"I still can't believe we can't go to Mr Chip before we leave..." Ruby muttered under her breath. She was, despite her age, sulking. And she felt highly conflicted about it. Whilst she didn't get to go to Mr Chip before the Solstice - Weiss being the voice of reason that "he'll take two days to get the cookies ready and by that time we'll be in Patch," which was something Ruby agreed with, but wasn't happy about - she did get to look forward to two custom, handmade, gourmet cookies when she got back. So, half good, half bad.

What it also meant was that she was going to see her Dad for the first time in almost a year. Whilst she'd written to him and, once the CCT was working again, sent him a few messages to let him know she was completely safe, she hadn't been able to face him on a video call after running away. Ruby knew it had been the right thing to do, but it still didn't feel good. She knew her Dad had lost two of the four most important women in his life. Another one of them came back badly injured and wasn't the same, and then Ruby had vanished too. For the first time in a long time, possibly since the last time she'd been in trouble as a kid, she was worried about seeing her Dad. She hoped he wouldn't be too angry. She had to do what was right! He'd taught her that. Him and her mum. To do what was right no matter how hard it was. He'd understand that...right?

Ruby was so wrapped up in her head she didn't notice that she wasn't the only nervous one on the flight to Patch. Weiss and Blake were both nervous as well but trying desperately to hide it. All three of them had been so busy with packing bags for the trip, grabbing hidden Solstice gifts, and hiding them in luggage, and planning for what time to actually get the flight (they'd decided on first thing in the morning), that by the time they'd gone to bed they were tired and pretty much fell asleep straight away. The trio hadn't had much time to stop and think until they were on the airship, at which point they didn't have much to do but think, and so their minds went into overdrive.

Weiss was nervous because she was meeting her partner's father! It was someone who Ruby had talked about a few times, admittedly not very often, and not in as much reverence as the very rare times she spoke about her mum, but he was still an important figure in her life. Weiss needed to make a good impression, and even though she had deliberately moved away from the more formal and, frankly, stiff greetings of Atlas the closer she got to her team, she figured it might be the best way. Although then again, now she thought about it, Ruby and Yang's dad had originally fallen in love with Yang's mum, that crazy woman who had kidnapped her and held her against her will, and she was hardly a decent person...plus Ruby and Yang weren't exactly the most formal of people. So, should she be less formal and hope it was good enough? Or should she overcompensate?

Blake was also nervous because she was meeting her partner's father, but the nerves were for a different reason and she was far more worried than Weiss. She'd heard how badly Yang had taken her running off after the fall of Beacon. There was no way that she hadn't told her dad what had triggered it. None at all. And now she was going to spend the next week with him. In a house where she couldn't hide or run away. Good thing she'd decided to stop running away a while ago then, because if she hadn't, she would definitely be already running. How was she going to be able to face Yang's dad knowing what she'd put Yang through? What she was responsible for? Whilst she'd worked it out with Yang and things were back to normal, it hadn't been instant and had been built on the relationship they'd had before, whereas she'd never met Yang's dad, and had no idea what he was like.

Yang was just excited to see her dad again.

She did however notice Blake's rather stiff way of sitting on the airship and could tell from the way her ears were lowered against her head that she was thinking a lot. Without saying a word, she moved her hand slightly so it could touch Blake's, who jumped at the touch before recovering quickly and glancing at Yang.

"It'll be fine. You don't need to worry about a thing." Yang smiled softly at Blake, squeezing her hand gently, hoping the encouragement would have an effect. Blake's ears picked up quite a bit, so Yang figured she'd helped, even if it was only a little.

Before they knew it, they'd landed on the small airstrip, gone through security, grabbed their luggage again and headed to the small arrivals area. Looking around they tried to spot Ruby and Yang's dad, before Blake pointed out a sign held aloft that said "Team RWBY". They headed towards it, and Blake and Weiss got their first look at Taiyang Xiao Long, and both had a similar thought of 'Cargo shorts? In the middle of Winter?! He's definitely Yang's Dad.' True to form, he was wearing cargo shorts, a short sleeve waistcoat, with a shoulder guard on one shoulder and a leather arm guard/glove, with a piece of cloth tied around his bicep just above the elbow of the other arm. He was also wearing a black driver's cap, with blonde hair sticking out from underneath, that Blake was fairly certain was just for show. If they needed any further confirmation, he was Ruby and Yang's Dad, the way Yang yelled "Dad!" and threw herself at him as soon as she was close enough sealed it. He dropped the sign and grabbed her spinning round, the joy on his face evident. Putting her down he looked at Ruby with open arms, and Weiss noticed she hesitated for just a moment before copying her sister.

After properly greeting his two daughters he faced their partners, both had stayed back a few steps, whilst the sisters had greeted him. He smiled warmly at them, "Nice to finally meet you both, I've heard quite a bit." Blake was certain his eyes lingered on her a little bit longer than Weiss.

"It's a pleasure to meet you too, Mr Xiao Long." Weiss said quite formally and held her hand to him.

He raised an eyebrow slightly, still smiling, shook her hand and replied, "Please, call me Tai."

Weiss nodded and Blake smiled slightly saying, "It's nice to meet you too Tai."

He nodded to her and asked the four of them, "Everyone got your luggage?" Everyone had so he continued, "Follow me out to the jeep and we'll load them up." They all went out to his jeep, loaded the suitcase and bags into the back of it, before climbing in. Yang called shotgun and jumped in the front, whilst Blake, Weiss, and Ruby climbed in the back, Weiss in the middle as she was the thinnest. Tai turned back as they clipped the seatbelts in, "All ok back there?" Nods and thumbs up sent the signal of yes. He tapped his driver's cap and said "Great, chauffeur, so good." A wide grin at his pun revealed that he was definitely Yang's father. The high five they gave each other cemented it.

Weiss just turned to Ruby next to her and said, "Oh for Dust's sake Ruby, you didn't say there were two of them!" Which got an even bigger laugh out of Yang than the pun, and Blake just put her head in her hands. The rest of the drive was spent making some small talk about how the first semester had gone, as they drove to the wooden lodge that they would call home for the next week.

Weiss and Blake watched as it came into view from behind the trees, a two-story lodge with a sloped roof and chimney, and was large areas of grass surrounding it in the middle of a large clearing in the trees. Tai pulled up next to the garage and jumped out, Ruby and Yang copying him. Weiss and Blake were a little slower, looking around to take everything in.

They reached the door and Tai unlocked it with a sweep of his arms, "Welcome to our humble abode." Weiss gasped and dropped to her knees, and Blake groaned. Tai looked incredibly confused at their reactions, until a small black and white corgi came running up barking happily. Blake immediately moved behind Yang, staring daggers at Zwei, whilst Weiss held her arms out for the little dog. Ruby crouched down next to Weiss and Zwei leaped into her arms, licking Ruby's face happily. Weiss' heart sank and she felt betrayed. A look of horror and immense sadness crossed her face, he'd forgotten her! How could he?!

Ruby saw her face and leaned into her with Zwei in her arms, who barked happily again and licked Weiss' cheek. All thoughts of betrayal fled from her mind as she leaned back into Ruby and started scratching Zwei, "You remembered me! Who's such a good widdle boy? You are! Yes, you are, yes you are!" Weiss' voice took on a babyish tone as she scratched Zwei and nuzzled his face, happy to let him lick her cheeks and nose. Tai blinked and looked at Weiss, then at Yang and Blake. Yang shrugged and Blake moved further round to the other side of Yang away from Zwei.

"Well, you not being a fan of dogs isn't exactly a big surprise," Tai nodded at Blake who looked at him briefly before returning her death glare to the corgi in Ruby's arms. "But it's safe to say I did not expect you to be such a fan of them." Tai's lowered his eyes to look at Weiss, and his voice broke her out of trance and she shot to her feet, a pink glow bursting across her cheeks, becoming darker and more reddish by the second as she realised what she'd just done, and who she'd done it in front of.

"Only when they're that cute." Weiss' voice was barely audible. Tai just laughed as he headed inside, Zwei leaping off Ruby to trot behind him.

"Don't worry, I'll keep him away from your things." Yang turned slightly so Blake could see her words were directed at her, and she nodded in gratitude. They walked into the house, a fireplace with a small fire burning giving off warmth and a flickering light until Tai turned the lights on revealing the rest of the room. A large sofa was in the middle of the cavernous room, stairs to the right led to the upper floor, and a kitchen diner combo could be seen at the back of the ground floor. The main room was open but didn't feel empty; a few photos were dotted across the mantelpiece, and a couple of paintings were on the wall. A few bookcases loaded with various books, and a cabinet that looked to be full of movie cases was behind the table with the TV screen on.

"I've shifted a bed from the guest room into your room Yang, so Blake can share with you and Weiss can go on the spare bed in Ruby's room. Everyone good with that?" Everyone nodded, "Great, drop your cases off and we'll go into Patch proper to grab some lunch."

Yang grabbed Blake's case and her own, "Come on, I'll show you where you're spending the next few nights." She winked and Blake rolled her eyes as Tai laughed.

"Separate beds girls! You know I'm a light sleeper." Blake and Yang's faces went as red as Ruby's cloak.

"Dad! That's not what I meant! Gods above." Yang moaned before sprinting up the stairs, Blake not far behind her.

Weiss smirked and Ruby laughed along with her Dad. "Oh, this is going to be so much fun, she's always been easy to tease when she's got a crush."

"A crush? On who?" Ruby stopped laughing and looked confused. Even Weiss turned her head to look at Tai, a similar look on her face.

Tai raised an eyebrow, "You both can't spot it? Ah well, more fun for me."

Blake and Yang went into her room, Yang saying "I'll give you the grand tour when we get back after lunch, but here it is, my old room." She pushed a door open with her shoulder and they went into the room. Yang's bed had been pushed up against the window, the bedside table was still next to it, and then there was another bed next to it, giving just enough room for the door to be opened without hitting it. Blake was surprised at how bare it was and Yang noticed the look, "I took a few things to Beacon with me, and put the rest in the attic. Didn't think I'd be coming back here very often." She shrugged as she dropped their cases on the beds. Blake looked around the room and smiled.

"It's still nice."

Yang smiled back and they headed back, just as Ruby came past, pushed her door open, slid the cases along the floor, closed it again and managed to catch up to Yang and Blake before they'd reached the bottom. Weiss was knelt by Zwei giving him a tummy rub when they came back down. Tai walked out of the kitchen chucking a wallet up in the air and catching it. "All set and ready to go?" They made noises of agreement and headed back to the jeep, Tai driving them into Patch and insisting it was his treat for their lunch.

They'd finished eating and were walking out the restaurant doors when he asked what their plans for the rest of the day were. Blake and Yang decided to go shopping and have a look round the island, and Weiss said she needed to do some shopping as well. Ruby perked up, "Yeah, partner shopping! Ow!"

Weiss had flicked Ruby in the forehead, "Sorry Ruby, but this is shopping I need to do on my own. I'll keep my scroll on, but it's personal shopping."

Ruby rubbed her forehead and Yang chuckled, "Last minute Solstice gift buying? Thought you would have been prepared Ice Queen."

"Quiet you brute." Weiss snapped at Yang and stormed off, her cheeks red. Yang chuckled and her and Blake waved to Ruby and Tai as they followed Weiss towards the shopping district.

"So, how about a walk to the park?" Tai faced his youngest daughter.

"Ye-yeah. Let's do that." Ruby stammered a little as they headed for the park, neither of them talking on the way. They reached the wide green space, the majority of the trees showing bare branches apart from a few evergreen trees. The weather was a little chilly, but not overly cold, and there were only a few people about.

They sat down on a bench, Ruby tapping her fingers together and Tai sat forward, leaning slightly on his knees.

"So..." Tai began before Ruby jumped in.

"I'msorryforrunningawayandworryingyoubutineededtosavetheworld!" Ruby's words came out in a mad rush.

Tai just laughed, "How about you try that again, but slow enough for your old man to understand alright?"

Ruby nodded and breathed deeply. "I'm sorry for running away. I know you must have been worried like crazy about me and I'm sorry for that."

Tai ruffled her hair, "You came back safe. Unharmed and safe. That's what matters most." She smiled back at her Dad, all her worries that had built up just melting away. "I do want to hear about it though, I got a condensed version from Qrow, but I'd like to know what my two girls have been up to. So, start at the beginning, and don't leave things out. Ozpin told me about the relics and Salem a while back, but unlike your mum, I didn't want a place on the front lines in his war. I chose to train Huntsmen and Huntresses as that was what I was best at. It's not the life I wanted for you either, but I know I never really had a choice about that."

Ruby nodded, it made sense if her mum, Yang's mum, and Qrow had all been part of Ozpin's war that her Dad would have known about it too. "Ok, but it'll take a while."

"I'm not going anywhere, and if your sister shops like she used to, neither is anyone else," Tai laughed.

"Ok, so I met up with Jaune, Nora, and Ren, and we started heading to Haven, we stopped off to get new outfits, especially for Jaune..."

By the time Ruby had finished telling the story, an hour had passed by.

"I'm so proud of you, and I know Summer would be too."

Ruby blinked in shock. Tai had barely spoken a word the entire time, letting Ruby talk whilst he sat there and listened to every word. Even when Tai spoke about Ruby's mum, he never used her name, as if it hurt too much to say.

"Are...are you sure?" Ruby's voice came out as a whisper. Afraid to ask one of the only people who knew her mum well enough to say.

"Absolutely." He pulled Ruby into a hug, and she clung on tightly. "You went up against literally the ultimate evil. An insane, immortal, Queen of the Grimm. She was responsible for so much death and pain and suffering...and you took her down. You literally saved the world. I couldn't be prouder of you. You and Yang both. And I know Summer would be right here beside me agreeing with me if she could."

"But I didn't stop her permanently. We only sealed her and..."

"Ruby, you did more than anyone has done in literally centuries. Centuries! Your job is done. It's finished. I know you still want to be a Huntress, and I won't stop you, I'll support you the whole way. But you don't need to carry the world on your shoulders." He placed his hands on her shoulders, "Let others help carry that burden. It's not just yours to handle."

Ruby laughed, "That's exactly what Weiss said." At Tai's curious look, Ruby elaborated. "Right before the final battle against Salem, I...struggled. It was too much for me. I sat in a room out of the way, rocking back and forth. My heart was going like a thousand beats a minute. I couldn't breathe. Everyone was relying on me. And I'd accepted that. I'd chosen to do it. I'd decided to take the fate of the entire world on my shoulders. But...right before the time came. I...I doubted myself. I didn't think I could do it." Ruby looked downcast and sadder than Tai had ever seen her before. "I told Salem we'd stop her."

Tai waited. He knew his daughter well enough to know there was more to it than just that sentence.

"She said my mum said those words to her too...and she failed."

Tai was silent. He sat back in shock. Eventually he found his voice, "Salem...killed her?"

Ruby just nodded.

Tai leant his head back and looked up to the sky. "I always thought the mission she'd gone on had been too easy for her to die on. She was too good of a Huntress. Makes sense though." They were silent for a moment before Tai continued, "Thank you."

"What for?"

"Avenging her." Tai's response was simple.

"But I didn't kill Salem, I didn't beat her."

"Ruby, you helped seal her away where she can't hurt anyone again. That's as good as killing her for me." He was silent again, before continuing, "So?"

"Huh?"

"You said you were struggling before the battle, sat in a room on your own." Tai's tone was gentle, drawing the words out of Ruby without directly asking her.

"Oh yeah. I...was in a bad way. A really bad way. Weiss found me. I don't know how long I'd been there, or how long she'd been searching. She knelt in front of me, took my hands and told me it was okay to rely on other people. That I didn't need to take the world on my back and carry the burden on my own. That she's my partner and she's there to help carry it for me." Ruby had a small smile on her face as she remembered it, and Tai noticed, "She talked to me and helped me calm down. Good thing too, the battle started not long later. Without her I don't know what I'd have done."

Tai smiled to himself, recognising the signs, even if Ruby didn't. "She sounds like a really good partner."

"Oh she is! She's the absolute best." Ruby lit up now she was talking about a less depressing subject, missing the implication in Tai's voice, "She's my BFF!"

During Ruby and Tai's talk, Ruby's BFF had been struggling herself, just with a far less dangerous and life-threatening problem. Weiss had spent the best part of an hour going round the various stores trying to find the perfect Solstice gift for Ruby. Everything she could find just wasn't good enough. She'd looked at some tools that she could buy for Ruby to use, but the only ones missing from Beacon's workshops were ones that were rarely used, and she wanted to give Ruby something she would appreciate, not barely use. She didn't want to get clothes as Ruby always wore the same sort of clothes, she didn't wear much jewellery other than her earrings, and even those were simple studs.

She was running out of ideas and was desperately searching a bookstore for books on Weapon Maintenance and Upkeep when she heard the bell of the door go and a familiar voice reached her ears.

"You ready for the big Solstice meal tomorrow?" Yang said, clearly with Blake as there was nobody else she'd ask that to, they all knew Ruby loved food so no need to ask her.

Sure enough, Blake's soft voice came next, "Yes, it's been a long time since I last had a proper Solstice meal, the last one I spent...hiding out, and the one before that we all barely knew each other."

As soon as Weiss had heard Yang's voice she darted to the back of the store behind a bookshelf. She knew Blake could see in the dark, but she couldn't see through walls.

"Yeah, Dad'll make Solstice cookies too, if you thought Ruby was quick at eating chocolate chip cookies you've seen nothing yet!"

"Surely not as quick as you demolished that taco earlier though?" Weiss tried to hide a giggle; she could imagine Yang's face with its faked shock anytime Blake sassed her.

"Nah not that quick, but Ruby really does love Solstice cookies, they mean a lot to her."

Weiss didn't even know why she was hiding in the back of the store behind a bookcase, hoping the pair wouldn't spot her, but she was. She kept watch as the two looked around in the fiction section, Yang holding a couple of bags in her hand, before Blake selected a book, paid for it, and they left.

Weiss waited until she was sure they'd gone before whipping her scroll out. Searching for 'Best homemade Solstice cookie recipe' she found a few and compared them to each other. Finding they were broadly similar; she thanked the person behind the counter and left. Looking both ways as she left the shop she headed off, following the map on her scroll to a supermarket for some much-needed supplies.

What Weiss didn't see, or hear, was Blake and Yang after they'd left the bookstore. Although Weiss thought she'd been quick enough to hide out of sight, even from a Faunus' night vision, she hadn't been. Blake and Yang had both seen her go into the store, which they'd been heading to anyway, and they had both seen the tail end of Weiss' ponytail behind her as she slipped behind a bookcase.

"Do you think she got the message?" Blake asked Yang.

"Please, this is one time she's gonna be grateful I've got a loud voice." Yang laughed as she replied.

"Well I might have to gag you tonight then, especially if your Dad's a light sleeper." Blake said seductively before winking and walking away.

Yang just stared at her back, her face growing redder by the second. For once she had nothing to say.

Author's note:

So, this is part 1 of the Solstice mini arc. It was originally just going to be one chapter, then halfway through writing this chapter it turned into two, but now I've actually finished writing this one I think the arc will probably end up being three or even four chapters.

Thank you to everyone who has left a review, favourited or followed (either me or the story), it really means a lot!

I've got a second story up on here called 'These are the High School Days of Our Lives'. It's a high school AU for RWBY that covers the last two years before University at Beacon High for the majority of the main cast (RWBY, JNPR, etc). If you could check it out that would be really appreciated! I'm updating it as I finish a chapter rather than on a weekly schedule like this one, and the next chapter for it will be up within the next week!