Something was eating at Ruby. She couldn't tell what, but something was definitely bothering her. She did a quick self-check just to be sure; she was still well-fed from today's homemade lunch, her joints were okay, she didn't feel dizzy standing up, she slept at least six hours last night. Ruby sighed and looked over at the two metal boxes in the living room. A strange pang hit her, causing her to shoot back up and make her start pacing back and forth with some sort of anticipation. Whenever she felt uneasy as a child, she always confided in Yang to help her mellow out.

"Sup Rubes?" Her blonde sister greeted her as they watched another movie on Kay's Netflix. Weiss had chosen a nature documentary, though only through compromise as Yang demanded they watch a comedy special afterwards. "You've been pacing all day. You good?"

"I dunno," the reaper shrugged. She looked up to see the documentary following a bunch of penguins waddling around in a place called Antarctica. As cute as the sight was, it did little to help her relax. "My brain's just been on overdrive since yesterday and I can't get it to calm down."

"Maybe you just need to take a walk around outside." Yang suggested. "I know a good jog helps me unwind."

"Maybe," Ruby muttered. She turned to Blake who was partially paying attention to the documentary while also reading another one of Kay's books. "Anyone know what it's like outside?"

"Too cold for a walk," Blake answered, checking the iPod Kay had given them. "Gonna be around 28 degrees out there."

"Snow?" Ruby asked.

"Should start within the hour," Blake replied before returning to her book.

"Sorry, sis." Yang shrugged. "Wanna play a game to distract you?"

"No thanks," Ruby could already feel that the idea wouldn't help. "I'll just wander around."

She left the rest of her team and wandered around the house aimlessly for something. She caught herself finding and staring at one of the planted mics the federal agents had left a while ago. A sudden cold chill racked her body, causing her to shiver despite the central heater blasting warm air into the room. She found Winter perusing her iPod and drinking some tea in the kitchen.

"Is something wrong, Ruby?" Winter asked. Years ago, when they first met, Ruby had been given a rather harsh introduction to the Specialist. Nowadays, their relationship was a much more relaxed one. "Is everything alright?"

"I feel… anxious?" Ruby struggled to find the right word. "Ever since that second box showed up, I haven't been able to relax, or sleep, or eat much."

"I had noticed you've been rather restless this morning," Winter noted. "What about the boxes bothers you?"

"I dunno," Ruby shrugged. "I should be happy about the idea of going home sooner, right? Why does the rest of me feel so… against it?"

"I see," Winter nodded. "Have you tried to consume your thoughts and time with other activities?"

"Nothing interests me," the young redhead answered. "I'm just so uneasy about all of this, but I don't know why!"

"Well, think of it this way," Winter began. "It is absolutely a positive thing that progress is being made for us to return home."

"Yes," Ruby agreed.

"We are on our way back to our families, loved ones, and our homes," Winter continued. "And once we return home, everything will be back to normal."

"But what about Kay?" The words slipped from her mouth without any hesitation. The question caused Winter to pause and raise an eyebrow.

"What about Kay?" Winter repeated. "He's repeatedly told us that he's happy with us finally getting home. You need to remember, Ruby: this is Kay's home. His work and personal connections are all here. As much as I know that you may care for him, he will not be able to join us."

"Hm," Ruby rocked on her heels for a moment, thinking. "Are you sure?"

"Ruby," Winter placed a hand on the young leader's shoulder. "I understand that you care for Kay and wish for his happiness, but you need to realize that us getting home is the priority set for both parties here. Kay supports us getting home. We can only thank him for giving us the food and roof over our heads during our stay."

"I guess so," Ruby sighed. A moment passed before she had another idea. "Do you… care about Kay, Winter?"

"Excuse me?" Winter was taken aback by the question. She regained her composure quickly and raised an eyebrow. "You sound like his mother, insinuating things like that."

"T-that's not what I meant at all!" Ruby placated. "I just… you seem to be closer to him than us. What do you think?"

"I think Kay is a great person who is doing his best with the situation thrust upon him," Winter answered. "For as much as he does care and acts generously to us, this scenario wasn't one he asked for."

"He was…" Ruby remembered the 'hidden' microphone she passed by before. "Assigned this position."

"Correct," Winter nodded. "He's a wonderful person, but he's still only a civilian. I wouldn't want him getting involved with us any further than he has already."

"We've already kinda mucked it up," Ruby sulked.

"I was the one who mucked it up," Winter admitted. "If anyone here should feel any guilt for our current predicament, it's me. I can only hope we get out of Kay's hair faster and let him live in peace."

"Me too," Ruby agreed. "Thanks Winter."

"I hope that helps you feel any better."

"A bit." Ruby shrugged.

"Have you tried talking to Kay himself?" Winter suggested. "I'm sure he wouldn't mind talking about it."

"Hmm," Ruby thought about it for a second. She didn't even respond back to Winter, and instead made her way over to the office where Kay was currently doing some work. The first thing she noticed was the soft music playing in the room when she entered, then she heard the rapid clickety-clacking of Kay typing away at his computer. The writer in question looked up to meet her gaze.

"Oh hey Ruby," he greeted softly before returning to his writing. "Sup?"

"Meh," she shrugged. The music was definitely helping her relax. "Whatcha writing?"

"Nothing important," Kay answered. "Just a little story."

"What about?" Ruby asked as she sat down in one of the office chairs.

"I dunno yet," Kay chuckled.

"Bwuh?"

"Exactly," he replied, laughing at her reaction. "I have a bunch of small ideas, but nothing really seems to grab me. So I'm just writing out little samples of each story to see if they have any anchors."

"Anchors," Ruby repeated. "Like stuff in the story that makes it stick and sound good?"

"Yup," Kay said, slowing down his typing. "Though I'm sure you didn't exactly come here to just listen to me type. Something bothering you?"

"I… yeah," Ruby admitted. "I think I'm nervous about returning home."

"You think?" Kay asked. "And what about it is making you nervous?"

Ruby sighed. She repeated what she had said to Winter earlier, minus the part involving him. It felt really natural to just rant at him, and she had no idea why. Even Qrow was hard to talk to sometimes! When she finished, she saw Kay simply tilt his head and look out the window.

"Well, you've been here for a while, so there's no faulting you getting a little comfortable with living somewhat peacefully," Kay said. Ruby shuffled her feet nervously. The writer easily saw her discomfort and continued. "Or maybe something else is bothering you?"

"You…" Ruby trailed off immediately.

"Me?" Kay asked, surprised. "Did I do something wrong?"

"No, I mean…ugh!" Ruby groaned as she struggled to find the right words. "I'm worried about you!"

"Oh," Kay was taken aback by her sudden outburst. "Why's that Ruby?"

Caught in the corner of her own making, Ruby finally told Kay the rest of what she had said to Winter. How she worried about him and wondered if there was any way for them to bring him over to Remnant. She finished rambling and let the silence grow as Kay contemplated what had been confessed to him.

"Ruby…"

The reaper looked up at the man who gently called her name. The writer offered her a genuine smile, though she could see the bags around his eyes and the weariness behind them. They had caused so much trouble for him and he was still willing to smile and help them. That's what really bothered her.

"Yes, it has been rather difficult in making sure you guys stay safe, but I anticipated that." Kay nodded. "Especially now with the feds on our backs, I'm being very careful with what we do as a group to make sure you guys don't get hurt. However, the recent developments tell us that we are even closer to getting you all home. That alone, makes up for it."

"So, you want us to leave?" Ruby's hurt tone brought Kay some pause; did he word it that harshly?

"Ruby, you guys are amazing people and an absolute joy to have around," Kay replied. "But you and I both know that you all need to home as soon as possible. It's not safe for you guys to stay here for so long."

"And what about you?" Ruby asked.

"Once you guys go home, I'll appeal to my school's board to return as a teacher next month or even for the summer semester if it takes a little longer." Kay answered. "Right now, my priority is keeping you all safe and happy, so that you all get home that very same way. Safe and happy."

"I…" Ruby struggled to find an argument to the writer's words. "I just…"

"C'mere Ruby," Kay stood up from his chair and stepped around his desk, arms outstretched. The young reaper quickly recognized the gesture and hugged her host tightly. "I really do appreciate that you're thinking of me in this trying time. Really, I am. These are totally valid feelings and I'm not trying to tell you you're wrong for feeling this way. I just want you to remember what exactly is at stake in the grand scheme of things."

"I know," Ruby muttered into Kay's chest.

"I gave you guys those iPods for a reason," Kay continued. "So you don't forget what happened here. I know it wasn't as action-packed as Remnant, but I like to think you all managed to have a weird, yet enjoyable, little vacation here."

"Hm," Ruby replied simply, enjoying the hug. She pulled away with a small smile. "Thanks Kay."

"No prob," Kay reciprocated with his own smile. The two were then distracted as Oscar and Winter walked into the office with stern expressions.

. . . . .

"We have to make a replica?" Kay asked.

"Yes," Winter confirmed. Apparently, Ozpin had quickly deciphered last night's message from Atlas to mean that they needed to create a "doorway" explosion, similar to the one that got them here. The way home needs a second door.

"I wrote the materials I need for the project," Oscar slid a post-it note over to Kay to read.

"These… sound like things you can do with your own tools," Kay carefully said. The list said the experiment would need Burn Dust, a Gravity glyph from either of the Schnees, and potentially some sort of Dust from the Grimmlands. "But this last material seems… quite unobtainable."

"We guessed so," Oscar nodded, referring to Ozpin.

"Wait, wasn't Oz familiar with that last material?" Kay suddenly remembered. "Seeing as he was originally from a region with that stuff?"

"I mean," Oscar shrugged, rolling his eyes slightly upwards as he listened to the wizard in his head. "Glen Plains is super different than back home, it'd take some time to find something similar."

"No better time to start your little research project than now," Kay shrugged. "Who knows, you might even get graded before you even know it."

"I think it's still a little too cold to be going to the library nowadays," Kay unplugged his laptop wire from the wall and passed his computer to the boy. "Use my computer. It's much faster than a book."

"Thanks Kay," Oscar smiled as he took the device and left the room.

"Your mom, huh?" Kay opened the conversation.

"There's no one else capable on that end," Winter answered. "So it's best to assume so."

"That's good," Kay replied. "Are you or Weiss capable of doing so on our end?"

Winter pulled out her Scroll and swiped to her Aura level indicator. It was down to about half, but showed so sign of active decline. Kay nodded in understanding and pulled out his phone.

Minutes later, Roman, Winter, Kay, and Oscar were in the car on the way to the grocery store. The ride itself was silent as Oscar kept his eyes on the vehicles behind them.

"So you guys need to recreate the same explosion that got you here?" Roman asked, keeping his eyes on the road in front of him. "Sounds both super cliché but super understandable."

"As well as super impossible," Kay pointed out. "We have no Dust, and I have no clue what the Earth equivalent of it would be."

"Are there any explosive powders that your world's weapons use?" Winter asked.

"Gunpowder," Oscar answered from the back seat. "We read about that in the college library."

"So we get a gun and open all of the bullets and gather the gunpowder," Roman listed off. "That'll take at least like… two guns."

"What kind of Dust was a part of the original bomb, Winter?" Kay asked.

"Burn, Spark, and Grimmdusk," Winter recounted off the top of her head. "I remember the exact amount of each."

"Grimmdusk?" Oscar repeated. "That sounds new."

"It was recently named," Winter replied. "According to Hazel and Watts, Salem had found a proper use of the unknown purple type of Dust found in the Grimmlands. It held an intense emotional power, a sort of… natural concentration of artificial negativity."

"Nature-Brand Sad Vibes in a crystal?" Roman joked. "I'm glad we never saw that in the show."

"Watts says they were only in the finishing stages of weaponizing it," Winter continued, ignoring Roman's quip. "It was meant to act as a Grimm accelerant. Toss a refined crystal in a pool of Grimm and it would explode, instantly spawning numerous Grimm that would normally take more time for Salem herself to summon. It would have made the invasion on her realm even more difficult than it already was."

"Spark and Burn Dust," Kay looked back at Winter through the rearview mirror, meeting her gaze. "We could probably replicate that on our own. Explode some gunpowder, start a fire, cause an electrical explosion. And get… really sad?"

"Doesn't Weiss have any leftover Dust in Myrtenaster?" Roman asked.

"Nope, all spent during the Salem fight." Kay answered.

"Damn," Roman shook his head. "So how does one legally go about finding a decent amount of gunpowder?"

"Are you not able to acquire weapons?" Winter asked. "Ozpin said certain places can provide you that."

"Not in New York," Kay answered. "Except if we were licensed game hunters, which neither of us aren't."

"Don't you have a stash of guns from your army days?" Roman asked.

"Do you really think they'd let a dropout keep any loaded weapons?" Kay asked, bewildered.

"Fair point."

"Besides, I would've shown them to you a lot earlier."

"Boys, please." Winter sighed. "Is there a way for you to get any gunpowder?"

"Aren't you friends with the police captain?" Oscar asked. "Do you think he could be of some help?"

"And how do you think he'd just give us gunpowder?" Kay asked. "Pour it out from his own pistol?"

"Policemen have their own stores for ammo," Roman pointed out.

"And how do you think we'd be able to… convince the captain to do that?" Kay asked.

. . . . .

"A science experiment?" The older policeman asked, across the table from Winter, Oscar, and Kay. "In the middle of winter break?"

"Extra credit, really." Kay took the lead. "Oscar's smart enough not to need it, but y'know how kids can be, Captain"

"That I do, Mr. Gray." The captain took a sip of his coffee as Winter glanced around the Starbuck they were situated in. Her sharp gaze scanned the small shop for any potential threats to their not-so-private meeting with the police captain. "And please, call me Victor. I'm not in uniform."

"Right then Victor," Kay said, putting his tea down. "Oscar has chosen a rather… ambitious experiment.

"Indeed he has," Captain Victor said. "To ask for police-grade gunpowder for an experiment that involves… explosives?"

"STEM-program is especially competitive nowadays, Victor." Kay countered. "Oscar's already skipped a few grades. He's almost got a step in the door at MIT. This'll get him straight through those doors."

"So, you think yourself some kind of engineer, boy?" Victor turned to Oscar, who perked up instantly.

"I've been working really hard on combustion engine projects for a long time." To the untrained ear, Ozpin's speech pattern simply sounded like a really intellectual kid. Victor's eyes widened in surprise as the 'young man' continued to speak. "My recent research now demands more… dramatic supplies."

"I didn't know you had cousins from across the pond, Grey." Victor chuckled. He mulled over the idea as he finished his coffee. "Unfortunately, I am definitely in no position to be simply gifting gunpowder to a child, no matter how… astute they sound. You'd best try the DIY-route, kid. I have no authority to share our supplies. Especially for the amount you're asking for."

"We understand, Victor." Kay nodded. "I appreciate you coming out to meet with us either way."

"Anything for my daughter's favorite teacher!" Victor laughed, as the rest of the meeting devolved into casual small talk before the Captain made to leave. Oscar and Kay had already made their way back to Roman's car when they realized something.

"Hey, where's Winter?" Roman asked, as the lone woman in the group was still missing. Kay and Oscar looked at each other before turning back to the Starbucks. There, Winter was still chatting candidly with the police captain, though not with her usual professional demeanor. She smiled openly and gesticulated rather emotively as she spoke to the older man. Captain Victor simply nodded, looked around, and reached towards his right hip. Looking around and seeing no one in their immediate vicinity watching, he retrieved his pistol and unloaded several bullets from his magazine and handed them over to Winter. The Atlesian took the bullets with a warm smile before departing.

"What...was that?"Kay asked as she made her way to the car. "How did you do that?"

"I simply said the right things," Winter shrugged. "I suppose. He asked me a few questions and I just answered in ways that seemed to please him."

"Interesting," Ozpin spoke through Oscar. "And what would that entail, Winter?"

"Just… small talk," Winter answered.

"We did twenty minutes of small talk and got nothing," Kay raised an eyebrow. "You only spoke to him for a fraction of that and got five bullets. You said something."

"Nothing incriminating, I promise you," Winter assured. "We should be on our way to get dinner now, correct?"

Back on Remnant…

"Mister… Xiao-Long, was it?" Willow greeted the tall, blonde Huntsman as he entered the small meeting room.

"Correct, Lady Schnee." Taiyang replied, throwing an acknowledging nod towards the other blonde father in the room. "Julius."

"Tai," the Arc patriarch nodded in kind. All three parents looked up to see General Ironwood walk into the room, looking weary.

"Thank you all for agreeing to meet with me," James began. "I'd like to first express my thanks to both Taiyang and Julius for extending their generosity and helping defend our temporary bases in the Grimmlands. Atlas will be able to make quick work of the Grimmdusk Dust and apply proper research for proprietary use."

"Get on with it James," Taiyang urged. "You know why we came."

"Yes," Julius snapped. "You said you may have an update."

"Of course," Ironwood turned to Willow, who smiled softly. "Willow has been aiding us in recreating the event that caused our missing persons to disappear. As of late, there has been two successful attempts of teleporting an item from the exact location of the original, with the second attempt acting as a messenger. That is, if they never left their landing spot."

"How do we know they aren't in any danger?" Julius asked. "Who's to say they aren't already… dead?"

"Your morbidity tells tales of your faith, Arc," Willow rolled her eyes. "I believe in my daughters, and if their teams' abilities are of any regard, then they are most definitely alive."

"I agree," Taiyang nodded along. "I may have a losing record on plenty of things, but you gotta have hope with this sorta thing."

"Thank you, Taiyang." James smiled at the father's defense. "True, our attempts have been one sided and we can only hope that they are still directly on the other side. However, progress is still progress. Trying to force things from our side could result in more catastrophe than proper results."

"I certainly hope they're alright," Julius sighed. "Juniper would have my head if I didn't press you for something to report back to her at the end of the day."

"Do you think they've found some place to lay low, wherever they are?" Taiyang wondered. "Knowing my Ruby, she'd have already made a few new friends, wherever she is."

"I hope they don't get too attached," Ironwood shrugged. "Because we'll be taking them back home as soon as we have the chance."

Gasp! What's this? Another long awaited update from Kariotic? Talk about a late holiday gift!

In all seriousness, sorry for the long wait for this one. Work got insanely busy and tiring, I had to get surgery, and now I've finally some free time while I recover.

I hope you did enjoy the update. And since my work's busy season is sorta coming to an end, I might be able to get some more writing done in the coming year! Don't forget to leave a review! I read them constantly as a means for motivation to keep the story going, so it means a lot to me to know that people are actually reading!

Thanks for reading, Happy Holidays, and continue to stay safe out there!