October IV

Summer Rose, for as long as Raven had known her, took everything to the extreme. She was a perfectionist, insisted upon living up to her family's name at Beacon, and never hesitated to hold her team up to the same standards. It wasn't a problem, as the four of them were likeminded in that regard (or at least, they had been likeminded before Raven pussied out).

But there were times when her enthusiasm over the smallest things was less self-serving and directed…externally. Right now was one of those times.

"It's our first Huntoween, Ray!" Summer's eyes were practically glistening with excitement. "Our first!"

"We're in our twenties, and it comes around every year," Raven said as dismissively as she could, trying to put emphasis on the fact that she had zero interest in the holiday.

"Yeah, but our first together! Our first outside of Beacon, where all of the kids were too old to put on costumes and go sweet-or-swindling! And our first with Yang!"

Summer lifted the baby out of her crib was Raven continued to do her best to fry the ground turkey. According to Summer, it was a healthier alternative than ground beef and more environmental or something. Raven had no clue how killing one animal and eating the remains was fundamentally better than doing the same to another, but hers was to obey, not to question.

Fucking whipped, I am, and to another woman. Damn.

"Yang doesn't care about Huntoween," Raven reminded Summer. "And neither do I. The only reason I even know it exists is because you forced us to go to dorm parties for every holiday in the entire darn year, and I made the mistake of asking you what the occasion was."

"But isn't it wonderful?!" Summer lifted up the baby and spun the both of them around, eliciting a happy gurgle from Yang, who proceeded to spit up right onto Summer's hair. However, even the grossness of the human baby wasn't enough to temper Summer's out-of-bounds spirits.

"Trust me, Ray, it's good to get kids started early on these things if you want them to grow up enjoying the holidays. My parents had a lot more work with their charities when the holiday seasons came round, but they always made sure to save the days themselves for just the family. I would go sweet-or-swindling every year, up until I was fourteen, and on the Winter Holiday, we'd exchange gifts – homemade, of course, because even if you have money, a storebought item can never compare to –"

Raven clicked her tongue. "Let's cool our engines, Sum, before we start planning our New Years itineraries three whole months early."

"But its Huntoweeeeeeen!"

Honestly, I couldn't care less for the holidays. Bandits don't celebrate on fixed dates; any raid would have a party when it happened. I think that Chief Racket's goal was to never let us feel like we could celebrate without having earned it first.

But they weren't in the tribe anymore. Yang wasn't going to grow up to be a bandit, nor did Raven have any intention of respecting the old ways she'd grown up with. Just like her tribe and her husband, she'd moved past them, regardless of how much they'd meant to her at the time and still meant to her.

Kids like fun. I guess it couldn't hurt to let Yang have a little…

"I'll think it over, Sum. Now how about you put Yang down before you get too into the spirit of the season and shake her into a skeleton the old-fashioned way?" Raven suggested. It was one of the rare moments where Summer's true immaturity, the stuff she tried to bury beneath her exceptionally professional veneer of adult-like dutifulness, shone through.

It was a well-known fact among Team Stark that if Summer were pushed too hard by anything, be it some outward-acting force like a horde of Grimm or an interior conflict like her own pride or distraction, she could break and let a little bit of the old Summer out. Raven lived for those days, as the pain (both physical and emotional) that old Summer could deal was far worth it for the entertainment value.

She used to be a rich bitch who thought she knew better than everyone. A haughty little thing who worked us to the bone and partied us even harder.

And now the youthful aura that Huntoween showered upon her was enough to make her regress into that old personality a touch. Well, Raven would've loved to see Summer over-energetically convert the entire cabin into a haunted house when she lost perspective, but she kind of needed Yang unshaken. Even Raven, 'mother of the year,' knew not to do that.

But Summer didn't set Raven's baby down, in spite of being asked.

"I need to take her measurements, Ray." She held the young girl the right way, according to her own proper holding principles, but something about it still bothered Raven as Summer set Yang down onto the couch. "I'm gonna make her a costume."

"Summer, you always get out of hand during the holidays. Please, celebrate however you see fit but don't go crazy with my daughter."

"It'll be cute, I promise! I'm thinking…how's about a tiny little zombie? I could do green make-up…"

"Summer, that's enough," Raven said, starting to feel her own old self rearing up at being ignored in her own household.

"Don't worry, Ray. My mom taught me how to sew, and her mom taught her. Homemade costumes are a Rose family tradition." Placing a hand on Yang's cheek, Summer leaned over Yang to get a better look at her as she wriggled and turned away. "Oh, we could take so many cute pictures for the –"

Raven's hand snatched Summer's by the wrist, and she squeezed. Tight.

"Summer Rose, you get your goddamned hands off my daughter right now."

Raven didn't shout. She didn't need to, not when her tone was sharp enough to cut through a Beowolf.

Summer's jaw dropped, but Raven didn't let up. Gripping her leader as firmly as she could, firm enough that Summer's aura fizzed, she half-pulled, half-threw the young woman away from the baby.

Raven positioned herself between Summer and Yang, making sure it was clear that she was doing so intentionally. She let Summer have a lot of leeway, mainly because Summer knew what she was doing when it came to babies, but enough was enough.

"Summer, let me tell you: I appreciate the help you bring. I really do. I'd probably have lost Yang to child services if it weren't for you." Raven scowled furiously and squeezed down so hard that Summer screeched. "But don't you dare think even for a moment that you EVER get to ignore me when it comes to Yang."

The thought of losing Summer's assistance filled Raven with a lot of fear, but the thought of losing Yang was what terrified Raven the most. And at the moment, losing Yang to Summer by inaction seemed like a viable possibility.

"I know I'm not a competent parent, but gods willing, I AM her parent, and you aren't. Yang is Yang Branwen, not Yang Rose. So if I say that you stop touching Yang Branwen, you stop. If I say we aren't going to dress up Yang Branwen in a cutesy costume and snap a trillion photos on your scroll for a holiday that only you celebrate, we don't. If I say that Yang Branwen isn't a doll for you to play with on a passing fancy, then she isn't. No questions asked, no arguments – nothing."

Raven bit down on her teeth and let go of Summer's wrist.

"I am her mother," she hissed venomously. "Not you."

It was inevitable that they would clash like this at some point, Raven understood.

Summer had probably cared for Yang for longer than Raven had in terms of hours spent together, at this point. While Raven was out there trying to find work, Summer had been bonding with her daughter. Everything about parenting Raven knew, she'd learned from Summer, so it was natural that Summer might start to feel like she knew best.

And while the fact of the matter was that Summer probably did know better, Raven wasn't going to let it slide if Summer got it into her head that she got to call the shots just because she knew how to cook soup or hold a baby or do any of that other stuff. Raven had a right…a right to decide for her family.

I need to make sure she knows that my voice is the deciding one here. Sure, I'm frailer than usual and might have lost my aura of strength, but Summer's forgotten who Raven Branwen is. I won't let my opinions on what Yang will or will not do be rolled over. And I have absolutely zero fucking intention of letting something slide just because 'that's how we did in in the Rose household.'

Summer's face was a pale shade of white, and Raven grimly noted that she could probably go as a ghost for her little dress-up charade if she so chose.

"I-I'm…I'm sorry," Summer said. "I didn't mean to –"

"Good," Raven cut off. "So you won't. Ever again."

"Y-You want me to…to leave?" Summer asked. "To go?"

Raven said nothing, but her head shook on its own. If Summer listened, if she never ever tried anything like this again, then it was probably for the best that she stayed. In fact, Raven basically needed her to stay, regardless of how pissed she was in the moment.

"I'm going to look after Yang for today," Raven said. "You're my leader, and you're your own person, so I've no right to tell you to stay after…after what just…but if you're still willing to –"

"I am," Summer said immediately, faster than the beat of a hummingbird's wings. "I am willing to stay. I want to, and I promise I'll always respect your authority when it comes to Yang. I promise, on my honor as a Ro– on my honor as a huntress."

Raven nodded.

Yang was still on the couch where Summer had set her down, so Raven plucked the child up and returned her to her crib. "I think today might be best spent alone. For all of us."

"To cool down," Summer said, and Raven once again found herself nodding.

"I'll, uh…there are Grimm on the island, right?" Summer asked. "On Patch?"

"Yes," Raven said simply. "There are."

"I'll go and…hunting skills stay fresh when they're used regularly, so…" Summer sniffled. "…I'll be back by dinner?"

"Okay," Raven said to the huntress who looked like she was about to cry.

"Just you and me, baby," Raven said to her daughter.

Yang didn't respond. Raven hadn't expected her to, but it was probably the first time in weeks that Raven had been alone with this month-old child who couldn't converse with her or be conversed with.

"What do we do?" Raven asked.

While many Valeans and their over-the-top need for conversation and stimulation could sometimes test her patience, she at least understood how she was supposed to interact with such people: chat with them, humor their drivel, agree, nod, make eye contact, and so on.

Yang was an utter mystery to Raven. There would eventually come a time when Raven would understand her daughter, but that time was not now.

What do babies do? What do they like?

Candy and toys sounded right, but Raven dared not feed Yang a single morsel without running it by Summer first. Upset or not, she wasn't going to risk her daughter's health by giving her something she couldn't eat.

Choking, digestion, calories – Summer said that we have to be very careful what we put into Yang's stomach, or it might sicken her.

As for toys…

"I'm sure we own some," Raven said to her daughter, who awaited entertainment in her crib. "But am I supposed to give them to you?"

Raven had recently been finding out that babies were extremely fragile, especially at the tender young age of less than a full year. Yang could hurt herself if she were given a toy that was age-inappropriate.

Building blocks? It's one of those choking hazards, where she'll somehow fit it in her mouth and die an untimely death.

Puzzles? It would bore her to tears. Even I struggle with those sometimes.

A pocketknife? She'd cut herself. I'm pretty sure that kids aren't meant to get those, even though I loved my knife when I was Yang's age.

When she was young, Raven was left to her own devices by her parents. She turned out fine, but many of the sticks she'd poked around with had ended up poking her back, and the mushrooms definitely weren't meant to be eaten by people. Raven still drew breath, but she could remember close calls.

Success wasn't enough. Yang's life was meant to be better than Raven's, not just as risky. Growing up as a bandit with minimal adult supervision was what had left Raven so fucked up in the head, and she was resolute in her devotion to not leaving Yang to the same fate. Raven wouldn't be as bad as her own parents, who were as bad as her grandparents, who was as bad as her great-grandparents. The cycle ended here.

It was tough, though, being a mother on her own and having to make these choices.

But isn't this what I wanted? What I explicitly asked for? Summer out of the picture, no one to make the calls for my spawn but me?

The answer was no. This wasn't what Raven wanted.

Summer, a woman of her word, returned less than half an hour before the time they usually took their dinner as a household. Woodsmith, her axe, was slung over her shoulder, and it was showing a lot of signs of use. The occasional silver flashes originating from far beyond the onset of the wilderness had been more than enough evidence for Raven to already know where Sum had been.

Raven sat out on the front porch, her knees hugging her chest as she tapped her feet on the steps. Both of them let out sighs at the sight of the other.

"Summe–"

"I just w–"

Raven paused, waiting for Summer to go first. Unfortunately, Summer did the same, leaving them both in a difficult silence.

"It's not–"

"Raven, the –"

Biting her lip, Raven stopped speaking once again. Her eyes met Summer's, looking for some sort of indication of who was supposed to break them out of their feedback loop, but Summer seemed to be just as dependent on her for guidance here.

"It's your house," she said. "You should go first."

Raven closed her eyes. "Okay."

She slid ever so slightly to the side, making the open space next to her more inviting for Summer to sit down in. The nonverbal cue was taken, and Summer settled next to her. Both of them faced out into the forest as the sun was torn in half by the horizon.

"I don't know if I'm supposed to say sorry or if I'm supposed to forgive you," Raven said.

"I'd take either," Summer replied. "But I do know for sure that I am sorry. I'm not just saying that, Ray – I really feel bad about what…what I did. I knew things are precarious for you right now, and I made you feel like my advice gave me a greater standing when it came to Yang. That wasn't my intent, but intent doesn't matter as much as actions, and I acted out of turn. You said no, and I ignored you. It was wrong, and I was wrong.

"I think we both know that I know more about kids than you do, but only because I used to help those with them who were in need. It was there that I learned those skills, but I forgot the cardinal rule I was always supposed to hold dear: you're the parent, and I'm the helper. It's the parent's prerogative who their kid associates with and is tended to by."

Raven caught the words, even though she had a feeling she hadn't been expected to. Truthfully, Summer probably had just relapsed into old mottos she'd repeated to herself, and there were no deeper meanings within. Still, it didn't change the fact that Raven heard it and needed to address it.

"Summer, this isn't like that. I'm not trying to be one of those pricks who expects you to molest their babies for zero reason at all. I know you, Summer, and I know how you can be. There isn't a malicious bone in your body when you don't want there to be, but you can get lost in whatever you do, be it hunting, volunteering, White Fang protests, studying, leading, or, in this case, parenting.

"In hindsight, it's obvious that you would have listened if I'd explained it to you. I shouldn't have shouted, and I shouldn't have tried to hurt you."

Summer shook her head dismissively. "It barely hurt, Ray. We've punched each other waaaaay hard in spars."

"It was different his time," Raven explained. "I was doing it because I wanted to harm you, even if I knew I couldn't."

Summer had succumbed to her own flaws, but so had Raven. She'd used force to prove herself right, because at that moment, she'd believed in her heart that she needed to be stronger in order to 'assert her dominance' or whatever she could now call it with the benefit of a level head.

"I don't want to lose you over this, Summer," Raven admitted. "Not as a friend, certainly, and not as a…whatever we are to one another when we share Yang. Co-parent? Babysitter? Nanny? Whatever it is, it's working, and Yang needs it. I…I need it."

"No," Summer said. "We need each other, Raven."

Both of them nodded in unison, content with the resolution. It had been a heated moment, but not one where harsh words flew or dastardly admissions of hatred were revealed. These were two women who'd overcome Summer's youthful arrogance and the secrets of Raven's past together, and they'd come out of those ordeals bonded stronger as teammates and friends for it. A minor spat over custody of Yang that neither truly even disagreed on couldn't come close to that.

Raven got up to her feet and offered Summer a hand. "I've thought it over, and we will be celebrating Huntoween. All of us…if you're still willing, that is."

Summer hesitated to take her hand. "A-Are you sure? You don't have to, not for me."

"No," Raven concurred heartily. "I don't. The decision for myself and my Yangling is mine and mine alone. And I've decided that I want us both to. I'll be a better person if I don't spend every waking minute being as dour as possible, and Yang deserves this. She's my daughter, but she has Valean heritage and will be growing up with Vale as her kingdom, so it's only right that she cherishes Vale's holidays."

Raven flexed the fingers on the hand she still held out towards Summer, who remained seated.

"But I don't know how to make costumes, and I have no idea how Huntoween celebrations in neighborhoods like this are supposed to go. If you're willing to help, I'd love to have it."

Summer took her hand. "Yes. I think I am willing."

Author's Notes

It can't all be guns and roses (Ruby isn't even here). Angst and hurt-comfort are essential parts of this story, and we've evaded them for far too long now. Fortunately, the ladies managed to get past their problems pretty rapidly, but new ones are almost inevitable at some point.

A quick point of clarification - this fic follows the first year of Summer and Raven together, so the months are accurate. They won't be real time since not every month gets 4 chapters, but it's decently close (at least for the first few months). Some chapters will continue one after the other, and other will have minor day/week long timeskips between them, but they all happen within the same month for Oct-I, Oct-II, Oct-III and so on. That does mean Yang will remain a baby for everything but the epilogue, so no gradual growing up over the years. Sorry.

Happy rats, and don't do crime!