We're just under 200 followers. I'm glad people are enjoying the story so much.
I feel like I might need to point this out, but Summer did not do what Aurelius did to himself. Aurelius brought Summer back the same way he brought Adrienne back. What Aurelius did to himself is not something anyone else could recreate and even his ability to reincarnate is unique to him, though that's not his preferred method of coming back.
The next few chapters may include a lemon. I'm not exactly sure when, but this is mostly to warn people that lemons will be coming up in this story as we move forward.
Chapter 42: Birthdays and Reunions
Patch, Xiao Long Residence, with Weiss
"No, this isn't right either!" Weiss said with a frustrated growl as she dropped the cookie back onto the plate. "I mean… It tastes fine but I doubt this is as good as Summer's…" She glanced around the kitchen, looking at the last few failures. Yang and Blake had been kind enough to get her the ingredients, but she needed to actually make the cookies on her own. She glanced up at the time with a sigh. "Alright… I have time for one more attempt, so I need to do this perfectly… Even though I've literally never cooked anything on my own before today… Okay Weiss, just take your time with it…" Weiss took a deep breath before getting back to work.
She let out a sigh as she realized there wasn't enough chocolate chips left. "Great, I guess I'll just have to improvise and hope for the best…" She looked around and pulled out a bag of white chocolate. "I'll be able to pay them back once the CCT Network's working again… I just hope they'll understand."
On a Roc heading to Patch, with Aurelius, Adrienne, Winter, and Summer
"Are you sure you're fine to see them already?" Aurelius asked, glancing at the green-cloaked woman.
Summer smiled. "Aside from everything being a bit stiff, I'm fine. Besides, I'd like to be able to give Ruby the hug she wanted when she called me back." Aurelius nodded before he got a message on his scroll.
Janus: There's an SDC airship trying to locate Weiss. I believe Jacques has returned. Loki is attempting to make him leave again.
Aurelius let out a sigh before sending a confirmation message to Janus. Winter glanced at him as a hand ran down his face. "Is something wrong?" she asked, getting a look from Aurelius.
"Jacques might be trying to get into Bastion looking for Weiss. Hopefully, nobody says anything, but we should be prepared," he said, causing Winter to clench her fists.
"He probably thinks Atlas is the safest place for her right now. With the Bastion hovering over Vale and Weiss hidden away on Patch, I fail to see how Atlas could be any safer for her," Winter said with a slight growl.
Adrienne shrugged. "I don't see why he cares so much about it anyways. It seems like it'd be obvious this is where she wants to be."
"Perhaps he has other goals in mind," Aurelius muttered. "We don't know exactly what makes him think, after all."
"And if he does show up?" Winter asked. "He's going to do whatever it takes to force her to return to Atlas."
"Then we'll do whatever it takes to remind her that she has family beyond her blood," Aurelius said, causing Adrienne to go wide-eyed.
"Auri, you can't be serious…" The Blue Rose glanced at her.
"If that's what it takes, that's what I'll do. The two of them deserve to be happy, and they're happiest together." Aurelius glanced at his scroll, not noticing the smiles from Summer or Winter.
At the park, with Ruby, Blake, and Yang
Ruby let out a sad sigh. "What do you mean she had something to take care of?" the wolf asked Yang, ears flat against her head.
Yang rubbed the back of her neck, not looking at her sister. "It's just… Look, she had something she needed to do before she came here. She said she wouldn't feel right if it wasn't taken care of beforehand and she felt really bad that she couldn't be here from the start. She'll be here in a bit, okay pup?"
Ruby nodded, sitting down at one of the tables that were set up for the party. "Okay…" "I hope she wasn't freaked out by me after trying to call my mom's spirit…"
"Hey guys," a voice called out before the trio turned around to see Team JNPR and Sun walk up or, in the case of Pyrrha, being pushed in a wheelchair by Jaune.
"Oh, hey guys! Glad you could make it!" Yang said with a smile before looking at Pyrrha. "What happened exactly?"
Pyrrha scratched the back of her neck nervously. "Oh, Cinder shot my ankle during our fight and tore the tendon. The doctor said I need to stay off my feet until they're certain it's healing properly, then I can start physical therapy so I can walk again."
"Speaking of injuries, how are you doing with your arm, Yang?" Sun asked before giving Blake a smile and a wink. Yang frowned, trying to resist the urge to punch Sun while Blake rolled her eyes.
"It's a bit difficult to do things, but I have some help," Yang said, putting her arm around Blake's shoulder. Blake smiled slightly, a light blush on her cheeks as she rested her head on the blonde's shoulder.
Sun looked between the two for a moment. "Wait, are you two together now?" When he received a nod from Blake, he visibly deflated for a moment before perking up. "That… actually would be hot to watch. You wouldn't mind if I-" Sun was cut off as Blake reached forward, giving him a slap hard enough to make him spin before hiding behind Yang, resisting the urge to curl into a ball as her face turned as red as Ruby's cloak.
"Oh god, Sun! Why did you have to say that?!" she cried out while Yang blinked, blushing a bright red, trying not to think about everything her and Blake could do.
"C'mon Yang, now's not the time to think about that! I mean, she does have an amazing ass and- NO! Stop!" "I… I think I'm going to take a walk and clear my head. I'll be back soon, okay?" Yang said before quickly running away.
Jaune went to speak up when Ren shouted from nearby. "Nora! It's Ruby's birthday, don't eat the cake yet!"
"But Reeeen…" Nora said with a whine.
"Ruby!" The wolf looked over in the direction the shout came from, smiling weakly as Tai came over, Qrow walking behind him. "I heard you woke up. How are you feeling?"
Ruby shrugged. "Other than my shoulder hurting, I'm fine."
Tai knelt down and wrapped her in a hug. "I'm glad you're okay…" He broke away for a moment and gave Ruby a look that she'd come to dread in the last few weeks. "Look, I know you don't like this, but…"
Ruby let out a frustrated sigh and stood up. "Tai, I know how you feel about it, but I'm not going to stop being a Huntress. I want to help people and I can't do that while I'm sitting at home hiding."
Tai went to respond when Qrow spoke up. "Damn it, Tai, you're doing this again? She already told you how she feels twice before today."
Tai turned to look at the man with a frown. "Look, I'm just saying that maybe this isn't the best line of work for her."
"She saved Vale during her mission to Mountain Glenn," Qrow said, taking a sip from his flask.
"She also almost died collapsing that tunnel!" Tai said with a growl.
"So what? People die all the time in our line of work. If we aren't willing to risk our lives, other people are going to lose their lives."
"Are you suggesting I just sit here and let her throw herself at death?" Tai asked as Yang ran up, eyes wide.
"Um, guys, there's something-"
"No, I'm saying you should understand that she wants to do this and support her along the way instead of tearing her down every damn time something happens!" Qrow snapped.
"She almost got killed because of who she is, Qrow! I thought you'd care about that!" Tai said.
"I do, that's why I tore the bastard apart!"
Ruby spoke up. "Tai, I'm a Rose! The fight that's going on right now is my family's fight! How can you expect me to sit back and watch as people die fighting a battle that I should be in the center of? How can you expect me to stay at home and not think about how many people wouldn't have died if I was fighting in their place?" She looked at Tai sadly as his shoulders drooped.
"I-I just…" He let out a sigh. "I don't want you to end up like Summer…"
"And what do you mean by that, Tai?" Blake and Team JNPR watched as the trio and Yang spun around, looking at a woman in a green cloak that looked a lot like Ruby.
"Summer?" Qrow whispered, flask dropping out of his hand.
"M-mom?" Ruby asked, stepping forward. Summer smiled before she stepped forward, wrapping her daughter in a hug.
"I'm here, my little rose blossom," Summer said before Ruby returned the hug, crying quietly. Qrow walked forward and placed a hand on the woman's shoulder, causing her to look at him with tear-filled eyes.
"How are you…" Qrow started to ask before Aurelius stepped forward.
"Do you really need to ask that question right now, Qrow?" the Blue Rose asked in amusment. "I would assume you'd like to say hello to your wife." Qrow glanced at her before she wrapped an arm around him, pulling him into the hug.
"I missed you…" Summer muttered to him as he wrapped his arms around his two girls. "It was so hard watching you fall apart…" Qrow took a deep breath, trying to hold back tears of his own.
"Summer… I'm sorry. I promised to take care of Ruby and I-"
"Hush," Summer said, pulling away from the two before wiping her eyes. "You did the best you could and helped her whenever she needed it. You helped her grow into an amazing person and I'm so proud of her and the effort you put into helping her along the way." She glanced at Tai with a small smile. "And while I don't agree with your views on what she should do, Tai, I'm still thankful that you took such good care of her."
"Summer… I just…" Tai started before Summer shook her head with a smile.
"I know… You just wanted her to be safe and happy, and I appreciate that," she said before glancing at the blonde girl standing quietly to the side, a weak smile on her face. Summer walked over and gave her a quick hug. "And did you think I'd leave you out of this, Yang? It wouldn't be a family reunion without you here."
Yang blinked in surprise. "S-Summer?" she asked meekly, getting a sad smile from the green-cloaked woman.
"Yang, I know I'm not your birth mother, but that doesn't matter to me, and I hope it doesn't to you. You're my daughter no matter what you think or what Raven tells you when you find her, okay?" Summer asked, getting a weak nod from Yang before she wrapped her arm around the woman.
"Thank you… mom," Yang said meekly, tears running down her cheeks. The blonde stepped back, wiping her eyes before gesturing to Blake. "This is Blake. She's my partner on Team RWBY and, um…"
"Your girlfriend," Summer finished with a smile, causing the girls to blush while Tai blinked in shock. Summer quickly wrapped her arms around Blake, a warm smile on her face. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Blake. I just wanted to thank you for helping Yang with her situation."
Blake blinked. "Um, no problem, Summer."
Summer stepped back and looked around. "So Ruby, where's Weiss at?" Ruby looked down and went to speak up before a voice called out.
"Ruby!" The wolf faunus perked up, turning around as her tail started wagging. Weiss ran in from the nearby park entrance wearing her t-shirt and jeans, carrying a container with her. Ruby was confused when she saw a bit of flour on the other girl's cheek. Weiss stopped in front of her, panting a bit before she held out the container. "Sorry, I just needed to make your present…" she said with a light blush.
Ruby looked down at the container and opened it, blinking in surprise. "You made me cookies?" she asked, a smile on her face. Weiss looked away with a blush, playing with her hands.
"Well, you said you missed your mother's cookies and when you took me to her grave, I figured Aurelius brought her back, so… I asked for the recipe." Ruby's smile brightened. "I messed up a few times and didn't have enough chocolate chips to make a complete batch, so I had to add some white chocolate into it…"
Ruby took one out and took a bite, letting out a content moan as her tail trembled. "Oh gods, Weiss, these are amazing, thank you so much!" Ruby quickly finished to cookie before putting the container down and wrapping her girlfriend in a hug, giving her a quick peck on the cheek.
Weiss blushed at the praise and public display before smiling. "I'm glad you like them Ruby…"
"I love them Weiss, they're maybe even better than mom's!" she said before turning meekly to Summer. "Sorry mom…"
Weiss blinked before looking at the woman. Summer smiled as she went to stand in front of the girl. "So, you're Weiss?" she asked, getting a meek nod from the heiress before smiling and wrapping her in a hug. "I just wanted to thank you so much for being there for my little rose bud when she needed help. I'm happy she found someone like you."
Weiss blushed. "Um… Thanks, uh… Do I call you Summer or…"
The woman giggled slightly. "Just call me Summer, okay?"
Weiss nodded. "Alright. Thank you, Summer, but I don't think I'm doing anything special, I just want to spend time with her and make her happy." Aurelius' Scroll chimed, causing him to glance at it.
Winter walked over with a slight smile. "Did you really go out of the way to make her cookies when you've never made anything before?" Weiss blushed slightly, squirming a bit. "You did… well, Weiss."
Weiss let out a sigh of relief. "Thank you, Winter." Weiss glanced at the table to see Nora looking into the box. "Ruby! The cookies!" Ruby spun around and grabbed the box of the table, causing Nora to jump at them.
"Stop! They're mine!" Ruby said, holding the box against her. Nora went to speak up before Ren shouted out behind her.
"Nora! Weiss just gave those to Ruby as a present! Can't you ask before you try to take one?" he said in exasperation. Nora went to respond when Aurelius shouted from nearby.
"Malum!" he swore, causing Ruby, Summer, and Adrienne flinched at the word.
Adrienne glanced at him nervously. "What's wrong?"
Aurelius glance between her and Winter. "Loki wasn't able to stop him." Winter took a step back while Adrienne ran a hand down her face.
"What are you talking about?" Weiss asked, glancing between the trio and Summer as she ran a hand through her hair.
Winter let out a sigh. "An SDC airship was trying to land at Bastion when we left. They were looking for you, Weiss… I think-" Winter was cut off by the sound of engines roaring overhead, causing everyone to glance up as an luxurious craft flew over the park, circling for a moment before knocking over a smaller tree near the tables to clear a landing area. Summer growled, tail twitching with frustration as the ship landed.
Weiss paled as she realized what was going on, taking a step behind Ruby. "N-no…"
Ruby looked behind herself at her scared girlfriend. "Weiss? What's going on?"
Weiss looked at Ruby, trembling slightly. "That airship… It's only used by one person and he only uses it on a few occasions…" The hatch opened as a set of stairs extended, a group of SDC security officers stepping out before a man with white hair wearing a white business suit walked down the steps. He looked around the park in disgust before his eyes landed on Weiss, causing her to shrink back at the disappointed look she received. "It's my father…"
Well, things are about to get complicated for Weiss and Ruby. I figured that after the last few chapters and what's going to happen in the next chapter or two, having Jacques introduced by adding "is a dick to trees" to the list of things he's done wouldn't be too much of a stretch. Likewise, this chapter also hints that Summer does not like meaningless destruction of nature. Expect next chapter to be pretty emotional for Ruby and Weiss. As promised, however, Jacques will not be leaving Patch with Weiss.
Let me know what you think of this chapter. I hope everyone enjoyed it.
