AN: OK! And here we go! Another chapter of Reverse! Jaune is back at home with the consequences of his journey loud and clear! Ruby has some odd bedroom habits that come from her mother. Weiss in on the hunt for Jaune. Blake considers mercy and warning! Jaune meats the person he so desperately wanted to see! All this and more in this chapter of Reverse!

Beta. Zepeda.


Jaune was having a good day. The boy blinked enjoying the look of his ceiling again. The roof in the Xiao-Long Rose household looked down at him as he yawned. "Finally I get my room back," Jaune said as he yawned taking the finally returned room of his in stride. Sliding his legs out of his bed, making them creak on the floor as-
The sound of running feet filled Jaune's ears as he groaned. This was a returning theme in the house ever since his adventure all those weeks ago; it looked that even with a bed freedom was still not quite-
"Jaune! Is that you!?"

"Yes, mother!" Jaune said wincing as-
"And where do you think you are going, young man?"
"I'm getting up?" Jaune asked as Summer paused, her breathing slow as-

"Fine. Breakfast in three minutes. Do not make me come get you or else." she said as Jaune sighed. Summer was still not allowing Jaune to go well anywhere alone. After he ran away, well not ran away but went to find his aunt Raven, Summer had been protective of him more than usual.

"Coming mom!" Jaune said quickly getting dresses throwing on his clothes before departing-
Lilac eyes waited for him as his sister crossed her chest.
"Morning Yang."
"Sup baby bro! Where are you going so early?" Yang asked her eye twitching as she ground her teeth. It was bad enough Jaune was still a kid in this timeline but this!? He almost got killed looking for Raven! Only Yang did that, and she stopped seven damn timelines ago! What was wrong with him!?

"I'm not a baby bro Yang. You are only a year older than me you know?"
"AH! So cute my little brother thinks he is a big strong man!"
"Yang!"
"Problem brother of mine who I love who almost got himself killed?"
"I.. no..."
"No what?"
"No big sister..."
"Who I?"
"Who I love."
"Good! Now come one we got to actually eat breakfast." Yang said locking her arm with her younger brother and future husband and father of their children as she walked down the stairs. As the two made their way down the stair as both siblings noses twitched as they smelled the tantalizing scent of Summer Rose's famous cooking.


"Good morning children! It's so good to see my daughter and son! In one piece and not doing anything foolish!" Summer said a harsh chirp in her voice as Jaune winced. Summer had yet to forgive him for his foray into the wilds fully.

The mom of the year, hell the mom of every year stood in front of him, white apron on and carrying trays of food. Steaming mounds of pancake, hanging with heavy dripping fat, along with piles of waffles and shaved ice. Summer usually made a lot of food, though today she was technically celebrating Jaune and Qrow's release from their punishment. Ever since the incident in the woods Jaune had been denied his bed privileges.

He was forced to have his bed moved into Summer and Tai's room to prevent any further adventures. Jaune was made to sleep where his adopted parents, who were now more dear to him than his real ones, slept. An arrangement that was not convenient for Jaune as every time he stepped one foot! Out of bed Summer was on him like Ruby on freshly baked cookies. Silver eyes were glaring daggers as she would escort him to the bathroom or get a glass of water. Summer had refused to let Jaune out of her sight, and he had gained a few more bumps and bruises from his training as a result.
"Qrow!" Summer shouted as her partner winced.

Qrow was also not entirely of his dog house. Summer while grateful that he had rescued her son, but he also had! Given her child! A nine-year-old hard liquor! That was beyond irresponsible, and Summer had confiscated his flask ever since. A task not made easy as taking alcohol from a Branwen usually ended in the death of either the Branwen or the one trying to take the liquor. Summer, however, had this Branwen just like her husband, whipped.

Qrow had given up his flask, his prized possession rather than face the angry mother's wrath and had crumpled like a house of cards. "Summer! I was just-
"You are just! Going to sit down and enjoy a nice nutritious meal with your family! That is what you, Qrow Branwen are going to do!" Summer hissed a bright, cheery smile on her face that could make an Ursa turn tail and made Qrow gulp.

"S-sure! Whatever you say! Sum-Sum."

"Psh! Whipped!" Yang hissed making an exaggerated whipping motion with her hand as Qrow glared daggers at her. Shaking his fist at his niece as-
"Qrow! Stop threatening the children!"
"But she started it!"
"Qrow. She. Is. A child. You do not. Argue with children."
"But Summer-
"No but's! Now catch." Summer said tossing Qrow's flask back at him as he gasped.

"You came back to me!" Qrow said cradling his flask as-
"Qrow. It's a flask, not a child."
"It's better than a child! It gets rid of anxiety rather than growing it!" Qrow grumbled as Yang pulled down her eyelid, sticking out her tongue at her uncle.
"Yang! Stop that!"
"Sorry, mom."
"Yeah, kid! Stop it!"
"Qrow! Child!"
"But-
"I don't care who started it! I'm finishing it! Now everyone sit down so we can have a good wholesome breakfast together!" Summer said silencing any and all arguments as the small woman smiled.

"There! All better, Tai how are you doing today?"

"Good dear! How are you doing?' Tai asked his wife smiling ear to ear. The man smartly staying out of the way of his angered wife as-
"And they call me whipped."
"What was that?!"
"Nothing!"
"Psh! Whip!" Yang hissed as Jaune took his seat next to her.
"Ruby, what does being whipped mean?"
"It means dad does whatever mom tells him to, or she makes him sleep on the couch."
"It's also the thing you like me to do to you when we get older." Ruby thought a slight blush on her cheeks as she gulped. She always knew her... hobbies were a bit abnormal, and a bit odd. But a couple hundred timelines gave her more than enough time to see what she liked and how to do it. And with Summer here it turned out she got most of her hobbies from her mother and Summer was not so saintly behind closed doors...

And the barking noises that came from her parent's bedroom had nothing to do with late-night TV... well not the TV a girl Ruby's age should be watching or even aware of its existence. She often wondered did her parents always have the leash tied up in their room or was that a result of Summer being alive long and having her hobbies develop further...

Ruby blushed images of Jaune, a fully grown Jaune, with rippling muscles, broad shoulders and a six-pack that she could and did, from time to time, grind meat on. Or knead cookie dough on bent over on all fours a Grimm mask on his face and a black collar on his neck, while she stood proudly behind him and-
"Mom?"
"Yes, sweetie! What is it?" Summer asked instantly back in her good mood. Summer was never mad at Jaune just thought that he was a kid making bad decisions and after his punishment was over, she saw no reason to be mad, as Jaune was just a child. Her child that is.
"What are your parents like?" Ruby thought as she cocked her head at her future husband.
"Can, we train today?" Jaune asked looking away from Summer as-

"Sure! You are out of school so why not? We can make a whole day out of it!"
" A whole day? That sounds-
"Too little! Ah! I'm a bad mother! We can train all of today and tomorrow! Hey, we can train the entire weekend! Oh, this will be so fun! I have so much to teach you!"
"More like beat him till he can't walk right?"
"What was that!?"
"Nothing! Nothing Sum! Just mumbling!" Qrow said as Summer glared at him.
"Well mumble a little softer, then. Jaune you want to go training with your mother don't you?" Summer asked flashing him a version of puppy dog eyes that made even Ruby quaked with guilt.
"I- yes mom."
"Great! We are going to have so much fun!" Summer said with a smile that only one who knew that the only one having fun would be themselves and that all other parties were going to be getting their asses raked through the coals.

It was at times like this Ruby wondered if she should be concerned her mother was taking out her fetishes on her own child. As Ruby was now decisively convinced, Summer was practicing... techniques on Jaune when they fought that her father would receive a far more intimate version of.
But that was a thought for another time, now? It was time to eat!

"So good!" Ruby groaned, her mother was always the best cook! Keeping her alive was paramount to her repeats. Once she had been able to do that it was somewhat smooth sailing from then on out, or it was until she died. Which was often, and often meant all the times. Sometimes Summer died later, sometimes she didn't die at all, but in the end, Ruby lost.

Cinder wins and everything was pointless. Or so she once thought, but if she kept that line of thought up she would give up and she would never do that. Not while she had a future to fight for that is. As Ruby contemplated her mother's questionable child raising Yang was having a more intimate conversation in her own head.

"Fuck. I'm running out of time! I don't have long until Signal; then I'm in Beacon! Sure Summer and Jaune here are amazing! And I don't think I can make this happen again; I need to change something! But what?" Yang thought as stuffed a mouthful of bacon into her mouth, her mind too preoccupied with finding out a way to not be killed to even begin to taste it. Really Yang was running out of options. Her skill level was nowhere near where it needed to be. And even if Ruby and Jaune were much stronger, they still needed to get better. And the only way Yang had been able to hold a candle! To Cinder no pun intended was when she did something, very, very stupid. She ran away.

As crazy as that sounds Yang ran away quite a lot. She left her home in Patch, to brave the wilderness, dodging Grimm, Uncles, cops and a worried father to go all the way to Mistral where a particular tribe awaited her. Yang made no bones about hating her biological mother. She was a coward and a murderer. Yang wanted nothing to do with her but despite everything wrong with her she had her uses.

One of them was making Yang strong. Stronger than she ever was when she stayed at home. She turned Yang from a child into a real combatant. Making her powerful, tough a real live Branwen. As she would say, and everytime Yang went she got better. She got stronger, but it cost her... mainly Ruby... Whenever Yang went back to Beacon after she left Ruby was cold distant.

Gone was her loving, trusting sister, that she knew and loved. Replaced with an aloof, cold and detached shell of a girl. Yang's absence crushed her sibling, and that leads to problems with their team and more often than not led to the fracturing of RWBY and the fall was made all the easier. Now that was not to say sometimes were not better than others.

Yang learned that leaving a note saying mom came for me was much better! Then Ruby believed she was kidnapped. Tai and Qrow did not look as hard, and Yang often had a troubled but needy sister to look out for. But like the other times, the emotional damage on Ruby was too much. She was not ready for it and while her mother's training was vital to anyone it was simply not feasible, not with her at least.
"Why is it always so damn complicated with this? Why can't time travel be easy?" Yang thought taking a bite of her bacon as she crunched!


Weiss was not used to the word mercy. She did not receive much of it in her timelines. And she did not give it in them either. She had three goals. One, marry Jaune, the blonde fool had taken her first-time multiple times over, and he would take full responsibility for that fact. Two, Keep her team and her dolt of a partner safe sound and secure. Three, Keep Winter safe; her family mattered a great deal to her. And that was why this recent or not so recent developments in her life were proving to be so troublesome.

"I'm sorry! I did not see you there!" The sharp voice Weiss's younger sibling rang out as the Schnee winced. She and her younger sibling had in all of her time loops a tumultuous relationship t the best of times and a downright hostile one at the worst. Weiss did not know her younger brother. Even after all this time and death, Whitley was as much a stranger to Weiss on the three hundredth time loop when he was on her first original one.
"It's ok Whitley. I'm not mad." Weiss said in a cool calm voice, her blue eyes growing as she looked to her only younger sibling. "Thank you, sister! I'll get going now! Sorry to trouble you."

Whitley said the boy's voice frail and weak. Like that of a mouse talking to a tiger. Weiss preferred his voice like this. It was better than when he got to be older and was malicious and cruel when his voice gained that high pitched whine to it that made her teeth itch.
"Whitley, are you ok? Why are you out this late?" Weiss asked now noticing the time. It was eleven pm. She was out this late because she needed to do research, research that might just save her younger brothers life along with more.
"I! I didn't mean!"
"Whitley?" Weiss asked her eyes narrowing on her younger sibling. Whitley was dressed in his pajamas, a loos silver shirt two sizes too large. And pans much the same. He looked like he had been sleeping until recently and was very rudely awakened. "Did you have a nightmare?" Weiss asked her younger brother whose bright blue eyes a dead match for her own lit up in fear. "No! I didn't! I didn't have one! I was just..." Whitley trailed off his eyes shaking with fear as he looked up and down. Stammering as-

"You had a nightmare, didn't you?" Weiss asked again as Whitley shook his head vehemently. "NO! I did not! I'm too old to have nightmares..."
"You are seven, that is not too old."
"I am! I was just out for a walk!"
"At eleven at night?"
"I... yes..." Whitley said shaking his head as he dropped his eyesight. Weiss sighed.

"You are close to our parents' bed, were you going to ask them to help you sleep?"

"NO!" Whitley hissed his eyes tearing up as Weiss paused. There was once a moment when her brother crying brought her joy not now. "You are close to their bed-
"I wasn't doing anything!" Whitley denied the lie clear as his pale face that reminded her of freshly fallen snow. Weiss sighed her younger brother had a nightmare, that was all. He was debating if he could go to his parent's room without getting scolded and sent back with a painful emotional rebuke. He was a child and one that might need her help.
"I'll just go!" The child said storming past Weiss as-

"Whitley... if you ever need to talk... I'm here you now? I am your sister."
Weiss said as Whitley paused. Even this far in their respective timelines her and Whitley were not close. Their father kept them apart as the only real interactions she had with him was at meal times. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Three meals a day, always on a schedule like clockwork. Weiss knew from many, painful experiences that Whitley was being groomed as a potential heir to her company.

A position that at least now he did not want. Weiss was the original heiress but that never worked out. Or when it did it often ended in pain and bloodshed. But that was beside the point. Weiss knew that if she was cruel to her brother. If she was cold and aloof if she let the pains of her past life take hold than Whitley would go from a relatively harmless if not persistent annoyance to a legit threat.

He was her brother; he was a Schnee. An angry Schnee was not something Weiss had time to deal with. She knew that from many experiences Whitley was not one to forget those who wronged him. And had a habit of revenge, that he preferred to take at the worst possible time.

Whitley had never killed Weiss by his own, but he had on many, many times made sure her life was miserable, and while Whitley was never a murderer, he was not above letting her and her friends die or putting them in situations that would make it impossible for them to survive.
To be blunt, Weiss had to be nice, it cost nothing to extend a hand of friendship, but it would cost her everything to strike in anger. And as such, she held out her hand.

"If you ever need to talk Whitley I am here for you. Just know that ok?"
Weiss asked smiling at her brother as he looked at her like she had grown a third arm.
"I... why are you so nice?" The younger Schnee asked his eyes narrowing on his sister with clear suspicion. Even at this age, he was clearly taking after his father well. He was not trusting of Weiss and to be fair he had no reason to be. He was not a Ruby to Yang. He was almost a stranger and-
"I'm your sister. Why can't I look out for my younger brother?" "What do you want?" Whitley asked his shaking voice gone; eyes narrowed eying Weiss like a deer eyes a bear.

"I just want to look out for you, is that so strange?"
"You've never done that before. Why start now?"
"Because I want to. You are my brother, and I care for you."
"You say that."
"I do say that."
"Fine, but I'll go back to my room alone... thank you, sister," Whitley said his confidence failing. He was still unable to look at his elder sister in the eyes as he ducked his head and moved past her. Going back to his room as Weiss sighed.

"I hope he gets better." Weiss thought as she rubbed her head. She and Whitley were never like Ruby and Yang, but whenever she tried to help him, he tended to call in fewer hitmen and cut off lien and dust to their ragtag group after the fall of Beacon. A neutral Whitley was infinitely better than a hostile one. Researching was one of the many things Weiss had grown tired of over the loops. She had learned of her enemies names. She knew of the fall she had yet to prevent it, but she still had time.

She was crunched over a small computer on the Schnee family library, her fingers busily typing away on a screen.

"Where are you?" Weiss asked a large blue blanket pulled over her back and head wrapping her up in a comfortable cocoon of sorts as she searched the web.
She looked for keywords only. She knew what she was searching for or who. Weiss despite marrying, loving and at more than one time sleeping with Jaune knew next to nothing about him. Well, that was not true. She knew he liked having his back scratched, his head rubbed and when she wore a pair of cat ears during sex. The last part was a fetish he was particularly enthusiastic about for some reason.

But that was not important not yet. She was too young to get the cat ears anyway. No Weiss was looking for pre-Beacon Jaune. Post beacon Jaune she knew from the top of his uncut Blonde hair to his scruffy tennis shoes that had clearly seen better days. Weiss knew very little about Jaune's personal life before Beacon. All she knew for sure was that he was a runaway. He left his home at a very young age, four? Is she remembered correctly and he had never had contact with them since.

He never revealed much about his home life, but from what little Weiss could glean he was never abused or mistreated. His family seemed loving and caring if not closed. They lived in an isolated hamlet somewhere in the ass end of nowhere. As Jaune so often called it. The boy had wandered the world for over thirteen years before arriving in Beacon in a shoddy pair of third-rate armor. A horrendous hoodie and jeans and a garnish sleep snuggie that made her want to vomit.

"I would sell my left kidney for that damn thing." Weiss hissed, Schnee manor never one to turn up the heat even in Winter. Something about bills. Jaune's horrible onesie despite being an abomination to the eyes was impossibly irrationally warm and, and she would kill to be in it with him right now. But still, Weiss was being distracted. Runaway. Blonde. Missing person. Ansel. Weiss looked up the few keywords to her search as she glared downward where several news snippets played out.

Missing boy! Child vanished at night! Local boy not at home! Parents shocked a community destroyed and a family in mourning! All played out in front of Weiss. Two large adults both with blonde hair and blue eyes stared at her. The woman Juniper Arc crying her eyes red with tears openly, while her husband Nicholas Arc glared at the camera with a steely expression. Juniper and Nicholas Arc, Jaune's parents, and if it all worked out her future in-laws...

The thought of marrying her knight made Weiss gush as she gulped once and pressed forward on her computer search. A small child runs away from home. Family devastated. Search canceled after six months, no sign of Jaune Arc found. Child last seen wearing blue jeans, a black Pumpkin Pete hoodie with a white rabbit's head on the front. The child has blue eyes and blonde hair. If alive Jaune would be thirteen years old. If any information surfaces, please call the Ansel police department or your local law enforcement agency. Reward offered.

"That's not too bad. Jaune did survive on his own every single loop before now, so there is no reason for him to die now." Weiss thought smiling as she sighed.
"Now where the hell are you? I've checked every damn police record that I can access and no sightings of a blonde runaway? You did not just live in the wilds until-
"Weiss?" A cool voice said as Weiss almost jumped out of her skin.
Her head snapping back to the left as she saw a pair of shining blue eyes under a long ponytail of white hair as-
"Winter?!"
"Weiss? What are you doing up?" Winter asked cocking her head at her only sister. Winter was young, nineteen years old and recently enrolled in Atlas Academy. Her body wrapped up in a tight form fitting silver military uniform and her eyes cool but warmly regarding her sibling. "I! I'm just doing some research!" Weiss said covering her screen as Winter cocked her head.

"Research? On what?" "I! Personal matters!"
"Personal matters? What personal matters need you to be on the library computer at eleven forty-nine at night?"
"I! It's a personal issue sister!"
"Weiss... are you keeping secrets?"
"What? No! Not at all Winter."
"Really? Then will you let me look at your screen?"
"I!"
"Weiss?"
"I! You!" Weiss yelled felling a lot like Whitley earlier as Winter cocked her head. "I? Me?"
"It's nothing!"
"Then you won't mind me-
"Why are you up?"
"Excuse me?"
"Father said you had to be back home by ten! Why are you just getting in?" Weiss asked as Winter froze her eyes going wide as saucers.
"I asked you first!" "I asked you second!"
"Do not question your elder sibling!"
"I won't! As long as she does not question me... that is..." Weiss said as Winter sighed.
"Fine. Weiss go to be, now or I will tell father about this."

"Yes, Winter!" Weiss said scurrying past her favored sibling as Winter sighed.
"That girl, what was she looking at?" Winter thought as she eyed the still open computer.
"Missing boy? Jaune Arc? Presumed dead? Weiss? Who is Jaune Arc?" Winter asked no one as she looked at the computer screen sitting down.
"Missing child, a family is torn apart, a community devastated? Weiss what the hell are you looking at?" Winter asked again as she began to look into her sister's search history as she got comfortable in her cushiony chair putting on Weiss's blanket, dropping the long blue cloth over her shoulders as she cracked her fingers as she began to dig.


"I don't believe I have to do this." Summer said rolling her eyes, her hands rubbing her face as Qrow smiled.
"Don't worry Sum, nothing's going to happen!"
"You say that now but I do not! Want to leave my son with someone who is less responsible than he is." Summer said crossing her arms as Qrow sighed.
"Sum, he's sick, look at him? He can't even say a damn sentence." Qrow said pointing to the bundle of clothes he called a nephew. Jaune was down with a nasty cold and so far he needed someone to look after him around the clock. Or well he didn't, kid had his aura unlocked, he could get the plague and still probably walk off ok.

"Qrow, he's sick. Can I really trust you to look after him?"
"Of course! He's my nephew after all. What could possibly go wrong?" Qrow asked his face flashing a wide toothy smile as Summer groaned.
"Ok. Ok. Fine. You get to watch him for a day! One day! Don't let anything happen to him ok?"
"Fine, fine I'll watch the kids back! Don't act like I'm going to have someone bite his head off K?"
"Considering the last time you had him were alone something literally tried to bit his head off."
"That wasn't my fault!"
"I know. I know just... look after him ok? I'm trusting you ok?"
"You can trust me Sum."
"Fine. Ok just let him rest if he's feeling better after some time take him outside, but no TV! He needs to rest his eyes ok?"
"You got it Sum. Good luck with your hunt!"
"Fine. You need to call Oz though. He says you and him have to talk about something."
"Great, more conspiracy nonsense. Great."
"Don't complain you asked for the bird power." Summer said before blurring up to Jaune's bundled form.

"Stay in bed sweetie. Mommy loves you very much." Summer said kissing Jaune's forehead once before nodding to Qrow.
"Look after him."
"I will."
"Take care of him."
"I will."
"Not a single hair off his head."
"Summer! Do you think I'm going to kill my nephew?"
"No. But you could get him drunk again."
"It was one sip!"
"He was a child!"
"He almost died!"
"Don't give children liquor Qrow! How hard is that to get!?"
"It's not!"
"Then don't do it!"
"I won't!"
"Fine!"
"Fine!"
"Good!"
"Good!" Summer said shouting once bere blurring out of the door, and off onto her mission. Qrow waited, he counted the time until the footsteps died off as he heard a car startup. He waited five minutes after the car left the driveway and ten minutes more after that until he smiled.
"Ok kid get up."
"On it!" Jaune said springing up from his bed as Qrow smiled. Jaune and Qrow had a little hobby of sorts. Some uncle-nephew bonding. Summer always said Qrow should be close to Jaune and even if they were not related Qrow liked the kid. He had spunk, and having the kid fake sick to skip school gave Qrow a decent excuse to drink and not look like an ass.

"So what's the plan today uncle? Food, games, movies?" Jaune asked blue eyes shining with glee as Qrow smiled. "Well, we are going to the park."
"The park? Why?"
"Because I need to look like I'm a good uncle and the women in the park love a single dad, so look the part ok?"
"Got it! I'm the emotionally damaged nephew barely hanging on with my down on his luck uncle!"
"Good job! Now let's get out of here, I'm getting cramped."


"Are you ok!? You look like the devil!" A tall woman who was as Qrow called past her prime and in need of care bent down to pet his head. She was a tall woman with long brown hair wide green eyes and tanned skin, just Qrow's type.

"Jaune! There you! Don't run off like that kid! I was worried!" Qrow said sauntering up to Jaune seeing his nephew give the signal as he grinned.
"Oh? Are you his father?"
"What me?" Nah! I'm his uncle but he thinks of me as a dad right Jaune?" "Of course! Uncle Qrow is just like a dad to me!" Jaune said smiling widely faking his attraction to some extent as the woman smiled.
"Oh, that's so sweet! It's nice to see a man taking an active role in his child's life for once."
"Oh I do what I can, but work takes me away more than I would like."
"Work? What do you do?"
"I'm a hunter! Professional actually." Qrow said grinning ear to ear as the woman took his line hook, line and sinker. "Really? You a hunter?" The woman asked her eyes turning into slits as Jaune sighed.

The boy slipped away leaving Qrow time to do his work that often entailed getting a scroll number. A task Qrow accomplished in record time as the woman bid him goodbye blowing him a raspberry in the process. Shaking her wide hips in a seductive manner as Qrow sighed.
"Now that was a hunt," Qrow said grinning ear to ear as he returned to his nephew.
"Did it go well?"
"What do you think? I got the number."
"Nice and for me?"
"Yes, yes you'll get our new game for your birthday. I'll make sure you do." Qrow said smiling ear to ear as Jaune grinned.
"Nice! Can we get some lunch now?"
"Sure, why not? Sports bar?"
"Sports bar," Jaune said as the two wandered off.


Killing was part of life. All animals killed in some way or another. Coyote ate cattle and cattle ate grass. Life was taken, life was created, and life would go on. That was the simple truth Blake believed in as she glared down at her mentor. Adam, he was young very young and already he was strong. Nowhere close to the monster he would become but get closer. Blake held her blade up debating if she should kill him or not. Killing Adam delayed the fall but Cinder always had a backup plan.

Even when Blake killed her the fall still happened. Killing one of them did nothing, killing both of them delayed the inevitable so Blake had a choice. If she killed Adam Yang kept her arm. Jaune would not be murdered and then he would live a bit longer.

However, Sienna would take control of the Fang. She was a more cautious leader than Adam. She would still side with Cinder and then the fall would just happen later on. Now Sienna running the Fang was equal parts a tragedy and a literal blessing. On one hand, the leader of the genocidal group of terrorists had a good head on her shoulders. On the other?

The leader of the genocidal group of terrorist had a good head on her shoulders. Sienna was far more practical than Adam but she was often more... efficient. She killed more people overall than Adam ever did and even when she did negotiate with them only Jaune stood a chance with her. The love of her life had on a few separate occasions talked her down from straight genocide to light massacres. A minor victory but a victory and one that Blake needed.

"I should kill you, now," Blake said as she eyed Adam's neck. It would be so simple to kill him now. End the threat of him before it ever really began. But Blake stayed her hand, she could not take another loop. Another timeline of Jaune's death. No, she would let Adam live for today. After that, they would meet in the future and when Blake met him again this time she would kill him, simple as that.


"You won a lottery? With Jaune?" Summer said as she glared at Qrow.
"Yes."
"That is so suspicious I bet the cops are already coming to the house with a warrant for your arrest." Summer said the howl of wind in her ears as she sat on the bullhead on it's way to Atlas. The Rose Xiao-Long family was currently on their way to Atlas after Qrow and Jaune had won. Quote unquote, a vacation voucher for the family.
"Just how the hell did you get this anyways?" Tai asked carefully to not swear too much around his children. More for Summer's sake and not his own. Jaune was carefully out of his mother's glare not meeting her eyes as he was busy being sandwiched between Ruby and Yang as the children spoke.
"I wonder what Atlas will be like?" Jaune asked shivering a bit the cold wind while mostly buffered was still creeping into the craft as he shivered.
"Cold. Very. Very. Very. Cold." Yang said shivering her teeth chattering and her arms latched to her younger sibling for ear life. Jaune was a space heater for her and she was so far refusing to let him go. Yang had a low tolerance for cold weather if her semblance was anything to go off of. And she felt like she was going to snap in half and shatter in a million pieces.

"Fucking Atlas! Why am I here so early? Weiss is still craggy, the SDC is not that corrupt and there is no way I can get the relics! Who is the Winter maiden right now anyway?" Yang thought teeth chattering as she gripped her future husband for dear life. As Yang chattered her teeth and Jaune wondered why Summer thought it was bad that Qrow was using Jaune as a hook, Ruby was smiling ear to ear. Her legs swinging normal knees wrapped in a firm layer of warm fur as she sat bundled head to toe in thick red robes. The small Reaper a ball of red as she grinned.

"Atlas! Atlas! This means I might see Weiss! OH! If I can get to her now think of all the good I can do!? I can make Weiss less Weiss! If I can get on her good side now then I can make out team even better!" Ruby thought legs swinging side to side as she hummed.

"I wonder where Weiss is? Is she still in her mansion? Will we get to see her sing!? I always wanted to see her sing! I never got a chance to do that when she was sober." Ruby said memories of a drunken Weiss giving a terrible impression of her own Mirror Mirror in a bar in Haven filled her mind making the small reaper giggle.

"Weiss was never able to take her tequila.' Ruby thought grinning ear to ear as her mom chewed out her uncle.
"So you used my son to get laid."
"I did not use him to get laid! I just took him to the park where women just found Jaune adorable? And my rugged roguish charms make me irresistible? How am I supposed to tell women what to do?" Qrow asked playing dumb as Summer didn't buy it for a nanosecond.

"Qrow. You used my son, your nephew to get laid. What the hell is wrong with you!?"
"In my defense-
Qrow froze as Summer's eyes narrowed to slits as a faint silver glow appeared in them.
"I swear to Oum if you say you were drunk-
"I was sober!"
"Good. Now, what is in your defense Qrow?"
"I... I fed him lunch?"
"The bare minimum is your defense? What is wrong with you?" "I'm an alcoholic, last surviving member of a bloodline known for bloodshed and robbing. I have problems ok?"
"Oh, poor Qrow! My parents are bandits! When was the last time you stole a lien from anything?"
"If I said I stole from the swear jar to pay for drinks what-
A blade pressed into Qrow's thigh as Summer smiled.

"I would say stop talking while I decided how I'm going to punish you."
"Testy! Testy!" Qrow said waving his hands as Tai rubbed his head, looking to she son and grinning.

"Jaune you excited about going to Atlas?" Tai asked taking a moment to not get between an angry Summer and her prey. He didn't get to talk to his adopted son as much as he would like and this seemed a good time as any. The fact he was preventing himself from becoming a grandpa so early was secondary. "Kind of been a while since I was here," Jaune said swinging his legs as Tai paused.

"The last time you were here? When did you get to Atlas?"
"I spent a week there by accident when I left my old home," Jaune said absentmindedly as the conversation around them died. All ears turned to Jaune as Tai smiled a true neutral I'm your father and I want to talk smile on his face as he put his hands on his lap.

"So you went to Atlas when you traveled?"
"Yeah, I spent a week here by accident."

"By accident? How did you do that?" Tai asked waving Summer down in a moment. Any information on Jaune's past was sketchy at best and guarded at worst. Over three years of living with the boy and Tai only knew that he ran away from a home that didn't want him anymore, anything besides that? That was a mystery, one that Summer wanted to know more than anything-

"Well, I was traveling with a group of people."
"A group? Hunters?"
"Not really."
"Soldiers?"
"Mercenaries? I think that's the word for it." Jaune said as Tai saw Summer's eye twitch. The idea of her son and a band of soldiers of fortune not sitting well with her apparently. "So you said mercenaries? How did you meet them? Did you hire them-
"Not really. They were going to Atlas not me. Like I said I visited Atlas by accident."
"What does by accident mean? Did you want to go-
"Nah, they kind of kidnapped me-
Qrow's hands flew up faster than Tai knew was possible. Covering Summer's mouth as a muffled shriek left her lips. Her fist balled as Tai gave his daughters a glare that meant silence. Any words from them would be met with swift and harsh punishment. "Kidnapped? Jaune that's not good you know?"
"I know but I got out of it fine. As it turned out they didn't have much use for me and with no one to ransom me to they just kind of kicked me out into the snow when we were done."

"They kicked you into the snow?!" Summer shouted finally breaking free of Qrow's gag, biting his fingers making him wince.
"Ouch! Sum!"
"They kicked you into the snow!? They abandoned my baby!?"
"Mom!? What did I do!?"
"Nothing!"
"Then why are you-
"Ok! Enough of that! Jaune thank you for sharing. Summer. Clam down." Tai said giving his wife the 'we will talk about this later' look that she hated. The woman grumbled not liking what she was hearing as Tai groaned...


"Is... is that it?" A muffled chilled voice asked through chattering teeth snowflakes falling freely as twin eyes peered up through a pair of binoculars. "Yup. That's the one." Another gruff voice replied. Twin figures sat looking down at the smoking ruins of what had once been a gala. The smoking ruined wood burned bright in the Atlas winds and the bodies of the wealth, rich and elite laid bare for all to see. The recently plundered dead gave no smell thankfully the cold handling that as the two men worked their way past the grave. One looking through his binoculars at the distant for now Atlas response force that was coming in hot.

A Grimm attack this close to the city was rare enough especially at a gala like this. The big shots at Atlas needed to make a show about what was going on making them look strong so people would stop panicking and by default attracting more Grimm. The response force was big, overwhelmingly so. Two battleships some light cutters and a plethora of other craft roared forward followed by many, small lights on the grounds as military and relief vehicles roared on kicking up great plumes of smoke and snow in the process.

"What the hell happened?" The first voice asked rubbing his hands together as the other sighed.
"What do you mean what happened? Grimm attack, that's what happened."
"I know that but I mean how? How the hell did she know the Grimm was going to attack? I mean what gives her that ability?" One man asked as they two pilfered what was left of the dead.
"You know her, the chief can see the future man. She's good like that."
"I know! But it's creepy. One day she wakes up screaming saying she saw the end, now she makes us go here to look for a kid? What kind of sense does that make man?"
"He is not just some kid, you saw him jump out of a bullhead to kill a Deathstalker? Kid's got heart I'll give him that much."
"I know, I know but what makes him so special Raven had to single him out? What does he have that makes him so valuable? And how the hell does she know his semblance!?"
The outlaw asked finally becoming too curious as the other sighed.
"Look, man, I don't know. You know how Raven gets now be quiet! She's here." The man said as the tall blood black figure of Raven appeared. The bandit leader scowled looking over the wreckage of the gala. How she knew the Grimm would come baffled her men, almost as much as her obsession with finding the blonde boy who was now draped over her shoulder like a bag of flower.
"Raven-
"Enough. We got what we came for. Now we are leaving. The woman said slashing her sword as a glowing red portal opened up and the three bandits vanished without so much as a whisper.


AN: And there we go! Weiss makes peace with her brother! Qrow is out of the dog house for the time! And Jaune meets the woman he was so looking for! Raven makes her appearance and she knows the future?! What's that about? Well, it will be revealed next time along with Jaune's new family. Warning! Time skip inbound! After this Bastion is next! Almost done, then Game on! Which will have a season finale next Tuesday! That will also begin the start of The Apprentice! Along with the Forged Destiny inspired fic that just got permission from Couer? Things are looking busy! Hope you enjoyed and Merry Christmas! Or non-denominal Winter celebration, whatever floats your boat.