Chapter 54: Beacon - Breaking News

Cover Art by Mi Chumi

Qrow gave Summer the weekend without pressuring her, and now it was time to bail. They stood outside the front door, and she went to hug him goodbye before he finally expressed his frustration. "Summer, you still haven't told me what the hell happened."

Summer pulled back, hesitating. "Because I know you're going straight to Oz, and he's gonna call me, and no matter what I tell you, I'll just have to tell him all over again." She grinned. "So, I'm saving my voice. Tell Oz I'm back, and he can call me with you on the line. Or heck, he can come see me if he wants, and you can come back, too. I'll kill two birds with one stone."

"Tai's bad puns are rubbing off on you." Qrow accused.

"Maybe a bit," she said, then grew pensive. "There is one part… that I think you need to know from me, right now. It… involves Raven, and I need you to promise you'll hear me out before you do anything rash."

Raven. It always came back to his gods-be-damned sister. Why was it always Raven?

"I'm listening. Am I gonna need a drink?"

Summer shrugged and began to tell him, halting at first, about the plan that she'd formulated three years ago. A plan that only two people could execute. Her with her silver eyes, capable of killing Grimm… capable, she had believed, of killing Salem too and freeing the world from the witch's grasp.

And Raven with her avian form and portals, who could sneak in undetected, bring Summer Rose in at the exact right moment, and then extract them both.

It had failed catastrophically.

The look on Qrow's face as he absorbed her confession told Summer all that she had feared. The way his hands clutched her arms, shaking.

"Fucking hell. You… you… how could you be so fucking stupid, Summer?!" He nearly yelled at her. She'd warned Tai that she was going to be having this conversation. Her husband was likely keeping an ear out, but he wouldn't intervene unless Qrow completely lost it. Qrow's face stilled, then paled, and he rasped, "Raven!" The shock of realization was hitting him again. "She knew! All this time she knew what had happened to you and she… she…" his hands flexed, fingers digging into Summer's arms, and she let him.

Qrow wanted to…. wanted to shake Summer. Scream at her. Curse her.

But he couldn't. Because he could see, in her face, that she would have let him. He could see the pain her confession caused her. And she'd already paid the price for being so gods-be-damned selfish.

"Qrow," Summer said softly. "I'm so sorry."

"You fucking should be!" He nearly sobbed. "You should be…"

But Raven… he could take all that pain out on her, the next time he saw her fucking smug face.

Summer raised her hand, cupping Qrow's face. "Don't hate Raven, Qrow. She… she trusted me. She believed in what I thought I'd learned. That my eyes were powerful enough to kill Salem. To end all of the fear and death." Her eye was streaming. "She believed in me. And I failed her, too. She felt my Aura go out, Qrow. She had to believe I was dead. Don't blame her for burying the part she played in that. You know your sister. She's not… she's not as strong inside as she acts. I… I hurt her…" She leaned in, and he let her, his hands dropping from her arms as she pulled him into the hug. "I promise… I won't ever do anything like that again. I won't leave you guys and go off sticking my neck out like that."

"Gods… Sum. You and Raven… you could have both gotten your asses killed," Qrow murmured into her hair.

Summer nodded against his neck. "Probably would have, except Raven was fast, and I got… sorta lucky I guess? And here I am, living to regret my life choices." She felt him half laugh, half sob against her. "And I get the chance to make it up to everyone. That's better, right?"

"Gods… this better be all the bad part," He leaned back, giving her eye-patch a meaningful look. "I mean besides…. that."

Summer frowned. "What I just told you's the worst part, yeah. The fact that I did it at all. And the fact that I roped Rae into it with me. She and I talked about it, after she rescued me. It'd been eating at her, Qrow. For three years. Woulda kept eating at her too." She dropped her gaze, and removed her hands from Qrow so she could stare at her fingers. "That's my fault too."

"You're carrying a lot of guilt around, huh?"

"Yeah. But I'm putting it to good use." She looked back up. "I've got some things to fix, Qrow. I've started on my family. And this…" she motioned between the two of them, "is another one. I'm gonna do better. I promise."

Qrow sighed. "And now I get to go tell Oz. Thanks. You wait until the last minute to drop this bomb on me?"

"Didn't want to spoil the weekend. Cause if I'd said it while Raven was here, you and her would have started screaming at each other before I could calm either one of you down, and we can't afford to rebuild the house." She gave a wry smile.

Qrow laughed, more lightly this time. "Yeah. That's about right. You always did know how to talk us down." He glanced back at the house. "And Tai was always putty in your hands."

"Yep." She let her silver eye drift back toward the front door, where Tai was probably puttering around. They'd gotten the girls off to school. And once Qrow left, Tai and her would be alone in the house again.

She felt a smile spread slowly across her face.

"Ugh. Fine. Yeah, I'm going. My gods, you two."

"I didn't even say anything!" Summer huffed.

"Didn't have to. I know that look, Sum. I'll get out of your hair."

"Oh Qrow, you old prude. But yeah, get the heck outta here. Go do your thing. And don't call me for like, two hours at least, or I'll put the call on video and traumatize all of you."

"My eyes! My eyes!" Qrow laughed and hugged Summer again. "Gods, I've missed you, so much." He pulled away and saw her blinking against her own stinging eye. "Take care of yourself, Sum. Like you said, there's a bunch of people depending on you."

"Oh you. G'on. Git." She spun him around and pushed him away from the door, laughing. Within minutes he was winging his way out of sight, headed toward the bullhead docks.

On the flight back to Vale, Qrow considered calling Oz to start the news early, and then put his scroll away.

Nah, this is something you do in person. He's waited this long, another few hours won't matter.

As he stepped out of the elevator and sauntered into Ozpin's office, he found the Headmaster, implacable as always, sitting behind his large curved desk, with its myriad gears slowly turning within the thick glass encasement. A steaming mug of hot chocolate sat on its surface to his left, and he held both hands clasped loosely in front of him, elbows resting on the clear glass surface.

"Ah Qrow, please have a seat. You indicated that the matter was important, but not urgent." He nodded to the other occupant of the office, seated in one of the two chairs before the desk. "And that Glynda should also be here."

Glynda Goodwitch, Oz's right-hand woman, turned and gave Qrow a terse nod. The two of them were on reasonable professional terms, when he was sober. And he was sober, now.

The other professors could be filled in by her as Oz saw fit.

Qrow gave Glynda a nod of greeting in return, and made his way to the other comfortable chair. Sitting on the edge of the cushioned seat, he leaned forward. He'd spent hours on the ride back thinking about how he'd break this news. "Yeah. Important. Hah. That's one way of putting it, Oz," he rasped. He took out his flask reflexively and stared at it. He hadn't come up with anything that struck him as particularly smart or smooth as far as strategy.

He shook his head and put it unopened on Ozpin's desk in front of him. Glynda's eyes narrowed.

To hell with it. The direct approach it is. "Summer's back."

Glynda's shock was not surprising. It was Ozpin's expression that Qrow was watching for. Qrow had seen Ozpin calm for the vast majority of the years he'd known the man. He'd seen him quietly angry or frustrated. He'd seen him subtly mourn when news of Summer's disappearance and likely death had filtered back to Beacon.

He'd never once seen the immortal Ozpin shocked by anything.

Until today.

"That is…" Ozpin's normally level voice had a slight tremor to it. "That is incredible news, Qrow. Are you certain?"

"As certain as I am that we're all sitting in this room. I just got back from visiting her. They wanted to surprise me." He laughed. "Mission accomplished."

"How? When?!" Glynda exclaimed, rising from her own chair. "How is this possible? We had given up any hope!"

"You're not the only one, Glynda. Near as I can tell, she's been in some sort of prison all this time. And from the hints she did drop, we can all guess by who."

"Salem." Ozpin said evenly.

"Yeah. Her." Qrow shook his head. "Apparently they had something that masked her Aura, so even Raven didn't know she was alive."

"How?!" Glynda said in disbelief.

"That I don't know. And again, I'm guessing on all this, because Summer, in her own words, didn't want to have to tell the story twenty times. She's not willing to leave her family to come tell you in person, Oz. Not right now. But she said she'd be happy to answer a call, or we could go see her if you want."

"I… of course." Ozpin's normally calm exterior was reasserting itself. "Yes I could imagine she would wish to remain with her family after… three years, Qrow. Three years of captivity? How does she…"

"She's been through some shit, that's for sure. She… lost an eye at some point."

Glynda gasped. Ozpin paled, and then his face hardened. "Salem. She knows the threat that Silver Eyes pose. She is trying to learn how to counter them."

"You think so?"

"It is likely. Is that the only physical damage?"

"That's all that I could see. She's thinner, maybe a little frailer than I remember. And she's aged a little. But Tai says he's taking care of her health."

"That is good to hear."

"What about psychologically," Glynda asked. "If she's truly been a prisoner for three years…"

"That's harder to gauge. She's… well she's the same Summer Rose I trained and fought with. That's for sure. She's not… well she's not broken if that's what you're asking. And her and Raven are hitting it off like they never separated."

That got Ozpin's attention. "Raven."

"Yeah. Apparently, Raven sensed her and got her out, and they've gone all forgive and forget now." He chuckled. "It's like old home week. They're even teaming up on me and Tai, just like old times."

"That is… good news." Ozpin said, his voice not betraying anything else.

And with good reason. Raven's abandonment of Team STRQ seven years ago had been a major blow to Ozpin's plans, and in some ways, he blamed her for Summer's subsequent disappearance four years later. Fair or not, he had reason to believe that had Raven stayed the course, had Team STRQ stayed together, Summer would never have disappeared as she had.

And he knew well, at this point, that Raven had little love for him. He didn't know for a fact the reasons, but suspected it had to do with her chafing at having to follow orders, however gently he couched them, from someone else. Raven was strong-willed.

And if she and Summer were now cooperating, that could either be a good or bad thing. If Summer could be leveraged to bring Raven back into the fold, that could be used to great benefit.

But if Raven pulled Summer away…

It could be argued that the result would be a net zero, since an hour ago they had all believed Summer Rose dead. But that was a lie. Centuries of experience and intrigue told him immediately that a returned Summer Rose could easily be a net negative.

Because if she followed Raven's path, she might take her family with her. Including a certain dark-haired, silver-eyed child who represented the next generation's best hope at holding Salem at bay for yet another several decades.

He sighed internally, letting none of this show on his face. After so many hundreds of years, he'd become a near master at masking his emotions from those around him. Yet another hard-learned lesson. He who betrayed what they felt, handed a weapon to those who might use you.

"So, what's it gonna be Oz?"

Indeed, that was the question.

And the answer, of course, was to proceed with caution. To feel her out.

To ensure that Summer Rose had not been broken. Compromised. That would be a devastating blow. He watched Qrow sitting calmly in the chair, awaiting his orders.

Loyal Qrow.

Raven had abandoned him. Summer had disappeared. Taiyang had, in his sorrow, buried himself in the hard work of raising two young children, and teaching at Sanctum.

Only Qrow had remained a useful and critical asset in the war to preserve Remnant.

How would Summer's return impact that? Would Qrow become… compromised as well if Summer had been? Could she turn Qrow against him? What if…

It seemed like minutes that his thoughts ran down dozens of what-if avenues. What if Summer had broken and told Salem everything she knew. What if she were a double agent. What if Salem had found a way to control her? What if… what if… what if…

What if he was being paranoid? What if she was, at the end of the day, simply Summer Rose. Dedicated and powerful Huntress, devoted mother, and loyal agent in the war to avert world-spanning devastation.

The fact that he was paranoid, and was well-aware of the fact, merely made it all the more complicated.

Ozpin sighed outwardly. Sometimes, I fear I am too old for this. Ah Salem. There are times I fear I understand your mindless drive toward destruction all too well. "We must, of course, contact her and express our joy at her return," Ozpin said smoothly. "And we will do both. We will call her immediately and ask for as much information as she is willing to share, and we will of course schedule a more intimate visit. Perhaps a welcome celebration here at Beacon with the entire faculty, at her convenience."

"Oz, she's not gonna—"

"Oh, we would invite her entire family, of course. I am not heedless of the emotional scars that three years of separation would leave."

Qrow mulled that over. "Yeah. I guess she'd be more likely to go for that." He checked his scroll. It had been more than the two hours that Summer had warned him not to interrupt. "And she said we could call any time, though before those kids get home from school is probably smart."

"I assume you have her new contact information?" Ozpin had already checked her original scroll number as Qrow had replied. "Her original information does not appear to have been reactivated."

"Sure thing, Oz. Yeah, she's got a new account set up. Said something about having issues with her original one."

"That would not surprise me, considering all of that belonged to a woman who has been categorized as deceased."

"Oh." Qrow scratched his cheek. "That gonna be a problem?"

"A minor inconvenience. And one that can be ameliorated, or not, as best seems fit."

"Whaddaya mean?"

"Well… if Summer has, as you say, escaped, there may be those looking for her. She may desire a new identity."

Qrow rubbed his chin. "I didn't get that impression, Oz. I mean… she didn't tell me not to talk about her or anything."

"Regardless, we shall soon learn for ourselves. Set your scroll here, and we will project the call to the larger screen." Ozpin nodded to a slot in the desk, and Qrow placed his scroll into the interface, and selected Summer's new number, causing the holographic screen hovering over the desk to mirror it.

When the call connected, the screen was dark at first, and then the video enabled to show the face of Summer Rose, large as life, on the holographic screen.

"My gods…" Glynda Goodwitch breathed, mouth agape and happiness overtaking her normally stern features.

"Hey Glynda," Summer smiled warmly. "It's good to see you, too."

"Ms. Rose," Ozpin greeted her with a slow even nod. "I cannot tell you how pleased I am to see you. You appear well, save for that which Qrow already informed us."

Summer's smile didn't waver. "Oz, it's good to see you too. I'm… doing a lot better now."

"I can well imagine."

"So, I guess… you're wondering where I've been for the last three years, huh? And how I escaped."

"That would… be one of the thousands of questions that I have, Ms. Rose. But please, tell us at your own pace."

Summer's face tensed for a second, then smoothed. "Yeah. Alright." She sighed. "It all started a little over three years ago…"

The first part of the tale involved relating the plan she'd formulated. One that had held incredible risk, but also the possibility of ending Salem once and for all. The plan that she'd enlisted Raven in. The plan that had gone horribly wrong. The one that she'd already given Qrow the outlines of.

"Summer, I apologize in advance if my words seem callous, but your attempt was both brave and foolhardy. Why did you not come to me? Or at the least to the rest of Team STRQ? I would have counseled against this action."

Summer's face was grim. "That's the exact reason, Oz. I thought I had a trump card. In a way, I thought this was what you'd been training me for." She had the pleasure of watching him flinch slightly. "And I was afraid. Afraid for my family. Afraid something would happen before I could get that chance. Afraid you'd tell me I wasn't ready, or that I was too valuable to risk like that."

The fact that she was correct… "And so you risked your life, and Raven's on this… extremely dangerous attempt." Glynda objected. "You're correct, Summer. Where Ozpin would have tried to dissuade you, I would have chained you to the floor and called your husband to talk sense into you." She shook her head. "What were you thinking?!"

Summer could see Qrow nodding his agreement with Glynda. "I was lying to myself, probably. That it would all just work out, and I wouldn't have to think about the consequences if it didn't." She shook her head.

"Your stubborn optimism, Ms. Rose, has always been your greatest strength. I fear it also proved to be your downfall."

"Yeah. I guess so," Summer sighed. "I'm a little less dumb, and a little wiser now."

"But please, continue. You were, clearly, not killed as Raven believed."

"Right. I found that out when I woke up strapped down to a bed." Summer continued, describing but not displaying the injuries to her torso she'd suffered. She described waking up in Evernight Castle, left chained and slowly healing, and wondering both how she had survived, and why Raven had not rescued her.

Eventually, she met Salem, though only by sound initially. First it was through a door, then with her head covered in some heavy material. Eventually Salem had some sort of specialized helmet fabricated that would block her Silver Eyes but allow her to see, after a fashion.

And through it all, she'd been tortured physically and mentally.

Glynda and Qrow flinched and made pained sounds of sympathy as she described it.

Ozpin sat impassive.

"She assumed that you'd sent me, Oz. That this was all part of some grand plan of yours. She hurt me. And more than that, she mocked me. She told me that all my work, all my sacrifices, were useless. She…" Summer shuddered at the memory. "She told me that my eyes wouldn't have worked against her, that I'd thrown my life away for nothing." She shook her head. "But that I might still serve one purpose. She found my eyes… intriguing." Summer's hand lifted, and touched the patch. "She had one of them… taken."

"Gods. That's how…"

"Yeah." Summer continued fingering the eye-patch. "I dunno what she intended to do with it. She never told me. That was two years ago."

"And then?"

"And then I sat in a cell. There was a guard there who acted as a caretaker, and I was the only prisoner as far as I know. They fed me, and gave me books to read. I passed the time. Weeks. Months. Every few months at first, she'd come and mock me, or threaten to take my other eye, or ask me about your plans." She laughed bitterly. "I didn't know any plans, Oz. You know that. And the one plan I'd had wasn't yours."

"Then how…"

"It turned out Raven wasn't dead. There had been some sort of spell or device that was masking my Aura. I felt it when it gave out. Like…. Like my skin suddenly stopped itching and I'd never known it had been. And then Raven was there, and she forced the guard to unlock the cells, and before I knew it, I was back with her, with Branwen Tribe. And then… once she'd gotten me past thinking it was all some fever dream… she brought me back to Tai."

"This is… amazing. Ms. Rose."

"We should set up a safe house for you. A new identity," Glynda suggested anxiously. "You may still be in danger."

"I don't… think so."

"And why would you believe this to be the case?" Ozpin asked.

"Salem had pretty much forgotten about me, Oz. I hadn't seen her in almost a year. The last time she visited she seemed… bored with me. She doesn't see me as a threat, Oz."

Ozpin made a point of focusing on her remaining eye. "You, of all people, know why that is unlikely to be true, Ms. Rose."

"Not really. Oz… I screwed up. I thought I was the superhero in one of those comic books that Ruby reads now. And I found out… I found out that I wasn't. I wasn't the Brave Huntress who would save the day. I was just a Huntress and a mom with delusions." She shook her head. "I'm kinda broken, Oz."

"I am very sorry to hear that, Ms. Rose."

"Oh, Summer," Glynda commiserated, "I'm so sorry."

"It's fine. I just… I need some time to be a mom. I cost a lot of people so much." She met Qrow's eyes. "And I need some time to make up for that. A lot of time." She looked back at Oz. "I'm betting Salem knows exactly what she did to me, Oz. I doubt she'd bother expending the resources to tie up this loose end."

Perhaps that is true, Ozpin mused. But your daughter. Would Salem send her agents after young Ruby?

He would have to ensure her safety as well. He glanced at Qrow. If he presented it correctly, Qrow would agree willingly, and would include Tai as well. Perhaps all was not lost. "Have you, perhaps, considered a more modest contribution then? Perhaps teaching?"

"Oz, good grief, let her have some time to recover first," Glynda objected.

"Nah, it's fine Glynda. I've actually been thinking about that. I think I'd like to start small at Signal. See how it goes from there. It'll keep me closer to the girls, too."

"That would be excellent, Ms. Rose. Signal will benefit greatly from your skills, and I applaud your forward thinking." He paused. "If I might show my concern for your physical well-being, as well as knowing that the other staff will be eager to see you for themselves, might I suggest that you bring your family to Beacon for a visit, and combine that with a visit to the campus infirmary? As you know, Dr. Tsune has a wealth of experience with Huntsmen who have been injured."

He slid it in smoothly, but of course he had an ulterior motive. Their resident fox faunus medical practitioner would be able to verify much of Summer's tale, just by examining her wounds. And she would be able to evaluate Summer for any… physical corruption that Salem might have wrought with her foul magics.

And she would be able to confirm that the woman they were speaking with was, in fact, Summer Rose. Though the possibility that it wasn't was growing vanishingly small the longer he spoke with her.

On the screen, Summer spared Qrow a meaningful glance. "Sure thing, Oz. I'll have to coordinate it with Tai and the kids schedule."

"Let me know as soon as you do, Summer. I'll talk to Peter and Barty. They will be ecstatic," Glynda replied. Her face, unlike Ozpin's, was completely readable. Her initial shock had given away to unadulterated pleasure, and she had no suspicions whatsoever. Summer had been one of her favorite students, and she was overjoyed to find three years of mourning wiped out in minutes.

Glynda's exclamation brought a genuine smile to Summer's face. "That would be great, Glynda. And I know you won't, but give them a hug for me anyway." Glynda's smile faded slightly. She was not a touchy feely kind of woman.

"Hmph. Well in light of this news, I might be constrained to make an exception, with full knowledge that it is from you, rather than myself."

Summer laughed. Some folks never changed. "Thanks Glynda."

Behind his desk, Ozpin took a sip of his hot chocolate. There were things Summer wasn't telling them, he could tell. Whether those things were small details that she didn't feel were important, or trauma she didn't want to delve into more deeply… or darker secrets, he did not know. But ancient instincts did not lie.

But that would wait. He would not benefit by grilling the poor woman here, in front of Glynda and Qrow. He would wait until a more opportune time.

He put the mug down as Summer's laughter faded gently. "I should like to be present for that as well, Glynda." She cocked an eyebrow at him. "But for now, I would like to release Ms. Rose to her own time demands." He turned his eyes back to Summer. "I appreciate you asking Qrow to share the news of your return, and your improving health, with us at the earliest opportunity. I look forward to welcoming you, if only temporarily, back to Beacon in the near future." He tapped the keyboard on his desk a few times. "And I will have Glynda begin the process of resurrecting one Summer Rose, from a bureaucratically legal perspective, of course, so that you do not run into issues in that direction."

"Thanks Oz. Glynda."

She nodded to Qrow, and he rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah. I got to play messenger-boy just like you said. See you soon, Sum."

Back on her couch in Patch, Summer took in a long, deep, tremulous breath, and then let it out as Tai eased onto the cushions next to her and put his arm around her.

"That sounded like it went well." Summer gave him a look. "Alright, yeah, Oz is suspicious. Given what you've dumped on me the last two weeks, are you surprised?"

In all her telling, there were a few things she omitted. Things that she'd learned from Salem that Ozpin had never shared with her. The existence and role of Watts, because The Lone Huntsmen feared telling them would end with it leaking out and cluing the technological genius that the 'good guys' were onto him. Selene for obvious reasons, not to mention Garek and The Lone Huntsmen themselves. And of course, Old Visha. Ozpin would likely demand he or Qrow be allowed to grill the old woman personally, and that couldn't be allowed.

But other than the omissions, the entire story she'd told was the truth. That didn't mean Ozpin would believe all of it.

"Nope. Guess not," Summer said, and gave him a brief kiss. "Thanks for being here for me."

"Least I can do. We're going to do all this together, remember? You made me promise, and you promised."

She leaned forward, resting her head on his well-muscled shoulder. "Yeah. I did. And we are."

The news spread like wildfire within days among the tight-knit communities on Patch and at Beacon Academy. The source for the spread in Patch could be traced to two pint-sized kids, one golden-haired and one with dark hair tipped in red.

The earliest contacts Tai received had been parents and teachers concerned that the two young girls were suffering from an overactive imagination, or that there was a new woman in the household and they were in denial, and wanting to make sure they and Tai were okay. Most of them were clearly overjoyed, if baffled, to find that Tai confirmed the girls' mother had in fact returned after being feared dead for three years.

A couple of those who called just happened to be single woman of a certain age, who while they expressed their clear elation that his wife had indeed returned from apparent death, couldn't keep all of the disappointment out of their expression.

Summer found that hilarious, and purposed to rub their faces in it at some future date, if they had the opportunity to meet socially.

The calls from Beacon Academy, on the other hand, went straight to Summer's new scroll number. One after another, members of the staff called her to express how heartbreakingly ecstatic they were to hear that she was alive. Peter Port, in particular, broke into open tears at the sight of her, while Doctor Bartholomew Oobleck could not stop smiling and shaking his head in wonder.

Doctor Tsune merely expressed her happiness, and under her scrutiny Summer felt uncomfortably like she was a tissue culture under a microscope. But she'd known Dr. Tsune for years, that was just how the woman was.

And then the calls came from further afield.

Professor Lionheart, who added several side comments that made it clear he knew something of the involvement of, at the least, Garek in the affair.

Captain Ironwood in Atlas, who seemed honestly shocked and pleased, and made it clear that all of Atlas' considerable expertise in the field of cybernetics were available to her, should she wish to avail herself.

Professor Theodore in Shade, who offered his services in avenging Summer for her captivity and treatment, should she merely point him in the right direction.

And from there, the odd staff of the Academies filtered in, then the Headmasters of some of the Combat Schools.

And then a smattering of Huntsmen and Huntresses as the news spread further afield, most of them her peers from her Beacon days or those she'd worked missions along with the rest of Team STRQ afterward.

As the knowledge of the wide net of friends, colleagues, and acquaintances who had been impacted by her disappearance became clear, she began to see just how many people had mourned her, and even three years later wanted nothing more than to reconnect with her and tell her how happy they were to see her returned.

It was… heartwarming and guilt-inducing. The number of people who cared. Who she had hurt by charging headlong into danger, thinking she was saving them.

Without asking them if they wanted to be saved at the risk of her own life.

It gave her a lot to think about, in those rare moments when she wasn't enveloped by the loving arms of her husband and daughters.

[A/N] Shadowstorm-Vash, I can't believe you Disney'd me in the last review. I laughed. I cried. I fell down.

And the cat is out of the bag, and news of Summer's return spreads like wildfire throughout the Huntsmen community. I tried to write Ozpin as paranoid, but not unreasonably so. I want the reader to see him as having trust issues of his own and very calculating, but not irrationally so considering his enemy and how long he's lived and the sacrifices he's had to make. And Summer doesn't hate him, per se, but as we saw in earlier chapters, she is still subtly angry and blames him for (in her opinion) not giving her complete information. That said, she's not deluded enough (like Hazel is) to place ALL of the blame on someone else's shoulders. Ozpin has suspicions that Salem is trying to find out how to counter silver eyes, but as we know from canon, what ends up happening instead is "The Hound". In my story, there will be some secondary experimentation that also takes place besides that. I think we're getting close to wrapping up the direct aftermath of the return/rescue of Summer Rose. Probably one or two more chapters still involving her visit to Beacon before we do a time skip to where the kids are getting closer to Combat School age and unlocked Aura. I'm REALLY looking forward to the idea of Summer Rose being able to directly teach young Ruby how to use her silver eyes instead of the poor girl having to flail around. And the OC Doctor Tsune (full name Kitsune-chan, and she's never forgiven her parents) is NOT my creation. Credit for the fox faunus doctor of Beacon goes to Coeur Al'Aran and she appears in multiple of Coeur's works. She's… quite a character and I shamelessly adore her freaky ways.