you're not as mercenary as you seem. You still love your country. I love mine. I swore an oath to defend the Fatherland, and yes, I could do that with Ruby's mutineers or Robyn's hooligans. But my word is my bond, and I must try to help General Ironwood."

"Why?" Qrow wanted to know. "Jimmy's become a grade-A asshole. He's more worried about honor than he is about reality."

"And that's why he needs me, Qrow. Everyone has been plotting behind his back. Maybe he deserved it with his hardheaded insistence on doing everything himself. Maybe he won't understand the need for flexibility. But he is alone, Qrow. Ironwood is alone, tired, and isolated. He needs my help, before he makes a mistake he can't take back."

Qrow stared at her for a long minute. "He's the father you never had."

Winter rolled her eyes. "Spare me the Freud, idiot. I'll be all right." She shrugged. "Who knows? He might come around and even forgive you."

"Doubt it." He leaned down and kissed her, rimming her lips with his tongue, tasting her, wanting to never forget what she felt like. He had an ugly feeling he would never see Winter Schnee again, and it scared Qrow like he had never been scared before, not even when Summer Rose had told him she was leaving. "Dammit, Winter." He wanted to say the words, and couldn't.

She smiled. "I know, Qrow. I know."

Schnee Manor

Zagan, Poland

5 September 2001

"Nora?"

Nora Valkyrie sat up in bed, hands going to her mouth. "Ren?"

He stood in the doorway, still in his flight suit. "I'm…glad…you're all right." He winced, because Nora was so clearly not all right. She was in a hospital robe with bandages swathing her arms, an IV hooked up to her. The doctor that had checked on her after the fight with the Hound was worried that she was still low on fluids, and insisted the saline drip stay in. She had also opened up a few of her wounds.

Nora chuckled softly. "Yeah, you should see the other guy."

Ren closed the door behind him and walked to her bedside. "I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize." She shrugged. "I got hurt doing what I always do. Just another ditzy move from Nora!" She sagged down further into the bed. "Ejecting through a canopy because I got too low and slow around ground fire and got poor old Magnhild shot down. Then I almost bled to death. Got scarred up real nice. Woo-hoo, what fun."

"That's not true," Ren insisted.

"Which part? Because it's all true." Another shrug. "Beats riding her down, though."

"I should've been there," Ren snapped. "Should've been there instead of fooling around!"

"Stop it." Nora reached out and grabbed his hand with surprising strength. "Ren, stop it. You're going to sit there and beat yourself up for something that wasn't anyone's fault but mine. Well, and the GRIMM that shot my ass down, but mine too."

"I pushed you away." Ren gripped her hand. "I pushed you away."

Nora nodded. "Yeah. You did. We're supposed to be a team, Renny. You acted like that didn't matter. When things went to shit you pushed us away—me and Pyrrha. And Yang and Ruby and the rest, too. You shove people out because you don't want to feel." She was the one who winced now. "Sorry. That came out harsher than I meant to."

"No, you're right. I should be apologizing. When we lost Oscar, and…I said terrible things. I talked to Pyrrha about it, but…not to you." He sat in a chair next to the bed. "I've been so damned angry at myself. For not being good enough. For what's been happening. For what's happened with Ironwood. I thought…if I just focused on flying, and fighting, getting stronger, working harder, that we…I…wouldn't fail." He looked up at her, and stroked her face. "But my biggest failure was as a teammate and as your partner."

"My husband," Nora corrected him. "Not officially yet, but basically."

"Yes. That as well."

"Ren," Nora said gently, "why didn't you say anything?"

"I was the one holding us back," Ren answered. "Not Pyrrha, not you—me."

"Bullshit," Nora told him. "That's bullshit, Ren." She looked down at herself. "Look at me, for the love of pizza. All I do is make stupid jokes and shoot things up with a big ol' gun."

He got off the chair and sat on the bed, taking her hands in his. "That's not true, Nora. You put everything you have into what you do. You support everyone around you; you help without worrying about how it might hurt. And that's what I love about you." He cupped her face in his hands. "I love you, Nora Valkyrie."

Nora smiled. "I love you, Lie Ren." She kissed him. "You know, when I ran away from that refugee camp, you found me. We've been Ren and Nora since—Renora." She laughed at that. "But you know, lying here, I've been doing a lot of thinking—except when Salem's assassins aren't trying to kill me, of course." She motioned to the revolver sitting on the nightstand. "Anyways, I realized something. I don't know who I am, Ren. I don't know who Nora is. I need to figure that out. I've always loved you, Ren, and I'm sure glad to see that pretty head on your shoulders is doing a lot better." Ren chuckled. "But I got to get my pretty head sorted out before I can be the wife you need. Okay?"

"Okay." He brushed a tear off her cheek. "It's definitely okay." He pulled back a little and tapped her nose. "Boop."

Nora laughed again and patted the bed next to her. He took off his boots and lay down. They stared at the ceiling together for awhile, then Nora spoke. "Doesn't mean we still can't have wild monkey sex as soon as I heal up, though."

"I'm glad to hear that."

Oscar leaned on Ruby a lot more than he wanted to admit as they walked up the stairs of the manor. Neither one of them wanted to look at the bloodstains on the floor; despite Klein's best efforts and those of the CIA cleanup squad, they were still faintly visible. Ruby could not believe that had only been a few hours ago; it felt like months now. He stumbled, but she helped him stay on their feet—though Ruby knew if she didn't get some sleep soon, it was going to be her who needed to be carried up the stairs. "You sure you don't want me to get Yang or Ren or someone to carry you?"

"Ren's with Nora, and I'm not going to be carried by a girl." He smiled tiredly at her. "I'm not an invalid, Ruby."

"Yeah, well, that's not what the doc at Wroclaw said." The doctor had taken one look at Oscar and demanded he stay in bed for a few days, nuclear explosion or no nuclear explosion. Between Ruby, Weiss and Oscar, they had managed to convince the doctor that he could get medical attention at Schnee Manor, and not take up a hospital bed that might be needed very soon. Even when they had left, the first transport of 1st Armored Division soldiers had arrived, suffering from acute radiation sickness. The doctor had been less than pleased that Oscar was leaving in the back seat of a F-15, but relented, bowing to the logic of it. It had been Weiss' logic; Ruby had been prepared to pull a gun on the doctor. "You've had seven bales of shit beaten out of you."

"That's one way to put it." Although he was in a fresh uniform and his wounds had been treated, Oscar still looked horrible. He had a black eye, and his face was bruised; when he smiled, Ruby could tell his formerly perfect grin was gone, as he was missing a few teeth. She wanted to ask who had done it to him, but she didn't want Oscar to have to dredge up bad memories.

They reached Willow's room, which she had given up to her houseguests. Willow Schnee herself, despite being considerably older than her guests, her arm in a sling, and on just as little sleep, was busy in the dining room, coordinating flight plans and contact information with her son. She was running on adrenaline and coffee, but Ruby thought the Schnee matriarch looked rather happy, all things considered. Ruby opened the door and helped Oscar to the huge bed. She let out a low whistle. "Wow. Blessed are the poor, but it's sure nice to be rich." It was a canopied bed, the wood around it hand-carved, and the bed big enough for four people to sleep comfortably. "Well…here you go. You should get some sleep."

"Think I'm going to grab a shower, actually." Oscar smiled, this time making sure not to show his teeth. He had gotten a quick, freezing cold shower at Wroclaw, but he felt the need to soak in a nice, warm, Hollywood shower-as the Navy called it.

"Okay." Even though he protested, Ruby still helped him to the bathroom. It was as impressive as the bed: an ivory bath, porcelain floors, gold-inlaid fixtures. "Uh, be careful using the toilets in this place. I used one earlier, and I didn't know it had a bidet. I think that's what Weiss called it. Scared the crap out of me when I used it…er, figuratively speaking." Ruby bit her lip, feeling awkward. Oscar seemed different now, somehow; she still liked him very much, but he seemed older, and yet more vulnerable. "Welp…I guess I'll go get some shut-eye myself. Almost being kidnapped, killed, and shot at has a way of tiring me out."

"Ruby…stay," Oscar whispered.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah." He shrugged. "It's not like you haven't seen it before."

"Yep." Ruby and Oscar had become lovers one magical night in Algiers, and they had tried to spend as much time together as they could, even in the middle of a war. It was very much a wartime romance, between two young people who were scared, lonely and desperately needed something they weren't even sure of. It had been days since they had seen each other, over a week since they had touched each other. Ruby had wondered if she would even see him alive again. Still, given Oscar's torture and her own near death at the hands of the Hound, this seemed like a bad time to rekindle their relationship. Or, Ruby thought, maybe it was the best time. After all, the war was far from over, and given their profession, their chances of survival were iffy at best. The Hound wasn't the best that could come at them.

"I could use a hand," Oscar admitted.

"Talked me into it."

Ruby helped him get the borrowed clothes off, and gasped. She hadn't been in the doctor's office when he had been examined at Wroclaw. His chest was bruised and welted, his back no better off. "It looks worse than it is," Oscar lied. In reality, it was worse. The doctor had told him he had three cracked ribs, as well as cartilage damage around his sternum; it hurt to take a deep breath. That was just on his chest. There was no internal bleeding, at least; Hazel had been careful not to hit Oscar in his still-healing stomach, where Neo had shot him. Everything else had been fair game.

"Oh God," Ruby sniffled. She lightly ran her hands over his chest. "Who did this to you?"

"Hazel Rainart. With a little help from Salem herself. He…well, he wanted revenge for his sister, Gretchen. She got killed at Vytal Flag one year, and Hazel blamed Ozpin, and…I was the next best target, since Ozpin's dead." Oscar still couldn't quite bring himself to think of Ozpin as his father. "He apologized for doing it."

"I'm going to kill that son of a bitch." Ruby said it with more venom than he had ever heard from her.

"He's dead, Ruby. He sacrificed himself so we could escape—me, Yang, and Emerald."

"Good." Ruby was a little shocked at her own vehemence, but just because Hazel might have reformed at the end of his life didn't make up for trying to kill her and her friends over Japan, or torturing Oscar. There were a few choice words Ruby wanted to have with Emerald Sustrai, as well, but she was in custody by the CIA. I hope Arashikaze tortures that bitch.

"Ruby…" Oscar began.

"You're right. Let's not talk about it." He sat on the toilet and she pulled off his boots. "I don't want to talk about any of them right now. I just…God, Oscar, I just need…" She felt the tears welling in her eyes.

"Me too," Oscar said, and that was good enough. He unbuckled his pants and got those off, then stood and dropped his boxers, and stepped into the shower. "Thanks, Ruby. I can take it from…well, okay, I don't mind the help." She was already out of her flight suit and peeling off her underwear. The sight of her naked body immediately made him feel better; the memory of that skin under his fingers, of those lips on his, had got him through the torture. Even as Hazel beat him to the point of losing control of himself, Oscar had tried to think of Ruby.

Ruby figured out the controls and three showerheads sprayed them softly with hot water. She fended off Oscar's attempts to wash himself and sponged on soap with what she assumed was a loofa. "Ow!" Oscar jumped as her fingers brushed a large and purpled bruise on his side.

"Sorry!"

"Ow!" Ruby had moved to the other side of his chest, but it hurt there too. "Sorry." He was the one to apologize this time.

"I don't know where to wash," Ruby admitted. "Is there any place it doesn't hurt?"

"Not really." Hazel had been careful not to break his legs, but he had been hit there too. Ruby leaned down and inspected his feet. "Well, your piggies look okay," she told him.

Oscar laughed and immediately gripped his side. "Ruby, don't. It hurts to laugh."

She ducked around his hips. "What about your butt? That's looks…oh. Well, nope." It was bruised worse than his legs. "Did Salem spank you or something?" She immediately regretted saying it. It was too light, too silly to say that to someone who had been tortured so cruelly.

"I got slammed into the floor a few times." Oscar didn't take it the wrong way, but it wasn't all that funny, either.

"Did he…ooh. Ouch." Ruby was now staring at his groin. One testicle was slightly swollen. The doctor had told Oscar that no permanent damage was done, but that occasionally sent waves of pain through him as well. "He hit you in the nuts?"

"Yeah. Salem did too."

"Fucking bitch!"

"Couldn't agree more." Much to his surprise, Oscar felt himself getting aroused, which was hard to believe with battered testicles and an equally battered body, but there was a wet and naked Ruby Rose staring at his genitals. Ruby glanced up at him, the question in her silver eyes, and Oscar shook his head. "Don't believe what you're seeing. I really don't feel, er, up to that."

"Aww." She straightened up and embraced him, which didn't help his arousal any. She kissed him as a reminder of better times. "I'm sorry, Oscar."

"For what?"

"For everything. We shouldn't be here. I got you into this…we should've done what Ironwood said…we could be back home, or in England, or somewhere, and you wouldn't have been tortured and hurt and kidnapped and shot and…" Ruby started weeping. "Dammit, I'm a fighter pilot, why am I crying like this…"

"It's been a long day," was all that Oscar could say.

"Please don't leave me, Oscar." Ruby sobbed into his chest. "Please. Not you or Yang or Weiss or Blake or Uncle Qrow or anyone…please…." She wanted to tell him about the Hound's attack, about the sudden realization about the latter having silver eyes, and all the terrors that brought. She needed to talk to Yang about that. The exhaustion, the stress, the hardship of sudden combat, ground and air, finally got to Ruby, and she couldn't stop crying. Oscar brushed her hair, said soft nonsense to her, and held her for a long time.

"Oscar," she said finally, "we're using all the hot water in the house, and we're going to be prunes if we don't get out of here."

"Yeah." They climbed out of the shower and toweled each other off—gingerly, in Oscar's case. Ruby gathered up their clothes and tossed them into two untidy piles, then climbed naked in bed with him. "Okay? We don't have to have sex or anything. Don't want to hurt you..."

"You're not," he said, truthfully. His ribs ached, his back hurt, and there was an odd twinge of pain here and there, but Ruby was with him, and the warmth of her body after the chill of the cell and the Warsaw night more than made up for it.

Ruby was asleep before he even finished the words, but to Oscar's surprise, he could not fall asleep. He had slept through half the battle in the cemetery and all the way on the helicopter, to his surprise, so perhaps that was part of it. He looked down at her. Ruby had curled into him, her reddish hair on his shoulder, one arm flung across his chest, as if she needed to be reassured in her sleep that he was still there. One breast lay soft against his bruised side, and he brushed a hand down to rest on her hip, where the shadows hid that most intimate part of her. Oscar was tempted—few men wouldn't have been—but fatigue nagged at him, the pain still radiated, and he didn't want to wake her. "Ruby," he whispered, "I'm sorry too. You're just about done in. You shouldn't have to shoulder all this on your own. I wish I could do more. I wish we could just lay in this bed for days, and just make love and talk and take away all the pain." He leaned down and kissed her forehead; Ruby murmured something and nestled closer. "But we can't."

Sleep finally took Oscar and he drifted off. Only minutes later, the door quietly opened and Yang stuck her head in. She saw them on the bed, naked and intertwined, and found herself smiling. At one time, she'd wanted Oscar Pine dead for daring to take her little sister's virginity, but now, Yang couldn't help but think they looked kind of cute together.