Yay! Family Reunions!

(Alternative Title: Hello, Uncle)

Not for the first time since meeting Yang, Blake was grateful to have a family such as her own.

Sure, her family consisted of only her mom and dad who lived in another country entirely, but it felt like they were willing to cross that country to save her if she were in any trouble.

Ruby, after giving Yang many 'magical kisses', finally noticed the strange man with the strange smell, and blinked at Yang as Yang scooped her up.

Ruby pointed a finger at Qrow Branwen, her curious and confused face open for the world to see, and Blake was reminded again that despite the differences in hair and eye color, Ruby still was Yang's sister, and was similar to her in ways she couldn't imagine.

The message was clear for all to see: Who's that?

Blake winced, and prepared herself to support Yang in any way she could.

But Yang only tightened her hold around Ruby, and gave her a sweet smile. "No one, Ruby."

The man who was supposedly Yang's uncle deflated. He wanted to say something, Blake could tell, but one look from Yang was enough to shut his mouth and have him trudging out of their apartment.

Their home was tense, and silent. Even Ruby picked up on the heavy atmosphere, choosing to suck on her pacifier instead of babbling nonsensical baby words that sometimes made sense.

Yang looked down. Her grip on Ruby loosened, just the slightest bit. That was when Blake clapped her hands together and said, "Ruby, sweetie, why don't we tuck you in?"

Ruby's look was one of defiance. "No!"

Blake had to smile at the pure venom in her voice, and even Yang snorted and softened.

"C'mon, Ruby," she said, extending her hands, not breaking eye-contact with her. "I'll give you a cookie if you promise to be a good girl~"

Ruby's resolve was finally starting to crack.

"Oh, wow, one whole cookie!?" Yang grasped dramatically. Her expression was stiff, forced, and strained, but to a child, it looked as genuine as ever. "That's so many!"

"Maybe even two~" Blake winked, grinning a chesire grin. Ruby's eyes widened, before her brows furrowed down. Her confusion was evident, and Blake chuckled again. "Yes, Ruby. Two is more than one," she said, holding up two fingers, and bringing down one.

That was the last encouragement Ruby needed.

Quickly, Ruby made a beeline for her room, stripping out of her tutu, much to Yang's chagrin and Blake's offense. She wanted to scold Ruby, but was it really necessary? She wasn't old enough to understand modesty. Hell, she wasn't even old enough to understand numbers beyond ten.

Blake gave Yang a look, and brushed her hand against Yang's forearm, sliding down. "Will you be alright?"

The redness in her eyes gave Blake enough of an answer. "Don't give her more than two."

It was spoken weakly. Defeatedly.

Blake hoped a peck on the cheek and lips would quell Yang's internal struggles. "Can't make that promise."

Yang's smile was brief and small, but she did smile, so Blake counted it as a win.

Blake let her hold linger. The message, she thought, was clear: I'll come back for you.

Yang held the hand holding her and squeezed back: I know.

3 minutes later, and Ruby grinned in satisfaction, having eaten her 4th cookie while Blake mulled over how she was going to hide how there were 4 less cookies in their cookie jar with a defeated blush. It didn't matter how pathetic this was, Blake would not let Yang win.

Ruby tugging Blake's sleeve pulled her attention. "What is it, sweetie?"

Ruby frowned in confusion and a tad bit of anticipation. Her gaze lingered on the door. Where's Yang?

"Yang's had a long day." Blake kissed her forehead, and eased her into the blankets. Ruby loved her blanket. It was bright and red. And she loved stealing it and twirling it around her neck and pretending it was her cape. "Would you like me to read a story?"

Ruby nodded vigorously, and Blake chuckled. Ruby kept insisting that Big Bad Wolf should be bigger, had more teeth, but also friendlier, and Blake had to remake the whole story again. Apparently, Little Red and Wolfie were besties, and they went out to the woods hunting for other wolves and cooked them into food for Grandma.

Yeah. Okay. Let's roll with that.

For a kid who didn't talk much, Ruby was quite impressionable. It reminded Blake of Yang when she first met her; hands flailing around, always smiling widely and toothily, communicating more with gestures than words (though, Yang's gestures included winks and eyebrow wiggles, whereas Ruby's were pouts and nods. One was, obviously, adorable and made Blake's heart swell with love, and the other was trying too hard.)

Blake lingered in the doorway and watched Ruby. She'd be starting kindergarten soon. How fast time flew by. "Goodnight, Ruby."

Blake found Yang with a bottle of dollar-store wine they brought weeks ago out of kicks, hunched over in her couch, tense.

The way Yang was acting now reminded Blake of how she'd acted years ago, back when they were both confused teenagers trying to figure out how to raise a baby and deal with loss and school and jobs. Kids trying to raise a kid.

Qrow Branwen had always been an enigma. Yang had spoken highly of him, then cursed him, then stopped talking about him altogether.

He'd been a wild, rambunctious free spirit, always traveling everywhere. Then, he'd become a selfish flaker who didn't care about his own family. Now, he was a blank slate.

Blake sat down, and grabbed Yang's hand, clasping it with two hands. She felt as helpless as she'd been in those first few months, back when she'd thought her feelings for Yang were nothing more than a crush and would ruin their friendship if she were to do anything about it.

Yang was the first to speak, cutting off Blake's search for the right words. "I shouldn't have done that."

"Shouldn't have what?"

"Kicked him out."

Blake internally scrambled. "It's justifiable."

Yang shook her head and closed her eyes. "Doesn't mean it's right." Blake thought of Qrow Branwen, and how lost he'd looked. "I need to… talk to him, about a lot of things."

"Why?"

Yang looked at Blake, and Blake swallowed, more nervous than before. "I mean, you said that he- that you- I-" She paused, and let loose a sigh. "I don't know how to say this without sounding mean." She said, totally definitely not pouting reluctantly.

Yang seemed to get it, grinning that lopsided grin of hers. "Did I ever tell you how cute you and that pout of yours are?"

Blake Belladonna was not cute and she did not pout. "No."

"Yes."

"No."

"Yes."

"Yang, we are an adult and adults should not be doing these things."

"... Yes."

Blake facepalmed. "Forget I said anything."

Yang offered Blake the wine, and Blake relented after her 3rd offer. She took a sip, while Yang gulped down the entire glass. Blake raised an eyebrow. "Very ladylike of you."

Yang didn't respond. Not that Blake expected her to. She stared at the empty glass as though it held more than just air, and never put it down on the table.

"I'd like to invite him over for dinner," Yang said, soft, quiet, and unlike herself. "I know what he did to me, and I'm not saying I forgive him, but… Ruby, I think- I think she needs this, to know her uncle, even if he isn't really her uncle." Finally, she put the glass down, and looked at Blake. "I think I need this too. To let go, I mean."

And so Blake hugged her, and let Yang forget her pain by kissing her, and all she could think of was how much things had changed.

I want this to be a parallel of the previous chapter. Instead of Yang clinging to this idea and being pissed at everyone, she's telling herself "maybe the past should just stay in the past" and is letting go.

Hopefully, the next chapter will be dealing with Teenager Weiss and Mama Yang. That'll be fun.