Jaune reread the invitation twice before he went to his closet and pulled out the lone suit he never did wear at the resort. Jaune was not sure how he looked in an almost silver suit. The black shirt contrasted against a dark blue and silver tie. Better to have a good impression. He thought reluctantly. Hopefully it would be a peaceful talk with whoever invited him to meet in private. A car was awaiting him from the bullhead docks. Jaune let the driver take him to Juniors.

Jaune just leaned back in his seat of the limo and closed his eyes. Jaune knew he had not been there mentally for the last few days. Things were starting to calm down. Although there were a few days where Ozpin simply dismissed and told him to rest. Watt's never arrived to Atlas. Jaune had been quiet for a whole day when he learned that Watts' corpse was found aged by years. He was more than willing to admit he was disconcerted when a simple unmarked letter that arrived to him one quiet evening.

Favors are remembered. Thank you.

Jaune rubbed his face careful of his new scar. Eight days have passed since the operation. It was just yesterday that the stitches were removed. Jaune remembered inspecting his face after they were out. He never gave much stock to his scars before, but now there was one blatantly on his face he started to look at his other scars more often. He almost took Glynda on her offer to show him how to lessen the effect of the scar on his face. In fact he still might.

The car came to a halt and someone opened the door for him. "Welcome Mr. Arc. Your host is in Room Three Hundred and Six."

Jaune thanked the man and walked past a surprised pair of twins. It was hard to tell what they were surprised by. The expensive suit or that he was even there. Jaune spoke to Junior over scroll late evenings now. He had not been ready to face anyone who may confront him in Juniors home. Hei was happy to let him know the families were quiet. They had a private funeral for the traitor. Officially he passed away. But the families knew the truth of it. The man was well known for the accumulated favors he had gained. With him gone, the families felt it was at least right to give him a funeral even if a few dissenters didn't agree with it.

Thankfully there was no upheaval by the sudden vacuum of another family head that died in less than two years to murder. It allowed the transfer of power from the family head to the manager of the estate to happen quickly. The manager was no family head nor part of any family. That may have been why there had been no objects to leaving the control of the assets to him. The last he heard the manager had been attempting to find ways to pay reparations to the country as well as recover the many businesses that were forcefully evicted from the tower now that Beacon owned it.

That was something Jaune never even considered. Who owns the towers? As it turns out, Vale does not own the CCT. Beacon does. And they had owned the first one as well. They had been informed over fifty years ago of the tower's decommission and destruction. As that was proven false, the ownership of the tower went back to Beacon. Ozpin was having a time with Atlas to figure out what to do with it.

Jaune was sure Oz would figure something out.

"Third floor please." Jaune requested.

Jaune stayed silent until the elevator opened. Jaune gave the lift attendant a polite nod and walked onto the third floor. Jaune was not sure who invited him. But he only knew that they requested a private room to meet. When Jaune entered the room he found Neo standing in a long flowing blue dress. Her hair was down and covered her bare shoulders. Five Torchwick Mercenaries encircled her when they noticed the door open. Neo tensed for just a moment before she turned around to greet him.

Jaune swallowed and looked around the room. He had not heard anything from the mercenaries since the execution. He had intervened when the Council thought to investigate the mercenaries during their assessment of the past six months. Jaune had given an order of censure regarding the mercenaries. They have immunity when they are placed with a contract. That was specifically in their own agreement when they were given permission by the Council to create their open store front. It wouldn't give the mercenaries a pass. But they would not be convicted of any wrong doings either. Too many of the families have influence in the council for that to happen.

Jaune entered the room. "Hello Neo."

Neo looked up. She tilted her head slightly towards her guards who quickly left the two alone. Neo gestured to a seat while she took the one opposite.

"Is Roman alive?"

Neo frowned and sniffed. She made her hand flat and waved it back and forth. She beat her fist against her chest in a 1, 2, … 4 … 7. Rhythm. She made a heart in her hand and twisted it.

Jaune sighed. "I hope he makes a full recovery." There was no sorry to offer. Roman and Jaune knew that. Jaune had made his apologies before they fought.

Neo gestured with her thumb to her chest and made her hand raise two fingers. She gestured to the men outside the door and shook her head. Neo then made her hand flat and shook her head as she shook her wrist back and forth then her fingers made an R then a T.

"I see. Do you have any current contracts?"

Neo shook her head. She rubbed her fingers at him and made the sign she was ok. She looked at Jaune's face and lowered her head to look at the coffee table before she looked up. She pointed at her eye and shook her head before she moved her fingers to her temple and they expanded in an arc from her head then gestured to her eye and then him.

"I actually didn't know either. I walked in but I was not expecting you."

Neo nodded while pointing at his suit. The two sat in silence. There was no joy in the company. But like so many other times, there was no enmity between them either. "I'll be leaving Vale in two days." Jaune added.

Neo looked up to him and tilted her head, her ear faced him more.

Jaune leaned in his chair. "I need a break. I… need to get my head on straight."

Neo nodded. She made a hand circle around her face and tapped where his scar was and then two fingers in front of her face and just underneath her eyes then downward.

Jaune huffed and ran a hand through his hair. "That bad huh?"

Neo nodded.

"Penny will be taking over for me while I'm gone."

Neo looked interested but did not seem to want to cross that line. Not anymore. She nodded and moved her hand over her eyebrows, raised her hand to show four fingers and downward then away from her body.

"You don't have to. I just wanted to let you know if you take contracts and need to know what to look out for."

The corner of Neo's mouth relaxed just a little more and she nodded.

It was enough talk between the two that Jaune could relax. They sat in the silence and watched the people milling about the floors below them. "Did you ever try and remain a patrolman after you lost your voice?"

Neo blinked and thought about the question. She shook her head. She tapped her throat and made a thumbs down. She then quickly moved a fist and tapped the palm of her other hand.

Jaune simply nodded. There were so many things he wanted to ask her. He was lost and he was not sure he could get the answers he sought from other patrolmen.

Neo raised her hand. Jaune looked to her as she raised two fingers, then four then five in rapid succession. She then used both hands to show all her fingers flexed them once before she pointed to the people below them. She made a cutting motion with a single hand before she leaned over and poked a finger in his chest and downward to his feet. She did the same to his temple and pointed to his feet.

She sat back in her chair and shrugged her shoulders at him.

She tapped her closed fist on her arm rest before she raised her thumb up and did the same. Finally she moved her closed fist and extended her thumb to her chest and then waved her hand out in front of her.

Jaune watched it all. Finally in the silence that followed. "Thanks."

Neo reached for a bell on the coffee table and rang it once. One of the mercenaries opened the door. She raised two fingers to him before she tilted her thumb to mouth.

Jaune watched the exchange. "How good are they at understanding you?"

Neo rolled her eyes. She seemed to catch herself and tapped his elbow when he was not looking at her.

Jaune saw her hands move back and forth between the two of them and raised two fingers before the fingers close to be next to each other.

Jaune sighed. "Yeah. We're good Neo. What happened was my fault. Roman and I always knew that something like that would happen eventually. It happened so fast... I am sorry Neo."

Neo visibly swallowed and looked away. She raised an extended fist to him. Which he reciprocated.

-o-

Jaune left Beacon with little fanfare. The academy and the staff were the last thing on his mind as he took the time to visit his family. Jaune was surprised how little reaction Nuit and his mother reacted to scars. The remainder of the Arc family still in Anvil hugged him. He stayed in Anvil until the three councilmen were satisfied with their inquiries about the trail he performed.

Once he was given the clear signal. Jaune said goodbye to his parents and started to walk the trek down the main path of Anvil. Through the small town and its dirt roads, he noticed a few guards who he had worked with in the past. There was a surreal moment when they walked by and did not recognize him.

Jaune let it go. He had only been here to see his family. Any ties he really felt towards Anvil burned ages ago. Oddly enough when he thought about it he felt that way with Vale and Beacon.

Jaune had a feeling Ozpin knew already. But it was only confirmed before he left Beacon when Ozpin offered, "Let me know if you wish to terminate your arrangement, Jaune. You have done more than I could have asked for on behalf of Beacon and myself. I truly thank you for that. Even if you leave and decide to end your contract in the middle of your break, I wanted to let you know you are always welcome."

Jaune thanked the headmaster then. But thinking about how he felt about Anvil and how he now feels about Vale. At this very moment he did not wish to go back. At least not like this.

Jaune found the path that lowered itself to the basin. He had only been down this road twice since he was a child. Once with his family and once with during patrolman training. In the early morning hours he spotted a few caravans who had camped at the base of the plateau the night before. They were busy breaking camp and ignored him as he walked past them. After he was clear of all the noise and he could see the hundreds of miles before him, did he finally run.

Jaune ran as fast and as far as his body could carry him. He had family to visit and answers to find. His scroll was shut off and he carried a paper map for the trip. God knows how many days he would be on the road. But he felt too estranged from the rest of the world sitting in Beacon and Vale. Jaune needed to see the world. He wanted to find that broader perspective.

And just maybe he would find why he crossed the lines he did to protect Coco. Were there better ways? When he runs into the same problems again, and he has to come to those same choices. Jaune just wanted to make sure he found better answers. The right answers.

-o-

The months rolled by. As soon as the second-years finished the term, Coco had taken the longest contract she could find. A two month stint patrolling and going on seek and destroy sweeps in a small town too small to have a patrolman muchless a communication relay. It had been a harrowing time. Especially when she had to help hold off a swarm of grim with nothing but her aura when her gun jammed in the damp swamp air. But it had been worth it.

There were two weeks left until the semester would start with Coco as a third-year with her team. Coco had only now started the school work she was supposed to do over the summer to keep her mind sharp and thinking. The scenarios the professors put her through made her eyes crossed as the lines of text blurred together.

Coco sat on her desk, her arms folded under her as she dozed in front of a sunny window. Eventually her face scrunched up as she felt she was missing something.

Coco looked up and smiled at her newest trinket. It cost her the entire contract's pay, but it was worth it. Coco reached out to turn the dial on the pedestal. The music started to play and the whine of the tiny metal gears spun. She looked at the couple dancing on the platform to her favorite song for just a few seconds before she set her head back down and fell asleep. A smile firmly on her lips.

A/N: Thank you everyone who has read along with this story. I have been really happy with it and would like to thank everyone and their feedback and thoughts while I wrote it. Like I said a few chapters ago, this is the end of More than one way to protect you.

While I had thoughts of writing more even as a side story. The current real life circumstances have left me very little time to actually write. I'll see what it looks like next year. Until the next story guys! Thank you for following.

Z-ro