Chapter 30

Harry left his stuff by the front door and everyone gathered in the livingroom. At Harry's insistence, the Carpenter children were told to wait upstairs for the time being, leaving Pyrrha, Michael, Charity, Harry, and Molly on the first floor. Michael sat in one of the side chairs with Charity standing attentively by his side, while Pyrrha and Harry sat on the couch. Molly sat awkwardly on the opposite side of the living room table, hands folded together.

Pyrrha sat silent, with her hands clasped in her lap and staring at the floor. Removing the block on her memories was something she had wanted since her arrival on Earth, but now that it was here, she couldn't help but feel a jittery nervousness in her stomach. The idea of someone diving back into her mind was far from appealing as well.

Sensing her unease, Harry clasped her shoulder firmly and said, "I understand if you don't want to do this Pyrrha, trust me I do. Psychomancy isn't pleasant, and last time didn't reveal any happy memories for you. I can figure this out without forcing you to relive them."

Pyrrha nodded, slowly, and looked up at Molly. After seeing the woman move, Pyrrha definitely knew she was a Fae. It was subtle, and Molly seemed unaware of it, but there was an… unnatural grace to the movement of Fae, from what she had seen in the Leanansidhe and Molly; they were like dancers, no movement wasted and every gesture planned. Harry obviously trusted Molly far more than he had Lea, which spoke volumes to Pyrrha about her. But it did not alleviate her fears.

"How would this work?" Pyrrha asked her. "The process, that is. Last time, at the White Council, it was… very invasive."

Though Psychomancy in general seemed to operate on violating her sense of intimacy, perhaps it could not be done any other way. It was not an encouraging thought.

Molly took a moment to think on Pyrrha's question, tapping her lip in thought before answering. "It would depend on what kind of block they used. If someone powerful did it to you, they would have dropped a blanket spell on you. No memory at all, you wouldn't even be aware that they were gone until someone prodded at it enough."

Pyrrha frowned, "You think that's what happened to me?"

"No," Molly shook her head. "From how Harry described it, the block they used sounds like an old one I used… a long time ago. Think of the first one as a lock, it keeps everything secure and hidden away with minimal attention. Yours though, is like someone planted a wall of thorn bushes in your mind, right?"

The striking pain flared in Pyrrha's skull briefly and she winced, "Something like that."

"Right, that means this will be easy by comparison. All I need to do is find the start of the block and just rip it away like a band-aid. If I do it slow, it could cause… permanent damage."

A less than desired outcome.

Pyrrha took a shaky breath, "How long would that take?"

"Depends on how much of your mind is blocked off." Molly quirked her lips, "Though if I had to guess, and if the White Council didn't fudge it up, ten to thirty minutes total. Regardless, it will hurt when I do it. A lot."

"I'm no stranger to pain." Pyrrha admitted, "and I want to know what happened. Why am I here and what happened to my home? If you think you can do that Molly, then you have my full consent to do whatever is necessary."

Harry spoke up, "You sure Pyrrha? There's no turning back once we start, and you might not like what we find. Sometimes there are memories best left forgotten."

He noticeably shuddered at that, no doubt reliving a memory he wished he could forget.

There was truth in his words, Pyrrha wouldn't deny that. The memories the Council did reveal were far from pleasant and had been eating away at her ever since. The Mantle of the Fall Maiden had been at stake, last she remembered, and lives had depended on her decision. More than that though, her conversation with Jaune, whether he had been a dream or not, had shown her that no matter how much it might hurt, however much she would want to forget, it wouldn't undo the events that had unfolded at Beacon.

"This is something I can't put off Harry." she said. "I need to know the truth, regardless of whether I'm ready for it… or not."

Harry sighed and stood up, "Alright then. Molly, what'll you need to pull this off?"

"My wits and a stiff drink afterwards maybe." she said, and chewed on her bottom lip in thought, "I'll also need someone to hold her limbs. If things don't go smoothly, we don't want her flailing randomly everywhere."

Harry had a brief flashback to a typhoon of silverware that had exploded in his kitchen less than three days ago, and said, "We'll want to remove anything with loose metal nearby too, unless anyone wants to do an imitation of a pin-cushion."

No one laughed at Dresden's 'joke'. He grumbled to himself and got to work removing any metal Pyrrha might snag during the spell, along with help from Charity and Michael. Molly noticeably kept to herself, though she remained seated by the table with her eyes closed, taking slow methodical breaths. Preparation for the attempt, that no one was willing to interrupt.

Using her Semblance, Pyrrha directed the Carpenters and Harry for half an hour toward any piece of metal that would be easily moved if she lost control of herself. Batteries, remotes, the television, several lamps, light bulbs, and Harry's comically oversized pistol were all safely stored in another room away from the children and away from Pyrrha.

Harry held out his hand to Pyrrha and said, "And the tiara, don't forget that."

Pyrrha reached up and brushed her fingers against the outer edge of the bronze colored metal. The familiar curves and finish were all she had of home besides her Scroll and weapons, and with Lea's enchantment, Pyrrha had been protected from any more supernatural tricks her opponents tried to play on her mind. Giving it up would leave her vulnerable again, unable to protect the most valuable part of her being.

But it was only temporary, she would have it back again soon. So Pyrrha carefully removed her tiara, and the frozen walls that had stood sentinel over the outer confines of her mind gave way. The sudden warmth and openness that suddenly slammed into her was nearly blinding in its intensity, she hadn't even felt the enchantment until it was gone. Pyrrha handed the tiara to Harry with no further delays, and sat back on the couch.

"Okay… what now?" she asked.

Molly rose with great care, eyes still lightly closed, and almost seemed to drift around the table to the edge of the couch, where she knelt once more. "Lay down." she ordered.

Pyrrha did, and stared at the smooth ceiling with her arms and legs pressed tight against her side. She glanced to the side at the others for encouragement. Harry smiled reassuringly, and gave her a thumbs-up. A small smile worked its way onto Pyrrha's face and she looked up at the ceiling again.

"Harry, her legs." Molly ordered. "Mom, her arms."

Without a word, Charity and Harry moved to their respective positions and carefully did as Molly ordered. They were gentle, but firm; Pyrrha could feel the restrained strength in Harry's arms, which had to be why Molly ordered him at her legs. If she started kicking, no one would be able to hold her down except the wizard himself.

Michael remained at the side, leaning on his cane and watching with rapt attention. The disappointment in his inability to assist was obvious on his face, but he made no comment. He merely waited, in case his assistance was needed.

Molly placed one hand on either side of Pyrrha's face with infinite care, treating Pyrrha like a porcelain doll instead of a person. The tips of her fingers were unnaturally cold on Pyrrha's skin, sending goosebumps rippling down her arms and spine. Molly placed her thumbs on Pyrrha's temples, and spread each finger around the structure of her face.

"Pyrrha…" she spoke in a voice that sounded far away, as if in a dream.

"Yes?"

"I want you to clear your mind. Find something to focus on, something easy you can keep in your mind's eye, and don't let it wander. Can you do that?"

It took less than a second for Pyrrha to close her eyes and conjure a memory of her friends, of Nora and her antics, Ren and his infinite patience in handling said antics, and of Jaune and his bright eyes and determination. Pyrrha focused on their days back in Beacon that felt so long ago now, and lost herself in the memory.

She became vaguely aware of a cool presence slipping into her mind as she did. Unlike the Gatekeeper, whose mind had been warm but very intrusive, Molly had thoughts coated in ice that slid through her thoughts and memories with great care, filling in the gaps with their existence. Pyrrha felt like a glacier had formed in her mind over the process of decades or centuries, but it was realistically about sixty seconds or so.

"This… isn't so… bad…" she whispered softly.

Molly made a gently hushing noise, and replied, "This was just… preparation. The act begins… now."

When the words left her mouth, Pyrrha began to scream.

"That son of a bitch!" Harry cursed

Half-an-hour had passed since Molly removed the remaining blocks on Pyrrha's memories. The girl had not taken to the procedure kindly and Harry had a dozen new bruises and cuts on his face to show for it. Molly had pulled it off, Pyrrha's memory was now completely restored, as she had promised. Pyrrha hadn't moved from the couch since, slumped forward and staring at her hands with a glazed look in her once-lively green eyes.

Harry and the Carpenters were gathered in the kitchen now, where Molly had relayed everything that had been missing from Pyrrha's memories as Charity tended to Harry's injuries. The man was livid upon hearing the revelation.

"Harry, there's no one person to blame here," Molly said.

"Like hel- heck there is," Harry said, correcting himself at the last moment. "Anyone who's had a five minute conversation with her would know that Pyrrha would never say no to a situation like that. Ozpin manipulated her, and at the cost of an entire city and her life! Far as I'm concerned, that bastard and his cronies are to blame for all of this."

Charity pressed hard with the bandages, eliciting a pained hiss from Harry. She smiled sweetly and said, "Harry, I understand your anger, but if you continue cursing and yelling, I will grab the Iodine, understood?"

Harry gulped, "Yes ma'am."

"Good. Besides, you're missing the point here. It doesn't matter how you feel about this Ozpin's intentions; the events have already unfolded, and he seems to have paid for it dearly."

"I know…" Harry sighed and looked to the living room, where Pyrrha still sat unmoving. "But he's not the only one."

Harry was no stranger to death - he had personally experienced it and could relate with Pyrrha's reaction to finding out the truth. But when Harry had died, it had been unexpected, quick, and painless. Pyrrha had watched everything she had worked for burn to the ground, and when she had confronted the woman responsible, confronted that manipulative bitch Cinder, she'd been tossed aside like trash in a senseless sacrifice.

The worst part about it though? According to Molly, Pyrrha had no idea why she was on Earth, who might have saved her and dropped her there. The last thing she remembered before waking up in that back alley was Cinder killing her.

That was one thing that was consistent at least: Cinder. She seemed to be the mastermind here, the center of the conspiracy and the new Fall Maiden. Pyrrha had made her choice to accept the Mantle of the Fall Maiden, even if the procedure violated every natural law in existence, but it wasn't enough. Cinder had stolen the power out from under her nose, and from the sound of things, was on a whole new level, a living demigod even to the people of Remnant.

But something had happened since then. Someone or something had managed to hurt Cinder, badly. It wasn't Pyrrha, Molly said she hadn't managed to injure Cinder in the slightest. But that didn't explain the scars and other ghastly injuries Harry had seen on her when they'd met at Mac's. Was it just an act to stir his sympathy? He didn't think so. It appeared that the woman was genuinely crippled, but by what, or whom?

"For every answer we receive, a dozen more questions are raised." Michael sighed, having come to the same conclusion.

Charity strapped the last bandage to Harry's cheek and began packing up her medical supplies. Harry rubbed at his forehead with the palm of his hand, "I'm honestly lost here. There aren't any more leads to follow. The portals are a problem, but they're a symptom, not a cause. Torchwick made it clear he doesn't know crap, and Pyrrha only gave us context. I don't have the foggiest idea where Cinder could be. I'm not even sure she's the real mastermind here."

Molly raised a brow, "You thinking there's a someone pulling her strings Harry?"

"It's the only way to explain the portals. Bob said they're the equivalent of a magical nuclear reactor in how complex and volatile they are. If Cinder can pull off that kind of magic, then there's not a lot I can do to stop her."

Harry glanced down the hall, "Especially with Pyrrha out of the game."

Charity slid the first-aid kit under the kitchen sink and closed the cabinet door before returning to them and taking a seat next to Michael. "Give her time to process it Harry. She's been through a lot."

Drumming his fingers against the table, Harry continued looking down the hall, with his lips quirked to the side in thought. "Maybe I should go talk to her."

Molly sighed, "Harry, leave her be. Pyrrha's very… lost right now. She just needs time."

"But we don't have time. I'd love to just leave her be. The kid's suffered enough as it is. Thing is, there's an invasion of monsters lead by a demigod monster bearing down on the city. We need all the help we can get, and I'm not just going to sit here and whine about it. The answers to our problems aren't going to come knocking at the door."

No sooner had the words left Harry's mouth, did the doorbell ring. All eyes turned to the door in shock, and Molly snickered at the timing.

"I… guess I'll get it." Harry said, and stood from his seat. It occurred to him as he approached the door that he might want to take a few precautions when he opened it. There was no telling who might be on the other side of the door: It could be Cinder herself as far as he knew.

Harry paused at the door and peered through the peephole at the mysterious visitor. His jaw dropped in shock, and without pause, Harry nearly ripped the door off its hinges to reveal the timely visitor.

Karrin Murphy had a new set of clothes, a dark T-shirt and jeans, and wore a sports jacket that was unbuttoned. Thin white marks covered the right side of her face in a mass of scar tissue that extended up to her button nose, and she held herself with a smug if pained posture. Interestingly, the part of her face not covered in scars looked different as well. Wrinkles that had slowly appeared over the years had been smoothed away with a youthful paint. The exhaustion that came with age that had manifested itself in the bags under her eyes was gone, replaced with sparkling energy desperate to escape. Harry recognized it as the same effect in Pyrrha's eyes, and it made Murphy's blue eyes glimmer like gemstones. She also wore the biggest smirk possible on her face.

"Hey Dresden, miss me?"

"Karrin...you...here...what...h-h-how!?" he finally stuttered out.

Somehow, her smirk grew wider. "How do you think? This Aura stuff works fast, though I'm still getting waves of… tingling…"

She shuddered on cue, and Harry saw a brief sparkle of energy along her cheek. When it faded, the scars outer edge had become smoother and begun fading further into her skin.

Harry tried and failed not to gawk as he asked, "Y-you… you're sure you're okay? I mean, after the accident, should you even be walking around at all?"

Murphy bounced on the balls of her feet, still grinning, "I might be sore Harry, but I feel like a teenager again! Where's Pyrrha, I have got to thank her for this."

His face must have changed into something ugly, because Murphy immediately stopped grinning and spoke with concern. "Harry, what happened?"

Harry sighed and waved inside, "Come on, we'll have Molly explain."

"Molly? She's here too? What did I miss?"

"More than you think, but less than you hope."

They returned to the kitchen and after Murphy said hello to everyone, Molly gave her an in-depth summary of what they'd learned from Pyrrha's memories.

It could be summarized as such: After Ozpin gave Pyrrha the ultimatum on the Fall Maiden, Pyrrha was wracked with indecision and worry over her choice, not helped by being unable to actually talk with anyone about it. Because of her fragile emotional state, her self-control began to waver. During her last tournament fight, Pyrrha was tricked by Emerald's illusion Semblance into believing her opponent's attack was greater than it was. Coupled with the emotional turmoil, Pyrrha overreacted, literally tearing her opponent apart. This revealed the girl to, in fact, be an android.

Cinder used this shocking revelation to deliver a speech to the public that created enough negative emotions to drag an entire horde of Grimm onto Beacon, including a never before seen dragon-like Grimm that quickly turned the city into a lost cause. With nothing to lose, Pyrrha went to Ozpin to accept the Fall Maidens power. Cinder, however, was able to interrupt the process before it could begin and steal the rest of the power for herself. Ozpin stayed behind and fought Cinder, but was ultimately defeated; Cinder then made her way to the top of the CCTS tower while Pyrrha and Jaune were left at the base to debate what to do. Pyrrha, seeing no other way, had sent Jaune away, against his will. She confronted Cinder on her own in a final attempt to set right what had gone wrong, which lead directly to what should have been her death.

When Molly finished, Murphy was slumped forward in her seat with a sorrowful expression on her face. "And that's everything?"

"All I could find." Molly confirmed.

Murphy fell back in her chair, "Son of… it's like her entire life is an over the top fantasy movie. How long has it been since you learned this?"

Harry glanced at the kitchen clock. "An hour or so now. We're not sure what to do, without any leads."

Sparing no moment to hesitate, Murphy stood up from her chair and looked to the living room, "Well, I know what I'm going to do."

"Karrin…" Harry said.

She stopped and looked at him with a raised brow. Harry scratched at the back of his head, "Just… be gentle."

That made Karrin smile, "Come on Harry, it's me." She walked off before he had a chance to retort.

Karrin walked into the living room with deliberate slowness, and stopped when she saw Pyrrha. It was odd seeing her without her tiara, and seeing her so devoid of life. Pyrrha could admittedly disappear from a conversation if she wanted to, but that had always seemed intentional to Karrin. When she didn't, there was always an energy to the young woman, a glow of life about her. Even at her saddest, Pyrrha seemed to be filled with life.

Now she just looked dead.

Karrin moved slowly and without a sound toward Pyrrha and she eased into the empty space next to her young friend. Pyrrha remained unchanged, completely oblivious to Karrin's presence.

Yet, despite the lack of acknowledgement, Karrin didn't opt to break the silence. All she did was reach out and take Pyrrha's hand in her own, and gave it an affirmative squeeze. Pyrrha blinked once, and her head swiveled to Karrin. The lifeless glaze in her eyes was so unlike her, that Karrin almost felt her heart break.

"It's okay Pyrrha," she whispered. "We can fix this, together."

Pyrrha didn't say anything. She turned her head forward again and seemed to forget Karrin was even there at all.

"Miss Pyrrha?"

Karrin blinked and turned around to see… Maggie and mouse at the living room entrance. The little girl looked concerned at Pyrrha's state. The sound of feet followed a moment later and the Carpenter children appeared behind Maggie. Obviously she had snuck out of their room to see what all the hubbub was about. They stopped when they saw Murphy and Pyrrha and stood awkwardly behind Maggie.

Karrin gave a little smile at the little girl and said, "It's okay Maggie. Pyrrha is just… having a hard day."

Maggie shuffled forward, with Mouse trudging behind her, and pulled herself up onto the couch next to Pyrrha. She sat cross legged and looked at Pyrrha with an expression one wouldn't see on a girl her age. Complete and total understanding.

"I heard Molly and daddy say something about remembering something. Is that what happened, did Miss Pyrrha remember something bad?"

Karrin gave a silent nod.

Maggie got onto her knees and hugged Pyrrha around the neck. It was the kind of awkward hug only a kid could give, tight around Pyrrha's throat and filling her face with her hair. The smell of strawberry shampoo filled Pyrrha's nose and she blinked and looked at Maggie for the first time.

Maggie pulled back and whispered to her, "I have bad memories too. From the… the Draculas. I thought I couldn't forget them, but…"

Mouse laid his big head on the couch and made a whimpering noise that seemed to thunder in Pyrrha's ears.. Maggie scratched the dog behind the ears and said, "Mouse is good for helping with bad memories, and daddy can beat monsters. If… if you want, you can borrow them for a little, Miss Pyrrha."

Pyrrha's hand tightened around Karrin's, and with her other arm, she wrapped Maggie in a tight hug as tears began to freely pour from her face in rivers. She trembled as she cried, unleashing a torrent of emotions into each tiny sob. Regret, anger, despair flowed from her, but one emotion trumped all three.

Hope.

What happened at Beacon, what happened to her was terrible, a disaster that Pyrrha was tormented by. But that couldn't stop her, not now and not ever. Despite all that had happened, despite Cinder burning her alive from the inside out, Pyrrha was still alive. What had been done to her, to the Fall Maiden, to Penny, to Jaune, and, to the people of Remnant could be undone. She had the skills, she had the drive, but most importantly, Pyrrha had the allies to make it happen.

Karrin let out a surprised yelp when Pyrrha pulled her into the hug, holding both her and Maggie tightly. Maggie giggled and hugged them both in return, happy to see Pyrrha active.

Karrin sneezed.

Loudly.

Pyrrha sniffled and let out a small chuckle, "B-bless you…"

Karrin wiped at her nose and scrunched up her face, "I see Mouse was sure to acquaint himself with you already."

The young red-head looked at Mouse, and smiled at him. His tail started thumping happily against the ground, sending shockwaves through the living room, accompanied by happy dog noises.

Pyrrha sniffed again and released Karrin and Maggie, then scratched Mouse behind the ears. "I… I… thank you… both of you."

Karrin hadn't let go of Pyrrha's hand, and squeezed it again, "Its what friends do, right? Besides, you're stronger than that. A mental whammy wouldn't keep you down forever."

Pyrrha swallowed and hung her head, "I just… wanted answers so bad, wanted to know what happened… but then I finally had them and just wanted to forget it all again. Ironic, isn't it?"

"Molly always says," Maggie spoke up, "That when you remember the bad memories, to just think about the good memories, and if you don't have enough good memories, make more of them."

A smile spread over Pyrrha's face and she wiped the tears from her eyes. She raised her head and smiled at Maggie, "Then… I guess I've made plenty of new good memories here, haven't I?"

"All in a day's work!" Maggie chirped, with her hands on her hips. Mouse made a huffing sound of agreement.

Pyrrha tussled her brown hair and said, "Thank you Maggie. Really."

The little girl giggled and hopped off the couch. Pyrrha pushed herself up and took a moment to adjust to the blood rushing to her head. There were things to do, and while she wasn't sure if she would ever be okay with what happened at Beacon, Maggie did make a good point. Whatever events had happened in the past, it was up to Pyrrha to shape her future, and she would never let Beacon happen again.

"Murphy, is Molly still here?" she asked.

"Present," the woman said.

Pyrrha and company looked at the living room entrance, where it seemed the entire Carpenter family, and Harry, had decided to eavesdrop on Pyrrha's moment. For some reason though, she could only smile and shake her head at them.

"Right, right." Pyrrha took a deep breath. "Molly, thank you for what you did. You've made my life so much easier, and answered many of my questions. Thank you."

Molly shrugged, "Eh, all in a day's work."

"Really?" Pyrrha raised a brow, and felt her smile return, "Well, I guess I was wrong. There really are positives to having a Fae on your side, right Harry?"

It was like she had dropped a bomb in the middle of the room. Molly's expression shifted into one of sheer horror and mortification. Harry slapped his forehead with the palm of his hand, and Murphy buried her face in her hands before letting out a long suffering sigh.

One of the Carpenter kids, Hope, spoke up, "Fae? What do you mean?"

Pyrrha spoke before she realized what she was doing, "Well Molly's obviously a Fae. I mean, there's no way she's human, right?"

Harry turned around and began hammering his head against the nearest wall with methodical intent. Molly looked about ready to book it for the front door and never return to the Carpenter household again. It was only then that Pyrrha realized that maybe she should have kept her mouth shut.

Michael and Charity Carpenter both looked at their daughter, then at each other. Then they said in unison, "Wait, that was supposed to be a secret?"

A/N: There were five scenes I REALLY wanted to do when I started this fic. Pyrrha's arrival, her fight with Mercury and Emerald, and the climatic final battle, and the next chapter or two are a combination of the five.

Molly has always been a controversial character for me. To say I disliked her when I first met her... would be totally accurate. To say that Proven Guilty made me despise her... would be an understatement. As a victim of EMOTIONAL manipulation, I absolutely HATED Molly when she became an actual character. Over time she's grown on me, but I still don't like her. Tolerate her is a better word. Hence why I pulled the rug out from under her and made her woman the fuck up and take her nums from Charity and Michael.

The fallout will be dealt with next chapter, along with some other surprising twists. I'll see you all then, and remember to review with comments and criticism!

Until next time!