Life could not have been more difficult from the next day on. Gods help us.

Elise came back in the morning and I left Oz's room at the first rays of dawn to clean our gear in the creek and get back to the room. I was right. Our killer gear stank.

I needed to replicate my assassin's attire for the team. What they had now was good but old habits die hard and I wanted only the best for them. I felt a sense of foreboding and it itched beneath my skin.

Get ready. Be prepared. Something's coming. Be prepared.

I spent the night soothing my Oz so that he could sleep yet my mind was filled with Ghost. Ghost, my little Brother. The Child I had seen on the train, the child I had tried to protect. Ghost the Cannibal.

So, the Children were hunting like a pack of hyenas after a wounded lion.

Omar wants his favorite daughter home.

Though I tried, I could not prepare myself for what my team and I faced that day. First were the whispers. "Team DEEP is back." "They're alive?" "They made it." "I heard that…"

I had showered and dressed, checking and rechecking my wounds to make sure none of them hinted at becoming septic. Once the others were functioning I did the same for them. Proudly we all wore our necklaces of teeth and claws.

Proudly, we bore our battle wounds and scars.

We managed to make it to the dining hall before we were spotted.

There were gasps of surprise and shock, measuring looks and slashes of fear. We were a first year team yet we bore the wounds of something much more.

Then there was Nora. Dear sweet Nora. Should've called her the Banshee.

From across the room, she spotted us, shrieking at the top of her powerful lungs. "Mommy!"

I went cold. Many pairs of familiar eyes, swung in our direction and I thought momentarily about running away and hiding. But as I turned I saw the Sun and Neptune had blocked my exit and the herd was upon us.

I was surrounded instantly, bodies packing tightly near me trying to touch me, to reassure like Oz had that I was still alive. So many voices rang in my ears that I had trouble sorting through. There were too many people. Too close… I was suffocating.

"Guys back off, give her some air!" Jaune yelled over the crowd of people.

I hadn't realized how labored my breathing had become. "Hey, Mommy, deep breathes, in then out. Good, good, nice and calm." Ren murmured, rubbing my back. Pyrrha was calming Elise while Peyton had taken care of Elin. It was hard to crowd Peyton as tall as he was.

Then everyone resumed babbling, this time in apology. They couldn't have realized that the press of bodies would remind me too much of the tunnels beneath Vale.

"I…I think I'd like to return to my rooms." I whispered. I was a fool to have though that I could have dealt with so many people at once. I should have known better than to do that to myself, to my team.

In that instant that everyone surrounded me, I wanted to pull Orchid out and start slashing to get them away from me. Just… get them away from me.

"I-I'm sorry. Team DEEP will not be taking any visitors until later. We're still… unsettled. Please excuse us." I said woodenly before gathering my team and fleeing.

"Dahlia? Are you alright?" Velvet called from somewhere near me. I ignored her and limped away with my left hand on Elise and my right clutching Orchid with white knuckles.

I'm not alright. None of us are alright. How stupid of me to think that we could walk in and everything would be normal. How stupid of me.

I sat on my bed with Elin and Peyton on the floor near my feet and Elise leaning on me limply, all of us lost in our own thoughts.

"I'm sorry." I said suddenly. Peyton put a hand on my leg. "You couldn't have known. We were all fine up until we were surrounded. We're traumatized. This is normal." He said gently. I chuckled and put my hand over his.

Here I was, the healer, and I couldn't even use my Semblance to heal my own team's trauma. I hadn't recovered any of my Semblance at all. I had overused it so much that I simply couldn't activate it. My Aura was just to the point where I could fend off perhaps one good blow. Perhaps.

Maybe. Probably not.

"We should have seen this coming. We were in that maze for nearly a day. It was bound to leave more than just physical scars." Elin said calmly, running a gentle hand up Elise's calf. The twins needed to touch each other.

We were almost reassuring each other that we were all still there.

Our bodies may have left the tunnels but our minds were still there, amid the darkness and the death. Even for me, it had been soul crushing.

There was comfort, such comfort, in just feeling my team with me. Touching me. Reminding me I wasn't alone in my suffering. I wish they hadn't suffered but it was a relief not to suffer alone.

A tentative knock sounded at the door. We ignored it.

Even the thought of social interaction with anyone made me wince inside. I just needed Elise, Elin and Peyton. I needed my team for strength.

The door opened and I looked up with words blistering on my tongue. If we didn't answer, clearly we were not in the mood to talk, but the words died in my mouth.

"Ah, Ms. Goodwitch. I-I was wondering when-" She held up a hand and cut me off. She looked pretty awful for her usual self.

"We thought you were dead." She said hollowly. Her eyes stared at us with that same look I had seen all day. A fear that we weren't really there. She closed the door and sat down across from us on Elise's bed. From there she assessed our huddle and took in the scars and pain.

"We thought you were dead… and I thought it was my fault. Don't say anything." She snapped when I tried to interrupt her. It wasn't your fault. It's mine.

"After I sealed you back in the tunnels, the Army took over cleaning up the mess. I and the other teams went back to Beacon. Because of the past, everyone was very aware that you and your team were not on the ship. No one wanted to make that mistake again." There was a small smile and it vanished as soon as I saw it.

"You can't understand the pain. I had to tell everyone that I had sealed you back into darkness, with all those Grimm… to save the remnants of the White Fang. I did that. I'm the one who let you go back in there." Her voice broke. "I thought I had killed you when I did that." Elise lifted her head. "We didn't give you much of a choice, ma'am. We knew what we were getting into the moment we jumped in. Even if Dahlia hadn't told us, we would've gone anyways. We're Huntsman and Huntresses. That's what we do, what you trained us to do. And we lived, so you must be doing an amazing job at it."

Tears came to the Huntress' eyes. My arm snaked around my little friend and I pulled her close. She had done what I couldn't. I couldn't heal. Not yet.

"You may have survived but you are still children. Still my students." She stood and wiped her eyes. Her glasses were fogged and her cheeks red as she turned from us.

"We are so much more than that, Ms. Glynda. You know that." I murmured. Elise buried her nose in my neck, her muscles tightening but not for too long. Her Semblance was also shot. She could barely lift her arms.

The blonde haired Huntress turned and looked at us, her pain and concern wounding me but I wouldn't back down. She knew we were different.

"Not long ago I told Ozpin that you were supposed to be the defenders of the world. Now I look at you and I wish that I hadn't said that. You are the defenders of the world now and I wish you didn't have to be yet. I wish I could've given you more time." Her voice cracked with tears.

She was at the door. "Let them come see you a few at a time so you don't get overwhelmed. We all were so sure you were dead and I think it broke many of them. Let them see you, please. They suffered a lot these past few days."

My stomach tightened and I nodded. "Thank you, Ms. Glynda. Thank you… for being brave enough to do what others wouldn't have." Peyton called and Elin smiled at her.

Even without my Semblance, I could still feel. I could feel her pain and suffering but I could also see her putting the broken pieces back together. We were alive. She hadn't killed us. It was going to be okay. I cuddled my team closer.

A few at a time. That was best. Then we wouldn't be so overwhelmed. But first, there was one person I need to see alone.

I needed to see my baby sister.

"I'm going to find Blake. I'll be back in a bit okay? If you need to see people, go see them but only one at a time. We have to… be gentle with ourselves, I suppose." I smiled and I was rewarded with smiles back. "I love you guys."

Elise kissed my cheek. "We love you too, Mommy Quicksilver."

I chuckled weakly and stood up, leaning heavily on Orchid. Elise rose also but the boys stayed sitting down. They needed a little more time to themselves.

"Did Daren tell you that he is planning on applying as a dance instructor here?" Elise murmured to me quietly as I brushed a gentle hand over her beautiful long hair. "No, he didn't."

"I think it's to be closer to us here. That way I don't have to go all the way to Vale proper to see him and you two can practice dancing here. And he can keep an eye on me…" I smiled wide. "I think it's a wonderful idea. I'll mention it to Oz and see if he can't… streamline the process."

Her gratitude was a sweet balm. It fortified me for what was to come.

I turned and limped down the hallway toward team RWBY's room where there lay a locust swarm of feelings. It sucked me in, right up to their door where I knocked once.

There was a quiet rustle and the door cracked open. A tawny amber eye, as familiar to me as my own, looked out at me. "Hello, kitten." I whispered. "Come walk with me." I knew where to take her.

When the door finally opened all the way, Blake followed next to me as I walked her out to the gardens of Beacon, to a very special place near the library, hidden by trains of ivy and carefully placed hedges. A secret garden that was my favorite place in the world.

She stared about the garden, at the pond and the flowers that were just beginning to fade, at the silver beech tree that I had lay under so many nights alone and so many other nights with Oz. Even in the daytime, it was beautiful.

"It's lovely." Blake whispered to me, drawing close. I smiled. "It is. This is my favorite place in Beacon. My own little secret garden."

We sat down beneath the shade of the beech tree and Blake looked at the sky. For a while, we were silent.

"Why'd you do it?" She finally asked. A rock formed in my throat and I couldn't answer for a moment. "Because I had to, Blake. I couldn't leave them to die." I watched tears fill her eyes. "You could have. No one would have noticed or cared. They deserved to die." She growled, clenching her teeth.

I draped my arm over her shoulders and she leaned her head on my shoulder. "No, they didn't. I'm sorry I shouldn't have said that." She said quietly, her voice thick. "I-I just… why should they have survived and you didn't? What have they done except murder and steal and lie and-and then you just died, Dahlia! Goodwitch told us there was such a slim chance of you surviving in those tunnels that we shouldn't even hope! And I was in those tunnels, so I know! My team and I know what you faced in there!" She sobbed and my eyes filled with bitter tears.

"I'm sorry, Blake. I'm sorry I did that to you. To all of you. I guess I didn't think about you guys when I made the decision. It was selfish and-" She looked at me fiercely, even with tears. "Shut up, Dahlia. The next time you call you or your team selfish, I will throw you at Yang. How can you say you're selfish when you went in there for those Faunus? That mocks the sacrifice you all made and the suffering we've lived through." I tried to smile but it hurt too much. "It wasn't supposed to be like this. We had won, you know? We had beaten the bad guys, saved the town, and whatever. But it didn't feel like we won. We couldn't find you or your team after the cleanup. We wanted to celebrate but instead we got… that."

Her hands were clenched up tightly and I could feel the purge she was doing. These words were so pent up over the past few days and once again in my life, I was glad I had survived. I ran my hand over her hair and pulled her close so I could kiss her temple. "I'm sorry." How many times would I say that?

"You promised that you would come back. That it wouldn't be like before. That-" I put my free hand on her cheek and made her look into my eyes. "I came back, Blake. I kept my promise. I am alive and well. You know I can survive, kitten. You know I can." I pulled her into an embrace with her head against my chest. "I will always come back to you. You're my blood sister and I love you. I won't leave you."

She cried but it was a release instead of penning it away. "Do- Do you ever t-think about Aunt Halia… I mean your Mom?" She asked me after hiccupping a few times. I smiled sadly. The first of our little family to abandon us. I refused to be the second. "Every day, little sister."

Ever so carefully, I spun one thread of Healing out from myself and slowly I helped heal my baby sister's heart and soul from the wounds I had left.

I won't leave you, I won't leave you, not ever again.

Using the one thread of Semblance had cost me but seeing my sister Healed was worth it. I couldn't bear her pain. And Blake would give other's the confidence to heal themselves of the wounds I had caused.

Back inside team RWBY's room I gently worked that team back from the edge. All it took was for me to smile and say, "Good to see you, darlings." They were careful not to crowd me but they all got as much contact as they needed to reassure themselves that I was alright.

Yang and Weiss got to yell at me, and then all of them got to cry but I knew that it would be okay. I was alive to make sure it would be okay.

I was touched to see the sketchbooks I had given lying near the pillows of each bed.

It was the same for each room I visited. Either Elise, or the boys had beaten me there or all of them but I made sure to visit each room. Even if I couldn't do what I did with Blake, I knew seeing me and my team would heal, slower than my Semblance, but heal it would.

Sun introduced me to his team, after he finished cuddling and yelling at me. I had missed him so much. Neptune hugged me and was relieved I was back. He may have cried a little but I pretended I didn't see him wipe away the tear.

Sage Ayana and Scarlet David greeted me, slightly confused at their teammate's responses to me but very polite. Sage studied me with sharp yellow eyes and beyond the greeting remained silent. Not much of a talker.

Sage was a very attractive young man with dark skin and those piercing yellow eyes. His hair was a dark leafy green and he had a pair of wings tattooed across his pectoral muscles and roman numerals tattooed like a clock around his neck. He wore only a white and green long coat with asymmetrical sleeves, his left sleeve full and the right ending at his mid-upper arm with no shirt beneath. He wore a gold spaulder on his right shoulder and a gold band on his right wrist. Dark pants, black boots and a white and gold belt completed his look. On the back of his coat, there were two green angel wings that were embroidered carefully onto the white fabric.

Scarlet, on the other hand, reminded me a lot of Elin. His bright red hair, much like his name stated, came down over his right eye and the left side of his hair was shaved down to half an inch if I were to guess and it was well taken care of. On his face, near the outer corner of his left eye were red tribal markings and from his left ear hung an earring of three brightly colored feathers. Green, blue and dark pink. Around his neck he wore a gray bandana and hanging rakishly off his left shoulder was an intricately stitched crimson captain's coat. He, unlike Sun and Sage, wore a white sleeveless shirt and on his right hand he wore a fingerless glove and traveling up that arm he wore a gray band. His pants were light gray, held up by a white and gold belt, and coming up to his mid-thigh, he wore light brown lace up boots. All in all he looked like something out of a pirate story.

Like Neptune, they were confused by my nickname as both Sun and Neptune called me Mommy. Neptune's wise comment when they both said they'd never call me that was a simple. "I said the same thing when I met her."

I had only smiled.

I was exhausted when I finally made it back to my room and my team waited for me with food and tea and much healed hearts. There was a message waiting for me on my Scroll.

Bastard: I heard you got in some trouble, pup. Are you okay?

Of course, Oz would have told him. I felt bad for making both men worried.

Me: Sorry, bastard. Didn't mean to make you worried. I just did what I thought a Huntress should do.

Surprisingly, he answered back almost immediately. His response gave my heart relief.

Bastard: I'm just glad you're safe. Proud of you.

Seeing that made everything better. At least someone understood what I did besides my teammates. And tomorrow would be better and the next day and the next day. It would get easier, we would regain our strength and everything would return to how it had been before the train wreck in the middle of Vale.

All would be well. Eventually.