Summer sat in a hospital bed, typing away on a laptop Tai had brought her from home. It had been three days since the attack, and while her leg had fully healed, her eye was another story. Not only was it completely gone, but they had to scrap any residue to avoid rotting. The part of her temple that had been blasted off during the fight had been replaced with metal that had an attachable eyepatch to cover the damage.

She had to admit, she didn't mind the look. Gave her the war hardened hero look that Qrow wears so well. She wondered if she should try a selfie like all the kids were doing. She doubted Glynda would approve, but Qrow might get a kick out of it once it got to him, wherever he was. Or maybe he'd be mortified and rush to Patch himself. She decided to just mention her one eyed state and like them all judge when she was eventually called in.

She had been finishing a report to Ozpin about the attack. Who it was, who had ordered it, and what they we're after. (Thank goodness her opponent had been a chatterbox.) Tai had told her that Oz had been fighting Salem for centuries and could wait a few more days, but Summer had chosen to write it anyway. She needed to know what Salem could want with Ruby.

"How's the report?" Summer jump as Tai entered the room, carrying Tupperware with some homemade food inside.

"Oh! It's okay. Not putting the kind of flare you do, but it's straight to the point. So we'll probably hear from the old man soon." Summer replied, closing her laptop as Tai took a seat on the edge of her bed. "Aren't you going to scold me for not resting? That's normally what happened back in Beacon when I was too reckless."

"No." Tai chuckled. "I've long since accepted you will always put the mission above yourself. As frustrating as it is, I've come to accept it." Summer smiled sheepishly. She never liked worrying Tai, or any of her teammates for that matter. She just put others' needs above herself.

"Soo…" Summer began hesitantly. "Did they find his body?" She saw Tai bite his lip nervously. "They found his remains." He said simply. "Nothing too distinguishable, but they confirmed it by… a serving face…part." Immediately, Summer felt herself lose her appetite. As glad as she was that Rouge was dead, maybe she didn't want all the details.

"Ruby, Yang, and Cinder are outside." Tai said, causing Summer's head to wipe back around. "They wanted to see you, even tried to bribe me with they're savings. Or at least Ruby and Yang did. Cinder has been…well…quiet."

Summer bit her lip uneasily. She knew Cinder blamed herself for Summer's injuries, especially her lost eye. Cinder had snuck into her hospital room late one night and apologized profusely until her throat was raw. Summer had told her not to blame herself for the lost eye, but the stubborn girl hadn't listened and just kept apologizing.

She hadn't seen Cinder since that night.

"I see." She said simply. "Could you let them in? I want to see my children." Up till now, she had been unable to be visited by anyone except Tai. The doctor believed (perhaps rightly so.) that the young kids might be a little too rough with an injured patient.

At first Summer had argued, but her doctor had treated many huntsmen and huntresses over his long career. He knows how to shut Summer down quickly and effortlessly.

But now, he had finally approved their visit, and she couldn't wait to see her children.

Tai nodded and got up. He left the room and Summer could hear voices on the other side of the door. Then…

"Mommy!"

"Mom!"

Ruby and Yang rushed through the door and threw themselves onto her, wrapping her in their warm hugs. Immediately Ruby bursts into a barrage of questions that make Summer's medicated head spin.

"Mommy! Are you okay!? Why did he attack you!? Do you know who it was!? What did he want!? Is your eye really gone forever!? When can you come home!? Why couldn't we visit you before now!? Is hospital food really bad like on tv!? Can we-!?"

"Wow! Ruby, take a breath! Your mother's still recovering." Tai called from the doorway. He seemed to be looking around for something. Or maybe someone.

"Don't worry girls, I'm okay now." Summer said gently to her daughter's backs. "If all goes well, I'll be back home by this weekend."

"That's great!" Yang cheered. "We can make cookies for your return! I'm learning how to cook just like you do! I even helped dad make you the grilled cheese we brought!" She said as she put her hand on her hips proudly.

"My, your growing up so fast." Summer said, smiling. "A few more years and you'll replace your father in doing the housework! Heaven knows he needs all the help he can get keeping the place all clean." Smirking, she looked over at Tai and was surprised to find him still in the doorway.

"Tai, is something wrong?" She asked. He jerkily glanced over, then turned back to looking down the hallway.

"It's just…" He paused, then looked over to Yang. "Do you know where Cinder went? I don't like the idea of her wandering around alone. She's still very new to the area."

"She said she was going to wait in the lobby!" Yang called back. "She said she wasn't feeling good and not to wait for her. That was right after you came in to see mom alone."

Summer frowned. She didn't want Cinder to blame herself, but also just the thought of her being on her own after they were just attacked didn't leave a good taste in her mouth.

"Tai could you..?" "On it!" Summer began, but Tai cut in before she could finish. He turned away and disappeared down the hall.

"Mommy?" Summer looked down to see Ruby looking up at her, fear in her eyes. "Were you attacked because of Cinder? Is she in danger?" Immediately, Summer gave Ruby a kiss on the head.

"No dear." She reassured her. "We got jumped by someone who didn't get the memo that the war is over. It was a one time thing." This seemed to quell Ruby fears. Thankfully she still didn't understand the implications of that statement.

"Oh! Like the fashionests on tv?" Yang asked. "The one who think Atlas should be punished more?"

Summer chuckled to herself at the remark. "Yang, the word you're looking for is fascist. I think. And I'm no expert on politics, but I don't think they-. Hey! How do you even know that word!? I'm pretty sure that only pops up on channels you're not supposed to be listening to!"

"Uncle Qrow heard it on the radio one time when we were looking for Ruby's birthday present." Yang said innocently. "There was a lot of other stuff I didn't understand stand on there too. What does 'doing the deed upside down' mean? He said it was the most fun adults has in-?"

"Okay Yang!" Summer interrupted. "No more unsupervised trips with uncle Qrow until you're older! You do NOT need to know about that! Now, let's try your grilled cheese. I'm sure it's wonderful!"

The three began enjoying their meal and plotting revenge on a relative, (okay, one person was plotting.) cheerful laughter could be heard in the hallway.

Tai found Cinder in the lobby, staring blankly up at a tv screen.

"Cinder?" He called gently. When he received no response, he approached being careful not to startle her.

Despite knowing her for over a month, Tai wasn't sure how to talk to the girl. She was very closed off and only willingly opened up to Summer, she only got close to Ruby because of the little girl's persistence.

Looking for a conversation starter, he glanced at the tv and saw a trailer for The Dawn of Patch, Zero playing.

"So… you like romances?" Tai asked. "That movie is going to be in theaters soon if you're interested. Although, I can't give the previous ones a positive review. They were…" Tai pitched his nose and waved his hand like he was trying to get rid of a bad smell, trying to get Cinder to laugh.

Unfortunately, she still was unresponsive, and he found himself struggling to find something to try and talk about.

"Of course, I'm not the target audience. What do you think of the trailer? Is it something you'd be interested in seeing?" Tai said as he took a seat next to Cinder, who snorted loudly.

"As if." She replied. "I've seen couples in Atlas with better relationships. And there, people will marry just to get whatever the other has. It's disgusting." Cinder scratched her chin thoughtfully. "Is this really what girls my age are supposed to be in too? Because I don't see anything romantic about kissing a furry human."

Tai chuckled along with Cinder. "I hope not." He said. "Can't say if most girls like these types of movies, but I know the first two were a huge success, for poorly defined reasons. Hopefully it was along the lines of being dared to torture yourself into watching it. Otherwise, I fear for girls your age."

The two sat in silence as the trailer finished and an ad for a restaurant that wasn't in Patch started playing.

"Summer's waiting upstairs, you know." Tai said, causing Cinder to tense up. "She wants to see you. Make sure you're okay after that night. Being attacked by someone at that level is traumatizing even for adults." He paused as he watched Cinder carefully. When she didn't move, he continued. "She doesn't blame you for what happened. Figured it would have happened sooner or later. She was just glad that you were around when it did."

There was a long pause as Tai waited for Cinder to answer. Then when he was about to drop the subject, Cinder finally said something. But it wasn't what he had expected.

"And are you?" She asked, causing Tai to become confused. What did she mean?

As if she had read his mind, Cinder continued. "Do you blame me for everything that happened during that night and everything since I entered your life? Don't pretend Summer hasn't told you what happened in the woods and what she offered me. I want to know if you resent me coming into your life and your daughters lives."

Tai swallowed hard. He had been hoping to avoid this conversation, but here it was. Cinder felt very insecure about being accepted into the family and Tai wanted to help her settle in, but after that night, she had proven herself to deserve not just the truth, but that she could handle it.

Taking a deep breath, Tai began to speak. "I won't say that I completely agree with Summer. I'm definitely concerned about your past. Please understand that I have two young daughters, so I'm naturally concerned about their safety and well-being. And you have a criminal record, so I'm not one hundred percent on board. And I'm probably never going to be." Cinder lowered her head slightly. Clearly not happy about what he said, but seemed understanding as well.

"But." Tai pushed on. "I also know people deserve second chances. You've only killed in self-defense, that more than I can say for myself and my team. If you take this opportunity and really work hard alongside us, you'll be more than welcome in this family. As long as you can get along with Ruby and Yang, of course. Especially Yang. You don't have to be friends, just… no more hair cutting or stuff like that, okay?"

"She deserved it." Cinder muttered, more to herself than to Tai, but he still heard nonetheless. "I'm not going to argue about if you gave her an appropriate punishment or not." Tai replied. "But the bottom line is that it's not your job to dish out punishment for any wrongdoing you see. Believe me, doing that will land you in a lot of trouble one day."

Cinder glared at the ground angrily. "Maybe if we could punish all wrongdoing we see with equal amounts of force, then maybe the world wouldn't end up in this sorry state." She growled.

Tai looked at Cinder with pity. He understood where she was coming from. Back in school, he had thought if he enacted justice on all wrongdoers, he could make the world a better place. If it wasn't for Raven stopping him, he probably would have been expelled.

"Maybe." Tai said. "But everyone thinks they're the victim. And by the way the world works, their not entirely wrong. Just by living we unintentionally hurt others, and they hurt someone, who hurts someone else. The cycle continues over and over again. And the only way to stop it is by choosing not to hurt others when given that choice."

Cinder scoffed. "Oh right. Sure. Because me choosing not to beat up an asshole will DEFINITELY stop them from being an asshole. Your logic is totally right and not wrong at all." She said, voice dripping with sarcasm.

"I never said it was without flaws." Tai said calmly. "But do you think beating them black and blue will change them?"

"If I hit them hard enough, then yes!" Cinder shot back. But Tai just shook his head. "If you change them with fear, then they're not truly changed." He explained. "Must people who act like that have other problems their dealing with. They just take out their frustration on others." Cinder opened her mouth to protest, but Tai cut her off, already knowing what she was going to say. "I know that they are immature with their feelings, but if you try to get to know them, then maybe you can shed some light on their immaturity."

Cinder closed her mouth angrily and went back to glaring at the floor. "Your just defending your daughter." She said bitterly. "You don't actually believe that garbage, do you?" To her surprise, Tai chuckled instead of snapping.

"Maybe." He replied cheerfully. "But it's not just Yang I'm talking about, but my two other teammates as well." Cinder looked at Tai in surprise. She had assumed they were just like him and Summer, happy and hardworking, but they were more like Yang? Now that she hadn't expected.

"My other two teammates were twins." Tai explained. "They, much like you, wanted to be huntsmen and huntresses not to protect people, but to obtain power to do whatever they wanted. Mind you, their parents had drilled that into them, so it wasn't entirely clear if that's what they wanted. But after two years, they confessed to their real objective and eventually, decided to keep their huntsmen vows and fight for the greater good. At least, they did after we got into a fight right before leaving on a mission that nearly killed me."

Cinder was quite surprised by this information. She saw Tai in a new light now. Before, she had only seen a stay-at-home-dad who doted on his two daughters, but now she wondered what other stores he had and what kind of adventures he had gone on.

"So where are they now?" Cinder asked. As much as she didn't want to admit it, she wanted to meet the other members of Summer's and Tai's team.

"One is off on an important mission. The other had to return to her tribe to run it. Unfortunately, I don't think either will be in Patch anytime soon." With that, Tai stood up and offered his hand to Cinder. "But let's not forget the one upstairs, waiting for you. I think she wants to thank you for saving her life, as do I. So how about we not keep her in suspense any longer, what do you say?"

Hesitantly, Cinder took Tai's hand, and let him lead her upstairs.

A several hours later.

"Excuse me." A nurse said as she entered the room. Summer and the three present members of her family looked up at her. They had been playing Remnant: the game, with Ruby coming close to victory.

"Visiting hours will be over in half an hour. And I need to check miss Rose's eye. Make sure everything's healing properly." She explained.

"Ahhhh!" Ruby whined. "Can't you extend it a few more minutes? We haven't seen mommy in forever!" The nurse smiled sadly. "I'm afraid it's not my decision." She said to the little girl.

"No, no. It's fine." Tai cut in. "We understand. Patients need their rest. We can come back tomorrow." He put his hand on Ruby's head and rubbed it gently. "We should probably clean up here so the nice lady can do her job." Neither girl moved, instead they gave Summer a pleading look.

Summer just smiled. "We'll finish it tomorrow." She said, Ruby and Yang looked disappointed, but didn't say anything. They set to work picking up the pieces and cards.

When the three of them finished, they each gave Summer a goodnight kiss and received one in return before filling out.

"Hey, girls!" Tai called out as they reached the lobby. "Could you take the game to the car? I'm going to wait for Cinder so she doesn't interrupt Summer's examination." Both girls nodded and made their way to the car. Tai meanwhile, went to the women's restroom to wait for the girl.

Despite their conversation, she still seemed hesitant to interact with them. She would give one word responses when spoken too, and was always excusing herself to go somewhere else. He was concerned that him and Summer wouldn't be able to give her the good news.

After a few minutes, Cinder came out, flicking water off her hands. "You feeling okay?" Tai asked, making her jump. "You were in there a while."

"Fine!" Cinder said quickly. "There was a…line." Tai raised an eyebrow. "Really? Because I didn't see anyone coming out." Cinder blushed and Tai noticed her face and hair was wet. What had she been doing?

"Why aren't you with Summer?" Cinder said. An obvious attempt to change the conversation, but Tai figured it was a good way to bring that up. Maybe it was for the best that it happened this way, both parents had decided to wait until Summer got out of the hospital to tell Yang and Ruby about their decision. "Visiting hours are almost up. And the nurse had a check up to do. If you hurry, you can make it just before we have to leave. Summer has something she wants to talk to you about."

Curious, Cinder made her way to Summer's room as Tai headed out to the car. She made it there just as the nurse was walking out.

"Visiting hours are nearly up." She said. "Whatever you're doing, make it quick." With that, she hurried off to her next assignment.

As Cinder entered the room, she saw Summer with a large envelope laying on the bed. She smiled as the girl came in, closing the door behind her.

"Cinder, I have something I want to show you." Summer said as Cinder approached. "Please take a look at these papers." When she did, Cinder saw they were her adoption papers, with both Summer and Tai signature at the bottom.

"We've both signed already, if you still want to live with us, then all you need to do is sign your name at the bottom." Summer explained. "Oh! And your first time signing, you'll have to pick if you want to take my last name or Tai's."

Cinder looked up at Summer. She was surprised they had moved so fast. Summer wasn't even out of the hospital yet!

"We wanted to ensure everything went without a hitch." Summer said as if she had read the younger girl's mind. "There are many orphans after the war. In a few weeks is normally when the Vale citizen registration office is flooded with refugees seeking shelter. So we intend to beat the rush."

Cinder looked at Summer, then back down to the papers. "I don't know what to say." Cinder stammered. "You have shown me nothing but kindness. I- thank you." With that, she buried her face in Summer's chest as she pulled the older woman into a hug, one she happily returned.

"Cinder. I know you've been blaming yourself for what happened in the woods, but know it wasn't your fault." Summer said as she pulled the girl tighter against her chest. "I was the target, not you. If anyone should be apologizing, it's me too you. You didn't do anything wrong, so don't beat yourself up over it. You saved my life, Cinder. I more then owe you for that."

Summer heard a sniffle from the girl and squeezed her even tighter. She rocked back and forth as the younger girl was slowly reassured and comforted.

After a few minutes, Cinder withdrew and wiped her eyes. "Thank you for giving me another chance." Cinder said. "I promise I won't let you down."

"Oh, Cinder." Summer said warmly. "You could never let me down. I'll always be happy with you the way you are. So-"

"Cough!"

Both girls looked up to see the nurse at the door looking somewhat vexed.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, but visiting hours are over. So please wrap it up." She said somewhat curtly. Much to Cinder's annoyance.

"Okay! Sorry!" Summer called apologetically. Then turned back to Cinder. "Once you've signed, give Tai the papers. He'll take care of everything from there." The girl nodded and hugged Summer again, before heading out.

"See ya!" Cinder called from the corridor, waving at Summer. "Bye!" She called back. "Have a safe trip home! Make sure Tai-!"

"Shhh!" The nurse hushed angrily. "This is a hospital!" Summer just giggled as the door shut.

"I swear it's always something with that woman!" The nurse vented angrily. "If she not causing trouble visiting a patient, she's causing trouble as one." As she rounded a corner, Cinder wonder if this was a common occurrence.

Once Cinder got to the lobby, she sat down in a chair and looked at the papers. All she had to do was sign her name and would she be a part of Summer's family. Now she just had to choose a last name and she'd be done.

But then she paused. Did she really deserve this happiness? She had lied, killed and stolen. After everything she had done could she really just leave it all behind so easily?

No. She couldn't. Even if she wanted to, because she didn't regret killing them. Rhodes? Maybe. But her adopted 'Mother' and 'sisters' she felt no remorse. They deserve it! She hadn't done anything wrong!

That's what she told herself, anyway. But after her conversation with Tai, and the time she had spent with the family, she had begun questioning herself. Was she supposed to feel guilty over what she did? Was there something wrong with her because she didn't? Saying someone deserved to die sounded like a movie villain justifying their big scheme. Was that what she was? Just a villain that wouldn't eventually be defeated by the brave hero? Just a footnote in someone else's story?

Was that really her destiny?

Suddenly, someone tugged on her sleeve. Immediately, Cinder spun, kicking the hand away from her and pulling her own fist back for a counter attack. She activated her semblance, charging her fist with heat and sand lunged towards her attacker.

Only to find Ruby standing wide-eyed before her.

She screeched to a stop, her fist an inch away from Ruby's face. "What are you doing?" Cinder snapped. "Do you always sneak up on people!? I could've killed you!"

Ruby looked at the ground, hugging her stuffed Grimm to her chest. "Daddy asked me to come and get you." She said quietly. "I'm sorry but I called you a few times and you didn't respond. If you don't want me, I'll go, but I wanted to ask you if you wanted ice cream on the way home. Dad said if we all agree, he could take us there."

"No, no! It's not you, Ruby. I- I thought you were someone else." Cinder stopped to choose her next words. As much as she enjoyed Ruby's company, she was never sure how to act around the girl. Back at the Glass Unicorn, she rarely ever had to interact with children, and when she did, they had the maturity level of a young adult, as their parents pushed them to grow up immediately.

Hell, the Schnee heiress had one of the most mature people she had met! Even admitting her own father was a shit head and expressing her desire to get away from him and his name. Honestly, it had been one of her more pleasant experiences.

Fortunately, she was saved the trouble as Ruby was the one to break the silence.

"Oh! You mean the bad man who attacked you and mommy?" Ruby asked. "But I thought daddy said he was going to the big bad place. Why would you think he was here? You think he's coming back?"

Cinder found herself smiling at Ruby's innocence. "No, Ruby." She said. "I'm just a bit rattled by the attack. It's hard for me to think he's never coming back." Cinder knew the real reason he was gone. Tai had tried to dodge the words killed, but Cinder had told him that she had seen enough death that she could handle the fact that he was dead.

And while he didn't say it, she had seen what Sabyrs could do and had a pretty good idea of what his body would have looked like.

"Oh." Ruby said. "So he's not hurting you directly, but he's still hurting you?" She seemed confused, not that Cinder blamed her. Emotions were hard, even for her.

"No. He's not." Cinder replied. "He's gone and that's what's important. I'll be fine once Summer get out."

"Oh good!" Ruby cheered. "You've had enough pain for your whole life! You don't need more." Cinder's head shot up, looking at Ruby in confusion. How did she know that? Surely Summer had told Ruby about slavery.

"That's what mommy said! That you had a hard upbringing." Ruby said as if she had read the older girl's mind. "She said you're still learning what you can and can't do and that hard upbringing can change people, so she said you might need help to…umm….be happy, or something like that? Anyway, mommy said you might need help, so I'm going to help you!" With that, Ruby put her hands on her hips and puffed out her chest.

Cinder stared at her for a second, then burst out laughing. She was pretty sure Ruby wanted to look cool, but she just looked adorable. "Alright, Ruby. I'll let you help me 'be happy' as you put it. But don't go overboard. I like keeping things simple."

"Yay!" Ruby cheered. "I'm going to be the best happiness maker in the world! Because you deserve it! Nobody should have a hard upbringing that changes them!" Cinder smiled at the young girl. Her innocence would get her in trouble one day, but she had plenty of time to grow out of it.

"Thank you Ruby." She said as she pulled the girl into a hug. "I can't tell you how much that means to me. Now, let's go kill some ice cream. Together."

"Yay!" Ruby said as she ran to the door. "Last one to the car is a rotten egg!" Cinder smiled as she watched the ball of energy race out the door. She quickly wrote something on the paper in her hand, then raced after the little girl.

"You got a head start! Cheater!"