It's been a while. Apologies about the delay, work and college took priority. I also regret to inform you that Tale of two Jimmy's will be shelved indefinitely. But regardless, the next chapter of cooking dust is here. We are (roughly) ⅓ of the way through the story.

Bullhead, 2 days before the train incident

Team PANL was headed towards their mission site. Their instructor, Professor Port, was with them.

"Alright, ladies and gentlemen, time for debriefing. There have been some disturbances from Grimm in this area, and we're here to put an end."

"What do we have to look out for?" Ren asked.

"Apart from the Grimm? Nothing. We are not expecting anything to go wrong, and you four have nothing to worry about. You'll be safe."

"Good," said Pyrrha. "We wouldn't want any more deaths on our hands."

"That's good, Pyrrha. Keep a positive outlook." Professor Port said.

"So... what kind of Grimm will we be up against?" Mike Ehrmantraut asked.

"The local wildlife, mostly. There's a small pack of Beowulfs in the forest and a few King Taijitu underground, and I'm sure there are other things we don't know about. Nothing you kids can't handle."

"Alright, we can take these." Nora said. "What about the bandits?"

"You shouldn't need to deal with them, they haven't shown up anywhere near here, and we'll be keeping an eye out."

"Ok. Sounds like a cakewalk."

"I'd hardly call it that, but you seem confident. I guess I'll trust you."

They arrived at the drop point and set up their things. It was a small town. Vines were growing over several of the buildings, and the walls were a bit cracked.

"Well, team, it's your job to secure the area, and make sure no bandits attack us." Professor Port said.

"Roger that, sir." Jaune replied.

"Then off you go!"

Mike, Pyrrha, Nora and Ren walked around the perimeter.

"Ok, let's keep an eye out for Grimm." Mike said.

"And bandits." Ren added.

"Oh, yeah."

"What do you think, Mike?" Pyrrha asked. "Any ideas?"

"None. I'm sure they'll turn up, but I don't know how."

"Well, the way I see it, we can either stay put and defend, or go out and get them."

"That's a good point."

Mike looked around the outpost. It was clear that no one had been for months. Mike turned into a house, and was greeted by a sight. There were 3 corpses, 2 of which looked fresher than the others. One was wearing everyday clothing, and the other two were wearing blue and gray outfits, with various weapons. Mike walked closer.

"Guys!" he shouted. "I think I found some of the bandits."

The other three ran over.

"Well, would you look at that? They're armed." Nora said.

"It appears so." Ren said.

"Maybe we can find their stash, and kick their teeth in."

"No, we won't. Mike said. "The third body looked to be a settler here, but died long before these two ever showed up. Their wounds suggest there was a fight with some other entity."

"A Grimm, maybe?"

"No, the claw marks would make a different wound compared to these. A blade most likely did this."

"Wait, how would the first guy have died, then?"

"Who knows? Maybe he got away, and was later killed. It's hard to tell."

"Ok, this is a bit too grim for my taste." Pyrrha said. "Let's move on."

They continued searching.

"Wait, guys, stop." Nora said.

"What is it, Nora?" Mike asked.

"Something doesn't feel right. We're being watched."

"Ok, you guys, on guard."

They drew their weapons, and kept moving. Suddenly, a Beowulf jumped at Mike. He shot it, killing it, but more were coming.

"There's our Grimm." Mike said. "Everyone, on me!"

More Grimm started appearing. They were everywhere.

"How did they get past us?!"

"They must have snuck up on us."

"That's not the important part! Let's get these bastards!"

Nora pulled out her hammer, and started attacking the Grimm, knocking a few of them back. The others were fighting too.

"Guys, let's go together!" Pyrrha shouted.

"Ok!" They all shouted.

They combined their attacks and knocked the Grimm back.

"Alright, let's go!"

They charged at the Grimm, taking a few out, then another wave came.

"Damn, there's no end to these guys."

"Don't worry, we'll make it."

Another group of Beowulfs appeared.

"Ok, there's no end to these guys." Nora said.

"Yes there is. We just have to keep fighting"

They continued fighting, taking the Grimm out as fast as they could, and eventually, they won.

"Ok, we did it." Pyrrha said.

"Yeah, we did." Mike replied. "Now let's search for the rest."

But before they could start searching, a shot whizzed past Mike's ear. He looked back, and saw several people with guns trained on them. They were wearing yellow and gray armor, wielding various weapons. on their right shoulders was a symbol of a lizard-esque animal. Mike grimaced. "Not these guys." he thought to himself.

"So much for being safe." Nora said.

"Alright, now don't do anything stupid, and we'll let you live." said the man in the middle.

"Like hell." Nora said.

"Nora, stay back." Mike said, "These guys are no joke."

"Who are you people?" Ren asked.

"Well, we're members of the Salamanca Clan," said the leader.

"Bandits?" Nora said.

"Criminal organization." Mike said. "But what the hell are you guys doing out here?"

"Simple. We were hired."

"By who?"

"Dunno, some guy with a soul patch and floral clothing, not that you would know him."

Mike knew exactly who they were talking about.

"As for what we were hired for... well, we're here for him." as they point to Mike Ehrmantraut.

"What? Why?" Pyrrha said.

"Said he was a problem for his family, not sure what it means though. But that's not important. Hand him over, and we'll let you three go."

"What, no way. We're not leaving him behind."

"Alright, if you insist. You two, kill the girls and the boy, and bring the kid to the boss."

The other 5 gang members pulled their guns and trained them on the three.

"Nora, Pyrrha, Ren, I suggest you should go." Mike shouted.

"What about you, Mike?!" Pyrrha said.

"Just go, damnit!"

Nora and Ren hesitated, but eventually complied, running off, while two bandits took aim. A shot rang out. and there was an audible thud. One of the bandits laid on the ground, with Mike's gun pointed where he was. The other 5 and Pyrrha were shocked. The leader gathered his bearings and shouted. "Get him!" The other 4 opened fire, but Pyrrha blocked the bullets.

"Go, now."

"I'm not leaving Mike." Pyrrha said as she continued to block the bullets.

"So be it." Mike said with a sigh. He pointed his gun at another one of the bandits and shot him, causing his body to go limp. The duo then split up and divided the fire being trained on them. Mike ran up and stabbed one of the goons, killing him. Pyrrha ran up to one group of the gang members and knocked them out. However, when looking back towards Mike, She saw the squad leader running directly towards her.

"Oh, shit." Pyrrha said, and prepared to attack, but the leader was too fast. He jumped over Pyrrha, and landed behind her, knocking her down and holding his ax at his side.

"Say goodbye, girlie."

But before he could kill her, a loud gunshot rang out. The man stumbled back onto the ground. Mike walked over, and pointed his gun at him, shooting him several times, just in case he had aura.

Mike walked over, and offered his hand. She accepted it and grabbed his hand. She looked over at the now dead boss leader.

"You killed him..."

"Yeah..."

"You... killed him. Why? You could have apprehended him, subdued him. Why kill him?"

"Look around you, Pyrrha. We have no way to contain him. So... Here's what's gonna happen. We are going to meet up with our two teammates, and head back to Beacon. We'll tell them that these guys got the drop on us and we were forced to kill him. We will not mention the Salamanca clan. And you will forget that this entire ordeal ever happened."

"Why? Shouldn't we report that an organized crime gang is working for someone, and possibly for the White Fang?"

"I can assure you it's not the White Fang. You are stumbling into something that is well beyond your skill level. If you try to get involved, you will die, do you understand?"

"How come you aren't included in that plan to forget?"

"That's none of your concern. Now, do you understand?"

"...Yes."

"Good, now go tell the group what happened and catch them up to speed, I will deal with those two." He said as he pointed to the unconscious goons. Pyrrha silently nodded, and walked back to the team. Mike walked over to the two unconscious gang members and kicked one of them awake.

"Wake up, scumbag."

The man woke up and tried to get away, but Mike grabbed him by the neck.

"Listen, you're going to tell me everything you know about your boss, and why you took a job without his permission."

"I ain't tellin' you shit."

"Ok, fine, then I'll beat it out of you."

Mike punched the man in the face, breaking his nose.

"Now, I'm going to ask again. Where is your boss, and why did you take a job without his permission?"

"Fuck you."

"Hm... so be it." Mike pulled out his gun and shot him, which woke the other gang member up.

"Holy shit! You killed him."

"Yep, and I'll do the same to you if you don't tell me what I want to know."

"Ok, ok, I'll talk. Just don't kill me."

"Good, now, tell me what you know."

"Well, I don't know much, but I heard that we were hired by a guy with a soul patch and floral clothing. I also heard that he said that you, him and our gang had history. That's all I know, I swear."

"Hm... ok, thanks. You've been helpful."

"So, I can go?"

"No." Mike pulled out his gun and shot the man, killing him.

"Sorry, but I can't have you running around telling people what happened here."

Mike walked back to the team and met up with them.

"Ok, what the hell happened?" Nora asked.

"We were ambushed, and we were forced to kill the leader." Mike said.

"But, why did you have to kill him?"

"He was too strong, and we had no way of restraining him."

"But, we could have taken him."

"No, we couldn't have. We have no materials to keep him contained or restrained. Now, let's go."

"But-"

"No buts. We have to leave, now."

"Fine."

The four of them walked back to the Bullhead.

"Ah I see you four have completed the mission," Professor Port said. "Excellent work."

"Yeah, excellent." Pyrrha said.

"Come on, we should head back."

"Yes, sir."

They all got on the bullhead and flew back to Beacon.

"So, what happened out there?" Professor Port asked.

"We were attacked, and we were forced to kill the leader."

"I see. Well, you did the right thing, and you all did a great job. Just like me in my wayward youth. You see, when I was much younger, I…"

Pyrrha tuned out of the story, it was probably one he had already shared. She looked over at Mike. His face showed no expression, yet she felt something different. A coldness that wasn't there before. It seemed to be emanating from him. She pushed down that feeling. "It's probably nothing, I'm probably just tired."

Six hours after the train incident

Mike Ehrmantraut was sitting down, stitching his wounds. He had some minor cuts, a few bruises, and a broken rib. His aura was depleted, but in a few hours that wouldn't matter. Not to mention that his teenage body heals faster than if he was in his old body. Jaune had been taken into custody, due to the circumstances of his injuries meaning he had to stay at the site of the battle. However, while his arrest was no joke, he had a much bigger problem. The man that the lower gang members described sounded a lot like Lalo.

"This man just doesn't go away... even when we're an entire universe apart." Mike thought to himself. He should've thought that it could've happened, him being transported to Remnant. Walter and Gus were here, it would've made sense if others have made it here.

"I should've known better than to think that this would be less stressful."

"Mike?" He heard a familiar voice call out to him. Mike turned his head to see Ren, Nora, Pyrrha.

"Are you okay? You look like you got hurt pretty badly." Ren asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just a few scrapes and bruises." Mike replied.

"That's good to hear." Pyrrha said.

"Yeah... Well, I have to get back to things." Mike said.

"Alright, take care." Ren said as the three walked off.

"I hope I can." Mike thought to himself.

AAAAAAAAA

Jaune was sitting in his cell. He was tired, and he had no idea how long it had been since the fight. He didn't know how long he had been sitting there. He had lost track of time.

Suddenly, he heard a noise. It sounded like a door opening. Jaune looked up and saw a figure standing in the doorway.

"Who's there?" Jaune asked.

"Don't worry, I'm here to help." The figure said.

"Oh... It's just you Saul." Jaune said.

"Hey, don't be like that. I'm here to get you out."

"Wait, really?"

"Yeah, I was able to pull some strings, and I got you out on bail. Now, come on."

Jaune got up and followed Saul out of the jail.

"Now, let's get out of here."

"Where are we going?"

"To a safe place. A place where you can hide."

"What do you mean, hide?"

"Well, you see, there are a lot of people who want you dead. And the police aren't going to protect you. So, we need to find a place where you can hide."

"Wait, I'm not going to run and hide. I'm going to fight."

"These ain't your typical thugs Jaune. These are criminal gangs. Now, they may not know that you're Arcadia, but if they do, you, Walter, me, your family, and your rabbit friend will all be in danger. "

"Wait, what do you mean, Walter, and my family?"

"Walter is the head of a criminal empire. Or rather, was. And a good portion of the people who are here now were sent here by him, including Mike. If the wrong people find out he is here, or that you are working with him, they'll be in danger."

"Wait, Mike is working with Walter?"

"Not willingly, but yes. And if the wrong people find out, they'll be in danger. So, we need to get you somewhere safer."

"But, I can't just run and hide."

"I'm not saying you should. But you can't fight them alone. You need help."

"What kind of help?"

"Well, for starters, legal help. But I've got that covered. But you will need actual help in fighting, or someone to protect your ass." Saul sighed. "Do you know someone who might fit the bill?"

Jaune thought for a moment. I'm sure if given the chance, RWBY, Nora, Pyrrha, and Ren would be willing to help. Mr. White would be willing to, as it concerns his well being too. Then he remembered his boss's offer.

"There is someone that could help, but Mr. White probably won't go along with it."

"You don't really have a lot of options kid, who is it?"

"My boss, Mr. Fring."

Saul stopped walking.

"Fring?"

Jaune nodded.

"Hate to break it to you, but he's dead. He died well over 13 years ago."

"No, he's very much alive."

"Please, Fring can do a lot of things, but he is not able to fake his own death."

"Then let me show you, his restaurant is still open, you can see him."

"Ah-... okay." The duo got into Saul's car, and Jaune guided him to Gus's restaurant.

"So, how do you know he's alive?"

"I work for him, at his restaurant."

"And you're sure it's him?"

"100%."

"Alright, well, I guess I'll see for myself."

They arrived at the restaurant.

"So, this is the place?" Saul said, looking upon the yellow and red building. It resembled Los Pollos Hermanos while it was still active.

"Yep."

"Alright, let's go."

They entered the restaurant, and were greeted by a familiar face.

"Welcome to Mistrali Chicken, what can I get for you today?" Gus Fring said.

"Hey, Mr. Fring."

"Jaune, what are you doing here?"

"I came to introduce you to my friend."

"Hello, I'm Saul Goodman, attorney at law." Saul said in a slightly higher pitch as he stuck out his hand.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Gustavo Fring, owner of this fine establishment."

"If it's alright with you sir, could we talk after hours?"

Gus went quiet for a few seconds. Then spoke.

"Of course. Come back after closing."

"Thank you."

"See, I told you."

"Yeah, yeah."

"Come on, let's go."

Jaune and Saul left the restaurant and waited outside.

"So, what do you think?"

"Yeah..." Saul said. "It's Fring. Somehow. Anyways kid, do you have Walter's number?"

Jaune pulled out his scroll and opened Walter's' contact. "Here you go."

"Thanks. I'm gonna call him, and let him know what's going on."

"Okay." Jaune said. Saul dialed Walter, and put the scroll up to his ear.

"Jaune? You're out of custody?"

"Hey, Walter."

"Saul,.. Is that you?"

"No, it's Kevin Costner. Of course it's me!"

"What is it?"

"Well, I was able to get Jaune out of jail, but we have a problem. You have a good amount of meth, and no distributor.

Furthermore, several criminal organizations are now encroaching on your turf."

"Yeah, I noticed that first part."

"So, you're going to need a new plan. And a new distributor."

"Well, Jaune was thinking of using his boss."

"His boss? What do you mean by his boss?"

"Gustavo Fring." don't you know that Jaune works for him at his restaurant?"

"Gus? Absolutely not."

"Mr. White," Jaune intervened. "We don't really have much of a choice. We need a distributor, and someone to keep us alive."

"Look, I know Gus, and he is going to turn on us at the first chance he gets."

"Well, we can't just sit around and do nothing. We need to act."

"Look, I'm not going to work with him. He's a snake, and I'm not going to trust him."

"Well, then, I guess we'll have to do this without you."

"Without me?" Walter said. "You can't do anything without me. You don't know the proper formula to make the product. And even if you did, you wouldn't know how to cook it."

"Well, then, I guess we'll have to learn."

"Oh, really? And who is going to teach you?"

"Well, I'm sure Gus would be willing to."

"Gus?! He doesn't know how to cook."

"Well, then, I guess we'll have to learn from someone else."

"And who would that be? No one else knows the formula."

"Well, I'm sure Saul could find someone. He has a lot of connections."

"Look, kid, Saul said, " I know a lot of guys, but nowhere near the same quality as him."

"Well, then, I guess we'll have to figure it out."

"Look, kid, I know what I'm talking about. Gus is not someone you can trust. If you go against him, he won't hesitate to consider you a loose end."

"Then help me out. You've worked with him before. You know how he acts. Who knows, he might've changed since you guys worked together."

"... Fine."

"Thank you, Mr. White. I promise, you won't regret it."

"I'll meet you at Fring's." Walter hung up.

Jaune looked at Saul. "He'll be here in a few hours."

Mistrali Chicken, 11 P.M.

Walter, Jaune, Saul, And Gus were all sitting or standing in Gus' office inside his restaurant. The streets outside were dimly and glumly lit. There was not a passer-by in sight. The restaurant itself was also dimly lit, only a few tables had light casted on them, only for the purpose of not wanting anyone to bump into them and injure themselves. There was a desk and shelf clinging to the back wall of the office. The shelf was lined with clipboards and books, mostly encyclopedias, though some business codes and regulations.

"So," Gus said. "I assume you changed your mind about my offer?"

"Yeah." Walter said. "However, there is a stipulation that I would like to add."

"Is it a financial problem?"

"No. We need you to clear Jaune's name. The most recent incident landed him in jail. Eventually, the DEA, or other government forces, will start watching him closely. I believe that, for our business venture to remain secret, his name must be cleared of suspicion."

"I see. Fortunately for you, I have an associate who has been gathering data on Miss Fall. We have gathered enough substantial evidence for her arrest. Jaune's suspicion should be cleared, in light of the evidence. Now with that out of the way, we have other matters to attend to. Namely, our dynamic. This operation runs entirely on the trust and reliability of everyone involved. I can assume that we will not have any problems like last time, Mr. White?"

"No." Walter said, "Not from me."

Gus looked over to Jaune. "You appear to have potential."

"Mr. White said that my meth was good for someone who hasn't cooked before, and I've only gotten better since."

"Wonderful. I expect the best out of you should you hold your end of the deal, and meet the quota, we shall make sure you will be kept safe and compensated. This deal pertains to you, as the authorities are suspicious of you. If you compromise our business endeavor, do not expect us to hold up our end of the deal."

He turned to Saul. "Mike will be sending you the files first so that you can make a proper defense to the court."

"*Ahem* Thank you." Saul said after coughing.

The four looked at eachother. Jaune's face was wearing a half smile, his eyes filled with pride and worry. Saul gave a full smile, but his eyes were hiding fear behind them. Walter and Gus, however, had no expression on their faces.

Ozpin's office, two weeks after the train incident, 7 P.M.

It had been a hectic 2 weeks for Professor Ozpin. Due to the incapacitation of one of the Haven students, the Vytal tournament was delayed so that a replacement team could be brought in. As it turns out, that student had been working with the white fang and Roman Tortchwick. As a result of this fiasco slipping through. The council had placed James as head of security for the festival. He turned away from the dull sight of the elevator, and looked out the window of his office. However, looking out left him only more displeased.

"It appears Qrow has returned from his mission." Ozpin thought to himself. He walked over to his scroll. "Glynda, could you accompany me to the courtyard, there appears to be a fight that broke out."

"Understood. Heading there now."

Down at the courtyard, he found James scolding both Qrow and one of his own soldiers: Winter Schnee

"Now, now, everyone." He said while Glynda was repairing the damaged courtyard. "There are sanctioned fights happening in a few weeks at the Colosseum, that I can assure you have better seats... and popcorn."

"Let's go." James said.

"Uncle Qrow!" Ruby said as she leaps giddily onto Qrow's outstretched arm. "Hi. It's so good to see you! Did you miss me? Did you miss me!?"

"Nope." He said. They share a grin as he pats his niece's head.

"Qrow!" Ozpin shouted. "The Huntsman turns to look at the Headmaster as Ruby falls off his arm. "A word, please."

He whispers something into her ear and then stood up "See ya later kid."

Back in his office, Ironwood was waiting with his arms crossed while Winter was impatiently pacing about. The trio walked into Ozpin's office, and Winter spoke.

"What were you thinking!?" She said.

"If you were one of my men, I would have you shot!" James said.

"If I was one of your men, I'd shoot myself." Qrow pulls out a flask.

"While I wouldn't condone his behavior," Glynda started. "retaliating like you did certainly didn't help the situation."

"He was drunk!"

"He's always drunk" the four turned to Qrow to see him drink from a flask. His eyes widened when he noticed them staring, and he held the flask out to the side, looking at it awkwardly before grimacing.

"Qrow, why are you here?"

"You've been out of contact for weeks! You can't just go dark like that in the field!"

"I'm not one of your special operatives, Jimmy!"

"General."

"You don't need to be here. Seriously, who invited her?"

Ironwood stood silent for a moment, not looking at anyone. "Schnee, we'll discuss this incident back at my ship."

"But sir!"

"Winter. Leave."

"Yes sir." Winter saluted and turned on her heel. She shot Qrow a dirty look as she walked towards the elevator. As she went to press it, the door opened, revealing a man with hair slicked to the side wearing a dark purple suit. James groaned, Winter growled, and Ozpin pinched the bridge of his nose. It was Saul Goodman. She stomped off into the elevator, and exited the office.

"Ozpin! Jimmy! It's been so long! How's life?" He said.

"What the hell are you doing here?" James said.

"Well, my client is about to go on trial for the incapacitation of Cinder Fall. But with the new information that has come to light of her working with the White Fang, I was wondering if, perhaps, you had some information?"

Qrow looked at Ozpin, "What do you mean 'information that has come to light'?"

"The information we had sent you out to get," Glynda said. "Had already reached Vale, and the people involved were severely punished."

"So, you knew?

"Yes," James said. "We knew."

"Oh! Oh, you knew! Well, thank goodness I'm out there risking my life to keep you all informed!"

"Qrow-"

"Communication's a two-way street, pal. You see this?" he said as he pulled out his Scroll and pointed to it. "That's the SEND button."

"Hey hey hey! Calm down Birdbrain, I've got an innocent man on the chopping block here." he said walking around the office, stopping at his desk. Looking around he saw a pair of broken glasses. He looked back at Ozpin "I don't need him ending up in prison for something he didn't do. Now, Ozpin, do you have the files on Cinder Fall?"

Ozpin was silent for a few seconds. "Yes… I'll email them to you in an hour. Now if you will excuse us, we are having a meeting.

"Thank you. Now, i bid you all farewell. I'll see you around, Jimmy."

"Shut up James."

The rest of the evening was spent bringing Qrow up to speed on events.

And that's Chapter 13 it's going to be a bit before the next chapter comes out. Apologies for the delay. As always, leave a comment, I would love to hear your critiques. Merry Christmas.