AN: Ok! Sorry for the delay and truly thank you for sticking with me and this story for so long! I really wish I could have updated sooner but life has not been doing so great for me so it was delayed for other works sadly. Now a bit of a content warning for this chapter! I've been in a bad place mentally this year covid stress the loss of a family member etc. have taken a toll on me and I almost abandoned this work because I thought I couldn't do it. So I forced myself to write this as more of a light hearted chapter. Just to make it easier and to keep my interest up so apologies if it is not as heavy as it could be but! However I am now focused and motivated to keep the fic and plot up as I planned it out so expect more updates to be much more plot centric and less... eccentric. Thanks for the patience and happy new year!


Blake was used to trauma, in all of her past repeats and do overs she had experienced it to no end. Be it the stress of being hunted by the SDC or renegade Fang members. To the strange numbness that had often crept into her heart and took root like rot when the loss of a friend became clear and apparent.

To the inevitable strange and terrible emptiness that came after combat. She was used to it all by now but having the love of her life taken from her again and held hostage against his will was still one of if not the most strenuous things to happen to her.

"What's happening? What is the current situation?" Blake hissed as the detective turned to her and raised an eyebrow. He was an older man, a human that seemed to not know why a young faunus was talking to him on this cold and painful night. But he took a look at the entourage she had behind herself before he seemed to make the connection that she was a huntress or had to be associated with them at least. Which allowed him to quell his frustration and concussion as he nodded once.

"Well, it's not looking good. The hostage has been taken for over three hours now. And while we have the entire building surrounded we don't know what they are going to be prepared to do. I'm afraid times like these make people desperate and desperate people make stupid decisions."

"What is the current plan for target extraction? Is there a negotiator on the way? Or are they already in contact with the criminals? What is the plan to take the building by force if need be? What is the formation you plan to use to storm the location when negotiations fail?"

Pyrrha asked as she gave the man a polite and practiced smile. Despite this not being the first loop that she had to deal with Jaune in a hostage situation she got to feel the novel experience of being on this part of the police line and not on the other side of it.

I wonder if their hostage rescue tactics have changed at all in this loop? They tend to be the same but every now and then they seem to get creative. Pyrrha thought as the man looked gobsmacked for a second before he shuffled awkwardly, his crisp blue uniform suddenly feeling too tight as he sighed loudly.

"Well, in that order? The official council position is to not negotiate with terrorists-"

"But in times of a student of Beacon in danger and other extreme circumstances negotiation has been done, and there is more than enough precedent to apply it to this situation," Weiss said crisply and coolly. Her emotions were barely kept under check in her cool and icy eyes.

"That is true, and we have tried to talk to them, but they won't reply to any of our calls. So that means for now we are working on cutting off the lights, water, and other utilities before stunning the enemy and storming the place from all locations at once. We play to take everyone alive and have minimal to no casualties on either side by the end of this operation.

You can rest easy with us ladies, nothing has gone unaccounted for-" The man was interrupted as a lone gunshot suddenly pierced the air. For a moment, everyone was still than another, and another filled the air as pistol shots began to fire as the man hissed.

"Get down!" He shouted as the sounds of stray pistols fired turned quickly into the low thuds of higher caliber rifles being discharged as they were then joined by the violent cacophony of machine guns and other automatic weapon fire as the entire warehouse suddenly erupted into a hail of gunfire and faunus screams as all hell seemed to break loose!

As the bullets fired, the warehouse was suddenly filled with holes from the inside out as it seemed the White Fang was busy shooting each other.

"Did they have a falling out with leadership?" Ruby hissed, her weapon already drawn as she was ready to take on all of them at once if it meant a chance at saving Jaune's life. She had lost him far too many times to count, and this was not going to be the one where she lost him this early to the damn minions of their real enemy, dammit!


Sometime earlier...

Ilia was used to getting up early and staying up late. She was used to living in the worst places that could be still considered somewhat habitable. She had lived a rough life ever since she was beyond childhood and now that she was here in Vale, a whip in hand and a scroll in the other she took a moment to reflect on the life choices that had brought her here in the first place.

"Well, if he's the one, then I guess so. Why do you want him alive? He seems a bit too dangerous to take in alive." She hummed as the masked man behind her sighed and shook his head slowly. Looking over the specialist sent from Menagerie with a frown on his face.

"I think that the orders from on high are far more impactful than your own suspicions ma'am."

"Well, now that's true, but I just don't see why we care about interrogating someone that has killed so many of us."

"I have my orders and so do you. Bring him in alive and mostly unharmed. I don't know why they want him like this, but that's the job. Will you do it? Or do we have to call home and tell them this specialist is not living up to her reputation?"

"Jeez calm down for a second, will you? I never said that I would not do it, I just was asking if this was the best suggestion given how clearly dangerous he is."

"If you don't think you can do it, just say so. There is no shame in admitting the limits of your abilities. You are still young, after all."

Yeah right. Might as well ask me to shoot the chances of my rise through the ranks in the foot as well.

"It's no issue. I'll have him in your gentle embrace within the week so don't worry about me ok?"

"If you say so. I pray for your success sister."

"You don't need to do that. Like you said I'm a professional. I always get the job done. Or do my best anyway."


Coco was pissed off.

"A broken fucking leg? Fuck me, this is gonna suck so much ass!" Coco grunted as the nurse frowned, the fox faunus checked off several boxes on a clipboard before giving Coco a warm smile.

"Well if it makes you feel any better you should be up and fit to go after one to two weeks in here. Three at the worst but with your aura and the help of that young man from before in your wounds I think you have an excellent chance of making a full recovery." The young woman said as Coco sighed she had been injured before and she had broken more than just a leg in the past.

Fucking hell the Fang in Vale now? So soon? Not even that close to Vytal and they are already messing about? I'm going to have to put in extra work and get the hell out of here to put a bullet in their heads.

"You should listen to the doctor Coco, you don't know when you will be able to be fixed." Velvet said with a small smile it was hard to care as much for her best friend in her current state. Or it was hard for her to do so to the true limits of her passion. She had been through so many loops and she had been through so much pain, loss, and overall trauma that what did one more matter to her life? Especially such a minor one in a mountain of suffering.

"Yeah, I know you mean well, Vel. I know that you want to see me all ready to kick ass and look good doing it again, but trust me, I'll be out of here in half the time!" She said, smiling as her shy friend gave her a weak smile. Coco interrupted this as just Vel being a bit shyer than she usually was, but that was in her nature. Timid just like a real rabbit, even if she was not even close to being a rabbit in real life.

"Well, you never know what can happen out there, so just try your best to be careful ok? We need our leader, and I still like my friend."

"Just like? I thought you loved my Honey buns?"

"I only love you when you don't call me that and listen to the nurse, ok?"

"Yeah, yeah I know listening to the nurse don't blow things up don't have any fun. Same ole things, right, Vel?" Coco asked, smirking as Velvet sighed, knowing that she was not going to get anything out of her partner for now. Instead, she turned her face to the object of her affection so close to her. Jaune was by Coco's bedside in a strange but familiar part of her many loops.

Not the first time you picked Coco over me. And it won't be the first time that we ended up sharing you. She's my best friend, so that's ok. Or maybe I'll just steal you away from her when the time comes, right? I wonder what it should be this time around? Velvet wondered as she knew that while every loop was different, she was going to need to make a choice on just how much friendly she should be with her friends and rivals before she staked her claim hard.

"So is this how you treat all the guys you take out? Show them a good time for a few minutes before you get half a block blown up. I Gotta say that is not what I call a conventional dating strategy." Jaune said, smirking as Coco gave him a flirty wink and leaned back into her medical cot. Even covered in a bright blue gender-neutral apron, she still looked damn good in it.

"Well, only the good ones, the ones that I like to wonder how they look without their clothes on."

"Coco! Don't say that to him!"

"Why not Vel? If you want something, then you got to be honest about it ok? If you don't then you just need to make sure that you are ok with losing it and I am not a fan of losing ever."

Coco said, her brown eyes uncharacteristically hard as Velvet paused. Cocking her head as Coco had a look she had only seen her gain after months of hard training and having to have decided who was going to live and who was not.

"I see... well, you never lose, do you, Coco? That's your specialty, right?"

"Hell yeah, it is! I'm gonna be the best there ever was!"

"That sounds like the theme song for a Mistral anime. But I can't think of it right now." Jaune said, pausing as Coco sighed.

"Your GF is on a cot and is missing a good chunk of her leg, and you are talking about an anime?"

"I picked my choices."

"Brave Jaune. Very brave."

"I made my decision."

"You are lucky that you are so cute. Or I might not forgive you."

"If you want to be mad, be mad at our next date. If you still want to have one, that is."

"Ask me out while I'm a captive audience, why don't you?"

"Pinning a woman like you down is hard to do, I got to take my shot when I can, right?"

"I think I'd rather be pinning you down, but that's just me."

"He, if it's with you, I don't think anyone could complain-"

"Can we not talk about having sex while I am here? I am listening, you know?"

And getting a bit jealous.

"Hey, you can join in if you want Vel. I'm sure Jaune would love having a bunny pet at our bedside." Coco said, wriggling her eyebrows as Velvet fought to keep a grin down as she felt her chest begin to heave.

That's funny. Because I know for a fact that you make the better bed pet than me.

"Hey, now no one is making Velvet a pet without her consent."

"I only consent to being a pet if Coco will stop taking me shopping."

"Never gonna happen, V! But if you let me pick out a collar for you, well then maybe I can be negotiated with."

"I'm going to have the nurse put a bubble in your IV."

"I don't even have one, though?"

"I'll give you one."

"Just to kill your partner?"

"Just to not have to listen to you talk for an hour."

"Ladies, ladies, you are both pretty! But I think that Coco should get some sleep. She looks like she is going to be out of it for a while so let's get you resting so you can get up and take me out again huh?"

"Oh? You want me asleep? I guess I'm less intimidating that way."

"Coco, there is not a shape, form, or presence that you could assume where you are not intimidating."


Blake and Nora were an odd pairing in any loop. Both had rather opposite and clashing personalities. Contradicting the other at all times, but yet they almost always found a way to get along and make things work out. There was never a universe where they bonded and did not become fast friends.

Blake looked over at Nora, who was sitting beside her, she was assigned as a research partner for her, and she was busy humming over a book that was upside down and not even a school book. But a science fiction story that was just picked up at random.

"Nora, you do know that this is not the assigned book that we have, right?"

"Yup! I know it." Nora said as she popped the P hard as she hummed quietly to herself. She flipped a page as Blake blinked once and nodded sagely.

"And why are you reading that and not working on our shared project?"

"I think we both know that we are gonna get an A no matter what we do."

"Not if we do not get our work done in the first place."

"That is what you are for! You do all the research, and I do all the writing! We are gonna be like the best team!"

"How do you know I like to do research?"

"Because I know everything about you, Blake. Duh." Nora said in her strange Nora like mannerisms as Blake forced a small smirk on her lips.

"Oh really then? Tell me, Nora, how do you know me so well when we just met?"

"Because I am a time traveler from the future and have been with you for like four hundred lifetimes, and you are already one of my best friends with a great ass that deserves to be worshiped as the piece of divinity that it really is," Nora said as Blake paused her mouth fell open hard as a bright blush appeared over her face.

"N-Nora!? What the hell does that mean!?"

"Look. We both have great asses, ok? It's not right for us not to be worshiped like the goddesses that we are, ok? We deserve it, Blake. We were born to be served."

"Nora, this is a library! Don't talk about it here!"

"But why not? A library is like the perfect spot to have this talk. It's always so quiet, not like anyone is gonna listen, am I right?"

"T-that... that makes a lot of sense, actually..." Blake paused, not sure how to reply to that strange but almost infallible Nora logic before she shook her head.

"W-what did you mean by you are a time traveler from the future?"

"I meant what I said. I come from the future, Blake. And I am here to set right the many wrongs of this world and save it from disaster!" Nora said as Blake paused before she groaned and facepalmed.

"Nora... it's too early for this ok?"

I thought she was serious for a second there. What's wrong with me? Just because there is so many strange things in this loop? It's not like oddities don't exist. Things happen all the time, and that's ok. Just don't feel like they are going to make things different. The only one that can do that is you, Blake. Only you.

"Hey, it is never too early for the truth you dig me? I think that we are gonna really do it this time! This time it will be different, this time, I will save the world! Along with Ren. And some help from my team. And maybe team RWBY too if you guys are lucky. If that is."

"Nora, you are going to make me wonder if you are just a madwoman or if you are a genius that just talks like she is crazy."

"The answer may surprise you."

"Nora, almost everything you say surprises me."

"Well, I'll take that as a compliment!"

"So would I."

"And just like that, we are like best friends! Not like best friends I am with, like Pyr and Jaune but like... best friends with great buts! Yeah, that's it! Best booty-"

"Nora. Never finish that sentence, ok?"

"But it was creative!"

"So is waterboarding with a pair of socks in a hurricane, but that does not make it good ok?"

"I mean, I'd just used my skirt and the toilet water, but hell, that's just me."


Jaune was wondering if his sisters would ever let him have even a moment of time to himself. Sure he could get their well, meaning if he was in their shoes and their brother had been presumed dead for so long it would be hard for him to let them go either. And after a terrorist attack like the one that had just happened near him, he was sure that they had a bit more than just a nagging feeling about his safety.

But still, he was a hunter in training he knew that life was never going to be easy, and he trained to make sure that it would not be too much for him.

"For the last time, Yang, I'm fine. I am just going out to get some food. I'll be right back ok?" Jaune asked as his elder sister gave him a glare that said he better be or else. Her lilac eyes glared down at him before she sighed through the scroll. Her picture began to get a bit hazy before she nodded once.

"Well, you better bring me back something good ok? If you don't, I'm going to pin you to the mat in the ring and hold you there till you black out!"

"As much as that might be enticing, I don't think I want to do that with you again."

"Aww, what happened bro? You get cold feet just because your big sis now has the ara, ara energy that all young boys crave?" Yang asked with a wicked grin as Jaune shook his head and sighed.

"Thank you, Yang but that is not my kink."

"That is what everyone says at first." She said, wriggling her eyebrows as Jaune hummed.

"So you say, but either way, talk to you later, sis."

"Same with you, bro-"

"Tell him I want cookies!"

"And Ruby wants cookies. Go figure."

"What else is new?" Jaune asked as he hung up, looking up at the brisk Vale sky. The city had taken the terrorist attack about as well as it could have. The attack had rattled a lot of people and even killed some more, but overall, the city seemed to be settling back into a bit of normalcy. Even if he was not used to being out alone without Vernal escorting him, he was just happy to have some freedom from his partner.

"I don't know what it is about her, but she is just so unsettling to be around. I think she is stalking me." Jaune shuddered as he turned a corner the sun was truly hidden behind a thick dreary layer of grey clouds, as he felt a wave of air go past his head.

"Well, then, you should not go near her." Jaune heard a feminine voice say as he blinked.

"Who are-" Jaune felt his body go stiff as something stabbed into his neck! Something hard and metallic hit him hard before a full wave of lighting itself was pumped into his body making him gag as Ilia hummed. Shocking the human until his body finally stopped moving, and he crumpled to the floor like a sack of potatoes.

"Well, there we go. Easy as cake. Now let's get the big bad human to the base. Really I don't even know why people called you dangerous. You were so easy to take down I thought that you were trying to play me." Ilia grunted as she pulled Jaune into the alley and out of the public eye before she began to grunt and drag him back to their base.


Ilia did not know much about this Jaune Rose, but she knew one thing. He had guts.

"So you still refuse to talk, huh?" A tall faunus with bull horns hissed as Jaune nodded. He was tied to a chair without his weapons or scroll, but he looked as calm as a dog by its master's fireplace as he sighed.

"Not really much to talk about, you know?"

"What I know is that you are in an unknown room in a secret location. If you tell us who you are, who trained you, and if you are willing to maybe join our side, then you might, and I do mean might, just make it out of this alive."

"Counter offer, ok?"

"You are in no position to make offers human, let alone counter ones!"

"Well, that's the thing here... you are talking from a position of power and authority, but let me assure you that you are in no such position," Jaune said as Ilia raised an eyebrow as she was sure this human was either bat shit insane or he was just plain suicidal.

The difference between bravery and stupidity is often hard to discern but it is clear to all once you see it.

"You little brat, you are a prisoner of the Fang-"

"And I was not one this morning. And you were not dead this morning. Life changes, it tends to do so. So let me be clear with you. I was no prisoner when I woke up, and I will not be when I go to bed. The only thing that can change in that equation is if you are alive or dead at the end of it. So, please. Tell me. Do you want to be alive or not at the end of the night?"

"I'm going to rip your eye out-"

"Enough! Mark. He's no good to us dead ok? Just give him some time to stew he'll come around on his own, ok?"

"You got a lucky human. But I'll be back, and you won't have a girl to save you." He hissed, leaving as Ilia frowned before she walked next to Jaune and gave him a smile.

"You do know you should not have pissed him off like that, right? He will pull out all of your teeth with pliers and no painkillers."

"You saved me from some torture. For that, I think I owe you. Ilia, right?"

"Well, I guess you could say you owe me a bit."

Your life, really.

"Well then, to pay you back. When I get out of here, and I do mean when not if I promise to try my best not to kill you as I escape." Jaune said with a shockingly genuine smile as Ilia felt a shiver go down her spine as she felt a strange sense of dread forming in her guts as she looked at the tied blonde human.

"You really have a lot of confidence in yourself, you know that?"

"Well, that is just a side effect from my training, you know? That kind of comes with the territory of living with the Branwen tribe."

"I remember that. You were the one on TV, right? You killed those people with the Schnee's, right?"

"I didn't want to hurt anyone... not like that," Jaune said bitterly, turning his head as Ilia nodded. She knew when not to push an interrogation target. She knew that if she pushed too hard that he would just shut down and shut up and not let her get a word in. And she wanted him to talk before the more enhanced interrogation techniques began to be instrumented.

"Look. I know that you don't like me-"

"I never said that. I just met you. How could I already not like you?"

"I... I stabbed you and kidnapped you... I was sure that this would make you not like me... even just a bit."

"Well, I'll be honest with you. You stuck up for me with him. You stopped him from torture, and you don't seem like that bad of a person. But at the same time, you are with the White Fang..."

"Does that automatically make me a bad guy?"

"No." The human said instantly as Ilia felt a smile grow on her lips.

"Well, that's nice for a change."

"You are a girl, so you'd be a bad girl technically."

"And there your sympathy goes. Right out of the window."

"Hey, you did kidnap me, it would be hard for me not to dislike you just a bit."

"Didn't you just say that you did not judge based on association?"

"Oh, I just said that to keep you talking."

"Keep me talking? For what?"

"So I can get out of here. You are going to help me with that, actually. I've decided that I won't kill you, but I might make you feel a bit... exposed before I do so." Jaune said as Ilia frowned she did not like being talked down to by a human, but there was something unsettling about this one.

"Hey, I don't know what the hell you think you are playing at, but if you keep this up, the most sympathy you are gonna get from me is a softer cell to sleep in, ok? So how about you just start cooperating? Tell us how you got those skills and maybe, just maybe, we can offer you something like an internship."

"Do terrorists give internships?"

"Freedom fighters."

"Same difference."

"Not to me."

"Well, then, why don't you lean down a bit? I think that we can talk, but my heads are all fuzzy from you know, and I'm starting to have trouble hearing you."

"Shit. That's why I tell them that the shock can make them light-headed and hard to interrogate. Ah well, so what did you want to say, human?" She asked, leaning down as Jaune smiled.

"Thank you for that, but I'm sorry," Jaune said as he suddenly lurched forward and headbutted Ilia hard! The faunus let out a yelp as Jaune pushed forward, the ropes finally snapping from his chair, and before Ilia could even begin to squirm, Jaune was all over her and there was no room for her to escape!


Head butting a woman to unconsciousness was hard with both hands free and full aura. Jaune had the hands but not the aura. He had taken a pretty bad concussion beating Ilia into submission. He took the time to take her weapon away from her before taking a small moment to relax and rub his aching head.

"Well that could have gone better. Could have gone a lot worse but hell who cares?" Jaune asked before the faunus girl began to squirm. Her eyes flickered open as she tried to struggle but her wrists and ankles were tied up!
"Fuck me! You tricked me!"
"Yeah I tend to do that, so I'll be honest here on a scale of one to ten how much do you hate me right now?" Jaune asked as he began to look through Ilia's scroll luck was on his side as only her finger print was needed to unlock it as Ila frowned.

"About five or six… why?"
"Ok… that's kind of bad…"
"Because?"
"Well it's about to turn into a lot more than that before I'm through with you."
"W-what are you going to do to me?"
"Well that's… it'll be easier to explain as I do it so… I'm going to strip you now ok? Please don't resist. Ok?"


Jaune was sure that somewhere there was a crime against what he was doing. But then again he was pretty sure that a terrorist was pretty low on the bar for any kind of public defender status. So as he was finishing up with Ilia, noting just how delightfully soft her light brown skin was as it brushed against his own. The faunus beyond humiliated as she fully strapped down and harnessed to Jaune.
"I don't know what the fuck you think you are doing but I am going to shoot your balls the very second I am free!" She hissed the blushing naked faunus shivering in fear and horror as Jaune sighed.
"Yeah. That's fair. So here's what's gonna happen. You are gonna call in those goons from before and if you don't I'm gonna rip off a different piece of flesh starting with a nipple until you do."
"What the fuck is wrong with you!? Why a nipple?!"
"Because that gets the point across and you can live without one."
"What if I want to have a kid you asshole!?"
"Then have one?"
"How could I feed it?!"
"Formula. Duh."
"You are a fucking bastard!"
"And I'm not the one at risk of losing a nipple so what's it gonna be? You gonna call or do I have to learn how to make a neat cut with your whip until you cooperate? And trust me a you don't want a messy cut on your body. That shit is bad even with aura."
"Fuck it… Hey! Boys! I think I got him to crack! This human just needed some kind of financial incentive, ok?" Ilia flushed the feeling of her whip tip poking the back of her head making her gulp before the door swung open.
"Finally, it's about damn time. Fucking greedy humans all the same. Money makes them talk he's practically as Schnee-" The man paused seeing the human out of his chair was enough to cause panic but the nude form of his colleague made him stop dead in his tracks.

"I-Ilia!? What the fuck is going on here!?"
"He escaped!"
"And you are fucked." Jaune said as he surged forward one hand gripping a shattered bit of his chair and whacking the man on the head with it! There was a loud thunk sound as he hit the ground hard, two more faunus stormed in confused and on guard, but Jaune shoved the door shut behind them. Falling on them with the wooden chair like a primitive cudgel until he had broken it in half splintering it on their bleeding scalps as he beat them into the floor!

The broken men hit the ground hard as Jaune grunted moving as quickly as he could. Falling onto the downed faunus as he began to strip them of their weapons and equipment, Ilia whimpered in shock, fear and embarrassment as he did. Jaune ignored the naked faunus on his chest, he did not need her body's reactions bothering him as he planned the next part of his escape.

"Y-you don't have to kill them ok!? They don't deserve to die!"
"Nobody does when their friend is vouching for them. Surprising, you know?" Jaune hummed as he confiscated two pistols, checking them for ammunition before he decided that they had enough for what he was going to do next.
"What the hell is the plan now Jaune? You have me naked and tied to your c-chest… you do know that right?"
"Yeah I do. I'd kind of have to be a real blind man to not realize that."
"And you know that this is not a good look right?"
"I mean… I don't really care what you look like. I just needed a human or faunus in this case shield for the fight out of here. That's all." Jaune hummed, putting the pistols in both hands, stuffing spare ammunition into his pockets as Ilia gulped.

"B-but that means I could get shot!"
"Yeah. That's kind of the point of a living shield. You get shot so I don't think that's pretty clear and straightforward right?"
"But what about your aura!? Why don't you let that take the damage instead of me!?"
"Simple. I don't have as much as I'd like."
"Neither do I!"
"And that is why you are upfront and I'm not. I'll try to not get shot but if I do well then you take the first hits."
"This is illegal!"
"So is kidnapping."
"Two wrongs do not make a right!"
"No they don't but who said this was about being right and wrong? All I am trying to do is survive and get out of here. So hold up while I pick out the music." Jaune hummed as he messed with the scroll of Ilia and the others before he finally picked the right button combination as he smirked.

"Ah. And here we go." He said as suddenly the base's rather limited speaker system began to blast happy holiday music as Ilia felt a shiver run down her spine.
"W-what the hell? Christmas Music? W-why that?"
"Because it's gonna make what happens next a lot more palpable. Trust me on that. Before the end of this you are gonna thank me for the music. Now. Without further adieu, let's get it on." Jaune said pulling up both pistols dragging the shivering terrifed naked faunus out of the door as she felt the cold hand of death grip her spine as she wondered just what kind of fucked up and terrifying human they had just gotten mixed up with!


"Mom's on the way." Ruby said as Yang paused, the blonde brawler was beyond terrified that this was all going to go to hell again! She had lost Jaune so much due to hostage situations. She had lost so many children and friends to situations like this that she felt knives digging into her heart for each second that Jaune was held hostage in the warehouse. She had already lost dozens of families to the Fang and she was not going to keep that up.

"Just her? Or is she bringing help?"
"She's coming, so is dad and uncle Qrow. They are already on the way and may be here within half an hour. They know about Jaune and they want to help." Ruby said with a weak smile she knew that while his life was not in immediate danger as the Fang often did not do public executions this early on she also knew they were dangerous and unpredictable monsters and nothing was guaranteed with them period.

"Well that's good." Ruby said the shooting had not done much to her peace of mind but since the shots seemed sporadic at best and they were not shooting outside they cops had not yet moved in. Instead trying to force the Fang to give up peacefully before they risked an all out conflict that could denager dozens of people if it messed up-
"Is that Christmas music?" Pyrrha suddenly blurted her head cocks as Ruby frowned not knowing what she was talking about but after a moment a soft and cheery tune began to fill the air. Almost like the Fang were blasting music in the middle of a shoot out as Ruby cocked her head in confusion.
"T-that is Christmas music? And gunshots? B-but why?" Ruby asked out loud as she had no idea what madness this loop would have in store for them!


Ilia thought she was in hell.

"Feliz Navidad!" Twin gunshots blasted out right next to her ears, the deafening ringing sound made her head spin as she watched two of her brother's bodies fall limply back as Jaune put a round in each of their heads as he turned a corner.
"Feliz Navidad! Feliz Navidad! Feliz Navidad Prospero año y felicidad!" The screams and shouts of the Fang filled the air as confusion, shouting, calls for cease fire and to open fire muddied their attempts to form a counter attack to the sudden and unexpected human gunman in their midst who was blasting away at them with pinpoint accuracy all while carrying a kicking, screaming, squirting and naked faunus shield as his first line of defense against the sparse return gunfire!
"What the fucks is wrong with you!? You psychotic human asshole!?" Ilia shouted as Jaune slammed into a wall a hail of gunfire obliterating the area they had just been standing. The human did not answer, instead humming silently as he reloaded and took a deep breath. The sounds of heavy caliber bullets chipping away at the wall gave Ilia pause as she saw what the idiot was about to do and quailed at the thought of it!
"N-no! Don't you dare go out there! We are all going to die if you do, you stupid human-" It was too late as Jaune simply spun around without fear, both guns blazing into the wall of gunfire.
"I want to wish you a merry Christmas! I want to wish you a Merry Christmas! From the bottom of my heart!" Ilia screamed as she felt bullets whiz by her head, as Jaune continued their advance. Some shots did inevitably find their way into her body making her gasp and yelp in pain! But for the majority of it, it seemed that her comrades were loath to harm her. Such a fact would have been comforting if not for the fact that it was leading to them getting blown apart as the human continued his implacable advance against his once captors!

Jaune grunted dipping and ducking just a bit as the large warehouse exploded into gunfire, blood and shattered paperwork!
"What the hell are you doing!? Don't shoot Ilia you idiots!"
"She's being used as a shield!"
"She's in the way dammit!"
"Shoot around her!"
"I'm gonna shoot through her!"
"No you do not!" The shouting and infighting of the fang only led to Jaune having more of an advantage as he continued to move and shoot like he had done this a thousand times.

"Feliz Navidad! Feliz Navidad! Feliz Navidad! Prospero años y felicidad! I want to wish you a merry Christmas! I want to wish you a merry Christmas! I want to wish you a merry Christmas from the bottom of my heart!" Jaune had a rare genuine smile on his face as he spun shot and dipped, ducking and weaving through the hail of gunfire and stray shrapnel from the occasional IED thrown at them. Smiling as despite being in a gun fight for his life with a screaming naked hostage tied to his chest he could not help but feel just a bit of that good ole holiday cheer creep up into his mind as he walked forward enjoying every shot, near miss and lance of possible death that came by his head!


"The doors are opening up!"
"Everyone take your positions! We might have more than one civilian in there!" Police shouted as the doors to the warehouse began to open. Slowly churning upward the gunshot long since dying off leaving only eerie silence and cheerful music as team RWBY and NPR raised their weapons ready to fight at a moments notice before a figure appeared at the front. Strange mist radiated out in waves like the end of a rain storm evaporating into the sky as-
"Coming out!" Someone shouted as the head officer bellowed into a megaphone!
"Hands! Let me see your hands!"
"I'm not a terrorist! I'm just the victim! Only one terrorist left here and she's not doing so well!" Jaune said walking out as for a moment team RWBY and NPR felt a wave of relief seeing their love and friend unharmed but they froze in shock as they saw what or who was strapped to his chest as the weeping faunus moaned out loud.
"I… I just want to go home…"
"And I did not want to be kidnapped but we all make our choices at the end of the day now don't we? Now let's get you off me so I don't get a strain. You are really heavy, you know that?"


An: Ok and there we have it! Sorry if it was not what you'd expect but I needed a break to get back into this fic! But have no doubt the rest of it will be much more intense and focus on the loops their inevitable resolutions and the girls and boys finding out that they are not alone this time. Until then happy holidays and have a good new year!