Cinder woke up in a a mix of tangled sheets and tangled limbs. Her body felt refreshed but sore, relaxed but locked up from sleeping in the same position. She heard steady breathing next to her, and her heart skipped a beat when she saw Jaune sleeping next to her, a content look on his face. He was snoring lightly, muscled chest rising and falling steadily, heart beating contentedly. She had draped her body over his, arm hugging over his chest possessively, one of her legs stretched out over his. She felt one of his arms near the small of her back, and she felt herself blushing furiously as she cuddled closer against his naked form.

Last night had been...fun to the say the least.

Cinder snuggled closer, before freezing when she realised something and rolled over onto her side of the bed. Jaune grumbled, and her pleasure at him missing her presence was dulled by the thought of a certain someone missing their presence. She grabbed her scroll, and she checked the time, and she yelled.

"Jaune! We're late!"

"Wazit?"

"Khione! Breakfast! We slept in!"

"What?!" Jaune startled, lurching up like a zombie raising from the dead and somehow managing to topple himself over the side of the bed, still tangled in the sheets and bringing them down with him onto the floor with a thud. "Ow!"

"Jaune?" Cinder blinked, scrambling over to his side of the bed and peering over it. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah..." Jaune groaned, pulling himself up. "Only thing injured is my pride."

The sheets covered his face, so he did not know she was there as he pulled himself up. By the time she realised calamity was about to strike, it was too late.

"Ja-Gah!"

"Ow!" Jaune groaned, pulling the sheets off his head and rubbing the forehead he'd just headbutted her with. "Cinder? Are you okay?"

"Yes." Cinder gritted out, rubbing the side of her head. "We need to get dressed."

"Shower?"

"Not enough time now. We can do it at home."

"Teeth?"

"You think I brought toothbrushes as well as condoms? They're at home Jaune."

"Hug?"

"That would be appreciated but remember we don't have a lot of time." Cinder replied, accepting his embrace and immediately relaxing against him, enjoying the feeling of holding him close with great satisfaction. "This is a mess."

"This is an exception to the rule at least." Jaune smiled, kissing the side of her head gently. "Also you...I...uh...last night."

"You performed well for someone who has abstained for a long time." Cinder shrugged, rolling her eyes at him. Men. "Right?"

"Uhm...I was just wondering if you took some contraceptives yourself you know? Condoms aren't one hundred percent effective."

"Oh." Cinder blinked. "I...uhm...yeah. I took a pill."

"Oh okay." Jaune smiled awkwardly. "Just wanted to double check. Love you."

"Love you too." Cinder replied, accepting the kiss he offered. It was chaste compared to the night prior, but Cinder lapped it up and enjoyed it all the same, if not more. Lust could drive anyone mad and make them suck on another's face off. This was more intimate, relationship-y, and she liked it quite a lot. "You're distracting me."

"I am?" Jaune asked, looking surprised with an innocent look on his face. After last night, Cinder knew he was far from that. "How so?"

"Tease." Cinder scolded playfully, though there was a small part of her that wished they had woken earlier so they could have had an encore performance of the night prior before they left. She didn't know the next time they'd get some time alone to themselves. "You best hope Khione isn't awake yet because if she is I'm blaming you for being late."

"I mean, if she was I'd have a dozen panicked texts from Ruby." Jaune shrugged, turning on his own scroll to see a few missed alarm icons. "We've got time to get back. Just depends on the taxi."

"Ring it." Cinder instructed, hastily pulling on the underwear that had been torn off of her the night prior before tossing a sock at Jaune's face. "Get dressed whilst your doing it. Where's my bra?"

"On the lamp." Jaune said, pointing it out. Cinder hurried over to it and picked it back up with a red face. She torn that one off herself. "Where's my other sock?"

"Hello this Golden Gate Taxis how can I help you?" Said a Vacuoan accented voice as Jaune's scroll ran through.

"Uh...hello!" Jaune startled, looking around frantically for his other sock. Cinder spotted it hanging off the the ceiling fan. "I'd like to book a taxi to the Looking Glass hotel on MP Street."

"Who is this ordered for?"

"Jaune Ack!" Jaune coughed, as his second sock was tossed into his face again by Cinder, who used who powers to levitate into the air using small gusts of flame to pluck Jaune's sock from the fan. "Arc! Jaune Arc!"

"We'll send on there right away Mr Arc. Thank you for using Golden Gate Taxi service."

"I will get you back for that." Jaune swore, and Cinder rolled her eyes at his dramatics as she slid into her dress. At least she had less to put back on, unlike Jaune, who had to button up a now crumpled dress shit and button up his jeans in record time. They hurried out of the building, ignoring the knowing look from the tired looking receptionist as they checked out as well as the despairing look of a janitor cleaning the lobby. They rushed outside in time to see a yellow taxi cab pull up to the side, and Jaune rushed ahead to rap his fingers against the window.

"Jaune Arc?" The driver asked, earning a nod. The taxi nodded back and Jaune opened the door for her. She slid inside the back with a grateful, only slightly flattered smile and buckled herself in as Jaune rushed around and took the sit next to her. "Where are we going?"

"Home." Jaune answered instinctively, before slapping his forehead. "Fourteen House Street."

"House Street?" The driver remarked as he pulled out onto the mostly traffic less road. "Wasn't that the place where those kids got murdered?"

"That's an urban myth isn't it?" Jaune replied, looking appalled. "Right?"

"I could've sworn there was stuff in the news about it." The driver shrugged. "Yeah, some guy lost his head and killed some kids. Twelve House street I think."

"Oh, I'm pretty sure that one ended up being fake." Jaune said, slumping with relief. "Poor guy was essentially being smear campaigned by his kids so they could get the house and put him in a home or an asylum. He had a few years back."

"Really? Guess you learn something new every day then." The driver replied, before taking note of their dishevelled states. "Busy night?"

"Y-Yup." Jaune stammered, and Cinder stared out the window resolutely, failing to hide her flushed cheeks by turning away. "Business deals and stuff. Proper serious business."

"Oh I'm sure it was." The driver cackled. "Your girlfriend looks like the dominant sort."

Cinder just barely resisted jumping out of the car there and then.

Thankfully the drive was mercifully short and the radio filled the silence left behind by the awkward end of their conversation. The news went on about the latest exploits of the Red Crusader, making Jaune and Cinder share a look. It was something they would have to deal with later. They managed to avoid traffic going out of the city centre, as most of it was going towards it as people went to work. Thankfully Jaune and Cinder had booked the day off, the both of them knowing they would have to make it up to Khione by spending the day with her. Cinder hurried to the house whilst Jaune paid the driver, and when she opened the door she was greeted by the sounds of loud snoring.

In the living room Ruby had curled up on the sofa despite Jaune offering her their bed if she wanted. The girl looked absolutely exhausted, with dark bags under her eyes and a stack of papers on the coffee table next to her. Cinder frowned at the sight. She must have stayed up late doing schoolwork, and diligence was something Cinder did not scoff at. But Cinder's rather loud entry into the house and the girl's dead-to-the-world sleep meant an intruder could have snuck in without alerting her. Cinder hurried to Khione's bedroom, breathing a sigh of relief when she saw her little Snowflake under the sheets, shifting sleepily. She was still asleep, but she would be awake soon.

"I'll get started on breakfast." Jaune said quietly as he entered the doorframe next to her, watching Khione with a soft, loving smile. "You get a shower and tidy up Ruby's homework for her. I don't know if she'll be staying for breakfast, but from what I know of Taiyang he'll be breaking down the door if she isn't back soon."

"Do we just let her sleep then?" Cinder asked, and from the amused smile he gave her she could tell she'd taken his words too seriously.

"I'll let him know we're back and that Ruby's still asleep." Jaune replied. "Hurry up and get that shower stinky."

"You little-You smell just as bad!" Cinder hissed at his retreating form, before shaking her head and entering their bedroom. After last night, it wasn't so weird to think of it as such. She plucked a towel from the drawers and headed into the bathroom, turning on the shower and letting herself take her time. The warm water was relaxing and soothed her tired muscles, giving her a reenergised feeling. Afterwards she hurried to the bedroom and hastily got changed into some clean underwear, leggings and the first shirt she saw, which happened to be Jaune's. She stepped into the kitchen, pausing for a moment as she watched Jaune cook. He was humming a tune to himself and had not noticed her arrival there, so she snuck up on him easily using some of the skills she had learnt as the Nefarious Nightstalker. Once behind him, she paused for thought before deciding on a suitable course of action for his snarky comment about her smell

Jaune yelped as she spanked him and whirled around on her, shooting her a glare before blinking and staring at her. She smirked at him, before starting to tremble under the intensity of his gaze and wondering whether she had gone a stop too far.

"Is that my shirt?" Jaune demanded, just before she was about to apologise, and she blinked before looking down at the shirt she had borrowed. It hung off her frame easily due to its larger size and she couldn't help but wonder if it had some sort of sentimental value to him. He was definitely the sort of person to wear a certain type of clothing to long after its demise due to sentimental value and emotional attachment.

"Do you want it back?" Cinder asked, hands falling to the hem of the shirt and wafting it slightly. "I didn't realise you were planning on wearing it."

"I wasn't." Jaune replied, and she was taken aback by the huskiness in his voice. "You are the most beautiful person I've ever laid my eyes on."

"W-What?" Cinder stammered, before letting out a surprised gasp that turned into a surprise moan as he sprung forward, picking her up with ease and kissing her passionately. She melted against him, legs and arms wrapping around him as she kissed him back with just as much vigour with which he kissed her.

"Dad? Mom?" A quiet voice mumbled tiredly, and she broke away with a gasp and turned to see Khione stumbling into the kitchen, rubbing her eyes tiredly before freezing at the sight of them. "Ew! Ew! Ew!"

Khione scrambled away with a frantic cry, and a crash came from the living room as the noise awoke Ruby Rose.

"Ew! Ew! Ew!"

"Who wans sum! I'll take you all before you get her!"

Cinder sighed.

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"At least we know Ruby is a good babysitter." Jaune remarked as he set Cinder down. "First sign of trouble and she was up and at 'em. I'll talk to Khione again, you make sure the breakfast doesn't burn."

"But making things burn is my speciality!" Cinder protested as Jaune strode out of the kitchen. "Jaune? Jaune! Get back here this instant mister!"

Jaune was ignorant to her calls and left her all the same. She stared at the sizzling food lying in the pans over the grill and the toast slowly roasting in the toaster and felt a wave of panic swell inside of her. Cinder Fall was many things, and cook was not amongst them.

Ruby shuffled into the kitchen, looking like a zombie that had just punched and crawled its way out of its grave to reach the walk the earth once more.

"Mrs Arc?" Ruby mumbled sleepily, before her eyes widened suddenly. "Mrs Arc! When did you get back?"

"Not too long ago." Cinder replied, giving the girl a pointed look. "You did not rouse at our return. Late night?"

"I spent too long doing...uhm...research! I was researching...for school!" Ruby nodded along to her words afterwards. "Yes. Definitely."

"Homework?" Cinder asked, raising a brow at the girls odd behaviour. Ruby was not exactly un-normal, eccentric would be the word best to describe her. She apparently had some sort of social anxiety but could communicate with Khione with ease, though with Jaune she alternated between stuttering mess and normal but geeky teen, especially when it came to superhero stuff. She worshipped the Huntsman, which amused Cinder to no end, though there were times when her hero worship turned into Nefarious Nightstalker bashing that made Cinder scoff quietly. Either way, she was being more weird than usual. Perhaps it was tiredness or just waking up?

"Y-Yeah, homework. Maths stuff." Ruby twiddled her thumbs together, staring intently at the wall. Cinder found her hackles rising at the tell-tale signs of not just awkwardness, but also something else entirely. She was used to awkward behaviour thanks to living with Jaune for so long now, and if she didn't know Ruby any better she would have guessed the girl was lying. "Super complicated as well. It melted my brains and stuff, though I think I'll just wait until I can ask my friend about it. She lives in Atlas but she's super smart and stuff. Oh! We can have a proper study session for once!"

"How did you befriend someone from Atlas, let alone have a study session with them?" Cinder asked, finding herself genuinely taken aback. The Rose family where their neighbours, and good neighbours at that, but that didn't change they were stuck in the same dire financial straits as the Arcs.

"A pen pal thing from ages ago." Ruby shrugged. "I haven't met her yet, but she's supposed to be coming to Vale today or tomorrow on some sort of business trip thingy. Her dad owns this company or something, though I don't know what. Sometimes she just rants about all these fancy money terms and business stuff so I just sort of nod along since I have no idea what she's talking about. Since she's in Vale we can have a proper face to face study session rather than just doing everything online. Oh! I can get snacks and stuff! Uhm...Can I have my payment please? I wanna get some supplies before I forget."

"You won't be staying for breakfast?" Cinder asked, nodding at the food that didn't seem like it was burning.

"Never mind!" Ruby beamed, looking suddenly much more awake. "We can talk money stuff after food!"

"Smart girl." Cinder snorted, tapping her fingers against her arm whilst waiting for Jaune to return so she could stop worrying over bacon and sausages and eggs. "What is your homework about? Maybe I can help you do it now so you can spend more time having fun with your friend rather than wasting it doing homework?"

"Really?" Ruby blinked, seeming genuinely taken aback for a moment, before sending Cinder a grateful smile. "Thank you for the offer Mrs Arc but it's alright. My friend likes boring stuff like this, and its super complicated stuff. Like, super-super complicated stuff. Even Yang doesn't know half the stuff the maths teacher gives me, and she two years older than me!"

"Is that so?" Cinder replied, smiling a plastic smile. Was Ruby suggesting the homework was beyond her intellect?

"Yeah." Ruby nodded emphatically, and the sting of the insult waned slightly. Ruby had not meant to cause offense, it was merely a consequence of her innocent, naïve behaviour. Yang was an older sister who she idolised and if she couldn't understand, who could? It was an innocent logic, so Cinder silently forgave the insult. "Uhm...Do you mind if I use the bathroom?"

"Not at all." Cinder replied, and Ruby quickly jogged out of the room. Cinder heard a distant "Hi Mr Arc!" before the door to the bathroom slammed shut. Moments later, Jaune strode back into the kitchen.

"Khione knows the difference between bad touch and not bad touch, but she still doesn't want to see her parents being overly affectionate." Jaune reported, kissing Cinder's cheek. "Crisis averted, she's a normal kid."

"How in the world did you of all people raise a normal child?" Cinder teased, sliding past Jaune and heading towards the living room. "Make sure nothing burns."

"Aye, aye captain." Jaune saluted, and she could feel his eyes on her as she left the room, making her long for another hotel room. One night was not enough for either of them it would seem.

In the living room she tidied the sofa, with Ruby having managed to fling the cushions she had been laying on all over when she had been startled awake. After she had brought the tidiness of the room back to acceptable levels she settled down on the sofa and organised the piles of paper on the table, before stopping for a moment. Cinder was plenty good at helping Khione with her homework, so how difficult could Ruby's really be? Cinder could take a peek at the homework before her, write down a few notes of advice and give them to Ruby as thanks for not burning the house down whilst she and Jaune were gone.

Ruby's accidental slight still smarting slightly, Cinder gave in and fiddled with the sheets of paper, and frowning when she saw what was on it. These weren't maths or calculations, these were drawings. Designs to be exact. She shuffled through the other papers, seeing detailed maps of both Vale's sewer system and industrial areas. There were also a mix of papers with calculations on them, but nothing to suggest they were actually homework. She started at them, startled to realise they were actually coordinates, and on another piece of paper was a detailed flight plan. She didn't know for what exactly, but it disturbed her for some reason. She trailed the lines and realised the all seemed to converge on two different places. She shuffled through the messy pile only to find another map with red lines strewn over it, drawn on by marker pen. She held the two pieces of paper side by side, noting some similarities and frowning as she studied the map, trying to decipher what was being tracked or hunted down.

Her frown deepened when she saw that whatever it was had flown to Jaune's work at one point, as well as to somewhere near Khione's school. The only thing of value near Khione's school was the fact the school was nearby, as it was surrounded by residential homes with little value. She should know, she'd scoped them out after all. Jaune's workplace could have some value if someone intended to steal and sell on the furniture there, and it was surrounded by a large amount of warehouses with a varying degree of quality goods. The lines tracked to familiar areas. Banks, stores, warehouses, industrial districts, nightclubs, hotels. The lines all led back to a single area, one she couldn't recognise as it was blotted out by all the red marker there. She studied the area around it instead, and frowned when she saw familiar names.

She shifted through the rest of the papers, hoping to find something more clear and substantial. A small post-it note fell out of the pile, and she picked it up.

"Remember to sleep or I'll weaponize Ruby against you. We both know you can't resist the puppy eyes. Get some sleep -Tai."

Tai was involved? Or did he simply know the person behind all this, who couldn't be just Ruby. She wouldn't be able to access some of the plans and maps without permission from places like the city hall, and she doubted they'd give it to her if Ruby just asked. Cinder shook her head, shifting through the rest of the paper's only to find more of the same. Whoever this was had resources, and they were close to Ruby and her family, meaning Ruby had either borrowed or stolen all this information.

But why? Why would Ruby need all this? She was a girl who's most remarkable thing about her was her obsession with the Huntsman and superheroes. Cinder shook her head, piling up the papers and staring at the television. Something nagged her, bothering her, something she should know. There was something missing, something she needed to connect the dots. She searched the sofa for anything that might have fallen out of Ruby's pockets or that she had dropped, but she found nothing. She sighed again, and when she was about to give up her search she noticed something on the back of the sofa. She plucked it up, staring at the long string of blonde hair. It could have been Jaune's, but it was far too long and fair too curly. It looked luscious as well, like it had been well taken care of, and that meant it was fresh.

Too long for Jaune. Recent as well. Someone had been inside her home. Ruby had let someone inside her home.

She stared at the papers on the table. If it had been the hair alone she would have assumed Ruby had invited a friend over. But the stack of information, a veritable goldmine's worth of it, combined with this meant that there was something more to it. It wasn't enough to connect the dots, but it was another dot added to the whiteboard inside her mind. She needed to connect them. She would connect them.

"Breakfast's ready!"

But first it was time for some food.

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Breakfast was tense. For her. Khione was happily lapping up her food whilst Jaune listed out a wide array of things they could do that day. Ruby looked halfway awake by now, and she kept sneaking glances at her scroll. Cinder watched her like a hawk, slowly picking at her food.

"What do you think?" Jaune asked suddenly, making Cinder startle and turn towards him. "Park or swimming pool?"

"Park." Cinder replied, shuddering at the thought of dozens of screaming kids, annoying teens and a whole load of other people all stuck together in water filled with chlorine and pee. Going to the park was their thing now, and Cinder didn't mind it. It could be busy, but unlike the swimming pool there was plenty of space for people to spread out and avoid one another, or at least not get in each others way. Not to mention it was less stuffy, but could still be warm if the weather was nice. "Maybe. I might need to go to work. Something's cropped up."

"Seriously?" Jaune frowned, as Khione pouted and made a sad 'Aww!'' through to her cold dead heart. "I thought you booked today off?"

"I did, but my as-butthole co-worker you don't like got fired for being a butthole." Cinder replied, lying easily even if it was with some difficulty. She ignored Khione's demands she contribute for the swear jar. "It doesn't count Snowflake."

"Yes it does!" Khione protested, crossing her arms and shooting her an angry look. "Especially when you're bailing on our day out!"

"I'll see what I can do." Cinder replied placatingly. "I just need to cover his shift, a few hours and I can meet you guys at the park at twelve. I won't be long, I promise."

"Doesn't that violate some sort of labour law?" Ruby asked quietly, looking a mix between concerned and angry at her boss. "You already booked the day off, they should honour that."

"They do, but they don't need to play nice if I don't chip in." Cinder shrugged. "I'm new there, and if I don't prove myself they'll give me less shifts and eventually fire me. If they need help they need it, and they aren't afraid to play a little dirty, to stretch the limits of the law, to do that."

"It still doesn't seem right." Jaune frowned, and she grabbed his arm, as his hands were occupied with a knife and fork respectively, and she squeezed reassuringly.

"I won't be long, I promise." Cinder smiled. "But it will mean I'll need to eat and run."

"Alright then. We'll meet you at the park at twelve?"

"Yes." Cinder nodded emphatically. "I don't care if I my boss wants me to work extra hours or not after I've covered what the douche was. I'll meet you at the park at twelve. I promise."

She offered her pinkie to Khione, who frowned at it for a few moments before caving and wrapping her own pinkie around hers.

"Don't forget to add to the swear jar." Khione grumbled, showing she wasn't out of the deep end just yet.

"I will." Cinder replied, hastily scoffing down her food. "Love you both. I hope your friend helps with your homework Ruby."

"Thanks." Ruby said, shifting in her seat slightly. "Good luck with work."

"I won't need it." Cinder said confidently, giving the girl a pointed look before hurrying to her bedroom. She shoved on her uniform, her actual uniform, before pulling on her work uniform to cover it up. She kissed Khione's head and Jaune's cheek before hurrying out to another round of reluctant but encouraging goodbyes.

Cinder pushed down her guilt, knowing she wasn't being a good mother or partner. She was betraying her promise to Jaune, but she felt the urge to check up on one of her lairs. It was the most vulnerable in terms of detection, and had been the last one she had used before her now broken retirement. Hopefully she would not have to actually use her alter ego, but she had a feeling the Nefarious Nightstalker's warehouse hideout had been discovered, something sparked by the maps Ruby somehow had of industrial areas and an unknown flight plan. What if it was hers?

Paranoia urged her on, now working in overdrive and whispering that in her complacency she had been compromised. She hoped she hadn't. She would hate to disappoint Jaune and Khione by having to kill whoever had discovered her lair.

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Cinder's departure left a bitter taste in Jaune's mouth. He understood why she had to leave, and that she would do everything in her power to meet them later, but the fact she wouldn't be able to spend as much time as they hoped together with Khione irked him to no end.

It also irked Khione as well, and she stabbed a slice of bacon with more force than was necessary.

"This is really good Mr Arc." Ruby complimented awkwardly, albeit honestly. Her attempt to lighten the mood was admirable, so he smiled at her.

"Thank you." He replied. "I have a lot of siblings and when I was younger we each had to help in our own ways to keep the house runningsibling did gardening, some did cleaning, but I did cooking with my mom."

"Sounds horrible." Ruby shuddered. "I can barely survive with just Yang."

"It wasn't too bad." Jaune laughed, though part of him could understand Ruby's point in a way. The problem was, from what she had told him and from what he had seen of the elder Rose swing then Ruby had to deal with a mix of all his siblings put into one lifeform, something Jaune doubted he would have been able to put up with. "If one sister got on my nerves I could just point her at another and watch the chaos unfold."

"Now I wish my parents had another kid." Ruby grumbled. "Stupid money. How can money stop you from having a baby? Is it the stork?"

"More like clothes, toys, food, equipment, hygiene supplies and more toys and even more food." Jaune shrugged. "Plus you have to travel to places like the hospital or to nursery or to school and that costs more money for fuel, not to mention schools cost more when kids get older since some primary schools and most high schools have tailor made uniforms they mandate the students wear. It's worse in Atlas than it is in Vale, but clothing brands saw the Atlas model and have gradually introduced it here to make a profit."

"Huh." Ruby blinked. "It really is expensive to have a baby."

The doorbell rang suddenly, and Jaune frowned, not expecting company. It was probably someone trying to sell him something, but unlike of they were trying to sell him something via phone be couldn't just hang up on them. He sighed and stood up, conscious of the fact he was in dire need of a shower, before striding towards the hallway leading to the front door.

"Don't worry, I won't be long." Jaune smiled at Ruby and Khione, who had the concerned looks of kids who knew there were strangers at the door. "Probably some salesman or preacher. God, I hope it's not a preacher."

He opened the door and greeted someone who definitely wasn't what you'd imagine a door to door preacher or salesman looking like. They were of a similar height to Jaune, and had a grizzled look to them. Their eyes were bloodshot and a crimson red, with dark stubble lining their jaw and ruffled dark hair suggesting a rough night's sleep. They were a dress shirt, a loose red tie and an open grey trench coat.

"Mornin." The man greeted. "I'm looking for Ruby Rose."

"Who's she to you?" Jaune demanded, crossing his arms over his chest and shifting so that his bulky frame blocked the door entirely. The other man's eyes flickered to Jaune's bugling arms and seemed to shift warily, recognising a fight wouldn't end up in his favour.

"I'm her uncle, Qrow Branwen." Qrow answered dryly. "Her dad told me she was babysitting her last night."

"She was." Jaune nodded, though his answer did not seem to satisfy the man.

"Can you confirm that she was here the entire night?" Qrow asked, and Jaune felt like he was on the wrong end of a police interrogation.

"I wasn't here all night, otherwise I wouldn't have needed her to babysit." Jaune replied carefully, giving the man a suspicious look. "She was here when I left and here when I got back."

"Right." Qrow said, though from the way he said it and the way his shoulders slumped Jaune had a feeling that wasn't what Qrow wanted to hear. "Mind if I come in?"

"I do actually." Jaune retorted. "As far as I can tell you're just someone claiming to be her uncle, and those questions seemed rather pointed."

"Look, I'm just worried about her." Qrow said, holding his hands up as if to surrender. "I've booked a day off for once to spend time with my nieces. They are the ones telling me to stop spending so much time working after all. I'm here to pick her up, Ruby can confirm my identity."

"Ruby!" Jaune called, never taking his narrowed eyes away from Qrow. "Someone claiming to be your uncle is here!"

"Uncle Qrow?!" Ruby exclaimed, and she raced down the hallway. Jaune stepped to the side instinctively, and Ruby shot out like a cannonball, latching herself to her uncle who stumbled before steading himself and returning the hug. "Hi!"

"Hi yourself." Qrow replied. "I hear you've been babysitting."

"Yup!" Ruby grinned cheerfully. "Khione's adorable. You should meet her!"

"I'll take your word for it." Qrow remarked dryly, shooting a pointed look at Jaune, who wilted and looked away shamefully. "You wouldn't happen to know of a certain red caped superheroine who took down a bunch of criminals using sensitive information would you?"

"N-No! Why would I?" Ruby replied, her bright smile turning into an unconvincing one. "Besides, maybe they just got lucky? There's a lot of crime you know?"

"Sure there is." Qrow sighed, turning back to Jaune. "You never know with kids these days."

"Or any day." Jaune replied, thinking back to a time he'd found Khione in the kitchen, covered with flour and wearing nothing else but a tutu. She had denied the floury mess being her fault, despite her being the only culprit.

"Too right." Qrow scoffed, rubbing Ruby's head and making her jump off him with a yell. "Get your stuff. I'm taking you and Yang out for the day."

"Really?!" Ruby gasped. Qrow nodded. "Awesome! Just let me finish breakfast and pack my things!"

"You might as well come in." Jaune said, stepping inside. "Sorry about earlier by the way."

"I don't blame you." Qrow shrugged, following Jaune into the kitchen and taking note of Khione's presence. "You can never be too careful these days."

"Not for them, no." Jaune nodded, and he and Qrow shared a look. "I need the toilet, do you mind making sure neither of them sets anything on fire for me?"

"Sure." Qrow snorted. "When you get back I'll tell you about the time Yang set fire to her bedroom."

"I'm sure that's one hell of a story." Jaune noted, knowing the rambunctious teen probably would have done so by accident trying to start a fire elsewhere or something like that. He stepped out of the kitchen, trusting Ruby to keep an eye on Khione. He didn't dislike Qrow, but he was a stranger and one with an air of danger around him at that. He didn't trust him to be alone with Khione, not yet.

Inside the bathroom he quickly did his business and tossed a clean towel against the radiator in anticipation of the shower he'd have after Qeow and Ruby left. Before leaving he noticed a splash of red, and when he investigated he pulled out the red cape Ruby had always worn. It looked worse for wear, with a few cuts here and there and a large dark spot at the back. Be frowned when he noticed someone had used bandages he'd hidden away behind a stand filled with various hygiene products, and he stared back at the cloak. He'd seen it somewhere before, somewhere on the news.

The dots connected quickly, and Ruby scooted into the doorway.

"Just need to get…" She murmured under her breath, before pausing and seeing him with her cape in one hand and used roll of bandages in the other. "Oh shoot."

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Cinder's lair seemed undisturbed. A thin layer of dust clung to the floor and walls and air, and towards the middle of the room was the wet of damp and shattered glass. Cinder had made the hole in the ceiling trying to fly to Khione's school in time months and months ago, and as everything slipped by she had completely forgotten about the dire state she had left her lair in. It was not the only safehouse she had, and that was clearly a good thing, considering it was compromised by an unknown entity.

The names on the signs of the streets she walked past jogged her memory and made her connect the dots the closer she got there. Someone had been tracking her flight path across Vale, likely in an attempt to deduce where she lived. It made sense that this compound would be given away from that, but she honestly hadn't expected the Vale police department to have the resources to track her flights. Either her presence in the city had bolstered their funding and therefore their resources, or someone else was in play, either directly or indirectly supporting the VPD in their faltering manhunt for her. The question was who?

It was the question of who that played in her mind as she set about destroying any and all sensitive information in her compound. Most of it was redundant now, plans for robberies and heists she would not undergo now that she had formally retire. She stopped for a moment, staring at plan she had drawn up in the days after meeting Khione. She planned to track down a diamond, the Vulcan Diamond to be exact. It was the largest diamond extracted from Atlesian soil, and it's whereabouts were unknown. It was in possession of a consortium of the SDC, Atlas Military and Marigold Mining Guild, who had first discovered the diamond. Every now and then the so-called 'Jewel of Atlas' would be put on display in museums and the like, and after that it would go back into hiding, protected by the largest power players in Atlas.

Cinder had intended to steal it and gift it to Khione.

Looking back the plan was ridiculously stupid. Even if she had been able to take it, she wouldn't have been able to give it to Khione on account of that fact that everyone and their mother in Atlas would be searching for it, and likely in the typically Atlesian way of 'Shoot first, questions later' which would have undoubtedly gone poorly for Khione and Jaune if they were discovered in possession of the diamond. It wasn't like she would have been able to sell it on for the same reasons, and it wasn't like she could melt it down and make it into something else like gold.

Not to mention that fact Khione didn't even like diamonds.

Cinder shook her head, ignoring the thoughts that swirled to mind. In just two months time she would have officially known Khione and Jaune for one year, and she wanted to do something to celebrate. With regards to Jaune she was determined to take him on a date somewhere fancy that would end up with them in an equally fancy hotel room afterwards, but as for Khione...Cinder was stuck. She didn't know what to get, or what to do, but she did know that she had nowhere near enough money for her ideas.

Legal money, that was.

It wouldn't hurt. One last job, one last proper job to wash away that taint her last outing as the Nefarious Nightstalker had left on her. She did not want a repeat of Jaune in hospital, and she did not want to break her promise any further than she already had...but surely it couldn't hurt? She'd be able to take Jaune on the date she was envisioning, and spend a day with Khione and be able to let her Snowflake run wild purchasing whatever she wished. Cinder was not the best with affection and love, and she was determined to rectify that sooner rather than later so that she hurt neither Jaune nor Khione. Just one last job, one final score, and she'd retire. She would destroy her remaining hideouts but she could keep the suit. Khione had been a fan, at least before Cinder had accidentally sent Jaune to the hospital, and now that they were no longer enemies Cinder had a few ideas she wanted to test out with Jaune.

"One last haul." Cinder murmured, the idea growing stronger. She'd target something big of course. She'd always made sure her targets were well off, but not out of any real desire to lessen the pain felt by her victims. The richer the target, the richer the haul. But what? Cash? Jewels? Gold?

Not gold. It was too heavy, and took too long to sell off, not mention that it was vulnerable to the economy in ways other goods might not be, with supply and demand influencing how much the gold would cost. Jewels more reliable than gold in that respect, but they also needed melting down before selling on. Not to mention that the amount of money she'd make would be dependant on the quality of her haul, which would vary depending on the store. A few times Cinder had robbed a jewellery store blind only to be robbed blind herself, with the jewels being of lower quality than advertised. Cash?

Cash was hotter than the other two. It was easier to mark and spot counterfeits, and it cost a ridiculous amount to make stolen money less hot after a robbery which in turn reduced the overall amount she got at the end of it all. Her absence would have spooked most of her contacts, especially considering the circumstances. Either she was laying low after killing Vale's premier superhero or she'd been caught after doing so. The rumours would be endless, and Cinder didn't know if she had the patience to deal with the scum she had worked with these days. Jaune and Khione had spoiled her like that, and Cinder shuddered at the thought of having to interact with Torchwick or his little pet gremlin.

She would think on this further. She might not even do the heist, because she knew for a fact that Jaune would know the moment she did that she'd broken the promise she had made. She didn't know if she could bear disappointing him like that.

"Stop miscreant!" Ordered a whiny, entitled voice that seemed familiar. Cinder froze where she was and turned to see a girl behind her, pointing a rapier at her and panting lightly, as if she had just arrived. Cinder cursed herself when she realised she had left the doors wide open for anyone to step in. "You will surrender yourself to the authorities rapscallion!"

"And who might you be?" Cinder asked, flexing her fingers and feeling her powers brush against her skin. She was pent up, and if she had to harm this child in order to escape then she would. She wouldn't maim or cripple or kill the girl, but she would teach her a lesson.

"Wei-Ice Queen!" The girl retorted, muttering something under her breath that sounded like "Damn it Dragon!"

"Ice Queen?" Cinder asked, taking not of the pure white dress the girl wore, covered in snowflakes and other winter-themed regalia. "Schnee fan are you?"

"I am no admirer of anything but the law!" The 'Ice Queen' retorted. "Surrender, or I will make you!"

"I don't bow down to no-one your highness." Cinder replied mockingly. "And I certainly don't fight children. Leave now, or I will be force to educate you."

"I won't back down to criminal scum like you Nightstalker!" Ice Queen snapped. "Unlike you I am not alone. The VPD are on their way, as is a friend of mine who will be more than capable of handling the likes of you. Surrender now, or by the time your finished with me the entire VPD and even the Huntsman will be bearing down on you!"

"The Huntsman is a real enemy." Cinder retorted, listening carefully for the sounds of sirens and cursing when she heard them in the distance. "Unlike you."

A wave of fire surged forward after she finished her sentence, shot out by her hands and making the girl leap for cover. To Cinder's annoyance, the girl moved with elegance, skating across the ground with ease and avoiding her initial attack. Cinder scaled back the size of her attacks and focused on speed over size, casting fireballs hastily and shooting them at the girl like bullets out of a machine gun. The girl skated up the walls, and with a shrill battle cry leapt through the air suddenly, stabbing at Cinder with her rapier.

Cinder sidestepped the blow and suddenly kicked up with her knee after dodging the tip of the steel blade. The girl was carried forward by her speed and momentum, and she made a choking noise as her stomach slammed against Cinder's knee, and she keeled over, rapier clattering against the ground. Cinder grabbed the girl's long ponytail with both hands and spun her around, once, twice and on the third time she realised. The Ice Queen cartwheeled through the air before smashing against a stack of boxes, sending paper fluttering lazy into the air. Cinder clapped her hands together contentedly, turning towards the final set of documents she needed to destroy, when she heard the sound of a scroll ringing.

"Ya-Dragon! Where the hell are you! I'm getting my butt handed to me here!" There was a pause. "What do you mean you're hanging out with your uncle! Help me damnit!"

"Sounds like you need better friends." Cinder taunted, turning the last document to ash. Something flapped through the air, and Cinder merely raised a brow as the wet notepad the Ice Queen tossed at her flopped to the ground pathetically. "It would also look like you need to increase your skill with throwing things. A blind person can throw better than that."

"Quiet ruffian!" The Ice Queen said from behind the ruined boxes. "Your uncle? What is he supposed to do!"

Cinder rolled her eyes and started to step away. She needed to make her escape before the Ice Queen called in all her friends and their families here.

"Got it!" The Ice Queen said, and Cinder felt a sinking feeling of worry. Her enemy had a plan now. "Stay right there!"

"I think not. Toodles." Cinder said, waving lazily before conjuring flames to her hands shooting into the air. The once empty, clear space was blocked by a giant white snowflake that she slammed into, and Cinder grunted as she slammed into it headfirst and fell back onto the ground.

"I think not." The Ice Queen retorted triumphantly. "Surrender!"

"I've faced the Huntsman and the entire VPD girl." Cinder snarled. "What makes you think you're any different?"

"I don't fight alone." The Ice Queen grinned, and Cinder wanted nothing more than melt away the Mistrali Mask covering her face so that she knew who the impudent whelp was.

Cinder growled when she realised the sirens were a lot closer than she thought, and she turned in time to see two VPD police cars screech to a halt on the street outside her lair. She checked her scroll for the time, eyes widening when she saw it was nearing twelve.

"Somewhere to be?" The Ice Queen taunted, and Cinder was thoroughly done with the girl's antics. She shot forward with the fire, and the girl conjured another snowflake to protect her. Cinder, however, had greater agility than her opponent, and she swerved around the snowflake and tackled the girl to the floor. The girl cried out with pain, and Cinder dragged her to her feet, conjuring a fireball in one hand whilst the other held onto the girls ponytail.

"W-Why the hair?" The girl moaned weakly, and Cinder had neither the patient nor care to reply to her as four police officers rushed into her former lair, guns raised and looks of concern on their faces.

"Another step forward and you can see what happens to the human face when it is met with four hundred degrees of heat." Cinder warned, glaring at the police officers. "Drop your weapons now."

The officers exchanged looks, and their radios burst with noise for a moment. They dropped their weapons, the guns clanging as they hit the concrete floor, but that did little to mask the sounds of police cars circling the building and helicopters roaring nearby.

Cinder snarled and tossed the fireball at the officers, who yelled and jumped out of the way. She tossed the dazed girl into the air and shot into the sky, ripping open another hole in the roof of the warehouse. She heard helicopters swerve and roar in the sky around her, but she poured every part of her into her fire and shot away. They wouldn't catch her, but they would delay her.

Cinder only hoped she didn't arrive too late.

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"Your the Red Crusader aren't you?"

"Y-Yeah. I am."

"Ruby."

"Y-Yes?"

"Did you leave Khione alone last night?" Jaune demanded, eyes narrowed dangerously as he glared at the girl for the first time in his life. Ruby was sweet and kind, but if she had left Khione alone by herself then Jaune doubted he would ever be able to forgive her.

"Of course not!" Ruby protested quietly, but genuinely. "I told Yang I had a date so she'd look after Khione for the few hours I was gone."

"Good." Jaune sighed, before perking up slightly. "What did you do last night then?"

"Just the usual stuff." Ruby shrugged casually, as if they were talking about the weather. "Busted a drug deal, beat up some robbers, the usual."

They stared at one another.

"Oh! I also found a few leads on the Nefarious Nightstalker."

"What?!"

"Yup." Ruby nodded, popping the 'p'. "She has a base somewhere in the industrial district. My uncle Qrow asked a friend to borrow some tech that lets him track her flight path, and it all went back to the one location. It would totally be a shame if her arch nemesis and the hero of Vale found out."

"Uh...Yeah...It would." Jaune blinked, staring at Ruby, who blinked back. "Shame the Huntsman seems to have disappeared after that last fight they had. Plus I heard the Nefarious Nightstalker retired, so superheroes don't need to worry about her anymore."

"But she still needs to be brought to justice!" Ruby protested, and Jaune tried to ignore the knowing look in her eyes and the shiver of fear trickling down his spine.

"It would probably be best to leave her be." Jaune shrugged. "There's no need to antagonise her back into being a threat to Vale if she's retired."

"If." Ruby countered. "What if she's planning a big robbery or heist or something? We have to stop her!"

"You know." Jaune realised, slumping heavily.

"I do." Ruby nodded. "And I've never told anyone. Ever. Not even Yang. Or Dad. Or Uncle Qrow."

"How?" Jaune asked, shaking his head in shock, but not denial. He couldn't denial his way out of this one. "How long and...how?"

"Ever since you started." Ruby admitted, twiddling her thumbs sheepishly. "You remember that time you said you were going out with your friends so you had Yang babysit?"

"Yeah." Jaune nodded, trying to wonder how that of all things had tipped her off. He'd only been the Huntsman for a few weeks or so, and he needed to unwind with the added stress in his life and took the night off for once to go drinking with Russel and Sky and some other of the guys from work.

"Well, Yang was babysitting me as well, so she brought me round and I had a secret sleepover with Khione." Ruby admitted, rocking back and forth on the heels on her feet. "Whilst I was looking for some toys in her cupboard I saw the outfit. She made me promise not to tell anyone and when I asked she said you kept it there because she felt safer having a guardian there to protect her from the monsters under her bed."

Jaune closed his eyes and sighed heavily, any hope he had of being able to spin a way out of this flying out of the window when faced with nothing but the truth. He did keep his costume in Khione's closet for that exact reason, as well as the fact sneaking in to get it at night whilst Khione was asleep when he went on patrol let him train up his sneaking skills.

"Why are you doing what you this Ruby?" Jaune asked, fearing the answer. "Being the Red Crusader, a superhero, you don't need to be. I've been taking a break since I collapsed, but I'm going to go back on patrol soon."

"But you need help!" Ruby protested. "Atlas has a few superheroes now, so does Mistral and Vacuo, but you are the only one in Vale right now! You can't fight crime alone and Uncle Qrow's constant complaints have made it obvious that he doesn't think the VPD is capable enough of doing any sort of law and order without you around. You need help, so let me help you!"

"Ruby, you're a kid." Jaune sighed. "I don't mean that offensively but as the truth. You have a lot of energy, but you don't know certain things. You used your own cape of all things as part of your superhero outfit. How many fifteen year olds run around Vale in capes, and how many of superheroes fight crime using the same type of cape? It's a recipe for disaster."

"Then help me!" Ruby protested. "Train me to be better, how to be superhero and how to avoid the mistakes you made! I can't learn if no one teaches me, well I can, but only by doing all the stuff I shouldn't do first."

"You don't mean..."

"Make me your sidekick!" Ruby yelled excitedly and desperately, before realising how loud she'd gotten and slamming her hands over her mouth. "Please."

Jaune stared at her. She stared back, eyes wide and shiny and watery, like pools of bright innocence. She looked a curious mix between mature and serious as well as childish and innocent.

He had lived with Khione for all eight of her years now. Before that was Weiss, and before that was his sisters. He could resist the puppy eyes.

It wasn't long after that final thought that he slumped and caved.

"Gods dammit." He sighed, even as she brightened visibly. "Why do I have a bad feeling about this?"

"You don't!" Ruby grinned, surging forward and hugging him tightly. "This is the best feeling of your life!"

"Sure." Jaune rolled his eyes, before hugging Ruby back awkwardly and patting her back. He heard her uncle curse loudly, and Jaune frowned before hurrying from the bathroom after sharing a look with Ruby.

They found Qrow in the living room, pacing with a scroll in hand and Khione on the sofa looking confused and a little scared by the strange man pacing in the living room. In the doorway leading out of his house Jaune also saw Yang, who was speaking frantically into her scroll.

"What's going on?" Jaune demanded, and Qrow silently pointed at the television before resuming his pacing.

On the television, Jaune saw his girlfriend's alter ego on the news, as well as an alert putting the city on lockdown whilst the VPD tried apprehending her.

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"Where were you?" Cinder huffed angrily, stomping up to the door with sweat trailing down every pore of her skin. She had redonned her work uniform, hiding her Nefarious Nightstalker one underneath. "I waited for an hour for you guys to show up at the park!"

"We couldn't leave." Jaune said stonily, face looking like it was carved out of granite. Cinder paused at the silent fury radiating from him. "The city was put on lockdown for public safety. Something about a retired super villainess returning to attack the VPD and a new superheroine. You wouldn't know anything about that would you dear? Since you promised you wouldn't un-retire that is. Right? Right?"

Cinder gulped.