Truth be told, Qrow did miss life in Patch sometimes. A stable job as a teacher, hanging around with his nieces, annoying their father occasionally. It was a good place to relax and just do nothing for a few days. But knowing what he knows, he decided that helping Ozpin was more important. He even had an assignment now but had to pause it to answer an emergency from his still-kind-of-sort-of brother-in-law. The trail of the people who ambushed Amber had gone cold, but he knew nothing that hinted Salem's involvement could be ignored for too long. That was until he received a wave of messages, videos, and calls from Tai begging him to go to Patch for something of 'extreme importance' that could not be talked over by scroll.

Finally, a few days after receiving the first wave, Qrow arrived at Tai's house in the woods. He knocked on the door and a few seconds later it opened. Tai-Yang's strong-arm grabbed Qrow by the neck of his shirt and pulled him inside. The door then slammed shut while both men stood still; Tai-Yang looking through the peeping hole and Qrow analyzing what just happened.

"Did you tell Ozpin or someone else you were coming!?" Tai asked the other man.

"No… and to be clear: I am on a mission, you know?". Qrow told him as Tai lead the way towards the living room.

Tai-Yang took a deep breath and talked to Qrow with a more relaxed voice this time. "I know, but this is very serious. I need your help to figure out what is going on and what to do!".

"Tai, no offense, but you are one of the most vanilla people I know. What could be keeping… you… altered…". They had arrived at the living room; and sitting on the couch in front of the TV was a tanned woman in her early twenties wearing a bathrobe and a towel over her hair; she must have recently used the shower. Next to her were dishes with sausages, cereal, eggs, and bread. She also had the TV on a news channel but was more than distracted by the music coming from her earphones and the coat of nail polish she was applying on her left hand. "Oh, Tai. Now I get it…".

"You do!?" The blond man asked surprised that Qrow understood the situation just by looking at the girl.

"I do…". Qrow then took a deep breath and placed a hand on his friend's shoulder. "Look, I'm glad you are ready to meet people again, but my experience tells me that women her age with men your age are only looking for a sugar daddy. Never mind what Yang and Ruby would feel by you dating someone a little older than they are. But! I won't judge, I don't know the whole picture, and it is your life after all. If you feel like this is real, I'll try my best to get used to it and help you with the girls as well. I can only tell you to be careful".

Tai-Yang stared at Qrow for a long time until it clicked what was that the other was implying. His cheeks turned crimson and he slapped the man's hand off his shoulder. "You… me… with… what!? Qrow, no! That's not it! That is not the problem, she is only half the problem! Heck, a small part of it really!".

Not liking Tai-yang's tone, Qrow retorted. "If not that, then what?".

"Hey, Tai! You are out of wine. You got any rum?" A tired female voice said from upstairs. A few seconds later, Raven arrived wearing a long-sleeved shirt, that barely covered her thighs and black shorts. When she turned to enter the living room, however, she was face to face with her twin brother.

The silence that followed felt eternal. Both Raven and Qrow were not sure if they should be yelling at each other or yelling at Tai-Yang; but eventually, Qrow spoke first. "Raven…".

"Qrow…" Raven answered.

"Tai…" they both said looking at the blond.

Their conversation was interrupted, however, when the girl on the couch raised her empty plate and took out one of her earbuds. "Hey, Mr. Xiao Long. Do you have more sau… sage… rolls…" she had finally turned her head away from all that was surrounding her and noticed the three older people in the room. She then looked at what she identified as a male version of Raven. "Uhh… I'm Vernal… it's a pleasure…?".

After half-an-hour of incomprehensible yelling, Vernal managed to sit everyone on the dining room table. She and Raven were at one side while Tai and Qrow were sited at the other. "Ok… Raven, we did come here for help…".

"No, we came here to lay low and leave when we are ready. And guess what? We are!". Raven stood up and Qrow was about to follow but was stopped by Tai-Yang.

"Don't bother. She is bluffing".

"Excuse me!?" Raven said with indignation. "And what would a below-average teacher at a school in the middle of an island know about-" she stopped mid-sentence when Tai-Yang placed a canister of dust on the table. "What is that supposed to- AAAAH". She and Vernal jumped back when Tai-Yang turned the canister and showed them the blue square of Seido Industries.

"You are still scared by this logo alone. Enough said".

This caught Qrows attention. "And why would she be scared by that?" he asked Tai-Yang.

"Beats me, but when the head of the company was on TV, they threw the remote and broke it. My vacation fund got cut in half…".

"Wait…" Qrow was not much of a television person, but the stories about the kidnapped CEO did reach his ears while looking for Amber's attackers. Once he linked all on his head, he then turned to his sister with panic. "Don't tell me it was you who kidnapped the CEO!". Raven and Vernal didn't say anything. They just looked away. "Well, congratulations Tai. You have fugitives, and potential terrorists, in your hands. Better watch your back, the tribe may arrive soon".

He was ready to leave, but Vernal's words stopped him. "They won't. The tribe is dead". Qrow turned slowly, confusion was visible on his eyes. "We are the only survivors".

Shocked, he then looked at Tai-Yang who had the same face. "Don't look at me. This is the first time I've heard this!".

Raven continued the explanation. "Whoever that man claims to be, he is not. But I can tell you this: You now have a problem just as big as Salem in your hands". Qrow's face told her enough; he wanted answers. "He can create portals at will, he has literal monsters and walking weapons at his disposal, and worse of all: He can use magic".

Both men sat in perfect silence as they heard their tale. How they heard the world's biggest criminal confederation was formed, the kidnappings, the massacre, the trial, and, finally, their escape.

It had been eight minutes since the robots revealed their cores and the temperature was now unbearable. Both Vernal and Raven were now on their underwear, intending to complete Vernal's plan.

While Raven had long since taken one of the metal buzz saws from the robots and was getting used to the weight and handling of the weapon; Vernal had taken out the bodies of two of the women who had died while attempting to escape the first time and replaced their clothes with Vernal and Raven's.

Sweaty and panting, Vernal tied the bandana on the corpse's head, buried the other clothes, and then turned to Raven. "Finished. Are you done?".

Raven had regained a minimal amount of aura. Whether what was left could be enough to use her semblance once more or not, she did not yet know. She was more worried about how to use this weapon. She had grown so used to Omen that creating a portal with another bladed weapon took her time to get used to. She tried to concentrate but the heat made it more difficult, she was still tired from the beatings and the running, and worst of all, the cores were now sounding an alarm.

Raven slashed the air many times again and again without the desired result. Vernal was trying to calm her telling Raven to clear her mind and just think of an objective. Raven knew how her semblance worked. Until she realized she missed an important factor during her panicking moment. 'I want to be somewhere safe… I want to be safe… I want to be with someone with whom I can be safe… who have I ever bonded with that could make me feel safe…?'.

A final slash of the buzzsaw created the desired portal. Vernal was ecstatic with joy but then saw the thing almost vanishing. She then remembered Raven and saw her on her knees and gasping for air almost ready to fall unconscious due to fatigue. Vernal helped her stand and kept her awake as they made their way to the portal. The alarms were now sounding louder; Vernal then carried Raven on her shoulders and sprinted towards the portal.

She jumped and all she could remember at that moment was that wherever they were it was incredibly cooler; both in the atmosphere and the floor. The portal had to have materialized in the air as she fell to the ground from a distance of at least three feet, and Raven had also fallen from her shoulders. A fraction of a second later, she heard and felt the heat of the explosion for a moment before everything went cool and quiet once again. She then looked up with what little strength she had left, and her tired eyes managed to see a boy of maybe thirteen years in a school uniform looking at her with surprise. "Help… us… ugh" was all she could say before falling unconscious on the floor.

Tai-Yang was good with kids. You don't get to raise two girls and teach in a school if you have something against young people. He genuinely enjoyed forming the next generation both in keeping the good customs and correcting the mistakes of his generation. He also tried his hardest to not be so strict on his troubled students like right now, where he was in an after-class talk with a student selling prohibited merchandise on school grounds. The funny thing is that this student would classify in the 'nerd' category of the school hierarchy. Back in the day, it would be the overgrown sports jocks who caused all the troubles; maybe the nerds also had a few rotten apples and he didn't know? Well, whatever it was, it did not matter right now.

"Ringo; just answer me: Why were you re-selling pornography that is available on-line, for free, on school grounds?".

The student in question, a five feet tall, skinny teen with short-spiky red hair, braces, and a serious acne problem, gasped in disgust at what the teacher suggested. "Mr. Xiao Long! I'll have you know that the 'Crystal Chronicles', although notorious for its reliance on sexualized poses, especially on the female cast, is actually valued as one of the most inspiring visual novels of our time".

Tai looked at the boy for a moment; his face showing no emotion. He then took a deep breath, massaged his temple, and continued. "Ringo, I was your age when the series was at the top of its popularity. I still have some of the original copies. I even bought the ones I was missing". He then took Ringo's reproduction and opened it at a spread-page. "And I'm very much sure there was not a scene where the heroine is gang-banged by the monstrous troops of The Shadow Lord!". He then dropped the book on the trash can. "Just admit you are printing pornographic material in your house and then selling it to others in the school. Better save us the time".

The boy then dropped to his knees. "Please Mr. Xiao Long, you don't understand! The idea that an average Joe meets and falls in love with a beautiful woman who suddenly disappears only for years later to learn that she is the princess of a magical race of people who trusted their most powerful weapon through their true love is what keeps some of us going through life! I am only making the others happy!".

Tai then took another deep breath. "First: You are selling something free. Second: You are making a profit from another person's work. And third: This is fiction! Not real life! The love of your life, who disappeared years ago without so much as saying 'goodbye' won't open up a portal and ask for your help against an alien army!".

At that precise moment, a black portal materialized behind Ringo. The student screamed and ran behind the teacher. Tai-Yang did not want to believe it, but the portal was unmistakable. "Raven?". He got closer to the portal and began to hear an alarm. A second later, a woman carrying another woman jumped from the portal and they both fell on the ground. Before Tai could question what just happened, the alarm stopped, and a column of light emerged from the portal for a fraction of a second before the portal closed.

The light managed to set the desk on fire, and it opened a circular hole on the wall and the blackboard. The younger woman managed to look up at Ringo and tell him "Help… us… ugh" before falling on the ground unconscious.

Tai then saw the other woman with long black hair and wearing pitch-black underwear lying on the floor. "It can't be…" Tai told himself as he turned the woman; and indeed, it was his long-gone wife. "Raven…?".

At the mention of her name, Raven managed to weakly open her eyes. It took her sight a moment to focus, but then she was able to see Tai-Yang. "Tai…? It worked…" she said before losing consciousness.

Confused by what was going on, Ringo asked his teacher. "Who are they, Mr. Xiao Long?".

"This one is… my wife…". Scared, Tai checked her pulse. It was there, but it was fading. He then took off his blazer and wrapped Raven in it before carrying her bridal style. He turned around and saw that the other girl was on her underwear as well and that Ringo was more than stupefied by the woman. "Ringo! Help me carry her to the nurse's office!".

The boy looked at his teacher, and a devious idea formed in his head. "I mean… I could Mr. Xiao Long… but what is in it for me?".

Tai-Yang looked at the boy with disbelief. "ARE YOU SERIOUS!? YOU ARE PUTTING THE LIFE OF THIS WOMEN ON THE LINE JUST FOR ME TO IGNORE WHAT YOU DID!? WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU!? NOT HELPING SOMEONE IN NEED COULD LAND YOU AN EVEN WORSE PUNISHMENT THAN SELLING PORN! SO MOVE YOUR ASS!".

Once back on his senses, Ringo did just that and helped the other woman.

"Then I took her to Olive's office-".

"She still works there?" Qrow asked as Tai was now fixing A QUICK lunch for everyone.

"Yes, she is still the nurse, Qrow. But as I was saying: She was able to stabilize Raven; thankfully, Vernal was only exhausted. I got some weeks off due to domestic calamity, thanks to the fact that Raven and I never got officially divorced; but I'll have to pay for repairs".

He then arrived at the table with three plates of food for Vernal, Qrow, and himself. Before Qrow could question Tai-Yang about Raven's lunch, she just raised her hand and caught a frozen TV dinner that Tai had thrown her way. "Be right back; have to warm up my food".

As Raven stood, Tai sat with drinks for the three at the table. Qrow then faced Vernal who answered him immediately. "It's been like that since day one". Qrow was not surprised; it only made sense that Tai held some degree of grudge against Raven, all things considered. "She sleeps on the couch if you are wondering".

"I don't mind!" his sister said from next to the microwave. "I am not a fragile little boy that requires pampering".

"Oh! Funny enough that you now rely on a weak little boy to hide you from the 'big, bad, corporation'".

Raven slammed the microwave shut, almost breaking the door in the process. "Those people killed my entire clan and almost killed us!".

"Wow! It's almost as if they were your children and not cold-blooded murders! But how would you be able to tell the difference!?".

They both stopped arguing and instead paid attention to their food. Qrow knew better than to interfere, but he also knew this situation needed to be defused soon. "Tai. You are clearly not comfortable in this situation. Why did you even help her in the first place then?".

Before Tai-Yang could answer him, Raven spoke. "Please. You know how Tai is. If he were robed, he wouldn't press charges against press charges because he would then feel bad for the other guy".

"Well, that's ironic, coming from you".

"Hey. If I was robed; the guy would not live to tell the tale. Just as if I were the one who robed, I would make sure to never get caught. The difference between you and me, Tai: I have the balls".

"Ok; that's it you two!" Qrow told both adults. "You need to relieve some frustration if we want to move forward. So, everyone to the backyard; and bring your boxing gloves, Tai!".

Once outside, Qrow, Raven, and Vernal knew what was about to happen. Tai just looked as Qrow made a circle on the ground and then tied pillows to the boxing gloves. "Ok, Tai. Here is what we are going to do…" Qrow started as he approached Raven with o pair of gloves while Vernal approached Tai-Yang with the other. "This is how we solved conflicts back in the tribe: You'll punch each other and will be able to say whatever is in your mind. All, but semblances and violence outside the ring, is allowed".

Raven did not hide her annoyance, however. "Psh. Come on Qrow; it's Tai. He is probably gonna ask us to go into 'couple's therapy' or some other crap like-". Raven was unable to finish that sentence due to a left hook from Tai-Yang hitting her on the face.

"You abandoned us, bitch!" he screamed, surprising both Branwens who had never seen such hostility from Tai-Yang before.

"Uuuuuh, I think we have started. Right Vernal?". The young woman nodded.

"I had to care for Yang ALL BY MYSELF because you could not be bothered to live a normal life! It was always about having to be stronger than the others, smarter than the others, have the things others had!". Raven managed to get on her knees before Tai did an uppercut. "I had to raise a household by myself! You think that is fair!?".

Before he got any closer, Raven sweep-kicked Tai and he fell. She then got next to him and started punching him while he was down. "Don't think for a moment that you don't know why I left! It's a lost cause! But you insisted on living as if knowing the world could end tomorrow was just a minor thing in your daily routine!".

Tai-Yang then flipped them both and he was now punching her. "Of course, I am worried about that! But Yang was supposed to be our priority above all! She is our daughter!".

Raven managed to kick him off her. When they both stood up, she then rammed into him, making Tai fall on the ground once again. "A baby in the middle of a forest, great idea Tai! That is the best place to raise a baby after all!". And don't give me anything of that crap about being sad after I left. How long was it before you jumped into Summer's pants!?".

While Raven was saying her last taunt, Tai was now resting on his elbows and facing her backward while catching his breath. He then felt a surge of rage and quickly stood and turned around to then ram into her. "I was alone with a daughter! If anything, she was more of a mother to Yang than you'll ever be! Of course, I was going to fall in love with her, you know I had feelings for you both! I wanted to settle down and start a family; just like I understood YOU also wanted… but it doesn't matter. She disappeared one day, never returned and I've been alone with just your brother to keep me company ever since. But what do you care!? I'm sure you just went around telling every other man, woman, or whatever about 'That blond idiot from Patch that thought it was real' right!?". Raven rested on her elbows facing him, but said nothing and just looked away. Tai and Qrow looked at her with curiosity. "Right?" Tai repeated much calmer.

"… I was scared… I was mad you didn't see things like I did… I did sleep with others at first but… it was not the same. I wanted to feel protected and safe; the tribe was the perfect place. Everyone did as I said, I felt free to do things my way… but even then, a small part of me always wondered 'What if?'. But after what happened… I got a cold reminder of reality… I was just running… I'm… sorry".

The yard went silent for a long time. Tai-Yang then walked next to Raven and offered her his arm. She hooked hers with him and then she stood up. "Raven. I'll be honest with you: I'm not sure if I am ready to forgive you. But I am willing to give you a second chance". He then smiled at her before he began to remove the altered punching gloves from his hands. "Now let's head back inside; You still like your burgers well done?".

Raven did feel some relief. "You know what? That would be great" she said before doing the same.

Both women then entered the house before the men. Tai used that time to talk with Qrow. "Have to give it to your tribe, Qrow; this is a very cathartic therapy".

Qrow then began to scratch his head. "Yeah… let's just say this is a very safe version of the real thing". Tai then looked at Qrow with surprise. "Catharsis back then could be achieved by any means necessary. You either solved your differences or cleared one of the nuances".

Before Tai-Yang could question the Branwen tribe's methods even further, they felt a quick but strong enough earthquake to make them fall on the ground. "What was that!?" Tai asked.

Raven and Vernal returned to the backyard and helped the men to get up. A moment later, they then saw a lightning bolt on the distance. "Strange…" Vernal commented. "The weather report said there would be no storms this week…".

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Chapter played better on my head, but I was already taking too long to update. Other MK good guys in this fic? I don't want to spoil anything.

Constructive criticism about how the couple dynamic could be better would be much appreciated.

One internet point for all who guessed that Raven and Vernal were not dead.