So...Chapter 1...(insert squeal here) OH MY GOSH! The hype is real. Good to see Weiss cares about people, Blake still doing what she needs to, Ruby still being the cinnamon roll and mediator, and Yang still kicking butt...and her PTSD wasn't forgotten. I was actually worried about that. No offense to Yang, but no one comes back from that easily. Best intro yet to. So much action, so many promises. Oh, and that new Maiden information...Thanks Rooster Teeth. Another thing I've got come up with a somewhat believable reason for...
I'm assuming most people who are reading this also read A Rose's Scales and Reversal. I normally don't do this but...on Saturday, I got a PM from silverhawk88 saying he commissioned a piece of art for A Rose's Scales. My gosh, it's beautiful. Does this happen a lot? I know authors commission pieces all the time, I didn't think their fans did so too. Since I can't post links here, just type 'Ruby and Cerise' or 'manu-chann' into the search bar on Deviantart. I'll probably be posting it on a few dragon and RWBY Facebook pages in the next few days as well. A big thank you to silverhawk88 for commissioning the piece and manu-chann for doing an amazing job.
Summer got down on her knees and leaned forward. She patted the ground in front of her. "Come on, Yang. Come here." Across the carpet, Yang put one hand in front of the other, then one knee jerked forward. The opposite of each arm and leg moved forward as well. Slowly but surely, Yang crawled across the carpet toward Summer.
"That's it, Yang! You can do it!" Summer patted the carpet harder. If babies could have a look of determination on her face, Yang managed it. Her eyes were laser focused on Summer's moving hand. She picked up speed and didn't wobble at all. "Come on Yang, come on." Yang picked up even more speed, and her eyes widened.
She reached where Summer was patting and looked up. Her beautiful lilac eyes locked with Summer's and lit up like a lighthouse. Yang giggled and fell back on her diapered bottom. She reached her arms up toward Summer and repeatedly opened and closed her fingers.
Summer returned the smile, but didn't know who's was bigger. "Okay. You've earned it." She wrapped her hands around Yang's sides and lifted her up. "Who's my big girl?" Summer held Yang close to her chest and winced. Raven's big girl. Not my big girl. RAVEN'S.
Yang wrapped her tiny arms around Summer's neck. She nuzzled her head against there as well. Summer rubbed Yang's back. She thought she heard Yang mumble something. "What was that?" She pulled Yang away and looked directly into Yang's eyes. Her…Raven's baby girl had been trying to speak for a few days now. If only Tai was back from Signal. He would want to hear Yang's first word.
"Mmmmm…mmmaaaaa…mama." Yang's eyes lit up and her already large smile widened. "Mama! Mama!"
In the back of her head, Summer knew she'd want to be called mama someday. But not from Yang. Summer felt like her heart was stabbed with each word. Yang thought Summer was her mom, not Raven. But Summer couldn't let her pain show…or let Yang know that she wasn't her mama. "Good job, Phoenix." Summer kissed Yang on the forehead. "I'm proud of you Phoenix."
Summer stood up and brought Yang to the kitchen. She set Raven's baby girl in her high chair and tied a bib around her neck. Summer grabbed some baby food from a cabinet and a spoon from a drawer. She sat down next to Yang and loaded the spoon. "Here comes the airship." She made airship noises with her mouth and moved the spoon all over the place. Summer originally thought this was something that only worked on CCT shows, but it worked for Yang.
The baby's eyes never left the food as it approached. Before Summer was ready to give it to Yang, the girl's head jutted forward and her mouth clamped around the spoon. She pulled her head back leaving nothing on it. Her face showed no regrets. However, Summer wasn't as pleased. She'd heard horror stories of babies choking on their food if they ate too fast. Yang wouldn't be one of those babies. Summer stuck a finger a few inches from Yang's face. "Yang, no. You don't do that. You wait for the food to come to you."
Yang's smile disappeared and her eyes fell, turning watery at the same time. Summer really didn't like making Yang cry, but there were some things she needed to learn. She'd make up for it on the way upstairs for Yang's midday nap. But now, it was time to continue with lunch. Summer filled the spoon again. "Yaaaang, another airship is flying in." Yang looked up and her eyes brightened again. Her mouth opened for the food, and this time, her head stayed in place.
When several more airships came into port, Yang yawned. Her eyes half lidded, and her head hung to the side. "Someone's tired." Summer untied Yang's bib and picked her up from her high chair. She held Yang close to her chest. Tired arms tried to wrap themselves around Summer's neck, but didn't make it halfway up before falling back to her sides. "Come on. Let's get you back to your crib."
Summer took Yang out of the kitchen and back upstairs. She hummed a lullaby on the way up. By the time she made it to Yang's room, Yang was fast asleep. Summer kept on humming until she laid Yang in her crib. She leaned forward and kissed Yang on the forehead. "Sleep well, Phoenix. You've still got a long day ahead of you." She slowly walked out of Yang's room, trying not to make any noise.
As soon as she closed the door behind her, Summer slumped against the opposite wall. She buried her head in her arms and knees. "I'm sorry, Raven. I'm stealing your baby. I guess I knew this would happen, but it's much worse than I thought it would be. Raven, just come back and be a part of your daughter's life."
Summer didn't know how long she sat there like that. After a while, she felt someone sit down beside her. A large hand fell on her shoulder. "Sum, what's wrong?" Tai asked.
"Everything." Summer took her head out of her arms and rested her chin on them. "Yang's fine. She's crawling, laughing, showing more motor skills in her neck, and she said her first words today." Summer's head sunk into her arms once more. "She called me mama, when her real mama is nowhere to be found."
Tai hooked an arm around Summer's shoulders. "Sum, Raven left us, and odds are she's never coming back. You are Yang's mom now."
She still loves Yang! Summer wanted to yell. She's protecting her! Instead, she just shook her head. "She's coming back. I'll make her. I'll tie her up in the basement and make her watch Hisney movies and home videos of Yang until she's ready to cuddle, kiss, and spoil Yang like a good mother should."
Tai laughed with little humor. "With your positivity, I'm surprised there's any Grimm within ten miles of here. That has to cancel out everything else."
Summer allowed herself to smirk at Tai. "Then Yang should get rid of every Grimm on Remnant. She only cries when she's hungry and when she needs a diaper change. Otherwise you can't get the smile off her face."
Tai chuckled. "Well, there is that." He paused. "Seriously Summer, you're Yang's mom now. Raven's not here, you are. You've already spent more time with her than Raven has. And, frankly Summer, I think you'd be a better mom than Raven ever could be."
"I'm not sure if that's a compliment toward me or an insult toward Raven." Summer faced Tai and locked eyes with him. She saw something in Tai's eyes that she hadn't seen directed at her before. It felt…No. Not now. Tai and Raven were technically divorced, but that didn't mean Raven didn't have feelings…Summer actually didn't know. That never came up in the letters she and Raven sent to each other. Either way, Summer was not ready for that with her partner's recent ex-husband.
"I, uh, need some air." Summer stood up and made her way to the front door. She pushed the door open and walked toward her shed. Since Yang had been born, Summer kept her weapon as far out of Yang's reach as possible. The others did too, but Summer was the only one who kept hers outside the house.
She pushed open the shed and reached for Sun's Light's position on a top shelf. Killing Grimm always eased her mind. As she was turning around, she saw something in the reflection in a window. She approached the window, taking care to keep the reflection in sight. Her heart stopped when she realized what she was looking at.
A sniper was set up in the trees, his weapon pointing at Yang's room.
Summer gripped Sun's Light and for once, she almost let her anger take over. If she stepped out and looked in that direction, the sniper would fire. She needed to get over there without him noticing. In order to do that, Summer needed to teleport without having a direct line of sight. She knew the dangers of such an act well. One time at Sanctum, she teleported too close to a tree and nearly lost her entire right arm.
But now, she had a clear view. She knew that area and where the ground was. Whatever tiny foliage was around there would be cut around her. By the time the sniper saw rose petals around him, it would be too late.
Summer bit her lip and activated her Semblance. She teleported to the trees right where she wanted to be. She whipped Sun's Light down and to the right and cut through the receiver of the sniper rifle. The man gasped, but didn't have time to do much else before he was pinned beneath Summer. While she wasn't the strongest person on her team by a long shot, she could still pin an angry Beowolf with ease.
She moved her head close to the man's ear. "What are you doing aiming a gun at my house?"
"Get off me, will ya?" The sniper tried to through Summer off to no avail. "Qrow sent me, something about testing your reflexes."
Summer used an elbow to keep one of the man's arms in place while she reached for the ammo magazine. She ejected it and looked inside. "Qrow would not send someone to test my reflexes, and have them use real ammo to threaten my daughter." Summer's tone turned dark for that last part.
"Come on! It's true! Call him."
"How about you tell me who you're really working for, and I hand you over to the police without hurting you?"
The man beneath her laughed. "Really? Qrow told me about you. You won't hurt anyone who isn't a threat."
Summer tightened her grip and growled. "That was before someone threatened my baby girl. Raven, who I'm assuming you're after, taught me a few things before she left. Who are you working for?" Summer wanted to feel disgusted from her words, but she wasn't. She really would do anything to protect Yang.
The man stiffened beneath her. "The brat is the bandit's child."
Summer smirked though the guy couldn't see it. She'd gotten to him. "If you see her, could you tell her that? It would save me the trouble of finding her and dragging her back by the ear. She ran away with her bandits months ago, and we haven't heard from her since."
"Bull. Shit. I've been watching you for a long time. You're never apart for long."
"That used to be true. Then she got a letter from her tribe and she went berserk. If you've been watching us, you should know that. But I've heard enough." Summer pushed herself into a standing position while keeping a foot firmly planted on the sniper's hands. She held the point of Sun's Light to the hands and let her Aura flow. The area around her lit up and ice formed around the sniper's hands. Instant handcuffs were great.
Summer grabbed the man's frozen hands and hauled him to his feet. She also grabbed both halves of the sliced rifle. "Since you've been a good boy, you don't have to deal with me. Instead, you deal with the Patch police. They're really nice people, and they know me, and they can't be bought." She looked to the sky and teleported. It took two more to get herself and her prisoner to the police station, though the sniper didn't like the twenty-foot drop. Summer took the brunt of the fall, but they guy still complained.
"Oh, quiet you. I could have let you for the Grimm." Summer escorted the sniper inside.
The officer at the front desk stood up as soon as he saw Summer. "Miss Rose. You have another one?""
"I do." Summer pushed the sniper forward and handed over both halves of the sniper rifle. "This guy made it personal. Had this rifle aimed at my house. Apparently he has some problem with Raven."
"Raven?" The officer scowled. "Didn't she abandon her kid."
Summer felt her eyebrows twitch. No. "Yes."
"We'll take it from here, Miss Rose." The officer waved to a few more standing near the edges of the room. The two came and took the gunman and the broken weapon away. "Ya know, Miss Rose," the officer behind the desk continued, "the detective position never filled out. The sarge said to extend the offer if you came back."
Summer shook her head. "I've got a baby to take care of. Maybe when she's older." She turned around and left the police station. As soon as she stepped foot outside, she heard a familiar bird call. She looked up to a street light where a raven rested. The way it looked at her, it could only be one. "Take care of them," Summer whispered at the bird, "for all of our sakes."
"Mama," Yang pulled on Summer's hood, "I hungwy."
Summer smiled down at her daughter. "I think you mean 'I'm hungry,' and you ate a whole piece of pizza five minutes ago. I think that's enough."
"You and dada eat more." Yang pouted. "I want more."
"Me and daddy are grownups. We have more storage down here." Summer patted her stomach. "When you're older, you can eat more. But if you eat much more now, you'll burst. That wouldn't be fun for anyone."
"I got room." Yang lifted up her shirt and smacked her belly like her mom did. "Empty!"
Summer smirked at her daughter's antics. Yang was taking after her, with a little bit of Tai thrown in, and Raven's protectiveness of her hair. Summer faced her other two teammates at the table. "Tell you what, Yang, go play with Uncle Qrow for a bit, and I'll have some cookies for you when you're done." Across the table, Qrow nearly spit out his orange pop. Tai also raised an eyebrow.
Yang's eyes brightened and she waddle-ran beside the table. "Uncie Qwow! Come on!" She pulled on Qrow's pants and tried to drag him to the living room.
Qrow sighed and 'glared' at Summer. "I better get some cookies out of this too. She'll have me exhausted in five minutes."
"Come on. You'll love it." Summer made her the back of her right hand face Qrow and she moved her fingers in a sweeping motion. "Go on. Shoo."
"Fine, I'll go." Qrow stood up, making Yang squeal with happiness. She ran to the living room and out of sight.
"No running in the house!" Summer called after her. Qrow would make sure Yang stayed safe, 'Semblance' or not.
"Really? Qrow?" Tai asked, not sounding accusing. "What if I wanted to spend some time with my daughter?"
"Qrow's been on mission for months. He's barely spent any time with Yang. If he wants to be the cool uncle, he needs to start early."
Tai shrugged. "That, I get, but cookies? Isn't she a little young? I'm surprised she could eat that pizza."
Summer giggled. "Who'd have thought you would be so protective. Always flinging yourself into danger." She stood up and searched the cabinets for the right ingredients.
"Aren't I team teddy bear?"
"That means you're huggable. That doesn't necessarily mean you're a protective parent." Summer grabbed the chocolate chips and a box of raisins from the cabinet. Some part of it might as well be healthy. Yang liked grapes anyway.
"I'm huggable? Have you met yourself?"
"True, but I'm usually the one giving them, not receiving them." Summer turned around and smiled at Tai. "We make a good team like that."
Tai returned the smile. "That we do."
Summer continued to stare at Tai until she realized she was getting lost in his eyes. She shook her head and tried to focus on baking. She'd gotten used to calling Yang her daughter, and from the few letters she'd gotten from Raven, she didn't have a problem with it either. But…ever since Yang started calling Summer and Tai mama and dada, Summer had been looking at Tai differently.
She didn't know what to think about it. By the time she realized she had feelings for Tai back at Beacon, he and Raven were already together. Summer backed off and was only happy when she was Raven's Maid of Honor. But…with Raven being gone for over a year and with no signs of changing, Summer had allowed those feelings to come back.
Unlike with Yang, that felt so wrong. Tai didn't need someone to act like his wife. He and Summer had shared a few moments since Yang first called Summer mama, but nothing overly romantic or anything. Still, Raven didn't want to leave Tai nor Yang like that. Tai was hers, not Summer's…but if school kids were anything like they were when Summer was in elementary school, they would make fun of Yang for having separated parents…Stop it, Summer! Stop trying to talk yourself into this!
A hand fell on Summer's shoulder, making her jump. "Sum, you okay?" Tai asked. "You've been standing there for a while."
Summer sighed. "I've…been thinking."
Tai didn't respond right away. "Raven?"
"Her, Yang…us." Summer whispered the last word.
"Oh." Tai's hand disappeared.
"I know Raven's been gone a long time, but I don't think it's been enough." Summer shook her head, desperately trying to figure out how to tell Tai 'no' without revealing the secret. "She might come back on her own. I don't know. I want Yang to know her real mom."
Tai's hand returned and squeezed Summer's shoulder. "Sum, you are Yang's real mom. You've been here for her since the beginning and didn't run."
Summer froze. Run? Does he know?
"As for that…other stuff, I don't know either. It probably is too early to think about that. I don't know either. Let's just see where this all goes."
Small footsteps caught Summer's attention. "Mama?" Summer turned her head to look at Yang, who now stood in the doorway to the kitchen. "Cookies?"
Summer giggled at her baby girl. "Not yet, Phoenix. Patience."
"Hey, you. Get back here!" Qrow called from the other room. Yang yelped and disappeared around the corner. A high pitch laugh soon followed.
Both Summer and Tai laughed as well. "That's our girl," Summer sighed. That didn't even sound weird to her ears.
Summer opened her eyes and stared up at the wooden ceiling, only blocked by a ceiling fan. She blinked and cocked her head. Her room didn't have a ceiling fan. Only the master did. She turned her head to the side and froze. Tai's bare back was facing her. Summer's breath caught in her throat and she righted her head. She lifted the covers on the bed and looked down on herself. She pulled them back down as soon as she saw the things she didn't want to.
Oh my God…that wasn't a dream. Summer was naked in bed next to Tai. If her memories weren't lying to her, she made the first move. Oh my God. Oh my God. Oh my God.
Summer slowly crawled out of the bed, trying not to wake Tai. She found where she cast of her pajamas last night and ran to the bathroom for a shower. She took an extra-long time, getting rid of any of her sweat…and anything else that might be left over. Why did I do that? Why did I do that? Why did I do that?
After her extra long shower, Summer put on her pajama's and made her way to Yang's room. It didn't sound like either Tai, nor Qrow was up yet. That was good. She didn't need to face Tai, or his wife's brother…Oh gosh, did Qrow hear that? Summer would never be able to live that down, for multiple reasons.
Summer pushed open the door to Yang's room. Thankfully, Yang was out cold. Summer sighed. Yang would still love her no matter what happened. "Phoeeeeniiiiix," Summer whispered as she approached Yang's crib. "Wake up, Yang." Summer caressed Yang's face.
Yang's hands slowly made their way to Summer's and grabbed on. For a toddler nearly one and a half years old, Yang had one heck of a grip. Yang held Summer's hand in place as her eyes opened. She smiled up at her mom. "Mama," Yang cooed.
"Daughter," Summer returned. She freed her one hand and stuck both of hers beneath Yang. "How was your sleep last night?"
Yang yawned and nodded. "Good."
"That's good to hear." Summer kissed Yang's forehead, then sniffed the air. She smiled even more. "You didn't make a stinky last night."
Yang's face straightened out and she cocked her head. "No." Her smile returned full force. "I do good?"
"Yes. You did very good." Summer brought Yang's forehead up and kissed it. Yang giggled and rested her hands on either side of Summer's head. It felt like she was trying to hold it in place. Summer obliged and kissed Yang's forehead two times more. Then she pulled her head back. "Come on. Let's get you dressed."
As usual, as soon as Yang's feet touched the floor, she ran, and mad it a pain to put a top on her. Yang always had a blast, and Summer did too…at first. After a while, she got genuinely frustrated, but she never got to the point of spoiling Yang's fun or yelling at her.
Finally, Summer caught her out of control daughter and got the shirt over her. She wiped her forehead and picked Yang up. For the first time Summer could remember, Yang resisted. "Noooo. Walk."
Summer blinked. "You think you can make it to the kitchen?" Yang nodded confidently. "Well then," Summer set Yang on the floor, "I'll be beside you every step of the way." Summer opened the door and gestured out.
Yang walked out on her own and turned to the kitchen. Summer crouched behind her, hands a few inches behind Yang's back in case she fell. Up until the stairs, there was no problem. When Yang reached them though, she stopped and brought a finger to her lips. She mumbled something unintelligible and looked between Summer and the stairs.
"Something wrong, Yang?" Summer grabbed one of Yang's hands.
"No." Yang shook her head. "I do this." Still, she held onto Summer's hand as she climbed down the first step. It almost proved to be too much for her, but she made it. The rest of the steps continued in the same way, with Yang barely making it with Summer right beside her, holding her hand and helping her balance.
Yang's feet touched the hardwood floor she let go of Summer's hand and took a few steps away. She looked around the floor with her eyes wide and her jaw dropped. Her lips slowly formed a smile and she spun faster and faster. She jumped as she continued to spin. "Yay!" she cheered.
"Good job, Phoenix!" Summer knelt to Yang's level and kissed her on the forehead. "I knew you could do it."
"Do what?" another voice asked.
Summer raised her head and saw Tai standing in the doorway to the kitchen. She stiffened, but hopefully Yang wouldn't notice the difference. Did I really spend that much time with Yang? "She walked down the stairs all by herself."
"What?" Tai blinked at Summer. "No. My daughter isn't that independent yet. She loves her mommy's arms too much."
"I did!" Yang faced Tai and jumped even more. "I did! I did! I did!"
"Really? Well, I'll just have to take your word for it." He pushed himself off the door and knelt in front of Yang. "I'm proud of you, Yang. You'll be running in no time." Yang squealed and threw her arms around Tai's neck.
Summer smiled at Yang, but couldn't bear to look at Tai. Last night should not have happened…She needed to tell him why it shouldn't have happened, and should NEVER happen again. "Qrow up yet?"
"He's in the kitchen." Tai stood up with Yang still wrapped around his neck, with a little support from his hands. "Been awake longer than I have."
"Could you leave Yang with him? We need to talk."
Tai's eyes lost their light and his smile became forced. "Uh, yeah. Sure thing." He brought Yang into the kitchen. Soon after, he came back rubbing the back of his neck. "Let me guess, you don't want the other two hearing?"
Summer shook her head. "Not a chance. I don't need to explain that to Yang, or have Qrow try to kill me." She turned around and marched toward the first-floor guest room. It sounded like Tai was right behind her.
She entered the room and sat on the bed. Tai closed the door behind him. "Sooo. Last night."
"Yeah…" Summer buried her face in her hands. "That shouldn't have happened."
"Agreed." Tai nodded. "I don't know if I pressured you into that or what, but we should have never gotten that far."
"I started it off, remember? If it's anyone's fault it's mine." Summer shook her head. "But that's not why it was so bad."
Tai hesitated. "Raven?"
"Yes, but you don't know how bad it is." Summer looked up with tears distorting her vison. "Qrow and I have been lying to you this whole time. Raven didn't run back to the bandits. She doesn't hate you and she really doesn't hate Yang. I didn't buy a single one of those Flame Wheel cars for Yang. Raven bought and brought them all."
"Whoa, whoa, hold up." Tai waved his arms in front of him and his eyes narrowed. "What are you talking about?"
"She didn't get a letter from her tribe the day she left. It was from the Nevermores. It wasn't just a letter either. That would have been bad enough. It was pictures of Yang from outside the house, and another one of someone else who was related to someone who took on the Nevermores."
Summer buried her head in her arms. "It scared Raven. She was in tears. I've never seen her like that." Summer lifted her head again. "She didn't run because she hated us. She ran because she loves us."
Tai stared at Summer, his eyes narrowing even more. "She sure has a funny way of showing it."
"She promised me as soon as it was safe, she'd come back. Every time I see her she says the same…and I sort of just ruined that."
"Every time?" Tai slightly raised his voice. "How often do you see her?"
"Once a month, one of my weekend missions I go visit her and try to convince her to come back."
"Let me guess," Tai crossed his arms, "she has a different reason each time?" Summer couldn't tell if Tai was mad at her or Raven.
"Tai, they had a sniper on our house a few months ago." Tai blinked and his arms became less clenched. "I took him out, and I haven't seen or heard anything from them since." Summer looked away from Tai. "Raven still thinks fear is weakness. If she's scared of these guys, they're the real deal.
Tai turned around and ran his hands through his hair. "You said Qrow knows too?"
"I didn't tell him, and neither did Raven. He figured it out on his own. He knows Raven too well."
"And why didn't either of you tell me?" Tai glared at Summer.
"Tai, you're a worse actor than I am. We had to have you believe it." Summer buried her head in her arms again. "I hated doing that, especially in the last few months…but I had to say now.
"I don't blame you if you're mad at me. I don't care if hate me. I deserve it. I should never have kept this from you." Summer paused. "But I am legitimately on mission the next few days. I'm escorting a salvage team in Mountain Glen. I should actually be taking off now. Don't want to be late." She stood up from the bed and walked to the door. "Plus, I need a few days to think things over." She left the room without looking back.
Soooo...yeah. That happened...I'll go now.
One more thing, this marks the halfway point in Nevermore. No huge year long thing this time.