PROTECT! Protect the concentrated purity that is Ruby Rose! Protect the only full living set of good parents on the show! None of them must die! Who is willing to be their bodyguards? Odds are more people than those willing to defend Haven.

"Take care of yourself, Amby." Summer hugged Amber once more, which was happily returned. "I love you, Amber."

"I love you too, Auntie Summer." Amber squeezed a little more before pulling away. "Are you going to visit more?"

"Yep! I might even take Ruby and Yang. I'm sure you'd get along well."

Amber nodded. "Well, I do like little kids."

"Just don't call them that. Yang won't care that you're twice her age. Both of them think they're big girls." Summer giggled. "But between you and me, they'll always be my little girls." Amber added her own giggles to the mix.

Cherry rested a hand on Amber's shoulder. "Come on Amby, let's head home."

Amber and Summer hugged once more, then separated. Summer stood up and waved as her 'other family' walked away. "Bye! See you soon."

"Bye!" Amber waved back, and the conference room door closed behind her.

Summer sighed and turned the other way. She pulled out her Scroll as she left on the opposite side of the room. One of her favorite bakeries was having a sale that day. No one back home would mind, especially not Ruby. Hopefully the place wasn't out of the strawberry topped cookies that Ruby loved so much. They always ran out of those, along with Yang's frosted.

She left the CCT and walked for the parking lot. Summer still couldn't believe on this walk nearly five years ago, she learned that Raven was in labor… "Geez, it's almost been five years. I've got to start thinking about a party." She shook her head as she made it to the parking lot.

Bumblebee wasn't as fast as he was back then because of Summer's modifications, but every visit to Beacon since, she opened up the throttle on the Beacon Speedway. It always felt so nice, especially when she could knock some guys down a peg or three. This time, there were a couple of sports cars on the side of the road. One of them had a bumper laying on the ground. That's what they get for tailgating…Then again, Summer couldn't really talk since she was driving at a hundred miles an hour.

City roads proper appeared at the end of the road and Summer slowed down. She turned down a few roads until the bakery came into view. She parked at a meter about a block away and put in an appropriate amount of Lien into the meter. With that ensuring she wouldn't get a ticket, she approached the bakery.

About halfway there, someone walked into her shoulder, and it looked and felt like it was on purpose. On instinct, Summer reached for where her wallet rested. She still had it, and it was on the other side from where the guy hit. Summer turned around to face him, and felt something beneath her foot. She looked down and saw a face down envelope. Summer rolled her eyes. What kind of pickpocket failed that badly? She bent down and picked up the envelope.

Before she took a step toward the man, she noticed her name on the envelope. Summer blinked and tried to pick the guy out in the crowd, but he already disappeared. She stared at the envelope, worry growing inside her. Qrow said he'd gotten a few mission offers like this before, but that was Qrow, not Summer. There was also the fact that Summer had raided the last two Nevermore warehouses on her own…No. Summer left no clue to who she was, did she?

Summer hurried to the bakery and sat at one of the tables inside. She opened the envelope and pulled out what was inside. Her eyes widened and her heart sank. "No…" She stared in horror at a picture of Yang helping Ruby up to the cookie jar. It would have been normal, except for the window frame at the edges of the picture.

She flipped through more pictures, each new one cuter, yet more terrifying. Ruby on a trike with Yang on her bike, Ruby sticking up a thumb toward Tai, Yang showing Qrow a drawing of a Beowolf…both girls sleeping on Summer's lap, with Summer kissing Ruby's forehead.

There was no escaping it now. The Nevermores knew who she was. They had to leave.

Summer pulled out the last thing in the envelope, a written letter. More than Raven got. She opened the trifold and read the notice.

You have been a thorn in our side for too long 'Robin,' more than anyone else. Even your partner kept us out of the news. You need to go. I am a businessman, Summer Rose, so I'll make you one last proposition. Come to these coordinates alone by midnight Vale time, and your home won't be turned into a crater. If you attempt to warn the occupants in any way, my men will advance.

Summer dropped the piece of paper, but otherwise didn't move. She physically couldn't, not with everything going on in her head. She couldn't see anything past the lakes forming in front of her eyes. That recurring nightmare was becoming a reality. She covered her mouth with a hand. "Ruby…Yang…"

She snatched the pictures and note off the table, jumped out of her chair and sprinted outside. She looked east and started teleporting. There was only one person who could help her now, and she was moving apartments for the third time. Summer needed to get to Raven before she left for good. It would be another week before Raven gave her the new address.

Summer found herself teleporting faster and farther than ever before. She made it to the border village in record time. She ran for Raven's apartment building. People stared at the 'newcomer' to their village. Summer paid them no mind. As long as these people weren't on the Nevermore's payroll and they didn't try to stop her.

She made it to the building and stormed up the stairs. She body slammed the door to Raven's apartment to avoid slowing down. Raven stood in front of a portal, with one foot already through. "RAVEN!" Summer yelled as loud as she could.

Raven turned back and half drew her sword. When she locked eyes with Summer, her mouth hung open and she stepped fully into her apartment. The portal closed behind her. "Summer, what-"

"They know!" Summer fell to her knees, but she held the pictures and note out to her partner. "They're going to kill them if I'm not dead by midnight."

Raven narrowed her eyes and turned around. She sliced a new portal open and wrapped a hand under Summer's shoulders. "Come on." She hauled Summer through the portal and into a heavily wooded area. The portal closed and Raven grabbed both her partner's shoulder. "There's a reason I'm moving Summer. The Nevermores had that place under surveillance. We have to hope that they moved on, or else we're in big trouble. Summer, what's going on?"

Summer raised the threat mail again. "This. Someone rammed into me on the street and dropped this."

Raven took the pictures and the note. As she looked through them, her eyes flashed from fear to anger to hate and back again. "This isn't good."

"No…" Summer's head fell. "Raven, what do I do?"

"There's not much you can do." Raven pulled Summer to her feet and grasped onto her arms. "You go to wherever these coordinates lead and kick their teeth in."

"But what if this isn't where their big wigs are? What if this is just a trap set up to kill me? What will happen to our girls?"

"I'll get them out. I'll contact Qrow, he'll get to Ozpin. Our girls will be safe."

Summer's head fell. "I have no idea where this place is. What if I can't get there in time?"

"You know how to use Tootle, right? You can put coordinates in there and it will tell you what's there."

"How will I fight them? I can't-"

Raven slapped the side of Summer's face. Summer stared open mouthed at her partner. Why would she do that? "Summer Rose, stop saying you can't! You are the single most capable Huntress I have ever met. You have taken on threats that no one else did, or could. That's without using your full strength. You are the Winter Maiden. They can't hope to stop you unless they have a Maiden of their own. If anyone can fight these guys and put them down for good, it's you. I can take care of our girls. You need to be the one who hands these guys their asses on a silver platter."

Summer's head drooped once more and she clenched her fists. This wasn't like her. She could take on anything that stood in her way. She led team STRQ through the Vytal Festival Tournament, and came out on top. She took out a Goliath like it was nothing. She was baker of cookies and slayer of giant monsters. She needed to win, because if she didn't, her girls would be without their mother.

Summer rose her head and looked Raven in the eyes. "If there's so much as a scratch on either of our girls, I'm taking one of your arms."

"If there's a scratch on either of them, it's because they managed to kill me, Qrow, and whoever Ozpin sends to help." Raven stuck an arm out. "See you on the other side, partner."

Summer grasped Raven's forearm. "Right back at you, sis." Raven blinked and Summer smirked. "I thought you'd have figured that out by now, with you being from a tribe. Family runs thicker than blood."

Raven hesitated, then nodded. "I guess I needed to hear it first." She released her grip on Summer's arm. "You should be able to connect to the CCT from here. Find where that place is."

"Got it." Summer whipped out her Scroll. She entered the coordinates on the note into the search bar. It took a while to load, but it came up. "Fort Castle." She looked to her partner.

Raven had a portal already open with a leg already through. She nodded at Summer. "I'll head your way when the house is clear." She stepped fully through her portal and disappeared.

Summer faced east like her Scroll told her to. It wouldn't take her the whole way there, but it was enough to point her in the right direction. "Time to clip some wings." She looked up and began the first of many teleportations. It was going to be a long trip.

As soon as the portal closed behind her, Raven took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Okay, Raven. Don't worry. Summer's going to kick their asses. Qrow and Tai can take care of Yang. There's no need to worry…unless they're already on the move."

Raven fished out her seldom used Scroll and punched in Qrow's number. As she waited for her brother to pick up, she opened another portal, bringing her that much closer to Patch. Hopefully the place on the other side had CCT coverage.

The line clicked. "Raven," Qrow started, "didn't expect to hear from you like this again."

"Save it, Qrow. The Nevermores found Summer out." Raven waited to open the next portal. The next place was definitely in a CCT dead zone.

Raven heard something shift on the other side. "What? How bad is it?"

"If she's not dead by the end of the day, Ruby and Yang will be. I'm guessing that the house is already under surveillance, considering the note said if Summer warned you or Tai, Ruby and Yang wouldn't last till midnight."

"Shit! I'm at Signal right now. I'll get home as soon as I can." The line clicked again and went dead.

Raven once again focused on traveling. Each portal moving her dozens of miles closer to the house, but it wasn't enough. She needed to get home as soon as possible. This way wasn't fast enough. She stopped after the next portal and concentrated her Aura. In her mind, she saw the western beach on Patch, the farthest from the house. She slashed a new portal open with a massive drain on her Aura. If this one didn't get her to Patch, it would at least take her farther than she'd ever gone before at once.

She jumped through and for the first time, Raven didn't immediately end up on the other side. Red and black flashed before her eyes and her stomach pulled a one-eighty. Seconds later, a portal spit her out above a beach. She kicked her feet beneath her and landed in the sand. She cut the Aura flow to her portal as she caught her breath. That took more out of her than she thought possible.

Raven stood up and turned around. The city of Vale sat a few miles away on the mainland. That meant Raven actually made it to Patch. If her little girl's life wasn't in danger, she might have celebrated on the spot.

Instead, she faced the forest and jumped into the air. Details on the foliage popped and everything appeared to grow in size. In reality, Raven had shrunk as she took her raven form. She flew over the forest and searched the ground beneath her for anything that didn't belong. For once, the few Grimm she saw didn't disturb her. They weren't actively trying to kill Yang.

As she neared the clearing that team STRQ's home base sat, Raven saw a familiar crow flying toward her. Both birds stopped feet from each other. They nodded, then flew in separate directions. Raven flew below the canopy for a better look. So far, nothing out of the ordinary.

She flew around to the back of the house and saw one of the people she hoped she wouldn't. A man laid prone in the bushes, with a large sniper rifle pointed at the house. Raven scowled as best as her beak would allow, then continued on. She needed to find where all these bastards were and take them out all at once. They couldn't alert anyone.

Raven continued her search but didn't find anyone else. That didn't mean Qrow didn't find anything. She flew toward the house and landed on the roof. Qrow flew in from the other side and landed across from his sister. They chittered and chirped at each other, and Raven sighed. Just two bastards to deal with. Any more, and there could have been a big problem.

They separated again and flew toward the snipers they found. Raven landed on a branch above the guy she found. She glared down at the bastard and waited for Qrow's call. It came over all other forest noise and Raven jumped from the trees and transformed back into a human. She came down with a foot landing on one of the sniper's arms. The bastard screamed, but he couldn't fire.

"Hey, bitch." Raven kicked the guy's face hard enough to flip him onto his back. "My friend let me know that you were trying to kill her family. I can't let you do that." The guy reached for a knife on his belt, but Raven stepped on that hand. Raven drew her sword and pointed the tip at the attempted murderer's neck. She thrust her sword forward…

…but stopped it less than an inch from burying it in the guy's skin. Summer would not want this. She would probably get furious with Raven. Disappointed Summer was bad enough. She didn't need to know what mad Summer looked like. Plus, Ruby and Yang could have come to the windows on the side of the house facing her. They didn't need to know all this at such a young age.

Instead, Raven flipped her sword around and smashed the hilt into the sniper's face. The bastard's breathing slowed and his eyes closed. Raven slung the unconscious sniper over her shoulder and walked through the trees around the house. If all went to plan, she'd meet Qrow halfway around.

As expected, her brother showed up with another guy over his shoulder. "Any problems?" he asked.

"None. This guy was a push over." Raven turned to an open space and got an image of the Vale police department in her head. She slashed her sword and a portal opened. She threw her attempted murderer in. "Take care of these bastards. I need to back up Summer."

"Where is she, anyway?" Qrow asked, stepping up to the portal.

"Apparently Fort Castle."

Qrow snapped his head to Raven. "Fort Castle? That explains a lot."

"What's going on?"

"Barty was a guest lecturer at Signal today. He said Fort Castle was abandoned in a hurry after the Faunus War. The Faunus didn't take much with them to Menagerie, and the Valan military hasn't touched the place either. Fort Castle may very well be fully loaded. Summer's walking into a trap that even she might not be able to come out of."

Raven grimaced and pointed at the portal. "Get through there so I can get to Summer." Qrow nodded and stepped through. Raven let that portal die and quickly formed a new one. She jumped through and began the whole process over again. She'd never been to Fort Castle, so she couldn't just go right there. But she knew where it was. It wasn't exactly a secret. It wasn't a tourist trap only because it was deep in Grimm territory.

When she reached what she believed was halfway there, a Bullhead caught her eye. It was flying exactly from where Raven was going toward and where she came from. It could have been a coincidence…but there were no large settlements in that direction. The southern coast was never really settled, even before the great war. Everything was on the inner sea or the northern coasts.

Raven turned into a bird again for the better eyesight. The Bullhead was a military variant, with a gun beneath the chin and a missile under each wing. Well, if the Nevermores still had connections in Bullworth, odds were they could get this kind for the price of civilian models. But she searched for any identifying markings of the Vale or even Vacuo military, but saw nothing. There weren't even any license strips or serial numbers. If whoever was flying that weren't Nevermores, they still weren't law abiding citizens.

Raven turned back into a human as the Bullhead flew directly above her. Now came the tricky part. She could make moving portals, but none had moved that fast, or needed as much precision. Well, there was a first time for everything. In this case, there needed to be.

She swung her sword in front of her and a portal opened. A corresponding one opened near the rear of the Bullhead, but it barely moved. Still, Raven ran through and tried to grab onto one of the Bullhead's tailfins. Her hand missed and she fell toward the ground. She opened another portal beneath her and fell through. This time, she came within inches of the transport, but she still couldn't get a grip.

Before Raven could open another portal, the Bullhead changed course. At first, Raven thought it was permanently turning. But then it turned back the other direction. It started juking all over the place. Raven grimaced. As if it wasn't hard enough already to get on there. At least the gun on the bottom was fixed in place.

Raven lost count of the tries to get onto the Bullhead. The chase took her most of the way back to Patch until she finally landed on top of the transport. This would make things easier. She laid on the roof of the transport and sliced the air in front of her. She pushed off the roof and launched herself through the portal and into the crew compartment.

She latched onto one of the bars hanging from the ceiling and let the portal close behind her. There weren't any goons in the area, but there had to be at least one person in the cockpit. She jumped inside and threw a vicious right hook at the pilot's seat, not even bothering to check if it was occupied. Her fist hit what felt like a jaw and the transport tilted to the side. Raven heard a yelp on the other side and she slammed her left fist into that guy's stomach.

With both hostiles eliminated, Raven tore the pilot out of the seat and sat in it herself. She pulled the stick to the right and the Bullhead leveled out. After that, she stared at the controls. "Okay, now how do I fly this thing?" She could have just kept using portals, but this thing most likely had an active radio or something along those lines. Any info she could get was better than nothing. "Well, I've always liked learning on the job." She pushed the stick to the right and the Bullhead curved in that direction. Maybe flying this wouldn't be too difficult.

It's on...and this fic is almost over. Only a few more weeks until we're back in the...normal timeline...I need to think of a name for this series...