Chapter 12: Quoth the Raven

AN: Just a warning that permanent damage resulting in fertility issues is mentioned. There's a reason Blake isn't pregnant.

Yang's fists clenched, one still resting on her belly. Some of her frozen eggs were what? "They're missing? How do you know?"

Raven sighed a long suffering sigh. "Like I said in our messages, I've been snooping around. I spied for Ozpin for a while; I know how to get information. I had help too."

Yang frowned. She didn't like her mother's attitude, or the mention of the help she'd had. "Ilia Amitola."

"Yes. She didn't want her involvement known, but I made it clear to her that I wasn't going to keep it from you. Besides, you were the one who put us in touch." Raven rolled her eyes. "You'd have guessed."

Yang's scowl deepened. Ilia's help didn't change anything. It'd be a while before she could think of Blake's oldest friend without feeling the burn of resentment, and sting of outright hurt.

Raven eyed her closely. "She felt guilty about something, but I don't think she had anything to do with this pregnancy plot."

Yang sighed. "She wants to make amends."

"For what?" Raven asked.

"She's Blake's best friend, and very protective of her."

"Ah. Meaning she assumed you must have cheated on Blake." Raven shook her head. "As if you'd be capable of doing that."

"Just… don't feel like you have to punish her or anything. I don't want that." Not entirely true, but Yang certainly didn't want Raven's idea of punishment inflicted on Ilia.

"As you wish. If you change your mind…"

Yang shook her head vehemently. "I won't. Anyway, tell me more about these missing eggs of mine."

"Your frozen eggs have records, a bureaucratic trail to follow." Raven's mouth twisted. "Until the storage company's last inventory check revealed some were missing, but had no record of what happened to them."

"What?" Yang gaped. What kind of shoddy company had her dad entrusted with her eggs?

"I have the records here if you want to see them." Raven pulled her scroll out.

"It's not that I don't trust you, but I think I'd better see it."

Raven handed it over. Yang copied it to her own scroll and handed it back. She appreciated the show of trust from Raven, but she felt more comfortable looking at it on her own scroll. Raven's scroll settings were weird anyway, it made her eyes water to look at it.

Yang took a few moments to look through the file. Sure enough, there it was: a few months back the number of her stored eggs suddenly dropped.

Raven clicked her tongue. "You might want to find a better place to keep them, they had a duty to let you know and they clearly didn't."

"I know," Yang muttered. She dragged a hand back through her hair. "So whatever happened to me probably involved those missing eggs."

"Maybe. There might have been an accident this company covered up, and some of them thawed or were otherwise destroyed. Or they were stolen, and…" Raven gestured at Yang's belly.

"Wouldn't there be more than one baby in here if that had happened?" Yang stroked her bump, trying to soothe both her own and her Bumblebaby's agitation.

"I guess they'd have made more than one embryo just in case the implantation failed. If it happened that way." Raven shrugged. "I don't know. I have no answers, just more questions."

"Ugh. I'd better get those eggs moved somewhere more reliable. And tell Dad."

"Tai? Why?" Raven asked.

"Dad's the one who arranged it in the first place. Back when they were extracted I just…" Yang sighed, and clenched and unclenched her prosthetic fist. "I didn't care. He asked us to do it. Begged Ruby and me to have some eggs extracted, just in case. And we agreed. I just wanted him to leave me alone."

Raven stared into the distance, a frown deepening on her face. "Tai has access to your eggs?"

"I guess? Definitely in the event of my death. It's the whole reason why he wanted them extracted, so he had the means to have grandchildren even if something happened to us. He got spooked badly by the fall of Beacon."

"Surely he wouldn't…" Raven muttered.

"Wouldn't what?" Yang demanded.

"I…" Raven hesitated. She bit her lip.

"Just tell me."

"I don't know… Has he said anything about his dreams?"

Yang blinked. What did her dad's dreams have to do with anything? "No. Why?"

"Serve him right if I told you," Raven muttered. She sighed. "Not my place. I'm trying to be better."

Yang groaned. "Please start making sense."

Raven took a deep breath. "I have to wonder if it was Tai. If he took these missing eggs, and had it covered up, bribed someone maybe. He clearly desperately wants grandchildren, and now there's going to be at least one grandchild. Is that really a coincidence?"

"Come off it," Yang scoffed. "Dad isn't that sneaky, and even if he was he'd never do that to me. Sure, he's got a dream of having grandchildren, but he wouldn't. Couldn't."

Whatever Raven had meant about Tai's dreams didn't seem to be to do with that, but she wasn't inclined to elaborate, instead giving Yang a dark look. "Desperation can make someone do terrible things."

"Is that the voice of experience?" Yang's lip curled.

Raven's eyes narrowed. "I've killed and stolen, among other crimes Mistral still wants me for, but I've never violated someone like you must have been, or orchestrated it."

Yang scowled. "Dad wouldn't do any of that."

Raven crossed her arms. "He'd do it if he felt he had no choice."

Yang jabbed a finger at Raven, her voice rising, barely keeping a grip on her temper. "You don't even really know my dad any more. How much have you seen of him during my lifetime?"

Raven looked away. "I… Maybe I don't know him now. But the fact is he hasn't been the same since your twin was stillborn."

'Poor Dad.' He'd been through three major losses. His son, and two wives. "How would you know? You left him."

Raven nodded, a stiff and jerky movement. "I did. But our bond remains unbroken. I felt the change in him through that."

"Then why did you leave him?" Yang snapped.

"He had Summer."

"And when he lost her too?"

Raven gave her a very unhappy look. "By then I couldn't come back. Being Spring Maiden comes with its dangers. I needed to keep you safe, at least until you could defend yourself."

Yang's face twisted. She didn't say another word on the matter. If she did, she might say something Raven would be offended by, and she didn't want to ruin things between them. They were already bad enough. She changed the subject a little instead. "Even if he changed from the man you knew, I don't believe for a moment that Dad was behind this." She cradled her belly. "It's not something he'd do."

Raven gave her a pitying look. "Oh, he'd feel bad about it, but—"

"Drop it. Dad wouldn't do that, and don't you dare confront him about it."

"Fine, but Tai can justify a lot of things for the greater good. Like sending his daughters to Beacon despite what happened to Summer."

"I said drop it! What happened to Mom wasn't Ozpin's fault," Yang said tightly. Things were already fraught enough without reminding Raven that it was more her own fault than Ozpin's, what with her involvement in Summer's disappearance.

Raven's eyes flashed. "Ozpin should have dealt with Salem long ago, and he's the reason Summer knew about Salem at all!"

Yang cursed under her breath, tears welling up in her eyes and spilling down her cheeks. She'd cried more over the last few months than she ever had in her life so far. She turned away.

"Fuck. Please don't cry." Raven moved closer and very tentatively and awkwardly patted Yang's shoulder.

Yang sniffled, trying in vain to stop crying. "I miss her. So much," she sobbed. "She'll never get to meet her grandchild."

"If there's an afterlife, she will." Raven stiffened. "Not anytime soon," she added hastily. "I'm sure your kid will live a long and happy life."

Yang swiped at her eyes. "You never object when I call Summer that: Mom."

Raven patted her shoulder more firmly. "She was more your mother than I could ever hope to—"

"You!"

Yang looked up. Blake! That was her fi—her wife's voice, if worryingly distorted by rage.

Blake stood in the doorway, a feral light in her eyes, Gambol Shroud in her hands. "You made my wife cry." She glowered at Raven.

"I think it's time I took my leave," Raven said, eyeing Blake warily. She glanced at Yang and hurriedly added: "Just… keep an open mind about who might be behind this. If you don't trust anyone you can't be disappointed when they let you down."

Raven didn't draw her sword this time, instead creating her portal with a swipe of her arm, the skin around her eyes tightening as if it pained her. Maybe she tended to use her sword because it hurt otherwise? Then why not use Omen now? Was she trying to avoid provoking Blake further?

Raven stepped through her portal, and it disappeared a heartbeat later.

Blake sheathed her weapon, crossing the room in the blink of an eye to take Yang into her arms. "What did she do?"

"Brought up Summer. That's all it takes at the moment. Guaranteed tears." Yang let out a wobbly laugh. "I think trying to comfort me scared her."

Blake kissed her forehead. "Why was she here?"

"She's been investigating how this happened, with Ilia's help." Yang stroked her bump again, trying to soothe the Bumblebaby's agitated movements. "They didn't find any answers, just that some of my frozen eggs are missing. And there's no records explaining it." She sighed heavily. "When I mentioned Dad's involvement in my eggs being frozen at all, she thought it might be him behind it."

Blake's eyes widened. "Raven what?"

"She suspected Dad of orchestrating the Bumblebaby. Because he's desperate for grandkids, enough to get me to freeze some eggs in the first place." Yang shook her head. "Raven's paranoid, and she doesn't really know him any more. She hasn't talked to him for most of my life."

Blake's eyes narrowed to angry slits. "She's unbelievable. How could she say that to you?"

There was nothing quite like the topic of Raven to rile Blake. Probably because it tended to involve injustice, which she always hated, and specifically injustices to Yang, which… Yeah. She'd never like Raven.

Yang winced. "She's trying to look out for me, in her own way."

Blake's cat ears flattened even more into her hair. "That doesn't justify upsetting you."

"She didn't mean to," Yang said.

"That doesn't make it okay. She still did!"

"Blake…"

"Sorry," Blake muttered. "She just makes me so mad."

Yang hugged her as tightly as her belly would allow. "I know. She's just… She's trying."

"Very," Blake grumbled. "Sorry. I guess we'd better change the subject."

"I should ask Dad if he heard anything from that egg storage company, and get my remaining eggs moved to somewhere safer. Even if the Bumblebaby makes it less important, he might still want his precious backup plan."

Blake nuzzled even closer. "In a minute. I just want to hold you for a while first."

"Sap, it was only a couple of hours at most. You weren't even gone for a day."

Blake nipped her. "You're every bit as sappy as I am."

"Only for you."

Blake raised an eyebrow and pointedly laid a hand over the Bumblebaby.

"Only for you and our kid," Yang amended.

Blake nuzzled against her with a nod.

Yang kissed her between her cat ears. "How'd the Fang meeting go?"

Blake's groan was muffled, almost more a vibration on Yang's skin than a sound in her ears.

Yang planted another kiss on her. "That good, huh?"

Blake moved back enough to meet Yang's eyes, golden irises shadowed. "Working as a huntress almost let me forget how frustrating it can be to try to get through to people. And these weren't even bad people."

Yang hesitated, trying to find the right words. "Maybe you'd be better off doing something else?"

"Maybe. But my parents are right, it is important work."

"I'm not saying it isn't, it's just… there's other work you could do, important work, even. Maybe even still for the White Fang. Your happiness is important too." Yang stroked Blake's cheek. "I'll support you in anything you want to do, even if it makes you miserable, but I can't do that without questioning it. There are alternatives."

"You're hopelessly biased." Blake sighed. "But you're right. I'd say something similar if it was you doing something maddeningly frustrating. I'll talk to my parents about it. There's usually others who can do these meetings, and with any luck be more persuasive than I am." She shook her head. "Anyway, never mind that. I'm more worried about you."

Yang blinked. "Me? I'm fine. You know what those fucking hormones do to me, it doesn't take much to make me cry." She waved a dismissive and hopefully reassuring hand. "Sure, it's worrying that some of my frozen eggs are missing, but hey, silver lining: at least it means I probably wasn't raped after all."

Blake's breath hissed out, and she spoke between clenched teeth. "It's not far off. Think about the process of getting a fertilised egg inside you without your knowledge and consent."

Yang shivered. She'd rather not think about that, really. "Still not as bad as it could have been."

Blake nodded, and mercifully changed the subject. "I wonder who could've known about your frozen eggs."

"Good question. It must've been a skilled hacker, or someone who used one. The way there's no information except missing eggs… And they were only picked up on after an inventory check."

Blake raised an eyebrow. "Presuming this company has good digital security. And wasn't bribed."

Yang tapped her own chin. "True. Ugh, I'm gonna have to confront them."

"How will you explain knowing your eggs are missing? You didn't exactly come by that information legally."

Yang shrugged. "I dunno, ask for an update on my eggs? I'll know this company's even worse if they lie and try to tell me everything's fine."

"That should work." Blake's cat ears finally perked up, a smile on her face and in her warm golden eyes.

"I'll call Dad first though." Yang got her scroll out.

"Do you want me there? Come to think of it maybe I should give my own parents a call. If my own frozen eggs are still fine, you could switch to storing yours at the Menagerian clinic my parents selected. It doesn't have branches anywhere else, so it can't be the same as the Valean company your dad picked."

"I'll think about it. As for you being with me…" Yang slowly shook her head. "Much as it'd be good to have you with me, or to see your parents over a video call… We could get it over with faster if we do it separately at the same time. After that we can relax."

"And maybe go back to bed?" There was a hungry light in Blake's eyes.

Yang laughed. "You're insatiable! We'll see."

Blake kissed her and headed into their bedroom to make her own call, closing the door behind her. Yang watched her go, staring after her for a good few seconds before she became aware of the silly smile on her face. Ugh, Blake was right: she was such a sap. She cleared her throat and focused on her scroll. Right: call her dad. Hopefully he wasn't gardening or he wouldn't pick up.

Tai picked up within a few rings, opting for a voice call. "Hey, Yang, I'm taking Zwei on walkies. I'd do video but the motion might make you sick, and I don't want to risk that."

"Gotcha. Hi Dad, hi Zwei."

Zwei barked, a little faint with how far the little dog was from the microphone.

"How're you two doing?" Yang asked.

"We're fine, Zwei gets me out the house at every opportunity. I'm starting to think I should take him to Signal with me, he might be less demanding if I do." Tai laughed.

Yang groaned. "Dad, Signal has a strict no pets policy. You're a member of staff, you should know the rules better than I do."

"But he could be a teaching assistant! He has plenty of battle experience, and the students would love him!"

"Zwei's the best, we both know that, but you're not bearing a couple of things in mind."

"Oh yeah?" Her dad scoffed. "Like what?"

"Allergies, Dad. Some people are allergic to dogs. And others fear them."

Tai sighed. "I'll admit you have a point that allergies are a thing, but how can anyone be afraid of Zwei? He's the cutest little dog, yes you are!" Zwei's next bark was a lot closer; her dad must've picked him up. Definitely: Yang could hear the best boy ever panting, until a whine signalled he wanted to be put down.

Yang winced. "Uh, I thought you knew? You really weren't popular with Blake when you sent Zwei to us at Beacon. She's afraid of dogs, for good reason. Nothing quite like having bigots set dogs on you as a kid."

"Oh. I don't think I did. Are her parents scared of dogs too?"

"I don't know. Maybe." She should ask Blake. It had never come up before, as far as she knew Zwei had never come near Ghira and Kali. But then again, her dad had met them privately, so…

Tai hummed. "It would explain why they didn't make a fuss of Zwei, and why Ghira growled a bit when Zwei got too close to Kali. Ghira was so embarrassed, he said it was instinct and apologised. Next time they come to Patch, I'll temporarily exile Zwei to his little house outside. It's so comfy now, he'll be fine."

Yang dragged her left hand down her face. Why had her dad even asked? The answer was obvious: none of the Belladonnas liked dogs. "Yeah, you do that, Dad. And don't you dare show them my baby photos."

"Um. I mean, I didn't specifically, they just happened to be in the family album I showed them last time."

"Damn it, Dad!" The scroll creaked warningly in Yang's prosthetic. She loosened her grip before it could shatter.

"But they're adorable, I'd show the world if I could!"

Yang shuddered at the thought. "Dad."

"If I could, my sunny little dragon. I know those are only for family, and the Belladonnas are family."

"That they are." Yang had to smile at the thought.

"Anyway, are you calling just to catch up, or was there something else? How're you doing? Didn't you have your first meeting with the midwife today?" A strangled whine escaped Tai. "Is something wrong?"

"Your grandbaby and I are fine, dad. Did you know Glynda Goodwitch's mother works as a midwife?"

"She does?" Tai asked. He whistled. "Zwei, heel! Zwei! Sorry, go on, Yang."

"Yup. She's my midwife."

"Huh, small world!"

"Anyway, I did have a question to ask." Yang paused, suddenly unsure what to say. Tai didn't know there was anything untoward with how she'd got pregnant. She really didn't want him to know. Ever.

"Yeah?"

"Well, uh, Raven is super paranoid, right?" Yang grimaced. She could hear her dad grinding his teeth at the mention of Raven.

It took Tai a moment to speak. "Back when I knew her best, yeah. I doubt she's changed much."

Yang did her best to keep her voice steady, hopefully with no telltale that she was omitting a chunk of the truth. "Well, she kept an eye on me ever since she left, and I don't think she'll ever stop. She found out where my frozen eggs are kept and decided to check how secure they were. Turns out she might not be as paranoid as I thought, because some of my eggs are missing."

Silence on the other end of the line. Not even footsteps, until Zwei's confused bark came from a distance, and his paws scampered closer.

"Did that egg storage company tell you about the missing eggs?" Yang demanded.

Her dad cleared his throat. "Well, yeah. I didn't want to worry you."

Yang couldn't speak for a moment, torn between snarling that it wasn't his call, or that the company should've told her, not him. At least not just him. She took a deep breath, trying to calm down. "It didn't occur to you to get the remaining eggs moved somewhere safer? Or to sue the company for the loss? Ugh!"

"They assured me they'd tighten security, and made noises about compensation, although there hasn't been any yet, months later. I've been meaning to remind them. I'll get on their case right away, I—"

"Forget it," Yang snapped. She softened her tone, resting a hand on her belly, the Bumblebaby agitated by her mood again. "I'll do it. They're my eggs, it's my problem. I'll get back to you, Dad. No matter what this company says, I'm moving the remaining eggs somewhere safer."

"But—"

"I'll make sure you get the same permission to use them in the event of my death. Later, Dad, love you." Yang hung up. She felt bad for not waiting for Tai to reply, but she wanted to get things sorted with no delays. Her dad would only try to get her to let him do it, and she couldn't trust that he wouldn't settle with just compensation from that company, leaving the eggs where they were.

Her scroll vibrated. She looked down. A message…

Tai: Love you too, sunny little dragon. I could talk to Precious Eggses for you, just say the word.

So much for avoiding his attempt to get her to let him do it. Oh well, she'd just have to put her foot down.

Yang: I thought we agreed not to use that stupid company name? What were they thinking, picking that? And thanks, but no thanks. Later, Dad.

She ignored the next message from him, and spent the next few minutes finding the details she needed: contact details for the company, her client number, a copy of her ID ready to transmit, and a list of the points she needed to cover. Yang normally wouldn't need to bother with the last, but she had to prepare for pregnancy to screw her over by clouding her thoughts.

Right. She was ready. Yang typed in the number and called it. She just needed to remember that whoever answered was probably just doing their job. 'Keep it civil, Yang.'

Damn it, maybe she should've waited until Blake was done talking to her parents. Oh well, too late now. Unless the company kept her waiting, or made her leave a fucking message. Ugh!

"Blake! You'd usually call tomorrow for the weekly catch up, did something happen? The meeting went as well as could be expected, judging from your report and my own expectations, so… Is it Yang? Her appointment with her midwife, what happened?" Kali's face filled the screen, eyes wide with concern.

"I…" Blake blushed. She felt her upper ears flatten against her head yet again. "I don't actually know. Something else came up, and I haven't had a chance to ask yet. But I'm sure Yang would have mentioned it if anything was wrong with the baby, and she knows to say something if she's not okay herself."

"I'm sure she would." Kali pulled away a little from her scroll's camera, cat ears coming into view, perking up a bit from being pinned back. "She wouldn't want to worry you, but I'm sure she knows better than to hide things from you." Her mother winced and looked away. "Not for long, anyway. Right?" Kali's eyes returned to the camera.

"Right." Yang didn't keep things from her without a good reason, and would tell her anything eventually. Blake knew that.

"Did you want me to get your father? Ghira's busy with some mayor business, but I'm sure he'd drop everything to talk to you if he's needed."

"No, you can tell him later, no need to disturb him." Much as it'd be good to see her dad, Blake knew it could wait. Besides, it'd only distract Ghira and make his mayoral duties take even longer. Her parents liked to spend their evenings snuggled together on their couch, Ghira reading for pleasure, and Kali sometimes reading too or working on her latest craft project. They couldn't do that if Ghira was buried under paperwork.

"He'll be sorry to have missed you. At least we have that dinner with you and Yang soon enough. Give her my love, by the way. So, what happened?"

"I think I'd better start by asking you a question: is my backup plan still safe in that clinic we chose?"

Kali blinked. She frowned. "Dare I ask why you need to know?"

"Yang learned some of her frozen eggs are missing."

Kali's eyes widened. "No wonder you're concerned about your own. Yang didn't use the Menagerian clinic though, did she?"

"She didn't, but I'd still like to be sure."

"Understandably." Kali's upper ears twitched. "I haven't heard anything, but I can check for you if you like."

"Please do. I'd do it myself, but in the hurry to leave Menagerie to get to Haven, I never got around to getting the details from you." Why, oh why, had she never asked before now? Blake felt her cheeks burning.

"We should have given them to you long ago. I'm sorry, Blake. Would you like me to call them right now? I'll get back to you as soon as I hear anything."

"Thanks, Mom. Talk to you soon, I hope."

"I can't imagine they'll keep me waiting for long. Being the mayor's wife has perks." Kali winked. "I'll call you back soon." She hung up.

Blake considered joining Yang, but didn't want to interrupt her conversation with Tai. Instead she let the minutes slip by, eyes glued to the pages of her current book. She was just getting to the best part when her scroll buzzed like a trapped bee. Her place preserved by her favourite bookmark with her emblem mingled with Yang's, she answered her scroll call.

"Mom, that was quick."

Kali smiled. "You were reading, weren't you? It wasn't so quick on my end, not that they really kept me waiting long."

"What did you find out?" Blake eyed her mother. Her eyes were warm as ever, but they were also weary, with shadows under them. Those weren't happy cat ears either. Blake braced herself for bad news.

"Everything is accounted for, according to the clinic," Kali said.

The sting of disappointment ambushed Blake. What was wrong with her? How could she feel disappointed about that? She pushed the rogue emotion away, and focused on Kali. Her mother's ears pressed back further against her head.

"But…? What's wrong?"

Kali gave her a pained look. "Yang deserves better."

Of course… her mom saw Yang as another daughter, no wonder she was far from happy after hearing about those missing eggs.

"She does," Blake agreed. "I'm going to recommend she moves her remaining eggs to the Menagerian clinic."

"I'll send you the details, save you from having to find out their address and number." Kali tapped away at her scroll, the camera shaking a bit with every move. Blake's scroll soon buzzed.

Blake glanced at the notification. As expected, a message from her mother with the clinic's contact information. "Thanks, Mom."

"Anything and anytime." Kali still looked sad. "Blake—"

"WHAT?!" Yang roared, barely muffled by the closed door and room between them.

Blake almost dropped her scroll, upper ears pinning back. "Sorry, Mom, no idea if you heard that, but I've got to go. Love you and Dad, bye!" She hung up, pocketed her scroll, and burst into the next room.

Yang paced back and forth, scroll in hand, a thunderous scowl on her face. She spared a glance at Blake, irises red, before returning her attention to her scroll.

Blake winced. Damn it, should she have insisted on being present to support Yang while she talked to Tai?

"They're my eggs! I'm the one who should have been contacted by your company," Yang snarled. "Not my father."

Oh. Yang must have finished talking to Tai and called the egg storage company.

Blake approached, the voice of the company's representative increasingly audible to her sensitive ears.

"—sorry, ma'am, Taiyang Xiao Long is down as our primary contact, we can of course amend that if you wish."

She put an arm around Yang, who leaned into her and nuzzled her head against hers. The company rep didn't acknowledge Blake's presence; the call was voice only.

"Please do. And my sister's frozen eggs, are any of them missing?" Yang demanded. "That's Ruby Rose, she uses your company too."

The rep cleared his throat. "Unless your sister has given you documented permission to access her records, we have a duty not to share such information. The privacy and security of our clients is our number one—"

"Now you're concerned about security?! I'll be in touch to have my remaining eggs transferred somewhere safer."

"Please, ma'am, reconsider—"

"No, I won't change my mind," Yang snapped.

"Ma'am, you have a contract with us, and—"

"Contract?" A disbelieving scoff of laughter escaped Yang. "You expect me to be bound by a contract my father made on my behalf, after you lost some of my eggs? That contract is void, sir. My eggs will be removed from your 'care,' and there will be no penalty fee."

"Ma'am, our terms and conditions were agreed to, and I don't have the authority to waive the fee for immediate removal. If you would be willing to give the required notice if you absolutely insist on removal, then there would only be the processing fee. After we pay your compensation for the regrettable loss of your eggs, I'm sure you wouldn't even notice the fee."

Yang's face darkened even more as she listened to the rep, the temperature around her rising.

"It's the principle of the thing!" Yang's scroll creaked warningly in her prosthetic, and she quickly swapped it over to the hand slightly less likely to break it. "I want to speak to your manager." Her words came from between clenched teeth, and she belatedly added: "Please."

"Of course, ma'am, but she's in meetings all day. If you'd like to make an appointment…"

"Uhuh. And if I do, when will it be for?"

"Let me check… Um. How's next month?" The rep sounded sheepish.

"Next…?! I'm not leaving my eggs with your sorry excuse for a company for another day, let alone a month!" Embers crackled around Yang's hair. Blake projected her Aura to shield herself from them rather than back off to a safer distance.

"Ma'am, I just work here, it's not my company, and I promise I was not responsible for the regrettable loss of your eggs. I'm just the receptionist."

Yang sighed, the embers dying down. Her eyes faded from livid red to gentle lilac. "Right, sorry. It's not your fault. I know that, really, I'm just… A hormonal mess. It's not an excuse for taking it out on you, I'm sorry I lost my temper. I'll be coming by tomorrow to get my eggs transferred."

The receptionist's nervous gulp was audible. "Ma'am, there will be that fee, and you'll need a specialist container to safely transfer your eggs."

"Yeah, I know, thanks. I got it. I'm a huntress, I have access to Ice Dust. That'll do the trick, right?"

"I think so? I'm not a Dust expert, ma'am. I'm obliged to say that my employer accepts no responsibility for loss of eggs due to improper storage while you transport them." He sounded like he was reading from a script. With the lack of video, Blake could only assume he was.

"Yeah, yeah. I know. See ya." Yang hung up.

"I think I'd better go with you tomorrow. He'll be terrified if you show up alone." Blake kissed Yang's cheek.

"Wouldn't have it any other way." Yang kissed her back, then crossed the room to their sofa and flopped down on it. "I'd better call Ruby. Let her know what's happened, and get her to find out if her eggs are safe. Sorry, love, looks like another round in the bedroom will have to wait."

"Didn't that call ruin the mood?"

Yang grinned. "I'm sure you can help me find it again."

"And you say I'm the insatiable one." Blake settled next to her.

While Yang called Ruby, Blake checked her own scroll. Her undivided attention had been on Yang, but she'd been vaguely aware of her scroll buzzing. She found a concerned message from her mother, hoping that all was well after the sudden end of their conversation. By the time she finished typing out a reassuring message to Kali, Yang had finished.

"You could've asked me to say hi!" Blake protested.

"You were busy, Ruby understood that. Besides, she forgot about everything else after I told her about those missing eggs. She ended the call when I suggested she'd better find out if hers were safe. I think she's doing that right away."

Blake raised an eyebrow. "You're not certain?"

Yang shrugged. "You know Ruby. Even I'm not entirely sure what she says when she's talking too fast. I think it was 'gotta go do that right now bye love you' but who knows? Apart from Ruby."

"At least she won't talk too fast when calling that company. Probably."

Yang gently elbowed her. "She'll do fine, she slows down if she's asked to repeat herself."

"True. And she won't scare that poor receptionist as much as I think you did."

Yang winced. "Yeah, not my finest moment. I was trying to be civil until… Well, you heard. Definitely an idea if you're with me tomorrow."

"I'll be there. And I have a suggestion about where to move your remaining eggs."

"At the same place yours are kept? You said as much earlier, provided yours were still safe." Yang tilted her head. "Are they?"

"Yes, Mom reassured me mine are safe and sound. She sends her love, and I'm sure Dad would too if he hadn't been tied up with mayoral duties when I called."

"Good." Yang quickly typed out a message on her scroll. "Just sending mine back to her. Right, so I need to figure out how much Ice Dust I'll need to keep the eggs from thawing between Vale and Menagerie…" Yang tapped her chin thoughtfully, eyes focusing on nothing in particular.

Blake watched, smiling. She admired how Yang could calculate things like that in her head. Blake couldn't reliably do that herself without working it out on paper or her scroll.

Yang nodded slowly. "So long as there's no delays, but better have some spares just in case…" She got up and wandered through to where they still kept their Dust supplies, the safe now gathering mundane dust.

Blake followed, watching as Yang unlocked the safe and counted out Ice Dust crystals.

"Just about enough, but maybe we should get a couple more just to be safe." Yang put the Dust crystals away again. They'd be safer in their secure storage overnight than they would be in any other container.

Blake trailed after Yang as she picked out a suitable case to carry the Dust and the eggs once retrieved, and left it beside the Dust safe.

"There. A basket for my eggs." Yang's grin and finger guns were distinctly half-hearted. All because of this mess. Kali couldn't be more right: Yang deserved better than this. She deserved everything; all of the good in the world if Blake could give it to her.

Blake hugged her tight, burying a hand in Yang's mane of hair as she stroked her fingers through it.

"I'm okay," Yang muttered, hugging her back. "Just… annoyed. But hey, it could be worse! I'm glad your eggs are safe."

"Me too. I just have to wonder if it's wise to keep them all in one proverbial basket." Blake had been wondering that ever since first suggesting it. She drew back, and led Yang back to sit on the sofa together.

Yang hummed thoughtfully. "That's a good point, but something we can worry about after I've had this baby." She patted the Bumblebaby's bump. "Maybe we can look into making a few science babies, and using different clinics to store them. Just not the one I'm removing eggs from."

"Science babies!" Blake laughed. She gave Yang a boop on the nose, joining her in her newly silly mood.

"I know, I know, they'd technically be fertilised eggs and not babies yet, but 'science fertilised eggs' is a bit of a mouthful and doesn't sound as funny."

Blake sobered. Yang bringing up the topic of science babies, otherwise known as their own biological potential children… It reminded Blake of that strange disappointment she'd felt when her mother told her none of her own eggs were missing. And this time she knew the reason: it meant it was surely impossible for her to be the Bumblebaby's other biological parent. Something Blake had apparently longed for more than she'd realised. She mentally slapped herself. The Bumblebaby was still her child, no matter what.

"What's wrong?" Yang asked. She gently stroked the cat ear closest to her, making it twitch.

Blake realised her upper ears were pinned back, giving her mood away. She cringed a little. There were no secrets between them, besides what they weren't ready to talk about. Was she ready to admit to this?

Yang stroked her cheek. Blake turned her head and kissed her palm.

"It's stupid," Blake said.

"Hey, none of that. Nothing could make me think less of you." Yang rested their foreheads together for a moment.

"I know. It's still stupid." Blake sighed. "I was disappointed to hear that my eggs weren't missing, because… Because…" Her eyes dropped to Yang's belly. How could she admit what she wished for when their child was right there? Just because she wasn't the other biological parent didn't mean it was any less her child.

Yang took her hand, kissed it, and pressed it to the Bumblebaby. "I want your baby too. Biologically, I mean. But there's no reason we can't have one after our Bumblebaby is born."

Blake jerked her head up, eyes meeting Yang's. "You'd go through all this again?"

Yang's expression was somewhere between a grin and a grimace. She rubbed at the back of her head. "I know I'm not exactly having the best time being pregnant, but it's bearable. Provided Raven gives me more of that tea, and if you're sure you can deal with all my mood swings all over again."

"They're not that bad." Blake leaned closer and kissed her.

Yang smiled, reaching up to stroke a cat ear again. "That's more like it: happy Blake ears."

Sure enough, her upper ears had perked up. Blake's ear twitched under Yang's fingers again, and Blake moved her head to nuzzle it against that caressing touch.

"Even if something goes wrong during childbirth and makes it impossible for me to carry another baby… There's still surrogacy. We can still have a biological child even if neither of us can carry our science baby." Yang's smile was achingly tender.

Blake had to take a moment, swallowing hard. Her voice still wavered a bit. "If there's anything I regret as much as I do leaving you without a word after Beacon fell… It's that I can't bear any of our children myself."

Yang kissed her every bit as tenderly as her smile. "It's not your fault, and we have other options. Don't beat yourself up about it."

"But if I'd spared the time for proper treatment and not just relied on my Aura to heal me after being stabbed…"

"Blake." Yang cupped her jaw, resting a thumb on her lips. "As far as you knew, you couldn't spare the time. Out of fear of Adam. It's his fault, not yours."

"If I'd known how infection could spread from a stab here…" Blake fingered the physical scar Adam left her with. "And that my Aura alone, especially as low as it was, that it wasn't enough to prevent permanent damage…" she mumbled the words past Yang's thumb.

"Shh, love, we have other options. I'm carrying one right now." Yang patted the Bumblebaby with her free hand. "Adam can't stop us from having a houseful of kids if we want them." She moved her thumb from Blake's lips, stroking them in the process. "Although the idea of more than one baby at a time scares me."

"Likewise, one baby's intimidating enough to learn to care for. And you're right. Let's start with this one and go from there." Blake laid her hand over Yang's on her belly. "Come to think of it, how did your midwife appointment go?"

"Oh, fine." Yang smiled. "She seems competent. You'll see for yourself at the next one." Her smile faded. "Uh, she mentioned something about my birth plan, and part of it is deciding what to do about painkillers. Turns out Aura doesn't mix with painkillers, so I don't have many options. My midwife won't support a plan to break my Aura deliberately, so… I'll have to suppress it myself, and I can't use painkillers while doing that."

"There has to be another option," Blake protested. She hated the idea of Yang in that much pain, while she could do nothing but watch, and maybe hold her if Yang let her.

"Bring it up with the midwife when you meet her if you like, but you'll be told the same thing. Don't worry, I can take it."

"You shouldn't have to." Blake shifted her hand until she touched Yang's bump, without Yang's hand between her and where their child grew. "I wish you didn't have to go through that. Childbirth shouldn't be painful."

"It's not for those without activated Aura." Yang shrugged. "Another drawback of being a huntress."

Blake frowned. "Why didn't Mom tell me? She has Aura."

"Did she have it activated before or after she had you? I'm inclined to give Kali the benefit of the doubt. Raven knew for sure, and she didn't tell me."

Blake's eyes narrowed. 'Damn it, Raven. Just typical.'

"She thought I already knew, from similar things that come up during huntress training. Beacon fell before we learned that much. To give Raven some credit, she did offer to fill in the gaps in my training. Maybe the rest of team RWBY's too."

"How generous of her." Blake tried not to sound sarcastic. That was impressive progress for Raven.

"She's trying. Anyway, I'm sure you don't want to talk about Raven."

Blake didn't take the opportunity to change the subject. Not immediately. She had to give credit where it was due. "She made bonds with my parents and Weiss so she could try to save them if necessary. And she did save me."

"For which she has my undying gratitude. Nothing is more important to me than your life."

"I think this one might take precedence." Blake stroked Yang's belly.

"I don't know about precedence. Ruby is still very important to me, and always will be. Weiss too. They just kinda share the spot of very important people, y'know? I think our kid will just share the top spot with you."

"You do have a big heart. Room enough for all of us." Blake slid her hand up to rest over Yang's heart, or as close as she could get. She loved Yang's breasts just as she did all of her, but they did make it harder to make such romantic gestures. And made it almost impossible for Yang to resist joking about. Oh yes, here it came, the spark in Yang's eyes was unmistakable.

"That's my boob. They're big too." Yang winked.

Blake sighed. Oh well, she might as well make the most of this opportunity. She gently squeezed, until she paused, remembering that Yang's breasts were still sore.

"Be my guest, that's what Aura's for."

"Aura is supposed to protect you from threats. Besides, doesn't it deaden the feeling?"

"A bit. But never mind that. You want to get your revenge for this morning, don't you?" Yang grinned.

"Good point. Bedroom, now." Blake stood, holding her hand out to Yang.

Yang didn't take it, instead arching her back in a stretch. "I think you should take me there if you want to have your way with me."

"My pleasure." Blake swept Yang up in her arms into a bridal carry. Tempting as it was to fling her over her shoulder like a sack of potatoes, she had to be mindful of the Bumblebaby.

"It's not meant to be that easy to pick me up," Yang grumbled.

"I'd remind you that I threw you around regularly during huntress missions." Just because it was on the end of Gambol Shroud's ribbon didn't mean Blake couldn't feel the weight.

"…True. It's not like the Bumblebaby is all that heavy yet. At least not compared to me."

"You don't feel any heavier to me. I could do this all day." Provided she used her Aura to ease aching muscles, but Blake didn't need to add that. Yang of course already knew.

"Flatterer."

Blake dipped her head and kissed her.

AN:

Coming up next: another appointment with Midwife Upland, and a baby shower.

Comments much appreciated, it helps me keep writing.

I'm sure I'm far from the first to think that a wound that left such a scar despite Aura might have done more damage internally. Sorry Blake. I hope it helps that Adam can't rob her of her dreams of having kids, even if she can't carry them herself. I doubt Yang would really recommend pregnancy anyway, but having the choice taken away is still undoubtedly a blow, and my deepest sympathies to anyone in such a situation.