This chapter was going to be called "Sucker Punch." I did write a part of it, so I'll let you guys read what I did complete, and then I'll go through the rest of the outline afterwards.
The afternoon before the mission, Team RWBY had to once again show up at Shields HQ for their pre-mission check-up. It was a little bit daunting, as they had no idea what to expect. This was hardly the same thing as a medical exam – at least, Yang didn't think so. Why would they need a simple medical exam before a mission, after all?
Team RWBY had to take an elevator up to the third floor of the establishment from the lobby in order to reach an area with several empty seats, and a reception desk where all they had to do was swipe their scrolls in front of an intelligent information panel. They were directed to sit down – naturally, as they were a bit early for the appointment.
Yang leaned back in her chair, casual, letting out a sigh. "Sooo…think they're gonna do some really weird tests on us? Like, brainwave stuff?"
"That would be really cool!" Ruby replied excitedly. "Maybe they'll even, like, gauge our aura waves!"
Yang couldn't help the smile. "Ruby, you've fallen in love with anything related to Shields. Obviously, you think all of this is cool." She paused, but before her sister could reply, Yang added with suspicion, "Do you talk to Soul at home?"
"Yeah! Why? Don't you?"
Well, that's not reassuring. Yang pinched the bridge of her nose. "No, Ruby. I don't chitchat with my AI resource guide outside of work." She glanced at her teammates. "…And I don't think Weiss or Blake do, either."
Blake merely arched her eyebrows with an enigmatic smirk, which made Yang narrow her eyes in her amusement. She knew Blake wasn't talking with Soul. The couple lived together, after all, and spent almost every moment in each other's presence. But the fact that Blake could still make Yang suddenly doubt reality with a simple look was the best thing ever.
Weiss, on the other hand…
"It's a sentient information resource," she bristled. "It makes sense to talk to it whether at work or outside of work."
Yang started laughing while Ruby exclaimed, "See? Weiss gets it!"
"I don't think she does, Ruby," Yang giggled and shared an entertained look with Blake. This was the same girl who had given them advice on intimacy just yesterday.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Weiss muttered, crossing her arms.
Ignoring the heiress and her failure at understanding humor, Yang returned her attention to Ruby. "What do you even talk about with Soul, huh?"
"Don't ignore me!"
Yang stuck out her tongue at Weiss while Ruby piped, "We talk about weapons and gadgets and all kinds of mechanical stuff! Soul knows so much about all of it, Yang! And we also discussed our mission for tomorrow some more to come up with some possible strategies in case we encounter Grimm." Ruby's eyes widened. "Which reminds me! Soul showed me a map of our route. After our medical exam, I want everyone to stick around so we can have a briefing about the mission."
Well, if that wasn't gushing, then Yang didn't know what was. She slowly shook her head. Who was she to judge the blossoming of unconventional love between an AI and her little sister? Ruby was an adult, anyway – worried or not, Yang had to trust that Ruby could make her own decisions.
Plus, trying to imagine how that relationship would work physically was a headache Yang didn't want to give herself…or some very concerning ideas she didn't want to think about regarding a family member. They'd figure it out, and Yang had enough on her plate with Blake about that either way.
When Yang found herself sitting on a chair in the physician's office, she was glad for the moment of rest. She had not expected the exam to be so rigorous – it felt like she had just gone through an intensive workout for a few hours. Well, actually, it didn't just feel like it – it had been an intensive workout for a few hours. Apparently, a pre-mission checkup was meant to store all relevant data about her physical, auric, and – to some extent – mental limits. She had gone through a series of weird – if not interesting – tests that had determined her agility, strength, endurance, reflexes, speed, power, energy, and even other things she couldn't guess the purpose of, all the while being hooked to a bunch of different monitors.
They had tied her up and hung her upside-down for a bit, and then asked her some questions about her routine in the morning. That had been an experience.
And then, of course, there was the actual medical exam part that Yang supposed she was about to get news on when the physician came in.
She wasn't worried. Yang's last medical checkup had been only a year ago and the doctor had given her a clean bill of health. She was certain that hadn't changed so recently.
Yang crossed her arms and slouched a bit, resting her head against the wall behind her and closing her eyes. She was super glad that she had been given the opportunity to shower before coming to this office because she had been a sweaty mess after all that exercising, to say the least. She didn't fully understand the use – what purpose would it serve to collect all that information if her job was, bottom line, to kill Grimm no matter the situation and save civilian lives? It had been cool to learn such accurate knowledge of her body – like exactly how long she could go at a full sprint, or how much weight she could lift, or how much time she could hold her breath under water…or even to what extent she could get irritated at a feather fluttering on her face – no doubt about that, and she supposed that if Shields documented the data each time before missions, then they could easily keep track of any changes. Health was important, and Shields was known for taking care of their hunters, so...Yang wasn't going to complain.
She had just begun to relax when there was a brief knock on the door, which then swung ajar without waiting for an invitation. Yang opened her eyes and straightened in her seat when a woman in her late thirties walked in and shut the door behind her.
She set a professional – but not unkind – brown regard on Yang. "Hello. I'm Dr. Sonia Valen. I was assigned to oversee your team's health."
Yang smiled. Team RWBY had their very own physician? That was cool. I feel like at this point, I shouldn't be surprised anymore. "Hey! Nice to meet you. I'm Yang! Although...you probably already knew that. Heh."
Sonia admitted a small smile of her own. "I did." She paused, but only for two seconds before she retrieved a data pad from her coat's pocket. She started slowly skimming over what the screen was showing her. "I've reviewed all the information we've collected about your constitution over the past few hours. You are a healthy and fit young adult, Yang, and your mission tomorrow should pose no difficulty for you."
Well, this confirmed Yang's earlier certainties, so that was good. "Great! What about my teammates?"
Sonia leaned her lower back on the desk nearby and put her data pad back into her pocket. She crossed her arms. "You can discuss that with them. Anything we speak about in here one-on-one remains confidential. Before I let you go, though, there is one thing I wanted to go over with you, just to ensure you understand the possible consequences."
Yang had been ready to get up and leave, since that was where the conversation appeared to be heading, but now she furrowed her eyebrows. "Uh, okay. Is something wrong?"
"Not necessarily. As I'm sure you know, fighting Grimm can be a very dangerous activity, and you never know where you might get hit. If something were to go wrong, especially this early on, I want to make sure you know the chances of losing the baby are very high."
Silence. Three beats of her heart. Dr. Valen was making a whole lot of sense...right up until she wasn't. Yang blinked. "What?"
Sonia seemed to realize something because her eyes widened momentarily before her expression became a bit more sympathetic. "You're pregnant, Yang, about a week in. If you're not careful on your mission, you could lose the fetus. I just wanted you to be aware of that."
Yang stared at Dr. Valen, hands clenching the arms of her chair. The world seemed to come to a still, the only sound a distant, muffled thudding somewhere in Yang's ears – in her mind, her chest, resonating through deep and murky waters. Then something sharper brought her back, burbling up from her gut, into her chest, and Yang let out a strained laugh. "That's a joke, right?"
"No. It's not a joke. Your blood and urine tests both came up positive, and your physical scans alerted us to the presence of the fetus as well."
But Yang was barely listening. She couldn't. Her heart was beating too loudly, the world had started spinning again, and her mind was racing through so many different thoughts she couldn't even focus on any one of them, either. So she chased them, hurtling further and further down the spiral disappearing into the abyss below, but they chased her back; rabid, shapeless monsters nipping at her heels, and now Yang's heart was in her throat, a thick lump forbidding her from breathing. She tried to swallow it down but it only seemed to get more stuck, and Yang feared she'd choke.
"I... I should go."
Who said that? It sounded too...low to be her own voice.
"If you need a moment, you can stay here for a while longer. I can give you some privacy. Whatever you need."
There was a brief instant where Yang remembered she was in an office. A small office. It was getting smaller. The walls were caving in on her. "No. No. I need to go. Right now." Yang stood up, only to stagger when her knees buckled, and she held on to the chair to avoid falling.
"I would recommend staying here, Yang," Sonia said with a bit more of a firm edge in her voice. "Should I get your sister?"
The mention of Ruby brought forth Yang's armor. She wasn't weak. She didn't need to do anything. And Ruby could not see this. It wasn't Ruby's burden to bear. The steel wrapped around Yang and contained the hurricane of emotions storming within her, and even if Yang still felt like she was suffocating, she was able to stand upright again. The mask was placed upon her face, and Yang turned towards Dr. Valen, a tight, grateful smile on her lips. "It's okay. Thank you, though. I think I just need some air. I'll be fine."
Sonia arched her eyebrows, the picture of skepticism, and Yang tried to widen her smile. Why was she lying to a health expert? Still, the physician waved at the door. "I can't force you to stay, in that case. If you need anything, you know how to find me. We should schedule an appointment for a later date to make sure everything is –"
"Thanks. Sorry, can we have that conversation after the mission? I need… I just need to go. Take care." Yang didn't linger or wait for a response. She made for the door and walked out of the office, stepping into the hallway, where she stopped after shutting the door behind herself.
She stared at the floor. Never mind that she had no idea where she was going to go to process this. A shaking exhale came out of her, and then Yang clenched her teeth. Tension formed in her spine, in her neck, and the blonde remembered that Ruby was expecting her team to meet up for a mission briefing. Yang had been the last one among the four girls to meet with Dr. Valen, as far as she knew, so there was no opportunity to go outside for a little bit. They would probably be out in the waiting room by now, expecting Yang to come back any second, and she didn't know if there was a way to circumvent them without being seen or purposely getting "lost" within Shields HQ's establishment to avoid them altogether for a few hours.
Yang was going to have face them. Face Blake.
Oh, my God.
Blake.
Yang inhaled sharply and put a slamming brake on her thoughts. She looked around for a bathroom, saw there was one nearby, and hurried into it. She locked the door and slid on her back until she hit the floor. Yang shut her eyes tight.
This wasn't the right time to panic or try to figure anything out. In fact, it was awful timing. So, the best thing Yang could do was pretend the last ten minutes hadn't happened. Ignorance was bliss, after all, right? She would break down and make sense of everything later. It wasn't like…like she was in any immediate hurry, anyway, was she?
Nothing's wrong. I'm a healthy and fit young adult. And that's all. Everything's good. Everything's good.
Yang repeated this mantra in her head for the next minute or so, and then took a deep breath in before slowly letting it out. She stood and stopped in front of the sink. Her reflection stared back at her in the mirror, expression betraying her inner turmoil by the lack of brightness in her eyes and the strain of her mouth. She didn't feel much calmer – she knew she wasn't much calmer – but with the help of her metaphorical armor, she at least felt like there was a barrier stopping the storm from overtaking her.
And now she had to get this mission briefing done and over with before the dam broke.
Before the hurricane destroyed everything irreparably.
No. Yang shook her head. Everything was good. Everything was good. There was nothing wrong. She rolled her shoulders and forced her jaw to relax. If her team noticed anything, she could blame being tired after all that exercising. Nothing to it. She was Yang Xiao Long. She could make people believe anything about her if she set her mind to it. And she was definitely setting her mind to this. Just for a while. Until a better time came up. Nothing to it.
Yang splashed her face with cold water a few times, massaged her temples for a moment, dried her face, and took another deep breath in before exhaling. You can do this, Xiao Long. She exited the bathroom and started walking. One foot in front of the other. She eased her fingers out of their fists, focused on having a casual gait. Everything was good. She was a healthy and fit young adult about to go on her first employed huntressing contract. The world was at her fingertips and the adventure was about to begin. This was what she'd always wanted. She had every reason to be excited.
Yang rounded the corner, and her eyes found her friends not too far away, sitting on the chairs in the waiting room.
She did not look at Blake.
Instead, Yang trained her gaze on Ruby, and just like that, her mask felt thicker, stronger, almost natural, even. Familiar. When Ruby saw her approach, the younger girl grinned and hopped to her feet. "Yang! You're back. How'd it go?"
Yang grinned, and it didn't hurt so bad now. "Dr. Valen says I'm a healthy and fit young adult and that our mission tomorrow should pose no problem for me!" Her eyes flickered over the other two – fast. "How about you guys?"
"Healthy as a pea!" Ruby chirped. She then giggled. "But apparently Weiss needs to be just a little careful about her sugar levels."
"That's not a laughing matter!" Weiss intervened in frustration. "I don't care what Dr. Valen told me about her education. I'm looking her up, myself, later."
"You asked Sonia about her education?" Yang asked, disbelieving. She barely had to fake it. Although, honestly, this was Weiss Schnee – Yang shouldn't have been so surprised.
"Didn't you?" Weiss retorted. "I want to make sure I'm being treated by the best of the best. Health isn't something to be taken lightly. I'm not going to let just anyone recommend what I should be feeding my body."
Yang started to lift her finger, but she realized Weiss kind of had a point. However, Yang wasn't as paranoid as the heiress was – it sounded like Dr. Valen had provided Weiss with legit credentials, and that was enough proof for the blonde. No need to go searching online – Shields didn't seem like the kind of organization to hire random physicians, anyway.
"I somewhat agree with Weiss, actually," came Blake's quiet monotone. Yang's heart thudded harder in her chest. "Even for myself – Faunus physiology isn't quite the same as humans'. It's unfortunate that I had to ask, but I wanted to make sure that part of myself was being taken into consideration, too." Blake paused, and when Yang glanced at her, she saw the raven-haired girl give Weiss a pointed look. "But I'm taking Dr. Valen's word for it. She seems extremely qualified."
Weiss bristled and narrowed her eyes. But then she let out a huff and stood up, brushing nonexistent dust off her skirt. "Fine. Maybe I'm being petulant. I just want to confirm her information with my own physician, for my own peace of mind."
Ruby giggled again. "Weiss just doesn't like the idea of having to start eating cookies."
"That's not even close to what Dr. Valen's advice means," Weiss muttered. "Can we just get to the mission briefing part, now? This afternoon has been rather tiresome."
Ruby waved her hand. "Oki-doki, then. Follow me, Team RWBY!"
It was on that note that Ruby turned around and started leaving the waiting room. Weiss followed after her, and, pretending to be nonchalant, Yang turned and went with them without waiting for Blake to stand up. Still, she was extremely conscious of the Faunus behind her, extremely conscious of how her own behavior was going to tip Blake off at any moment. It felt like the word liar was painted across Yang's back in giant, red lettering, like all Blake had to do was look at the wretched accusation and it would mark the end.
Maybe if Yang had waited, maybe if she'd reached out to take Blake's hand…
But then something ugly and vicious twisted in Yang's gut, and the blood seemed to drain from her face.
No.
Stop.
Now wasn't the time. Yang swallowed hard and again went through her mental mantra, forcing her jaw to relax, doing everything in her power to keep the nausea down. The effort it took to stop herself from vomiting left her feeling weak. She had to find a distraction – come up with one, even! "Have you two been to the gym much this week?" she asked with forced pep, directing the question at Weiss and Ruby while they walked.
"Apart from my regular training? Every morning for an hour, as a matter of fact," Weiss replied with a proud little 'hmph.'
Ruby put a finger up, "And there was also that one time you came jogging with me for two hours. I mean, it wasn't the gym, but it was still fun!"
"Yes… Fun. That is the word."
Ruby stuck her tongue out at Weiss and the heiress rolled her eyes, otherwise taking the gesture in stride. The group made their way through a couple more corridors, took an elevator up to the fifth floor, and were directed to an empty briefing room further into the establishment. There was a large, circular, glistening white table in the middle, something similarly large and circular on the ceiling above it.
"Is that a hologram system?" Yang wondered with a tinge of excitement, coming closer.
"It absolutely is," Weiss replied with a satisfied smile.
The girls gathered around it, and Ruby said, "Earcomms on, Team RWBY! I want Soul to be a part of this."
"I approve," Blake nodded and got her comm out of her pocket, and Yang quickly looked away before their eyes could meet.
It was such an awful, terrible feeling. Yang knew all too well Blake would know something was going on. But she also knew that if they looked at each other for any period of time that extended beyond three seconds, Yang was going to have a panic attack. And she couldn't afford to raise a red flag the size of the moon in front of everyone at the moment.
She got her earcomm in her ear and pressed on it. Soon after, Soul's voice was heard. "Greetings, Team RWBY. I see you're grouped in a briefing room. Would you like to use the hologram system to help you visualize your plans?"
"Yes, please!" Ruby piped.
"Very well. Please put your scrolls on the interface in front of you."
There was an indent on the console surrounding the hologram interface, and Yang placed her scroll into it. The edges glowed yellow. When all four scrolls were linked to the system, the hologram activated. A map of Vale and surrounding areas materialized in the air in front of the girls, and it began zooming in until they were looking at what was most likely the road their convoy would be taking.
There you have it. I know, how could I stop writing before resolving the crisis? The answer eludes me, too.
The rest of the chapter will be dedicated to sharing with you the plans and outline I had for this story. I'm really sorry that I couldn't complete Contrecoeur and give you the full experience, but I figured that by sharing everything that I did have with you guys, you might be able to get a sense of "end," even if it isn't exactly satisfying. There's a tiny possibility that I may still update this story at some point (but I can't guarantee anything), so if you would rather not get those spoilers, then don't read anything that comes after this note.
If you do read the following outline, please feel free to leave a review anyway. I still adore feedback, negative or positive.
Chapter 5 – Yang's POV: The rest of chapter 5 goes over the mission Team RWBY will embark on. They are guarding a resource convoy heading out to a budding settlement in the wilderness of Vytal. Soul and Ruby speak about the route they will be taking, any possible dangers they may face, and a few strategies RWBY may employ if they are ambushed by Grimm.
Later, Yang finds the moment she needs to face her new reality. She is pregnant. She comes to the realization something must have actually happened the night she stayed out with that guy – there is no other explanation. Yang cannot bring herself to make the decision to get rid of the fetus, however. With this in mind, she knows she has to tell Blake – and sooner rather than later. Yang is absolutely destroyed and furious with herself, but, most of all, she is terrified of what will happen when she tells Blake.
Chapter 6 – Blake's POV: The chapter starts off either in the afternoon or evening of the same day. Blake has noticed that Yang hasn't been acting like herself since the physical. They eventually interact, but Yang just says she's not feeling too good. Blake decides to try and do something nice for Yang to help her out, but this causes Yang to break down and tell Blake what happened. Blake is devastated, she tries to ask a few clarifying questions and she sees that Yang is equally upset, but she can't think rationally and needs to leave the apartment for a bit.
After thinking about it for a while, she manages to calm down and return home. She's willing to believe that Yang was most likely too drunk to properly consent (considering Yang's state when the blonde got home that awful night), and, in which case, that means the situation isn't Yang's fault. However, Blake obviously is still feeling a lot of conflicting emotions.
Yang is already asleep on the sectional when Blake gets back, and RWBY's m9ission starts the next morning, so Blake goes to bed, deciding to address the issue more fully when they aren't so stressed.
Chapter 7 – Yang's POV: Team RWBY goes on their mission. Yang tries to speak with Blake during breakfast, but the conversation either doesn't go anywhere or it starts escalating. During the mission, as stress increases, Blake and Yang start arguing with each other. Part of Blake's problem is that she waited 3-4 years to be where she's at now with Yang, and it only took Yang one night to get close to some random guy enough for sex. She is trying her hardest not to blame Yang because she knows that's not fair, but the logical and emotional sides of her are at war. Yang knows Blake is conflicted in her feelings, and Yang insists she never meant for this happen, that she doesn't even remember all the events of that night.
Ruby or Weiss end up asking what's going on, and Yang and Blake both frustratingly answer that Yang is pregnant. The team's performance is affected by the tension between Yang and Blake – Ruby almost gets hurt during an ambush by the Grimm because of the girls being distracted. And the Grimm are particularly nasty because of the negative emotions Yang and Blake are feeling. This serves to temper all arguing, enough that Blake manages to come around and decide to start trying to rebuild her trust in Yang.
The mission is ultimately successful, Team RWBY extracts and then goes home.
Chapter 8 – Blake's POV: Blake goes to JNPR for information about happened with Yang the night of the party. She figures that in order for her to start mending her trust in Yang, she needs to get the story properly pieced together. Pyrrha and Nora tell Blake that Yang was with a friend from Signal, that he had green eyes. They definitely seemed to know each other already. Pyrrha and Nora saw them together but can't confirm or deny if anything happened as they weren't always watching them. The guy had an arm around Yang's waist, though, but that might have been because she had trouble standing on her own. Blake brings this information back to Yang, and Yang just starts tearing up again when a few flashes of memory come back to her. She reveals to Blake that the guy she was with is Chase, her ex.
Blake tries so hard to convince herself that it changes nothing, that it didn't matter who the guy was if Yang was too drunk to remember everything, but, in the end, Blake's feelings are too hurt – and no amount of rational thought can change that. She breaks up with Yang, telling her she needs space for a while, packs up her things and leaves. Blake informs Ruby and Weiss that she won't be around for at least a few weeks.
Chapter 9 – Yang's POV: Yang is torn apart and blames herself incessantly. She meets up with Ruby and Weiss. Once Yang explains everything to them (because Blake didn't give them any reasons why she was suddenly leaving by herself), the duo tells Yang that Blake left for a solo mission somewhere (but she didn't say where, either). They try to cheer Yang up and express their belief that Blake will return after, that she didn't abandon the blonde, and just needed time to heal.
Yang leaves and tries to seek out Pyrrha. Meanwhile, Ruby contacts Taiyang and tells him to go find Yang. Pyrrha and Jaune are not home, so Yang goes back to her place and, out of desperation, contacts Qrow. Both Taiyang and Qrow end up showing up at Yang's place, where she tells them what happened and asks for help. Qrow is onboard with trying to get Yang's support system reformed, while Taiyang is upset and also wonders how Yang could possibly cheat on Blake – he is, ultimately, not super helpful, but he tries. Qrow tells Yang that he is going to hunt down Chase to meet with Yang so that they can discuss about the baby – he says he will "force that boy to take responsibility."
Chapter 10 – Blake's POV: Blake's solo mission takes her to Vacuo. She arrives at the location where she was told to meet up with another huntsman from the [Sand Riders'] guild – they asked for outside help because of needing a fresh pair of eyes. The huntsman Blake is meeting turns out to be Sun. Their mission consists of investigating huntsmen and huntresses mysteriously disappearing in one of the towns near the desert. Sun and Blake must ask locals about it to figure out where to start searching – which turns out to be a repeat of the task the previous huntsman had, and the one before that, too, but because they both disappeared unexpectedly, there was no way of knowing what they found. This time, Sun and Blake are to report to [Sand Riders] when they've figured out where they have to go.
They hear in one bar some drunken guy talk about another guy whose wife died in childbirth, and whose newborn kid is kept in a cage, but the two don't think much of this. Sun asks about Blake's relationship with Yang, and Blake coldly tells Sun they just broke up. Sun takes this as his opportunity to try to get close to Blake and be there for her.
Chapter 11 – Yang's POV: Yang talks with Chase. Chase tells Yang that they did not have sex – he remembers this because he wasn't drunk out of his mind. He tells Yang what happened in actuality, but Yang has difficulty believing him because why else would she be pregnant? She was not with any other guy that night or any other night. Chase insists that he did not rape or have sex with Yang, which results in a bit of an argument between the two – Chase accusing Yang of cheating, and Yang is upset and tells Chase that he has a responsibility to the child, but Chase refuses to raise a child that isn't his. He says he cares about Yang as a friend and agrees to stick around long enough to get a paternity test.
Qrow later shows up again to inform Yang that Raven is going to be released from prison and is required to remain with family – he offers Yang the choice if she wants, but Yang refuses, so Raven will be staying at Qrow's place under heavy surveillance with other restrictions and obligations.
Chapter 12 – Blake's POV: Sun continues to show interest in Blake during their investigation. They learn about some legend of a "Grimm-killer" child – info that seems non-important to them at the moment, as it doesn't seem to pertain to their mission, so they move on. Scene in a hotel room with Sun and Blake, where Sun keeps trying to draw closer to Blake. She isn't oblivious to what he's doing, but she also isn't in the headspace to be receptive, and she tells Sun to back off. He respects her wishes at this point.
By the end of this chapter, they figure out where it is they need to go and report the information to [Sand Riders]. There is a man and his wife who moved to the far outskirts of town approximately six months ago and who have been surviving out there on their own somehow. But nobody has seen the wife in a while, and the last time people saw the man, they thought there was something unsettling about him that hadn't been the case before. Sun and Blake get wind of reports from people saying they hear awful screaming at night coming from that area, sometimes during the day, too.
Blake receives a text from Yang (the only text message that will get through) that says Chase told her they didn't have sex, but Blake doesn't have the time or emotional energy to process that or get into it, as it makes her even more upset, so she doesn't answer.
Chapter ends right before Blake and Sun get ready to check out the lead.
Chapter 13 – Yang's POV: Yangmeets with JNPR + Ruby and Weiss to get her support system built up and to help her feel not so alone to take care of everything. Have a good convo with Pyrrha and Weiss. Have Jaune be surprisingly understanding. Have Ren cook for them. Nora and Ruby constantly hug Yang. As there is no certainty Blake will come back, especially because she hasn't been answering any calls (she doesn't have service to Vale where she is, but RWBY and JNPR don't know that) Yang begins the process of moving on from Blake.
Yang goes to speak with Raven at Qrow's place. She attempts to call Blake before going up to the door and knock, because she remembers how much Blake supported her back when they visited Raven in jail [Forlorn] and Yang feels like she needs that support again, but she hangs up angrily when it just keeps ringing (angry at herself, angry at Blake). Yang decides to face Raven alone. She goes in and has a conversation with her mother. At first, things are very tense and the conversation seems to go nowhere, but eventually they change the topic and they are able to speak a little more normally to each other.
Raven is the force that prompts Yang to start doing something with herself instead of moping, and move on.
Chapter 14 – Blake's POV: The man that answers the door for Blake and Sun looks haggard and on edge. He has several scars on his face, bigger scars peaking from under his shirt. He introduces himself as Zane Oliver. When Blake and Sun ask the man if he's seen or heard anything suspicious recently, Zane tells them he knows what happened to the missing huntsmen. He asks them to follow him so he can show them in which direction the huntsmen headed. He says he even saw a glimpse of the Grimm that attacked them – and it was terrifying.
This turns out to be a trap – Blake and Sun must then defend themselves against a Grimm creature that seems awfully human-shaped while Zane stares on in this strange mix of horror and affection. Blake and Sun manage to defeat this human Grimm only by using their semblances – the combination of so many clones gives them the 'numbers' to confuse and overpower it. Once it is dead, the duo confronts Zane – who is in furious, borderline insane, hysterics about his child being slaughtered – and drags him back to his home, where they tie him to a chair and interrogate him.
It doesn't take much prompting before Zane breaks down and tells Blake and Sun something otherwise impossible to believe if it hadn't been for the creepy Grimm they had just fought. He reveals that his wife, Kate, had been infertile, but they really wanted a child that would have their DNA, so they kept searching for various methods that would give them what they wanted – and they wanted this regardless of the cost. They eventually got in contact with a man who claimed to be an ex-scientist for Merlot Industries [Grimm Eclipse, Forlorn]. This ex-scientist said he and the team he had been a part of had been experimenting with aura before they were shut down for 'dangerous and illicit activities.' Their goal had been to give the Grimm aura (a soul), which, in theory, would cause them to cease being creatures of pain and darkness. But the ex-scientist believed that it was possible to create aura, or life, with aura, and he suggested that Zane and Kate come see him at his 'lab.' In their desperation, the couple paid the man an exorbitant sum, and he performed what he called "aura melding" on the two thanks to his equipment.
The operation was a success. At least, it seemed like it was, at first. Zane's wife did become pregnant. But after two months, they began realizing something was wrong. They moved to the outskirts of town, just to be safe. Kate was in a lot of pain and very tired – as if the baby, [Ash], was siphoning the life from her. And it was growing a lot faster than a regular baby would have. But they kept hoping. And as time went on, it just kept getting worse until one day, [Ash] tore himself out of his mother's belly and finished Kate off. And when Zane beheld this small Grimm creature, all he saw was his son – [Ash] didn't know any better. He was innocent. He was just trying to survive the only way he knew how. So Zane hid [Ash] away and buried his wife. And for a long time, the baby Grimm seemed to be satisfied with feeding off the life of animals...until a few townsfolk came into the area, and [Ash] killed them.
Zane panicked and locked up his son in a cage, and the screeching of hunger wouldn't stop, even when Zane brought in more animals. Huntsmen were sent to investigate, but Zane didn't want his son to die, so when the huntsmen got too close to discovering the truth, he lured them towards his son, and [Ash] finally stopped crying for food for a while. Not long after that, Blake and Sun came along. And [Ash] was no more.
Horrified after hearing this story, Blake and Sun bring Zane in to the Vacuo authorities, as well as notifying the guild about an ex-scientist of Merlot Industries who is in hiding in the area.
Chapter 15 – Yang's POV: Raven and Yang fight each other. Yang is able to vent some of her anger at Raven and maybe even some of the upset she feels regarding Blake. Raven teaches her a few things about fighting, and once Yang is exhausted, Raven teaches her a few things about life as well.
Yang launches herself into decorating her home to make it feel more like her own and less like Blake and hers. She calls up Weiss and Ruby, asking if they wanna take up an in-town mission for more cash, as Yang understands she will need more money to pay the rent without Blake's help. Further, as it so happens, Yang sees that her neighbor needs her lawnmower fixed, and she offers to fix it in her garage because Yang knows some amount of mechanical work from tinkering on Bumblebee, her father's car, and their own lawnmower. The neighbor agrees and says she will pay Yang.
Yang finally has an appointment with Dr. Sonia Valen for the baby. Everything seems fine.
Chapter 16 – Blake's POV: After handing Zane over to the authorities, Blake and Sun take a moment to relax/recover. Sun takes Blake out on a date (although it is never expressly said that it is a date), but Blake goes along to take her mind off things. They go back to the hotel and stop in front of Blake's room door, and, in a very brief moment of missing affection, they share a kiss for about half a second before Blake pulls away, realizing that she is not over Yang and does not want this with Sun.
As she lies in bed that night, she thinks about Yang and how she misses her, and then thinks about Yang being pregnant. It is while she wallows in her hurt and longing, and reviewing in her mind's eye all the events that took place since moving in with Yang, that Blake suddenly remembers the moment on the sectional when her aura and Yang's aura intermingled – and then she thinks back on Zane's case. And then Blake recalls how Yang had been so sure nothing had happened that night at the party. And the text message from Yang saying Chase insisted he hadn't slept with her, either. With these various pieces of information swirling in her head and forming a terrible picture, it suddenly occurs to Blake that maybe Yang hadn't slept with anyone at all. Maybe they had just created a monstrosity like Zane and Kate had without even realizing.
Blake sits up in bed and tries to call Yang to warn her immediately, but is unable to reach her. And the more Blake thinks about it, the more convinced she becomes that Yang is in danger. Blake can't stay another night in Vacuo, she packs her things and rushes to Sun's room to wake him up and tell him about the emergency. Sun follows Blake to the nearest airship harbor, but he does not leave with her. He hugs her goodbye.
Chapter 17 – Yang's POV: Raven is invited to Yang's house [for some reason], and Blake eventually knocks at the door. Yang opens, they have an awkward, painful greeting, and then she invites Blake inside because Blake tells Yang she has something important to say. Blake sees Raven at the table and is thoroughly confused, especially when she sees that Raven and Yang are not at each other's throats.
Eventually, after some explaining and updating on each other's situations, Blake tells Yang she needs to get rid of the baby because it is dangerous and will kill her. Yang gets angry because Blake can't just show up out of nowhere and ask Yang to get rid of a child she has already began to be attached to. She also argues that what Blake is saying is insane and that everything seemed fine with the fetus when she went to her checkup. Blake does not manage to convince Yang of the truth and then leaves the apartment.
Once Blake leaves, Raven tells Yang what her experiments were [Forlorn] and how they pertain to what Blake was worried about. This finally puts doubt in Yang's mind and she begins to believe Blake's story.
Chapter 18 – Blake's POV: Blake attempts to speak with Yang again. Yang agrees to getting early ultrasounds if only to appease Blake, and Raven suggests some obscure tests to also be run on both Yang and Blake. During the ultrasound – or one of the other tests – Blake, out of worry for Yang's future, holds on to Yang's hand [if it seems natural in the moment to write this]. The tests reveal that Yang's baby is really, truly, a baby – and not a Grimm – and Raven's tests confirm that Blake is, indeed, the other parent.
Blake needs to sit down somewhere and process the revelation, as it feels like her whole world gets shaken. When she manages to pull herself from her stupor, she requests a few days to get used to the new situation. During this time, she will clue in to her responsibility to her and Yang's child, and it will fully settle on her that there was no betrayal whatsoever – and that Blake should be immensely grateful to whatever motherly instinct pushed Yang to keep and fight for the baby.
Chapter 19 – Yang's POV: Blake and Yang have to decide whether or not they want to go back to being in a relationship. Yang experiences some minor struggle with the fact that she had begun to get over Blake, and while willing to try to mend the rift between them, she isn't sure how they can return to how they were before. Yang also grapples with the truth of Blake being the actual other parent of the baby, and recognizes that she does need Blake in her life for the child and for the support.
They decide to go on date [Forlorn reminiscent] and get a sense of where they're at with each other. [I'm thinking they go to the hill at the outskirts of Vale where Yang took Blake on her motorcycle in Forlorn – to recreate that moment but showing how different things are, in a good way – the girls talk about some of the memories they made together.]
By the end of the chapter, Yang and Blake know they want to stay together, and Yang expresses how grateful she is that Blake came back to her – because, in the end, Yang realizes how often she sought out Blake and how alone she felt without her, like the other half of her was gone.
Chapter 20 – Blake's POV: Gather JNPR and give them the news about all the crazy stuff, make them swear that the truth never leaves the room. Blake and Yang talk about the engagement agreement they came to in Forlorn. Blake and Yang have sex. [Sex scene(s) is a separate file. EyesEmoji] Happy ending!
General story notes:
- During the time Blake is with him, Sun must eventually realize that Yang will always be Blake's greatest love, and that's how he finally decides it is time for him to let Blake go and move on.
- While Yang tries to build her support system and possibly start moving on from Blake, Blake absolutely does not try to move on from Yang – in fact, for the most part, Blake tries not to think about things until the last night she is in Vacuo. And while this will never be expressly written, the idea is that Blake would have always come back to Yang, no matter what. As for Yang, she won't be able to stop herself from constantly seeking out Blake's support as her first instinct/reaction, so despite how hard she may try to move on, Yang can't get Blake out of her head and misses her a lot.
- Somewhere in chapters 18 to 20, there must be a scene where Raven meets with Yang and Blake and expresses great interest in their "aura baby." After all, this child basically represents what she had been trying to accomplish with her experiments in Forlorn. According to her, this baby could literally be the answer to repelling the Grimm, it's just that she had never thought to try and create a baby with her experiments – it had always been about giving the Grimm the thing they lacked in order to stop them. Yang and Blake immediately don't trust Raven, especially Yang who feels her old grudges come up again, and the couple decides it would definitely be best to keep Raven far away from their kid. This interaction with Raven will be the last time she shows up in Contrecoeur, tying the loose end.
- Depending on how the chapters are written, Chase may or may not show up again after chapter 11. There definitely at least needs to be a mention of him leaving at some point when it is realized that a paternity test from him is no longer necessary.
- After Blake leaves the club with Weiss and Ruby, the night between Yang and Chase happens as follows:
Yang continues partying. Having danced on a table earlier, she is noticed by Chase, who then approaches Yang later on while she's doing shots with Nora. At that point, Yang is already pretty drunk. Chase offers her another drink, they dance (nothing sexual), and then go off somewhere to talk/catch up incoherently (Chase is just buzzed, Yang thinks it's a great idea to chug her beverage). While they are off talking, JNPR loses sight of Yang and what she's doing. Chase offers Yang a ride home, but Yang says she was present with friends, so Chase and Yang go see JNPR and explain that Chase is going to bring Yang home. Yang, in her drunken state, admits that Chase is a friend and can be trusted. Pyrrha asked for some proof, and Yang mumbled something about Signal and being buddies, and Pyrrha relents because she trusts Yang, and Chase looks honest.
- The separation from Blake – and realizing they made a baby together – makes Yang much more receptive to Blake's touch when they are back together.
I do want to write an epilogue containing some scenes with the baby, so this story will receive an update with that at some point. If you guys want to suggest some names, you can. It's a girl!
Also, as I said, there is still a tiny chance that I'll actually write out all those chapters I outlined, but I'm leaving you guys with this for now in case I don't. Howeverrrrr...yes, I will post the sex scene(s) as a different story linked to the series next week. See you all then!