10/05/1999…

It was a Monday, for Jaune Mondays often held what meetings for him, on the one hand, it was a start to a brand new wake a fresh start if you will… On the other hand, it also meant that he had to get up early for the first time in a week and go to school. not that I didn't like school let's just that school really didn't hold much of a lesser ever since the fight between Ruby and him began.

Over the last week or so he had started to encourage the members of his so-called "circle of friends" to start hanging out with each other more and more, including Ruby. He honestly didn't really even need to try that hard. Blake had already started taking lunches with Ruby again, Meanwhile by association with the fact that they were all next-door neighbors to each other Ren and Nora started spending some of their free time with Ruby as well.

the main holdouts were, of course, Weiss and Yang who of course we're at each other's throats every chance I can get. fortunately, it hadn't come to any kind of physical violence or blows yet but Jaune was worried that it was only a matter of time.

Jaune, on the other hand just couldn't bring himself to go back to the table, funny if you consider that he was the one that actually was at the table first. It's just that when he came down to it he couldn't bring himself to face her. it's not even the case of not wanting to be around her anymore, rather it's what she represented to him.

Simply put she represented the biggest mistake of his young life to date, not the falling in love and dating her part mind you. That part he considered to be just fine. Rather it was the part where they broke up. Jaune often in the found himself in the last twenty-two days questioning if he made the right choice and if maybe he, rather than jump the gun and dumped her if maybe he should talk to Ruby first.

Which lead us to the here and now, Jaune sat in a side hallway of the school with just Weiss to keep him company. Blake, Ren, and Nora had all decided today to spend time with Ruby and by proxy her sister at the table. It didn't help that it sounded like Blake and Weiss had a bit of an argument the night before, though he didn't ask what the argument was about.

Figuring no time like the present he asked via signing [So yeah about that, what was that argument about yesterday?]

Weiss paused and got a thoughtful look on her face before she said. "We are having a disagreement when it comes to Ruby."

Jaune leaned back and signed out [Figures… I take it she's trying to encourage you to go spend time with her?]

"Something like that yeah," Weiss said with a smirk. "Oh get that look off your face Jaune, it's not like I'm going to break up with her or anything like that."

Jaune shook his head with a silent chuckle as he signed [Actually that thought didn't even cross my mind] Jaune thought over his choice of words for a moment [I was just wondering, why don't you hang out with her?]

Weiss got a slightly knowing smile on her face before she asked: "Have you forgiven her yet?"

[I suppose I have not.] Jaune signed back

"Then I have no reason to either," Weiss said back.

Jaune and Weiss sat in relative silence for a few moments before he signed [I don't get it, realistically I'm the only one who should be holding a grudge on Ruby. So why are you holding a grudge as well?]

Weiss declared "Jaune, I have a few reasons actually!" pausing for dramatic effect and counting off with her fingers as she kept saying "I mean to start off, It was Cardin Winchester who was likely using her as a rebound from that big breasted goth chick he was banging. Second, Cardin fucking Winchester? I mean ew right?"

Jaune shrugged in agreement.

"I mean, I get that people change over time, and I guess a shift in her personality was inevitable since her implants opened a whole new world for her. But Cheating on the same boyfriend who might never get to experience what's that's like is wrong on so many levels." Weiss said becoming increasingly worked up. "I mean you were good to her, you didn't deserve it!"

Jaune's face went from a look of cool indifference straight to concern as he looked at her but didn't say anything.

"I mean christ sakes, you took care of her, you were always there for her even when you were barely holding it together," Weiss said almost frantic now.

[Hey Weiss, take a breath, I mean I get that your pissed off at her] Jaune signed.

"That's because of your not! Goddamnit Jaune, she betrayed you on the most fundamental level and you're not even saying anything about it." Weiss was all but shouting at him in anger

Jaune was taken aback by her outburst as he signed [Hey, I'm on your side Weiss, what is going on with you?]

"I mean, what the hell is going on with you?" Weiss asked "You have been more or less passive since the breakup. The only time I ever see you look like your interested in something is when you're playing that game with your old friends from home."

[Look, I'm still upset over it, but I'm not the type of person to go around weeping in the halls or attack someone outright] Jaune signed before his stare got intense [But you're holding a grudge far worse than I ever could, what's going on in your head Weiss?]

Weiss Struggled with words for a moment as she looked off to the side. "Well, first off I don't like the fact that Ruby is toying with the same kind of social circles that I used to run with… Or with a guy, I dated briefly."

[Weiss, last time I checked you were gay.] Jaune signed

"Yeah, and it took the captain of the football team not doing anything for me…" she paused and blushed "Uh… Well, you know where to find that out."

[I'm sure Winchester would be thrilled to learn this] Jaune said with an evil smirk.

"Oh hell no, I'm not even out of the closet yet to school," Weiss said with a laugh. "Besides we can't give him sole credit here, I mean have you ever seen the rear end on that girl"

[Fair point] Jaune signed as he read her expression while also dodging the fact that he was very much aware of Blake's rear end [There's more to this…]

"Yeah…" Weiss said as her smile faded. "There's always more to it."

[Talk to me, I mean my dark and troubled past has been laid bare, shit you all got to witness it first hand for the most part.[ Jaune signed.

"This is what I'm talking about, you're being entirely too casual about things, your even cracking jokes now at your own suicide attempt," Weiss said with a look of concern. "That worries me, I mean it's nice to see you moving past things, but…"

Jaune held up a hand to stop her [I'm still shaking off the break-up, let's move on, what has you so up in arms about what Ruby did?]

Weiss folded her arms around herself. "The truth is, I don't even think dad knows about this, so you keep this secret… One night when my mom was drunk and it was just me and my mother alone in the house, she strongly implied that I was not my father's daughter."

Jaune's head snapped in place like he was slapped before he signed [What did she say?]

Weiss spoke up "I don't even know what I did to piss her off that day." Weiss paused "Hell it might have been nothing."

With a sigh, Weiss brushed the hair out of her face. "What she said amounted to how she wished she had come clean to my father about the guy she was sleeping with around the time she became pregnant with me."

Jaune sighed out, the only sound of exhaling air being lost to the background noise of the Heaters running in the school [Wow, so she admitted to you that your dad was not your dad?]

"Maybe… I mean maybe I am my dad's real daughter… I guess it never mattered one way or the other." Weiss said with a pause. "I guess I never really gave it a whole lot of thought at the time. I mean mom was so blackout drunk that she didn't remember even saying it." Weiss wrapped her arms tightly around herself "Jaune I was eleven when this happened"

Jaune put an arm around her and gave her a hug and signed with one hand [God Weiss, I'm so sorry.]

"I guess this ugly business with Ruby dragged up some old memories…" Weiss said "Look that's in the past and I had five years to move past it. I don't need you coddling me, but…"

Jaune tilted his head in confusion.

"I guess it's saying something that I see you and Mina as more of a family than my own parents," Weiss said.

It was then that they heard the bell signaling them to head for class…


A few hours later at the end of the day, Ruby found herself spending time with Penny of all people. Penny had introduced Ruby to the surprise hit that was "Pokemon" when she loaned Ruby a copy of her "Pokemon Red" game while Penny was playing the copy of "Pokemon blue." the pair sat in peace as they both played. Ruby was playing on her worn and battered old model Game Boy while Penny playing on a "Game Boy Light" with a Hello Kitty sticker slapped on the back of it.

Both of them were engaged in a low-level battle mostly for Ruby's sake as she had not been playing for nearly as long as Penny had been. Both of them were idly chatting away and laughing as they both played the hand, and Pokemon, they had drawn out.

Ruby tried to speak out loud to Penny, but her voice still came out with a thick almost toddler-like accent "So… How's Jaune been?"

Penny looked over at Ruby for a moment to get a read on Ruby's clearly concerned face before speaking. "Weiss asked all of us to not talk about Jaune with you"

Ruby sighed out a dejected "Oh" before she went back to playing.

Penny tried to read Ruby's expression and saw the concern on Ruby's face as she kept playing "Well Weiss ain't my boss though so I'll tell you." Penny said just as she sat her Game Boy next to her. "Honestly, I'm not good with people, I think animals and games are easier for me to get you know?"

Ruby nodded in understanding as she lets Penny continue "But Jaune has been quiet lately, like weirdly quiet. Blake said he was fine and that he was just being… I think she said introspective, But Weiss has said he was starting to backslide, whatever that means."

Ruby thought about it for a second before speaking in her awkward sort of way "Can you help me find him?" Ruby saw the confused look on Penny's face and instantly felt terrible for even asking her.

Penny hesitated, not sure what to do or say in the face of this kind of transparent desperation "I don't know…"

Ruby was about to say something when she stopped herself thinking "What in the hell am I doing... I'm about to ask Penny to take me to see Jaune when I know that he wants nothing to do with me anymore…"

After a pause, she said awkwardly "Never mind Penny… I don't think it'd be right for me to ask this of you"

Penny was seemingly brushing her off anyways as she looked over her shoulder waving "Oh hey Jaune!"

As Jaune walked by he was moving with a purpose carrying Weiss on his back staring her his phone with a deeply worried look on his face. Ruby remembered that he was given that cellphone by Ozpin for emergencies.

She joined penny in walking with them after grabbing their bags. As Ruby and penny struggled to keep pace with Jaune despite having Weiss being given a piggyback ride Ruby signed out a worried [What's wrong?]

"It's not your problem Ruby," Weiss said as her voice waver while being carried.

Jaune not being able to sign well while carrying so much voice his displeasure by smacking a locker as he went past and glared over his shoulder at Ruby.

Weiss shook her head at Jaune and said: "It's not her problem."

Jaune stopped like he was threatening to make her walk the rest of the way.

"Fine… It's Mina, He got a text saying she was slipping into labor, it's like 4 weeks early and he's panicking right not worried both his mother and the baby."

Ruby smiled and went stood in front of Jaune and signed [Hey, look, take a deep breath okay? four weeks is not all that early you know.]

Jaune handed his phone back up towards Weiss before he could sign with a now free hand [How could you possibly know that?] before he started to walk again

Ruby walked backwards down the hall keeping pace with Jaune trying to look reassuring [My dad said Yang was a preemie as well, she was born about 4 weeks early as well, the baby might be a little bit on the small side but that just means she was getting impatient in there.]

Jaune sighed as he kept walking for a few moments after letting her words percolate in his head he signed back [I'll try to keep that in mind.]

Ruby and Penny both fell in step with Jaune and Weiss, Weiss narrowed her eyes at Ruby and asked: "Just what the hell are you doing?"

[Coming with you two, I figured he could some emotional support] Ruby signed out.

"He doesn't need the emotional support of a harlot!" Weiss shouted before she continued "Besides Ren and Nora will be there. As will I, he'll have plenty of support"

[Then I won't be hurting anything by being there.] Ruby signed back [Jaune will have the entire JDF there after all.] she then signed giving a knowing smirk at Jaune

Jaune scoffed and signed [Do whatever you want.] As the four eventually made it Sam's waiting Minivan…

Waiting to carry Jaune and company to one of the most important moments of their lives...


So this chapter was a slow one to write, As I posted in the Fan fiction Friday a couple weeks back, I was diagnosed with severe tendonitis which neutered by ability to be at my computer for any serious length of time, and as nerfed by ability to play most video games as well.

But here we are almost at chapter 50, Next week as you can already see is the long awaited chapter when Mina has her baby!

So you all left a lot of stuff for me to comment on in the thread so I apologize if I don't tackle every point you all made in the comments, if I tried it would end up longer than the chapter itself. So here we go.

Sebine: Yes this entire fic is a lie, not a drop of Monochrome in sight.

Ammar Mohammad Anwar: I'm glad to see your enjoying the story so far.

typhonyx, Dragon lord Syed 101, and Malkor13: While i'm not going to say which of the three of you are the most right, I will admit you three made me look at the situation from new perspectives and I *might* have unconsciously shifted a few things around here because of that. I love the fact that you three wrote such rather different perspectives on what's going on in the story and made me a bit embarrassed that you three tacked angles of the events that I had not considered.

Gustrubio: Your getting singled out here because the difference in tone from your comments on chapter 19 and 48 made me kinda giggle a bit and kinda reaffirmed I did my job right here.

In any rate, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, and if your just coming back to the community with the release of volume 7, let me say welcome back! I hope to see you all next chapter, and as always have a great day!