Patriot-112: I'm back my friends! After a good break, I have finally returned! I have also been reading other fics, giving my gramps a hand with whatever he wants to build around the house, and busy helping others with their fanfic projects as well.

So, now that I have returned, let us continue shall we?

P.S.: Remember, no flames, trolling, or any other evil, twisted, insults I know some of you have in those twisted little brains of yours. You ALL know the consequences. Constructive criticism is welcomed, so there's no need to act like a dick. Okay, enough with that.

Chapter 10:

Gift and a New Plan

Beacon Academy

Dorée looked out toward the west as the sun began to set, the colors of the autumn sky reflecting in her emerald eyes. Back in her old timeline, sunsets and sunrises were mostly accompanied by a blood red sky...but here, it was different. The sky didn't have a foreboding feel to it, instead it felt more peaceful.

More... serene.

She could only sigh at that, knowing how moments like this... Can be so fleeting.

Especially considering who was out there, plotting the next merciless attempt against the Academies, the Huntsmen and Huntresses, and all the four kingdoms.

Dorée knew that Salem would no doubt, and probably already has, sent out one of her minions to either scout out and, quite possibly, kill her.

Like she would give them that chance. Of course, the question was on who would she would send.

Arthur Watts was immediately struck from the list. The man was an genius scientist, with a big ego to boot, and not much of a fighter. Clever spy, yes, but worth risking to send out against someone like herself? ...definitely not.

Then there was Tyrian Callows, the ever big kiss up and, quite literally, insane Scorpion Faunus Assassin. The said psychopath, noted for his penchant for destruction and anything that had to do with killing, was not one for subtlety unlike Cinder, and will stick out like a Ursa Major in Vale.

So, the only option left for Salem?

Hazel Rainart.

Despite the man's incredible size and strength, Hazel was not stupid, or crazy, enough to blow subtlety and discretion out the window. Sure he had low tolerance for failure, but the man was considered more...level headed than Cinder, that's for certain.

Of course, as long as he kept his cool if he ever saw Ozpin...which of course is nigh impossible, considering the tragic incident with Gretchen Rainart, Hazel's little sister. Not as if the old fool didn't deserve it.

In some ways, despite him being a loyal follower of Salem, Dorée actually had more respect for Hazel than Ozpin, or any of the Green Wizard's little Inner Circle. In fact, she could relate to him, considering they both blame the immortal reincarnating fool for the loved ones, that they believe, he had sent to their deaths.

So if came to the point that Hazel wanted to smash that ignorant ass' head in and she was in between them...well, who was she to refuse his chance at justice.

However, that was where it ended. He made the mistake of joining Salem, one of the top three she blamed for her parents' deaths in the old timeline. So despite the respect she has for him, he was still an enemy.

As her thoughts moved from Salem's cronies, her thoughts then dwelled to the days following her awakening...especially a certain pissed off grey cloak wearing individual.

Flashback

Beacon Infirmary

"Where the hell were you?" Canus growled slightly, his glare leveled at the time traveling girl, "Why the hell didn't you meet me at our agreed RV point, when you first came back here six months ago? I looked in at every safehouse incase you were at one of them but you weren't! Instead, I find out you went ahead against my advice and started hunting down Cinder's contacts and WF hideouts everywhere from here to Mistral, and by the time I get there you're already gone! And then... just when I thought everything was going to go the way it did before, you did the most stupidest and reckless thing, and ATTACKED MERCURY BLACK IN THE STADIUM RIGHT IN FRONT OF ALL OF REMNANT! What the hell were you THINKING!?"

Dorée actually managed to level a glare of her own at the Premonition-user.

"...I was taking apart the means for Salem to make war through the White Fang, and making Cinder blind!" she said, "And don't think about chastising me about being reckless! What gave you the idea of telling Raven Branwen, of all people, about me and my former problem!?"

"It was a contingency plan in case the Grimm Merlot put in you got control of you again!" Canus retorted.

"By having her KILL ME!?" Dorée retorted back.

"That was her idea, not mine!"

The two argued back and forth as both Jaune and Pyrrha, who had detached themselves from Dorée, watched them, being reminded of a family drama/comedy series.

"Uh, should we do something?" Jaune asked, he wanted to get in just to stop the argument the two were having, but on the other hand, he was being considerate of his health.

He then blinked when Pyrrha didn't answer and looked over and gulped, feeling a dark foreboding aura come over him.

The reason, being that Pyrrha's hair was shadowing her eyes, while her fists were clenched.

'Oh man...,' Jaune thought in fear. 'I have a REALLY bad feeling about this,'

The two kept arguing ignorant of the impending wrath about to befall them.

"Oh for the love of...!" Canus shouted as he facepalmed, "Stubborn, just like your father!"

"It's what kept me alive for so long, so I'll take that as compliment!" Dorée snapped back, "And who are you to talk, huh!?"

The older man just gritted his teeth angrily at that.

"Why you ungrateful little-!"

BAM!

BONK!

"OOOWW!"

"AIEEE!"

Both of them yelp in pain, as Canus received a punch to the face while Dorée received her own bonk to the head.

"That's enough you two!" both of them looked toward the source of the one who hit them, Canus holding his right eye, while Dorée felt a lump growing on her head. What they saw made them stop cold, their argument totally forgotten as they looked at Pyrrha, whose image now looked like that Demon, with her emerald eyes glinting dangerously, while her red aura glowed ominously, looking about to devour their souls if they so much as disobey her.

"You...," she said, looking to her future daughter, who, surprisingly to herself most of all, meeped in fright, "...you just woke up a week after your battle, and Professor Peach says you still need to rest!"

Dorée didn't say anything, greatly shocked, and terrified at this side of her future mother she didn't even know about till now.

"And you!" she growled, as she turned her attention to Canus, "I don't care if you're an acquaintance of Professor Ozpin or not! I don't want, nor will I let you, start an argument with Dorée that could possibly cause her more stress than necessary!"

The two could only look in shock at the apparent angry look on Pyrrha's face. They weren't alone as Jaune also had the same look, while also a little more terrified of his partner.

'Whoa... I'm surprised she managed to hide that when I told her about my transcripts and when Cardin was blackmailing me...,' he thought, '...Real fortunate she didn't aim at me, though,'

His thoughts were interrupted as Pyrrha continued.

"So I greatly appreciate it, that the two stop acting like spoiled little preschoolers!" she said, before she glared at them, "You got that, right!? RIGHT!?"

Dorée immediately complied as she nodded her head vigorously, not wanting to endure the glare of doom anymore...Fall Maiden or not. Canus meanwhile, while a little unnerved at the champion's rare display of actual anger, managed to calmly nod. Seeing the two nod, Pyrrha then took a deep calming breath before exhaling it all out, and her anger vanished.

"Well, now that's taken care of...," she said, before retaking her seat next to Dorée, while Jaune looked relieved that his partner was back to her normal calm self.

'Note to self, don't make Pyrrha angry...ever!' he thought as he stood next to her.

Canus, after her calm down, looked to Dorée, before fake coughing to get her attention.

"So, now that you prevented, and possibly postponed, the catastrophe that would have befallen Beacon...what do you plan to do now?" he asked her, and the young clone blinked before looking at her future parents who looked on curiously, and then to her lap.

In all honesty, she didn't what to do, except find Cinder and impale the bitch on a spike, but how to go about that, she didn't know. By now, she's probably back in the hole that is Salem's Castle in Drache, no doubt trying to think of way to salvage and replan on how to bring Beacon to it's knees. Not to mention, Salem must've felt that explosion of hatred and anger when she went Grimm, and would no doubt send one of her other cronies to scout her out.

Then, there is the fact that Adam Taurus was still alive, since his body wasn't found, and the White Fang who had been camped just outside the school grounds, waiting for the signal to attack Beacon, have now gone. No doubt ordered by Salem to do so.

So, in actuality...

"I...I'm not sure," she said, making Canus blink, "I mean, I know what to do, I just...I just don't know how to go about it."

She then gripped the covers of her bed.

"But, I know without a doubt that Salem knows about me now, and since Cinder is alive and report to her that I'm a Maiden...," she said, "...A Future Maiden, but a Maiden nonetheless, she'll send one of her own goons to get me,"

That caused Pyrrha and Jaune to tense in worry. Though they didn't know who this Salem was, the way Dorée spoke of her meant she was bad news.

Canus sighed again, knowing that what the girl he knew from the future said was right. Salem, though suffering a setback from Dorée's interference, will just lick her wounds and try again, and next time, be more successful. And that's what made her dangerous, she learned from her mistakes and the mistakes of others, and didn't want to repeat them again and again...unlike some old Green Wizard.

"Well, for right now, I think the best course of action for you right now, is to follow Peach and your Mother's advice," he started, making Dorée look a little uneasy at that, "And by that, I mean get some rest and some food in ya, and also, I advise not doing anymore hunting for Cinder for a good while. Like I said, everyone in Remnant saw your little stunt, and the Councils, with the exception of Vacuo, are not happy,"

Dorée rolled her eyes slightly at that. 'What else is new about those stupid Bureaucrats?' she thought rhetorically.

"So...," Canus continued, "...with the public now in a frenzy in wanting to know the identity of the unknown Rogue Huntress. I advise using your time to lay low and train up for any future encounters with Salem's forces."

He then stood up and proceeded to walk away.

"Oh, and also, talk to the two lovebirds.," he said causing Pyrrha and Jaune to blush, "I'm sure they're VERY curious in wanting to know more about their kid...even though she is a clone. Until then...adieu,"

And with that, Canus left the room, with only the two Partners and their child left alone.

"Soooo...," Jaune was the first to speak after a short moment of awkward silence, "Uhhh...where do we start?"

Dorée sighed at that as she looked at them.

"What's your favorite fairytale?"

Flashback end

And thus, she told them her full story, from the moment she was first aware of things, to being raised by a Pyrrha-possessed Cinder Fall, the harsh Huntress training she received, her inheriting their memories from the original timeline as a side effect of the cloning process, the day when she came to the past, the following six months after, and finally ending where she infiltrated the tournament and prevented Cinder and her posse from framing Yang.

When she had finished telling her tale, a part of her felt...relieved in finally telling someone of what she went through all her life. To say it was like a breath of fresh air, is an understatement.

Of course, to the two partners of team JNPR, they were mortified. Especially Pyrrha, since her future decisions and death would lead Jaune on a journey to avenge her, only to be later killed himself. For Jaune, he couldn't honestly imagine a life without Pyrrha, true he will try to happy for her sake, but hearing Dorée tell him of his memories, just gave him the terrible feeling that the possibility of losing Pyrrha forever, just proved to be more than he could handle.

Needless to say, from that day, the two were training each other to be better, while still making time to visit her during her recovery.

"Thought I might find you here,"

She turned her head slightly, and saw Canus approaching her. He was not wearing his cloak this time, and was actually smiling a bit unlike their last conversation.

"After I came here to this time, I always wanted to see how the sunrises and the sunsets of this timeline looked," Dorée replied, "Not only do they serve to help me relax my thoughts...but it actually gives me a brief view of what balance between light and darkness looks like,"

Canus nodded at that as he looked at the slowly setting sun, as dusk set in.

"Yeah...balance," he said, before sighing tiredly, "Too bad that category doesn't fall into the minds of most people. Especially Salem and Ozpin,"

Dorée clenched her hands at that. Two days after she left the infirmary, while she was with Pyrrha and Jaune as they showed her around the school, they... 'Accidentally' ran into the Green Wizard, and to say Dorée was NOT happy to see him was an understatement.

Before the old fool could even speak, she beat him to the punch, making it very clear, that she hated his guts with a passion, and to stay away from her, Pyrrha, Jaune, and their friends, and to look for someone else to be his sacrificial puppet. She immediately stormed away before he could make a comment.

"Ozpin is a still an old fool, despite what you've told him," the young woman snarled, "I doubt he will change ALL of his tactics. And like the fool he is, he recruits other fools...but at least some of them managed to see that Salem is changing how she plays hardball."

Canus could only look at the angry visage on the girl's face, and only sighed again, before looking at the new current attire she was wearing. He thus decided to change the subject.

"Ya know, while your old armor was alright, I'd say that new armor definitely makes you look more like your mother than anything, aside from the additions you added," he said, causing Dorée to look at him and blink in confusion before turning her head away again, a slight flush on her cheeks.

She still remembered what happened two days ago...on a day she thought she would forget till the end of her days.

Second Flashback

Dorée sighed as she walked through the halls...blindfolded.

"What exactly are we doing?" she questioned, as she felt the hands of Jaune and Pyrrha on her shoulders as they guided her through the school. She was wearing temporary clothes, which consisted of a gold colored turtleneck sweatshirt, a pair of knee length biker shorts, black stockings, and a pair of extra boots that Pyrrha had. Her hair was done in a side braid ponytail style.

"It's...a surprise that Ruby, Weiss, and the others put together for you," Pyrrha said, while causing Dorée to sigh at that.

"I'm not much a surprise person." she said, causing the two to frown sadly at the reminder.

"Yeah, we know...," said Jaune, before he smiled, "But trust us when we say that this is a surprise you're gonna like,"

'I highly doubt that...,' Dorée thought, as they arrived at Team JNPR's dorm room door. The champion reached out to knock on the door, and in no time, the door opened, revealing Nora, who smiled at seeing the future daughter of her two teammates and friends.

"Hey! Nice of you to show up!" the Valkyrie chirped. Jaune and Pyrrha only chuckled at their friend, while Dorée remained quiet.

"Is everyone inside, Nora?" Pyrrha asked, and the N of Team JNPR nodded enthusiastically.

"Yup, all present and accounted for!" she cheerily said, and opened the door wider and allowing the three inside.

"Hey there, Dorée," Ruby greeted, while the said time traveler blinked in recognition at her voice. "Sorry we didn't properly introduce each other after the whole...incident over a week ago,"

Dorée shook her head at that, "It's quite alright, Ruby Rose," she said, "In truth...I was hoping to not survive that night,"

This caused everyone inside to wince at that.

"Well that's dark...," Yang grumbled, only to recieve an elbow from both Weiss and Blake at that.

"Anyway, we asked Jaune and Pyrrha to bring you here, cause we had something made for you." the heiress said, "And... because it's your birthday and all,"

THAT info caused the blindfolded clone's eyes to widen in shock.

Her birthday...She had completely forgot all about it, considering the circumstances.

"M...My...," she tried to say, before shaking her head, and turning her head toward the floor, "You...you shouldn't have gone through all of that trouble for someone like me,"

"We wanted to...," Blake said, "If you hadn't of showed up, Beacon would've suffered a fate much worse than the one we know,"

"I was being selfish," Dorée retorted, "I-I don't deserve-OW!"

She would've continued had Yang not pinched her on the arm, and causing her to begin rubbing it to alleviate the pain.

"Enough of that, little girl," the Party Brawler said, "We spent a lot to get this done, due to Weiss' father being a jerk..."

Cue stink eye from said Schnee.

"...So regardless of what you say, you're getting this whether you want to or not!"

Dorée only glared at the Xiao Long, miffed that her fellow blonde pinched her, before taking a breath and letting it out.

It appeared they were not going to take no for an answer, so decided to accept what they got for her.

"Alright...," she simply said, and was thus ushered forward, before stopping at a specific location. She then felt the blindfold being undone, before the cloth was removed her from eyes completely.

After blinking the rush of the light away, her eyes then focused in front of her, before they widened.

In front of her, was a mannequin, but it what was clad on the mannequin that got her full attention.

It was a full set of armor, clearly resembling Pyrrha's armor, but it was definitely due to the fact that the torso armor was more of the steel variety instead of the bronze/gold like them the said champion wore. In fact the only part of the armor that retained the gold scheme was the leg armor, only it was more angular in design, rather than the more curve-style.

Also included was a more protective steel plated articulate gorget which protected the shoulders, and the area around the heart.

She then looked to the arms of the outfit, seeing the gauntlets from her old armor, both over the pair of fingerless opera style gloves.

The coup de grace of the whole set, was the belt wrapped around the waist, with multiple pouches for dust ammunition and such, and the golden half skirt attached, with her personal symbol stitched onto it.

Needless to say, Dorée was speechless.

When she inquired about what happened to her armor a few days prior, Pyrrha informed her that it was damaged beyond repair, which depressed Dorée a bit, since she designed and built that armor herself.

Seeing this new set before her, she noticed it was forged from the pieces of her old set, with the only thing to remind of her it, being her gauntlets.

She then carefully raised her hand toward the set, before placing it on the shoulder, her eyes carefully scrutinizing it, for any impurities, or other rush work...there was none.

"How...how did you make you this in such a short amount of time... And this adequate?" she said, knowing it would take YEARS to make an armor of this caliber.

"Well, Weiss got in contact with a Weapon and Armor Smith who made her Myrtenaster," Ruby said, "Apparently, his semblance involves metal manipulation, kinda like Pyrrha's Polarity, but slightly different,"

Weiss only huffed at that, while smiling, "Semblance or not, he's still got an excellent observation skill when it comes to metal work," she stated, while Dorée continued to look at her new armor in awe.

"We...also had this made," Pyrrha spoke up, grabbing Dorée's attention as she turned her head toward her future mother and spotted the object in her hands...which was an exact duplicate of Pyrrha's Circlet, only, the differences were that the chains for the ears were a stainless steel, and the jewels were two Rose Zicron stones...her birthstone.

She gulped as she slowly, shakily, reached up and took the headpiece from Pyrrha, and into her own hands, and looked at it. She then blinked as she looked at the brow, and saw her sigil.

It was...she didn't know what to think.

For her whole life, her birthday was something that Merlot told her was just another day that didn't matter and wasn't anything special, but her mother, in Cinder's body, spoke otherwise. Regardless, Dorée never actually truly celebrated her birthday, since, in her mind, she didn't deserve one.

But now, at this moment and time, she finally understood why a birthday was so important. And she was finally experiencing the feelings of what such a day felt like.

She clutched the piece to her chest, as her hair shadowed her eyes, making the other look at her concern, before she spoke.

"T...Thank...," she managed to utter, making the two teams blink in confusion before the time traveler rose her head up again, this time a smile on her face, as two tears streamed down her face. "T-Thank you...so much,"

That was all she said as she began crying in happiness, which caused Pyrrha to grab the girl into a embrace, while everyone looked on, all of them with smiles on their faces.

Second Flashback end!

That memory was one that Dorée intended to keep, from that day, until her last day.

But still, if Cinder, or her Queen, were anything, they were ruthlessly persistent in getting, what they believed, was rightfully theirs. And she knew that, in order to keep Jaune, Pyrrha, and their friends safe, she had to think of something in order to get their attention away from Beacon.

She then turned to Canus who was still looking at the sun.

"You know as well I do that Cinder will be back, don't you?" she asked, "And it will be with whoever Salem sends with her?"

Canus sighed as he nodded at that.

"Too true," he said, "Which is why we need to think of a plan in order to either strike her first before she even attempts a second infiltration, or shore up the defenses. Of course, Oz and the others screwed up the latter, while the former is a little suicidal since, half Maiden or not, she is still dangerous."

"Duly noted," Dorée replied, "But, I prefer we keep the fighting away from the school. I may hate Ozpin, but I won't put the others in danger,"

"Well, that's going to be a little tough," Canus pointed out, "Since their main focus is locked in the vault, and they won't rest till they get their hands on it,"

Dorée only nodded at that, "Yes, that damned, but powerful, old relic which is laying in the vault and the only one who could open it is either me, or...,"

She suddenly stopped herself as the thought hit like a dust plane falling on her face, before she turned back to the Academy.

'That's it!' she thought, 'Idiot! Why didn't I think of it sooner!'

"I'm gonna steal it," she said, making Canus blink before turning to her.

"Uh...what?" he said.

"I'm gonna steal the Relic of Choice," she said before she began walking back toward the school, leaving the man standing there as he processed what the time traveler just said.

"Wait...HUH!?" he shouted before taking off after her, "No! Dorée, don't! It's crazy! No, it's stupid! No, it's CRAZY-STUPID! HEY! ARE YOU EVEN LISTENING TO ME!?"

As he attempted to stop her from possibly the most crazy idea of the century, both of them were unaware of the familiar floating jellyfish type Grimm, which had heard everything that was just spoken.

Patriot-112: And done! A lot of hard thinking and motivation I put into this chapter! And I hope it was worth it! Please leave a review, and I hope to see you next time.

P.S. Dorée's armor is based on the early concept of Pyrrha Nikos by Monty Oum himself, with a few modifications on my part.

Until next time my friends! Ja Ne!