Time for chapter eight everyone and I'm excited to tell you guys that I'm starting an original story arc for finals and Winter break. That means a lot of happy times as well as break at Patch and Christmas for RWBY plus one, so let's get to it. IMPORTANT NOTE AT BOTTOM!

With the semester coming to a close, we all found ourselves sitting in chairs in a circle reviewing for finals as Weiss read the chapter. "The Grimm Boarbatusk is heavily armored in the front...Yang, Yang wake up!" I just sat there and watched as Weiss reached over and slammed her textbook down on Yang's snoring head.

*WHAAAAM* "OWWWW!" *CRASH*

I grin at Yang's crumpled form on the floor after she fell backwards out of her chair. Weiss got up and stood over her with hands on her hips, "Yang, this is important! We have to do well on our finals this semester or our Team will take a serious hit grade-wise."

Yang leaned up rubbing her head groaning, "Come on Weiss, how badly could this really hit us?"

I took the textbook out of Weiss' hand and passed it to Ruby before she could whack Yang again, "About as hard as Weiss nailed you with this book. Come on we're almost done with the chapter" I pull Yang to her feet set the chair back up for her.

Yang puts a hand over her heart and leaned forward a bit, "I do declare, aren't you a gentleman. What can I do to thank you kind sir?"

I raise an eyebrow and smirk, "Open up to page two-thirty-two and be so kind to read the chapter."

Yang took her textbook from a giggling Ruby grumbling,"My knight in shining armor everyone." She sighed and began reading boredly, "A head on attack will be futile, so you must either flank the Boarbatusk or yadda-yadda-yadda. Seriously, why are we studying this stuff? It's basic knowledge for Hunters."

Weiss groaned, "We are doing something called reviewing Yang, it's part of the other thing called studying."

Yang smiled and made it a joke, "Ohhhhhh, so that's the weird thing nerds do, ya I don't do that."

Blake set her textbook down, "Maybe we should stop for tonight, we've reviewed almost everything we'll need for our finals tomorrow."

Yang threw down her textbook and laughed, "Want to get back to your 'special' book kitty cat?"

Blake glared at Yang hatefully and was about to reply before Ruby spoke up, "What's special about Blake's book?" Blake's face went red as four pairs of eyes turned to stare at her. Two of those four were Yang and I who were grinning. Weiss was as red as Blake because she was the one to accidentally find Blake's secret stash. Finally Ruby was staring at her confused, trying to figure out what everyone was privy to besides her. She pouted and crossed her arms, "What's going on?"

Yang pick Ruby up and hugged her tightly, "Ohhhhh don't ever change!"

Ruby wiggled around and wined, "Yaaaaaanng, set me down! I'm not a little kid anymore!"

Yang glanced behind Ruby at me and smiled as I walked up behind her. She dropped Ruby, who expected to land on the floor. Instead I caught her and threw her onto my shoulders, "Come on Rubes, let's go get some food."

Ruby leaned forward to look me in the eyes, "Can I get some cookies?" I smile and nod my head, "YAAAY! GO GO GO GO GO!"

I laugh, "Definitely not a kid anymore."

She hits the top of my head, "Silence, servant! I demand you to take your queen to the dining hall for dinner."

I start walking straight for the cafeteria smiling, "As you wish your majesty, I will head there with utmost importance." I glance behind me to see my team behind me smiling and laughing at Ruby's playacting, even Weiss was smiling at her partner, "We finally growing on ya Weiss?"

She immediately wiped her face of any positive emotion, "I don't know what you're talking about."

Yang threw her arms around Weiss and Blake's shoulders, "Awwww I knew you cared Weiss."

Blake just rolled her eyes smiling and returned to her book as Weiss scoffed, "Don't think for a second I'm beginning to tolerate your atrocious living habits Yang."

Ruby leaned back, allowing her to see Weiss upside down, "You'll get used to it eventually Weiss."

Weiss huffed annoyed, "That's what I'm afraid of. If I get used to such rude and inappropriate habits, then my own might deteriorate."

Yang punched Weiss lightly in the shoulder, or what Yang thought as lightly. "It'll do ya some good Weiss, you need to relax sometimes."

Ruby waved her hands excitedly, still hanging upside down, "CHRISTMAS! What better time to relax than during one of the best times of year! There's cookies, presents, food, family, and fun!"

Weiss sighed, "Have you forgotten who my family is? We haven't all been in the same room together in years, let alone have an actual Christmas party."

We walk into the cafeteria as Blake just shrugged, "I was planning to stay at Beacon for the break. It'll be nice and quiet here with most everyone gone."

Sitting down, I didn't think anyone realized how sad she was to not have a family to go back to anymore, she always was good at hiding emotions. "Well it's a good thing I talked to Tai and my parents this morning."

Blake raised an eyebrow as everyone turned to look at me, "What were you talking to them about?"

I pointed my fork at Blake, "Do you really think I was going to let you miss a chance to actually have a Christmas again after so long?"

Blake looked down sheepishly, "We-Well I didn't think you'd remember that-"

I then point my fork at Weiss, "And no offense Weiss, but I kinda figured that you're family wasn't exactly a big happy one."

Weiss just stared forward blankly as she thought about the past years, "None taken Davian, it's an accurate enough assumption."

Ruby spoke through a mouth full of cookie, spraying crumbs everywhere, "Fo, fwat hid oo halk oo had abou?" Realizing she had just sprayed crumbs all over her partner, Ruby quickly swallowed and wiped her mouth. "I'm so sorry Weiss, I didn't mean to!"

Weiss just sighed and brushed off her dress, "It's alright Ruby, just be more diligent next time you eat."

Ruby smiled brightly as Weiss, "Thanks, I promise I will be!" She then turned back to me, "As I was saying what were you talking to dad about?"

I nod my head out the window, "Well, I figured that Weiss would come with us to Patch for the beginning of break then come back after Christmas day and stay with us until break is over." Yang was about to say something pointing at Blake, "Aaand before you say anything, Blake is heading back with us after our finals tomorrow morning. No way you're spending your first Christmas in who knows how many years alone."

Blake just looked surprised, but happy. Weiss looked just as shocked and happy, but hid it better, "I'm sure I'd be able to slip away after Christmas day. Father and Winter will be in for breakfast that morning…before going back to work." She added the last part sadly.

Blake smiled, "I'd be happy to come, thank you."

Ruby cheered, "YAY THIS IS GOING TO BE SO MUCH FUN!"

-][-

With finals done, we all packed our bags and got ready for a trip to Vale. We all met at the airship that would be taking us to Patch and boarded for the four hour flight. The entire way, we all talked about what we were going to do, or at least Ruby just kept telling Weiss and Blake about her home. "You two are going to love it! There's so much to do like ice-skating, restaurants, movies, games, and a lot of other stuff!"

Yang ruffled Ruby's hair, "Calm down Rubes, they'll be able to see everything when we settle down at home."

Ruby rubbed the back of her head in embarrassment, "Right-um-sorry. I'll try to calm down a bi-WE'RE HERE!" Ruby practically jumped over Yang and pressed her nose against the window, "I can see the landing pad guys, we're almost there!"

I stood up, "I'll go ahead and call a cab while you girls get your bags."

Yang looked at me like I was stupid, "Davian...we haven't even landed yet. You can't 'go on ahead'." I just smiled and teleported outside the window and turned around to see my team and several others who happen to be walking by staring at me like I was insane. I gave them a little salute and tipped backwards, falling about two-hundred feet into the freezing water below.

I broke the surface and quickly teleported to a fire on the beach, "Ok, looked cool...probably should've given it a bit more thought." Luckily I was...much more resilient to extreme temperatures than the average human, so I dried quickly by the fire and made my way to the taxi stand.

After arranging for a taxi to take us to Yang's home, I waited for the girls to land. Sitting down on a bench and zipping up my jacket, I looked down the street and just watched the snow fall lazily out of the sky and cover the city in a blanket of white. I smiled as I saw families walk into restaurants and stores laughing merrily and enjoying the season. My smile softened as I realized that this was going to be my first Christmas in a several years.

As I was reminiscing, I suddenly felt myself being spun around to find a very annoyed Weiss standing there with her hands on her hips, "What was that?"

I shrugged, "It was fun?"

Yang and Ruby burst into giggles at Weiss' annoyed expression, "I'll have you know that we had to explain to the flight attendant what had just jumped off their ship."

I shrugged again, "All in good fun, I assure you." I then nodded my head at the taxi, "I'll get the bags, go ahead and get in the car where it's warm."

Ruby and Blake thanked me quickly and rushed into the heated car. Weiss huffed then thanked me calmly and walked to the car, used to the chilly weather. Yang just hefted her bag and Ruby's over her shoulder, "I'll help, it'll be done quicker this way."

I grab Weiss' (or I guess I should say one of many) and Blake's along with my own, "Go ahead Yang, I got it. You're only wearing a long sleeved shirt and your normal jacket."

Yang brushed off comment, "I'm practically a walking furnace, I'm completely comfortable."

I relent, "Riiight, I keep forgetting that your aura keeps you warm." We make a few trips before I slam the trunk into place, "Come on, it's going to take us a few hours to get to your house from here." We squeeze into the back seat of the taxi along with the others, "4392 Seresk Avenue please." The driver nods his head and we take off, officially beginning our Winter break.

-][-

After three hours of driving,we finally pull into a long secluded road that opened up to show a large but cozy two story country style home. Snow had been falling in Vale for several days now, blanketing the house in a sheet of pearly white. Once we pulled up to the front porch, I paid the cabi before climbing out after the others to find Taiyang as well as my parents waiting for us. Ruby and Yang rushed forward and tackled Taiyang to the ground, "DAAAD" they squealed together.

I laugh at a groaning Tai as he welcomed his girls home. I turned and gave my parents a hug, "It's good to be home."

My mother pulls away and gives me a look over, "You look good, in fact I'd say much better than before you left. How are you feeling?"

I smile, "Much, much better. Being around Yang and Ruby as well as the others helped a lot. It really did." I then look behind me at a shy Blake and motion her forward, "Mom, dad, you two remember that I told you that Blake was on my team at Beacon right?"

My mother quickly nodded and hugged Blake, "You have no idea how happy I was to hear that you got away from those people honey."

Blake went as stiff as a board, unsure of what to do. While she may of been VERY close with my family when we were little, she was very surprised that my mom still saw her as her 'adorable little kitten'.

She pulled away from my mom slightly, "You're not angry?"

My father stepped behind my mother and smiled gently, "No, none what-so-ever. We both understand why you stayed. We're just happy that the lessons we tried to teach you got through."

Blake smiled, getting a little teary-eyed and hugged them both, "Thank you, thank you so much."

I smiled and turned around towards the car and began carrying in bags as everyone conversed. Ruby speedily telling Weiss about all the stuff they were going to do while Yang tried to make her take a breath and Blake telling my parents about her time in Beacon.

When I went to grab a second load, Taiyang grabbed two for himself, "Let me help ya Davian, no need for you to carry everything."

I nodded, "Thanks Tai, and thank-you for allowing us to stay here for the break."

He waved me off, "Don't even worry about it, this house is plenty big enough to fit you all as long as one of you aren't against sleeping on a couch."

I shrug as we dropped off the load, "Not a problem, Yang and I have slept in much worse conditions before. Remember when you took us camping that summer and Yang forgot the tent and sleeping bags?"

He laughed, "Do I, the look on her face when she realized we had to stay the night sleeping on the ground! It was priceless!"

I grinned as we picked up our third load, "Yeah it was, though I do feel bad for that squirrel, it was just curious about Yang." I sigh, "I bet he's still falling."

As we walk back to grab the final load I stop Tai, "Get the others inside before they freeze, I'll grab the last couple bags." Tai nodded his head and rounded everyone up and led them inside. I make two more trips and finally drop the last of the bags by the front door. I stretch my back before following the voices, which led me to the back porch. I stepped out the sliding glass door to see Tai telling Weiss and Blake about the house, "

Blake nodded her head, "It's very pretty home Mr. Xiao-Long."

Weiss nodded her head in agreement, "Very, it has a natural beauty that my home always lacked."

Tai nodded his head, "Thank you Ms. Schnee, " he then addressed both Blake and Weiss, "and don't worry about the whole 'Mr.', I am Yang's father after all. Where do you think she gets it?"

I smirk, "I think she picked up a bit too much Tai, Yang's study habits are as bad, if not worse than your own."

Yang punched my arm with, again what she thought was soft, "I'm not that bad!"

I rub my arm groaning, "You were barely passing three of your eight classes this semester."

Yang crossed her arms defiantly, "Ya, and what about the other five?"

I grin and raise an eyebrow, "Barely B's with one A in combat class."

Yang looked confused, "Yeah...that's better than I've ever done."

Weiss sighed as she rubbed her forehead, "How you got into Beacon with your grades is beyond me Yang."

Yang huffed, "I'm not that bad," she turned to Ruby, "Tell them Rubes, tell them I'm not as bad as they say!" Ruby pretend to be enamored by Zwei. Yang slumped where she stood, "Everyone's against me, I knew it, I just knew it."

I chuckled and opened up the door, "Come on, we can talk more inside." We all headed in and spend the rest of the day talking my the fire, eating food, drinking hot chocolate, and enjoying each-others company.

-][-

After Ruby had nodded off Yang picked her up and carried her to her room. Deciding it was late, everyone else headed to bed. Weiss shared a room with Ruby (Of course she had bunk-beds, why wouldn't she?). Blake slept on a spare mattress in Yang's room and my parents got the guest bedroom. I elected to sleep on the living room couch after Yang had suggested I…share her bed. That offer was quickly shot down by Tai before I could even decline.

By the time three hours passed, everyone was asleep and the house was completely silent save for Yang and Tai's snoring. I lay asleep on the couch asleep when I suddenly awoke with a sharp intake of breath. I roll my head to the right and saw it was two in the morning. I lay my head back down with a sigh, now accustomed to my two to three hours of restless sleep per night. Knowing I wouldn't be going back to sleep, I sat up and walked into the kitchen and made myself some decaf coffee then sat down on the front steps of the house enjoying the cool morning air.

I sat alone for several hours just enjoying the silence. When dawn just began lighting the sky, someone spoke behind me, "Why are you up so early?"

I turned my head a bit to find Tai leaning against the door-frame. I turned back to face the trees, "I couldn't sleep."

Tai sat down next to me, "Is that normal?"

I leaned back onto my elbows, "I haven't gotten anywhere near a full eight hours of sleep for four years now."

Tai looked up as snow began falling, "I'm sorry to hear that…does Yang know?"

I shook my head, "No, she just assumes I wake up an hour before them, not several." I shrug, "Though it hasn't affected my training or education. I'm able to keep going longer than most."

We just sat there for a few minutes before Tai stood up patting my shoulder, "I won't breathe a word as long as it doesn't cause any problems. But if it does, don't hide if from anyone, especially Yang, she cares about you as much as your parents."

I chuckled, "Already tried, I didn't think she'd figure anything out but I forgot we know practically everything about each other. I shouldn't be surprised, and as you might expect, she was not happy about it when she did find out I was keeping secrets."

Tai looked thoughtful for a minute, "You love my daughter, don't you."

I stare blankly into the trees, "I-

The sound of squealing reverberated from the second floor window above us, causing Tai and I to look up. We caught sight of Crimson as it barreled into a snow mound not far away. As I stood up to find out what it was, Ruby comically popped her head out of the snow mound like a gofer yelling, "SNOW SNOW SNOW SNOW!"

I walked over to Ruby and pulled her out by the back of her shirt, "Having fun Rubes?"

Ruby stuck her arms and legs out wide, "I'M JUST SO EXCITED TO FINALLY BE ON WINTER BREAK! That means snowmen, hot chocolate, and Christmas!"

"Ah, "I drop her back into the snow and take off towards the other end of the yard, diving behind a mound of snow.

Ruby pushed herself out of the snow, "What did you do that fo-" She was suddenly sent sputtering by a face full of snow. She wiped her face as a look of determined playfulness passed over her face, "It...is...on!"

Ruby laughed as she jumped behind her own mound and began returning fire. She made several snowballs and used her semblance to launch them in quick succession. I looked up and my eyes widened at the sight of eight lumps of snow falling towards me. I quickly teleported into the branch of a tree to Ruby's left. Before she could make anymore snowballs, I jumped down and threw the ball I had in my hand. She quickly ducked behind her cover. When she popped back up to throw a snowball, she saw I three feet away. She squeaked in surprise as I tackled her, forcing her into the snow.

I chuckled as I tickled her sides, causing her to thrash about and laugh, "AHAHAH DAV-AHA-DAVIAN STOP-AHAHAH-STOP IT AHAHA!"

I smiled, "Not until you admit defeat Ruby." Ruby looked behind me through teary eyes and giggled, though not because she was being tickled. I raise an eyebrow, "What are you giggling abo-AKH!"

I was suddenly pulled off Ruby and put into a choke hold. I turned my head as best I could to find Yang standing behind me, "You shall no longer torture our fearless leader, she would never surrender to traitorous scum like you!"

I smile, "And what are you going to do about it?"

Yang smiled evilly, "We will defend our leader! Right girls?"

My smile dropped as I looked back in front of me to find Ruby, Weiss, and Blake standing there loading their weapons with stun rounds. I stared blankly at them, lips pressed into a thin line, "Well...crap."

Ruby grinned manically, "FIRE!" I quickly back-flipped over an unsuspecting Yang and used her as a shield.

As soon as I felt the stun rounds hit Yang, I dropped her limp form to the ground, spun around and ran for the hills yelling, "You'll never catch me alive!"

Ruby pointed at me, "AFTER HIM!" Blake helped Yang up and they all sprinted after me, laughing their heads off."

(POV Taiyang)

I stood with John and Sianna on the front porch smiling as we watched the kids disappear from sight. Sianna wiped her hands on a washcloth to dry them after cooking, "He's doing better."

John nodded, "Yeah, it's good to see after what happened to him."

I leaned against a support, "Do either of you know what they actually did to him?"

Sianna shook her head, "No, and that scares me. He's eighteen now, legally an adult, and he's locked both John and I out from viewing his medical file."

My father sighed, "No matter how bad it was, he seems to be recovering without any problems yet, which is a blessing from Oum."

I sighed, causing Davian's parents to look over at my sad face, "I wouldn't say 'without any problems'."

John looked concerned, "What do you mean?"

I looked at the ground, "He asked me not to say anything, but you two deserve to know. I came out this morning when everyone else was still waking up to find him sitting on the front steps with an empty pot of coffee. When I asked him how long he'd been awake for, he said he hadn't gotten 'anywhere near a full eight hours of sleep for four years'." John and Sianna's eyes widened, "I don't know what happened, but it was bad enough for him to not sleep more than a couple hours every night."

We all stood there silently as John and Sianna processed that information. John took a step forward to go after his son when I stopped him. He turned around confused, "Why are you stopping me? We have to talk to him."

I shook my head, "Let him be John, he's doing fine with that small amount he gets each night."

John pushed my hand off his shoulder, "That's not what I'm worried about!"

I huffed, "I know that, but trying to force anything out will only make him clam up more-so than he already is." I nodded my head to the now visible kids as they walked back to the house laughing, "Look at them, he's doing fine. He'll talk about it when he's ready and not a second before." I then chuckled a bit, "And if I know my daughter, then I'd be willing to bet that she's already gotten him to talk to her a bit." I put my hands on my friend's shoulders and looked him in the eyes, "Davian is a strong man. He was when he disappeared protecting Yang, and yes he came back scarred, but even stronger. He'll pull through, I'm sure of that."

John looked back at the kids as they laughed and joked. He sighed, "Alright, we won't say anything. I just hope he will."

I pat his shoulder, "It'll be okay, look at them laughing. That's genuine laughter, not the fake stuff people sometimes push out." The three of us look one last time before disappearing back into the house to finish breakfast.

(POV Davian)

We all sat around the dining room table eating waffles as we talked about the morning. Ruby stood on her chair pointing at me with her fork, "We totally got you!"

I smiled, "Yeah, only after I tied Blake to a tree with Gambol Shroud, and trapped Weiss in her own ice. Add that to the fact that I didn't even have my own weapon." I took a sip of orange juice, "Plus, I would call that a draw after I let Yang tackle me from behind."

Yang looked offended, "You totally didn't 'let me' tackle you! You just didn't hear me come up behind you."

I grinned and raised an eyebrow at her, "Yang...you're as silent as an Ursa."

Yang put a hand on her hip, "Remind me if I'm wrong, but didn't an Ursa sneak up on you in Forever Fall?"

I stared at her blankly for a few seconds, "...Touché." Yang grinned and raised her waffle on her fork in triumph before beginning to gobble it down. "Though didn't you tell me that TWO Ursa's surprised you during initiation and cut some of your hair?" Yang choked on a piece of her waffle while she tried to defend herself. I smiled, "Aaaaand my honor is restored."

We spent the remainder of breakfast talking about what we were going to do during the day. Ruby yelled through a mouth full of chocolate chip waffles, "Wets go foo vee whice wink!"

Weiss huffed in annoyance, "Ruby, we've told you to swallow first...though thanks for not spraying me with food this time."

Ruby saluted before swallowing, "Right, sorry. As I said, let's go to the ice rink at the mall!"

The adults conversed a bit before Sianna turned back smiling, "Sure, why not, we need to do a little Christmas shopping. Plus, it'll be fun to watch you three try to ice-skate again."

Ruby and Yang scowled at my mom while Blake reddened. Yang saw her and quickly turned her scowl into a grin, "Awwww kitty not good on ice?"

Blake just glared at her partner hatefully while we laughed. Tai stood up, "Let's get going then, no time like the present." We all cleared our dishes and piled into the car before driving off for Vale.

(Important Note Below)

Hey guys, chapter eight is now finished. I will say it's not my best chapter, but I'm still getting used to this writing thing, especially when it's completely outside the cannon. Any suggestions on how to write better are welcome.

IMPORTANT - Now, for you people that wanted some sort of competition over Davian between Blake and Yang, I'm afraid that I'm going to have to say it's not going to happen. As you may of read in earlier chapter, Blake was VERY close to the Kadar family when they were in the Fang. So that means Blake will see Davian as more of a brother then a love interest. Noooooww, I don't mean that there won't be some sort of love triangle later on. After all, Davian might need teammates at some point, and that's what I want you guys to decide on. Should Davian get his own team, or stay part of RWBY (This will give him a special role during the tournament)?" I have a poll open in my profile and I'll keep it open up to where I feel Davian should or shouldn't get a teammate. So I guess that's all, I'll keep doing the best I can for you guys. Feel free to leave any comments (good or bad and anything I could be doing better) along with chapter/scene ideas in the review section.

Archangel out...