Chapter 18: Mea Culpa

"We need to talk," Ilia croaked. She swallowed hard, and tried to work some moisture back into her mouth. It had to be done; she couldn't put this off any longer, and never should have asked this of Yang to begin with. She needed to confess. But how? The words weren't coming.

Ilia stared helplessly at Blake. Would this be the last time Blake looked at her as a friend, with concern in those beautiful golden eyes? Would those cat ears soon be pinned back, instead of angled forward? Ilia blinked, her eyes catching something different: piercings for new earrings on Blake's right cat ear. There weren't any earrings in them, but small holes were definitely visible, not quite hidden by the short black fur. Wedding earring piercings? It would explain the subtle change of colour of Yang's bandana…

Had Blake got married without Ilia there? Was their friendship already so damaged by Ilia doubting Yang back when Blake visited? Ilia was afraid to ask, and it was probably a moot point anyway, after she finally managed to confess what her doubts had driven her to do. Blake wouldn't want her at the wedding, not when she found out Ilia had made Yang cry.

She might lose Blake's friendship forever. Blake's parents might never forgive her either, if they heard about it too. She'd lose them all.

Ilia's skin flickered green, and she took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down. Blake had remained perfectly friendly after setting her straight about Yang. If Blake had got married, it wasn't a personal slight against Ilia. That wasn't how Blake did things. Sure, that probably would change once Blake knew Ilia had hurt Yang by questioning her loyalty. But giving in to despair before that wouldn't help her get the words out.

"Are you okay?" Blake asked, looking even more concerned.

Ilia tried to smile. "Fine."

Blake gave her a doubtful look. "If you say so."

Ilia made what was supposed to be an affirmative hum; it came out more dubious.

Blake put a hand on Ilia's shoulder and smiled. "By the way, I don't think I thanked you for your help with finding out about Yang's missing eggs. So… thanks. We both really appreciate it."

"Happy to help," Ilia mumbled, doing her utmost to keep her telltale skin from flickering again. It wasn't easy when she felt bad about being thanked for something she'd done while trying to make amends. "It was the least I could do. Even if working with Raven was, uh, interesting. Come to that, why didn't you warn me about her?"

Blake winced. "Sorry, I know Raven can be hard to get along with. I generally don't see eye to eye with her myself."

"I meant about how Yang is Raven's spitting image, if with blonde hair instead of black. I wasn't ready for how Raven looks! I mean, damn, give a lesbian a warning about hot women, Blake! If Yang looks like Raven when she gets to that age…" Ilia trailed off with a blush, spots on her exposed skin glowing pink. She'd never talked to Blake before about the fact that Yang was hot, and it felt extremely awkward.

Blake sighed. "Don't be shallow." She gently swatted where her hand had been resting on Ilia's shoulder.

Ilia threw her arms up, exasperated. "Come off it, you have eyes too! You'll hardly complain if Yang ages that gracefully."

Blake side eyed Ilia, cat ears twitching back. "Did you try to seduce my mother-in-law? To be."

"No." Ilia blushed harder, the rest of her skin turning pink. She didn't miss the belated addition of 'to be' but wasn't about to bring it up.

Blake raised an eyebrow.

Ilia gave her a sheepish grin. "All right, all right, so the only reason I didn't try is because she's fucking scary."

"She can be. So thanks again for helping Raven look into things, despite how scary she can be."

Ilia's grin faded. "Please don't. I'd have done it anyway, but I needed to do something, because…" Her shoulders slumped. "I fucked up. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

Blake frowned. "What do you mean? I'm sure whatever it is can't be that bad…"

Ilia cringed. "Oh, it can. It is." She looked away, hands wringing; she didn't know what to do with them, other than definitely not touch Blake.

"Ilia. Look at me."

Ilia reluctantly dragged her eyes back to Blake's.

"Just tell me. It'll be okay."

Ilia shook her head vehemently. "It won't."

Blake's ears pinned back. "What did you do? What could possibly be that bad? Is this something to do with why Yang's being so weird about you at the moment? She told me to ask you when I tried to get her to talk to me about it."

Ilia wished the floor would swallow her. Even if it meant a Grimm did the devouring. She'd take that over this, especially with the reminder of the insult to injury that she'd done to Yang. Maybe it was the other way around? Either way, she'd wronged Yang by asking her not to tell Blake.

"I'm sorry." Ilia cleared her throat; her words had come out so thick they were barely intelligible. "I messed up. I really messed up."

Blake's cat ears twitched. "Just tell me what you did."

Ilia took a deep breath, attempting to steady herself. It came out more shuddering. Focused on getting the words out, she lost control over her chameleon trait, her skin turning green, and her spots blue. "It was the day after you visited me," she said haltingly.

"That was months ago!" The words exploded from Blake.

Ilia flinched. "I know I should have told you far sooner. I'm sorry—"

"I know," Blake bit out. "Stop saying you're sorry." She dragged a hand down her face. "I'm sorry I interrupted, I know you're finding this difficult to say."

Ilia winced. Blake's words were so clipped, and she'd only get madder the more Ilia revealed. Nothing else for it though…

Blake made circling gesture with her hand, encouraging Ilia to go on.

"I confronted Yang. While you were gone on that mission, the one that went wrong." Ilia could barely hear her own voice over the pounding of her heart and the hissing in her ears. She swayed, and felt like she might faint. But that would be far too merciful, and she deserved no better than witnessing Blake's reaction.

Blake's ears pinned back, her eyes narrowing. A hiss escaped between bared and clenched teeth. "You did what?!"

Ilia's skin turned the deep purple of shame. She clamped her jaw shut, swallowing another apology. Blake didn't want to hear it, and she had to respect that.

Blake jabbed a finger at her. "Yang's under too much stress as it is! She's pregnant, damn it. If anything happened to her or the baby because of you…"

"It didn't. Did it?" Ilia's skin went almost grey, reflecting her anxiety. She'd been too focused on Blake's wellbeing, and for all she knew… The baby had to be okay, right? There wouldn't be a baby shower if the subject of the celebration wasn't healthy.

"Fortunately for you, it didn't."

Ilia's skin tone ebbed back to normal with her shaky exhalation of relief. "I… Good. I'd never forgive myself if… I didn't think."

"Clearly," Blake said, voice ice cold. "You need to get to know Yang better. If you really knew her then you'd never have suspected her."

Ilia cringed enough that she felt herself become even shorter. "I want to, I just… She doesn't want anything to do with me. I can't blame her, I know, I…" She licked dry lips. "I know it's too much to ask, but could you talk to her? I don't deserve it, I know, but I just really want the chance to apologise to her. Again."

Blake shook her head. "If Yang doesn't want to see you, I can't make her."

"I know. And I respect that. But could you pass it along? Please. I really am sorry. I mean, sorry, I know you don't want to hear it again. I shouldn't have done it. I should have trusted your judgement."

Blake gave her a long hard stare. "Yes, you should have."

"It's just… all I could see was that you'd been hurt, and I needed to be sure it wasn't her fault. And it wasn't. I knew it wasn't as soon as I saw her face, after I… I hurt her more, and now you both hate me."

Blake sighed. "I'm angry with you. But I don't hate you. I can't speak for Yang. All I can say is that it's no wonder she referred to you as my friend, not hers, and didn't believe me when I tried to tell her you were our friend."

"I am," Ilia said, her voice small.

"Then act like it! We're a package deal, Ilia. You can't be my friend if you're not hers too."

"Is that healthy?" Ilia just had to open her big mouth. She flinched at the glare Blake levelled at her.

"Ordinarily I'd work around it, and not insist you have to be her friend too. But after what you did? Seriously, Ilia?"

"Sorry, I mean… I do want to be her friend. If she'll let me."

"Yang can hold a grudge," Blake said. "Especially at the moment. Her hormones are wreaking havoc on her, and she does resemble a bad tempered bear a fair amount of the time. You should have seen her when Dad accidentally got paint on her hair…"

"Ghira seems to be in one piece. So she must be, y'know, treating you right too?" Ilia winced right after the words left her mouth. She really shouldn't have said that.

Blake's face hardened. "Stop that. You can't be her friend if you doubt her like that. Her moodiness is nothing like Adam treated me. It's a temporary hiccup, and she can't help it. She hates it more than anyone."

"Sorry." Ilia slapped a hand over her mouth. She wished she had a Semblance that would let her rewind time, just so she could do it better, or at least put her foot in her mouth less often.

"You need to be more than sorry," Blake snapped. "I don't need protecting from Yang. You have to accept that."

"I know, I know, and it's no excuse, it's just… Witnessing how Adam was with you, it makes it so hard not to assume the worst with everyone."

Blake's cat ears pinned even further back. "She's nothing like him."

Ilia nodded frantically. "I know. And it's not fair on Yang, especially after how she lost her arm. Because of him."

"Not just because of him. Because of me: she was trying to protect me from him."

Ilia felt about five inches tall, instead of five feet. "I wish I'd known that."

Blake shook her head. "I shouldn't have needed to tell you. Couldn't you have just trusted me?"

Ilia hung her head. "I'm sorry." And there she went again, yet another apology after Blake told her to stop.

Blake sighed. "You didn't trust me because of everything with Adam. I can't really blame you, I didn't trust my own judgement for too long after that. But that he was abusive wasn't my fault. The only thing I regret is leaving my parents in the first place. Although would I have met Yang if I hadn't…"

Ilia flinched. "Does that mean you regret being friends with me?"

"Not the best time to ask," Blake snapped. She winced when she met Ilia's gaze. "Sorry, that was harsh. I need time… I do want to be friends again. But Yang needs to forgive you first."

Ilia tried to get a grip on her emotions, tried not to let it show on her skin. Blake didn't need to see her mottled sadness and remorse; it'd feel like guilt tripping. "I understand. And I'll do all I can to help you both. I would anyway, but…"

"You feel bad," Blake stated.

"I do. I, uh, I can't do much more to help find…" Ilia looked around, checking Kali was nowhere near. "You know, the culprit. Not alone. If we brought the White Fang in, then I'm sure we'd find them."

Blake gave her a very unhappy look, after checking for herself that her parents were still outside. "But my parents would find out."

"Well… yeah."

Blake shook her head. "I can't do that. You know why: it would break their hearts."

"Then if you'll still let me, I can help guard the baby after the birth, and catch the bastard if they try to steal him or her. At least your parents will understand the necessity, even if they don't know the full story."

Ilia couldn't help it. Her eyes flicked to Blake's right cat ear, and the subtle signs of the new piercings there. She didn't know the story behind those, and now Blake was even less likely to share it, now that she knew how badly Ilia had fucked up.

Blake sighed, and the cat ear Ilia stared at flicked. "You noticed."

Ilia shrugged. "Being observant is part of my job. Besides, there's also the telltale change in colour with Yang's bandana. It used to be a slightly different shade of purple." She cleared her throat, hugging herself. "I know I have no right to complain after what I did, but… were you going to tell me?"

"Eventually. At the wedding reception with our other friends, if not before. The idea was that we'd have a cute Bumblebaby with us to soften the blow." Blake's eyes flicked towards the window again, checking where her parents were. "It's nothing personal. We eloped so I'd legally be the other parent."

"You didn't invite me. I'm guessing because Yang didn't want me there. I understand."

Blake shook her head. "No, because it was close family only."

"Wasn't I family? I mean, I know I messed up, Yang wouldn't have wanted me there…"

Blake frowned. "You're one of my best friends. Or will be again, given time."

"One of," Ilia echoed sadly. "You're my one and only best friend."

Blake threw her hands up. "What do you want me to claim? That Yang's not my best friend as well as everything else she is to me? That Weiss isn't one of my best friends too?"

Ilia bit her lip. "Was Weiss there?"

"Yes. Why?"

"She's not family," Ilia stated.

Blake gave her an odd look. "She is. Ilia, she's Ruby's partner. Romantically, not just as a huntress. She's essentially Yang's sister-in-law. Mine too, now."

Ilia blinked. "I thought Ruby wasn't interested in sex. That's what she told me, the only time I came on to her. I thought she was telling the truth, but apparently not."

Blake smacked the back of Ilia's head. "Being asexual doesn't mean romance is impossible."

Ilia rubbed where Blake had hit, more on instinct than to soothe any ache; it hadn't been hard. "I had that coming," she muttered. "Sorry."

"Ilia," Blake growled.

"Enough sorries, I know." Ilia swallowed another apology. "I'd better go."

Blake looked away, at the closed door to her bedroom. Presumably where Yang had disappeared off to, unless she was in the baby's room. Blake nodded slowly. "Yeah. Yang needs time. I'll be in touch, this is a temporary rift between us." She gestured between herself and Ilia. "It'll heal."

Ilia tried and failed to speak. She wiped at her eyes. Once again, her skin was stained with the green of her sadness.

Blake patted her shoulder. "Yang will forgive you. It just might take a while, especially with how her moods can be at the moment. But she'll get back to normal after the birth."

"I hope you're right. It's more than I deserve."

Blake swatted her. "You had good intentions. You're just a little too protective of me, and now you know better. Don't get me wrong, I'm angry with you right now, but I still don't want to hear you beating yourself up."

Ilia rubbed her shoulder. "That's your job."

Blake's eyes narrowed. "Ilia. Get out of here."

"I'm going, I'm going! Um. Can I have a hug?"

Blake crossed her arms. "After Yang forgives you. Besides, I give you one now and I might hug like an Ursa."

"Or like your dad." Ilia couldn't help it. The words came out, bypassing her brain.

"Worse than my dad," Blake said, deadly serious.

Ilia backed away. She paused to compose herself; she needed to be able to say her farewells to the others without being green. "Bye. I'm sorry. Sorry, it slipped out… I know you didn't want any more of them. But I really am."

"Bye for now, Ilia. And you'd better be…"

Ilia blanched at the ominous tone of Blake's voice. She decided her skin was close enough to her normal flesh tone, and fled outside.

Blake poked her head around the bedroom door. While she could see perfectly well in the dark, she still had to wait a moment for her eyes to adjust, the room lit only by light creeping around the door and the curtains.

Yang waved from where she lay on the bed, curled around the pregnancy pillow. "Hey."

Blake slipped inside, closing the door behind her. "Sorry, hope I didn't wake you."

Yang shook her head, the movement rustling against the pillow. "Nope, I just hadn't got around to getting up. Woke up maybe five minutes ago?" She yawned. "I dunno, what's the time?"

"You've been in here just under an hour. Clean up's finished, the hired chairs are ready to be collected."

"Mmm. I feel kinda bad I didn't help with clearing up," Yang muttered.

Blake walked over, sat beside her wife, and slid a hand into her hair, stroking her scalp. "You needed a nap. Don't think Mom wouldn't have chased you off the moment she saw how tired you were if you'd tried to help."

Yang grumbled incoherently. She sighed, relaxing against Blake's caressing hand. "She would've, wouldn't she."

"Without a doubt. So would Ruby and Weiss, and Dad would have strongly suggested you rest."

"But not Ilia," Yang stated.

Blake froze. After a moment she returned to stroking Yang's hair. "No. Ilia wouldn't have dared say a word to you. But she would've made sure I did."

Yang gave a noncommittal hum.

"She's gone now, after telling me what she did," Blake said. "I'm sorry. If I hadn't told her the truth about how the pregnancy happened… It's my fault."

Yang rolled over, taking Blake's hand in the process. Her eyes found Blake's, the dim light apparently enough for her to see that much. "Don't. She's your friend, and I'm glad she has your back."

Blake blinked. "You forgive her?"

Yang winced. "Not yet, but give me time. I'll get there, for you."

Blake raised Yang's hand to her lips, kissing it. "I don't want you to do it for me."

Yang side eyed her. For a moment she looked an awful lot like Raven, who often gave Blake the same unimpressed glance. "Tough." Her eyes softened, and Blake couldn't see Raven in her any more. That was her Yang, love for Blake shining in her eyes. "I'd do anything for you."

Blake felt her upper ears flick back. "I told her I couldn't forgive her until you did."

"I figured." Yang gave her a serious look. "Just because I'm doing it for you doesn't mean I'm under any pressure to do it or anything like that, so don't even think it."

"But that's what it feels like! I want you to do it because you're ready to, not because you want me to be happy."

Yang tugged Blake down until she could kiss her. "I do want you to be happy, but what bothered me most was keeping it secret from you. Yeah, Ilia doubting me hurt, but I've had worse. I'm glad she told you. Finally."

"She was scared."

Yang grumbled under her breath.

"I'm not saying that excuses it, only that it explains why it took her so long. And thanks for doing that for her. I know you don't like keeping anything from me."

Yang frowned. "Didn't do it for her. I did it for your friendship with her."

"I know." Blake gave in to the urge to kiss her. "And I appreciate that. I told her you'd get there with forgiveness eventually. Not because you owe it to her, or to me, but just because that's who you are. It's not like Ilia tried to kill either of us, or any of our loved ones. She hasn't done anything unforgivable, although I'll admit I need time before I can forgive her hurting you."

"It was just my feelings that got hurt. No big deal."

Blake gave Yang a stern look. She wasn't sure how well it got across in the dim light. "Your feelings matter. Don't 'just' me, honey."

"Look, how about this: I admit it'll take a while before I can consider her a friend. But she's still yours. Don't feel you have to be distant with her just because I'm not ready to forgive yet."

"I'd rather wait to reconcile with Ilia until you can forgive her. Don't worry, I'm still going to stay in touch with her. Our friendship will recover, I don't want you worrying about 'causing' a rift between Ilia and me. Remember, it's her actions behind this rough patch in my friendship with her."

"I know," Yang muttered.

"And she offered again to help guard the baby after the birth."

Yang hummed thoughtfully. "I'd trust her to do that. You mean a lot to her, which means the baby will too. Even without, y'know…" She glanced towards the door, presumably all too aware that they might be within Kali's hearing. "And the more people we have to guard the baby, the less likely it is that some bastard could kidnap them."

"If all else fails there's Raven."

"Yeah, but I'd really rather not have our baby kidnapped."

Blake's eyes narrowed. Did she really have to say anything? It should be obvious she didn't want that either.

Yang either saw her reaction or felt her tense. She hastily added: "I know, I know, you're with me there."

"Glad to hear it," Blake drawled.

Yang stretched. "I should get up."

"You don't have to. There's nothing stopping you from resting more."

Yang rolled her eyes. "Let me rephrase: I want to get up."

"In that case…" Blake gave Yang a hand, steadying her onto her feet. The last thing she wanted was to see Yang fall again.

Blake helped Yang find her clothes. As huntresses they could sleep when fully clothed, but that didn't mean they did so in their own home. Or at all if they could possibly avoid it. Sleeping naked or in comfy pyjamas was a silver lining to being benched.

Redressed, Yang delved in her pocket. She paused. "You said Ilia had gone, right?"

"Yes. It's just us, my parents, Ruby and Weiss still here."

"Here." Yang held out Blake's wedding earrings.

"Ilia spotted the piercings anyway. I don't think anyone else did. She knows we eloped. I think she was hurt, but she understood." Blake sighed. "Anyway, help me put them back on and I'll help you with yours." She patted her own pocket, double-checking Yang's earrings were still there.

They soon had their earrings back where they belonged, and Yang helped Blake put her bandana back on too.

Blake smiled, stroking the silk. "It felt wrong without this."

"Same. I mean, I know I kept my bandana on, but I felt naked without the earrings."

Blake opened her mouth to say that Yang had no problem being naked, but that wasn't true around their friends unless it was just to make Weiss suffer, and definitely wasn't the case around Blake's parents. Yang also wasn't exactly happy with her body at the moment, even if she had fresh determination to change that.

Yang kissed her cheek. "I'm flattered but really not in the mood. Maybe later."

Blake didn't protest that it wasn't what she'd almost said. It was still true: she definitely wouldn't mind seeing Yang naked again.

"Besides, we still have guests, and I just remembered we have some gifts we haven't opened yet. C'mon." Yang held out her hand.

It took a bit of work to unearth the basket from Raven, tucked behind several other gifts packed into the Bumblebaby's room. Yang glared towards the sign on the door; she'd almost mentally inserted the '(s)' no thanks to Ruby. She gave her bump a suspicious look. There'd better be no more than one baby in there, or else… Or else what?

Yang shook her head. They'd raise every baby they had, with all the love and attention they had. It was just that they'd panic about it first. Not many things scared Yang, but it turned out one of them was having more than one baby to take care of at a time. She took a steadying breath and picked up the basket. It'd do as a distraction from scaring herself with thoughts about having twins. Or maybe even triplets—

'Nope! Distraction. Now.'

"Raven dropped this off." Yang tapped a finger against the basket's handle. "I think you were busy at the snack table."

Blake nodded. "That's right. It didn't seem fair to leave all the supervising to my parents. Especially with certain friends demolishing snacks."

"Bottomless pits," Yang muttered, her tone affectionate. "I didn't get around to looking in the basket when I got it, Raven left too soon."

"Well, then let's take it into sitting room and see what she gave for the baby."

"There's other gifts to open up too." Yang pointed at the box from Tai, and the one brought by Robyn and May. "It'd be easier to do those in here."

"Then I'll go get a chair. You're sitting down, no argument." Blake darted out and returned with the chair, quickly enough to have used her Semblance.

Yang shrugged and sat down. Her feet were still sore, despite the nap. "Thanks."

Blake knelt in front of Yang, tugged her slippers off, and started massaging her feet. "I meant to do this earlier. Sorry."

Yang moaned, her head falling back against the chair. It almost sounded like it belonged in the bedroom. "You're not allowed to apologise when you're doing this for me. Such a relief, y'know? Thank you."

"Anytime." Blake carried on the foot massage with practiced hands. "I noticed Raven arrive and leave. Those portals are hard to miss, especially for my ears." Blake's cat ears pinned back, betraying her disapproval that Raven had left so soon after arriving.

"She's under doctor's orders to rest, I think she was pushing it to come at all," Yang said.

"Oh. Sorry. Perhaps I need to give Raven more benefit of the doubt… So what's in the basket?"

"Let's find out…" Yang hesitated, hand clutching the tissue paper, ready to pull it away to reveal the contents of the basket. "Maybe after you finish the foot massage?"

"Feel free to go ahead, you can describe it to me and I can take a look after I'm done."

"Blake. Without being remotely sexual, this is still almost as distracting as bedroom stuff." Yang wriggled her feet a bit in Blake's hands. "I'll wait."

"In that case, glad to hear it." Blake glanced up at her, smiling.

Yang stroked her bump. The baby was moving a bit, but far from outright kicking. "I think it relaxes the Bumblebaby too."

"You've mentioned that before," Blake murmured. "Too bad it doesn't last long, or it might help you sleep better."

Blake kept the massage going as long as she could, hands glowing slightly purple as she used her Aura to strengthen them. Aura unfortunately had its limits though, or Yang wouldn't need massages in the first place. Blake slowed her kneading down to stroking, and put Yang's slippers back on.

Yang reached down, tugging Blake up until she could kiss her. "Thanks."

"Anytime." Blake peered down at the basket. "I have to admit I'm curious about what's in there."

"Me too." Yang swept the tissue paper off, revealing knitted baby clothes and carved wooden toys. She carefully inspected a tiny sock, and then each of the little wooden people: stylised and simplified as they were, she recognised team STRQ. Raven had even included her and Qrow's bird forms.

"Raven didn't buy these anywhere, did she," Blake stated, looking at each gift after Yang. "They don't look like anything you'd find in shops. I mean, they're well made, but there's something about them…"

"I know what you mean, and I don't think so. Unless she commissioned them from artisans. Oh, there's a note." Yang finally spotted it, buried at the bottom of the basket. It was in Raven's handwriting, not something she'd often seen, but still recognisable. "'Made by Grandma Raven.'"

Blake's cat ear perked up. "She made them herself? I had no idea she knew how to knit, or carve wood."

"Neither did I. She's really leaning into this grandmother thing."

"Count me impressed." Blake carefully laid the last toy, the little raven, back into the basket.

Yang got her scroll out, typing a thank you message to Raven. She included Blake's words, from herself as well. It was impressive.

Raven: You're welcome. Let me know if my grandchild needs anything else.

Yang glanced around the gifts piled up in the baby's room, including all the duplicates.

Yang: Pretty sure we have everything we need, but will do.

She put her scroll away and pointed at a box. "That's the one from the Happy Huntresses."

Blake eyed it. "I think I can get it. Don't move."

Yang sighed. "I know, I know, no heavy lifting for me. I only pointed out the box, didn't I? I'm being a good girl."

"My good girl." Blake's words came out in a sultry purr as she stroked a finger along Yang's jaw.

Yang blushed. She wasn't in the mood for sex, but Blake still had an undeniable effect on her. "Yours."

Blake chuckled, kissing Yang's burning cheek. "Later. When you're ready. For now, let's see what four huntresses managed to put together."

With a bit of muttered cursing, Blake got the box out and in front of Yang. It was a wonder there was any floor space left in the Bumblebaby's room.

Yang pried the box open with her prosthetic, and Blake helped her lift the cot out. Robyn and May's description had been accurate; it wobbled as soon as it was set down on the floor. Blake dug out the wedges the Happy Huntresses had included, and with a bit of trial and error figured out which legs needed them.

"They're definitely not the Happy Carpentresses, but it's the thought that counts," Yang said.

"It is, and it's better than I could do. Send them a thank you from me while I get that other unopened box out." Blake pointed at the box Ruby had brought for Tai in his absence.

Yang sighed. "Okay." The 'no heavy lifting' thing wasn't getting any easier for her to bear, even when she cooperated. She missed her weights, damn it! Yang reluctantly got out her scroll and sent a suitably grateful thank you to the Happy Huntresses. There was no reply, but that was to be expected with how Robyn and May had to leave early, and how Fiona and Joanna couldn't even make it to the baby shower.

Blake set the box down in front of Yang. "Who's this one from?"

"Dad. He sent it with Ruby."

Blake swatted her own forehead. "I should've realised. Everyone else's gift has been opened."

"Hey, it's no big deal. It's been a lot to keep track of. Anyway, let's see what Dad made. After clearing a bit of space, knowing my dad this will be bigger on the inside."

"I remember that tube he sent your dog to Beacon in, with all those tins… Zwei alone was bigger than the package." Blake carefully stacked the cot from the Happy Huntresses on top of the one from Jaune. "Do you think this is enough floor space?"

"It'll do. I hope." Yang opened the box.

The furniture burst out. Blake caught it just before it hit Yang in the face.

"Thanks, but my Aura was up. I'd have been fine." Yang pushed down her irritation. It wasn't like she had any legs to stand on when it came to being a little overprotective of those she loved.

"All the same, I'd rather not see you take a crib to the nose." Blake set Tai's handiwork down onto the floor.

Yang glanced at it. "That's a cot. It's bigger than a crib."

"The crib's inside it. I pushed it back in there." Blake reached into the cot and lifted out the crib.

"Oh. Well, we have no shortage of cots and cribs." Yang counted them on her fingers. What was it, three of each now?

"We can worry about that later. Let's take a closer look at these. There's a chair too." Blake picked it up from where it had fallen, knocked back when the cot and crib were launched towards Yang. "They're beautifully carved. There's our emblems, and bees… He definitely heard about Ruby's nickname for the baby."

"Ruby made sure 'Bumblebaby' would stick." Yang tried out the chair Tai had made. She rocked back in it. "A rocking chair… Comfy."

"Mom has one, she mentioned they're good for breastfeeding, and hers was sometimes the only thing that would get me to sleep as a baby. It just about fit Dad too, he'd sit in it for hours, rocking back and forth with me." Blake smiled fondly.

"Summer had one too, Dad made it for her. I wonder if this is the same one, or if he made another…" Yang inspected the arms. "I don't see the burnt patches from my tantrums. I probably can't ask him, it's a painful topic, just like anything connected with—" Damn it. The tears burned in her eyes, and her throat wouldn't let any more words out.

Blake took her hand and squeezed. "Painful for both of you. But it's good to remember her, even when it hurts."

Yang nodded. "I never want to forget her," she choked out.

Blake stroked away the tear spilling down Yang's cheek. Yang leaned into her hand, letting her eyes slide shut until the loss of Summer faded back into the usual background ache.

"I'm fine," Yang murmured, turning her head to kiss Blake's hand. "I have you."

"Always." Blake rested her forehead against Yang's.

Yang nuzzled their noses together. "Always. We made vows and everything." She reached up and touched the earrings piercing Blake's right cat ear.

"We did." Blake fingered the earrings in Yang's right ear. She drew away, smiling. "Anyway, back to the furniture admiring… You said Tai made these himself?" Blake stroked the smooth wood. "This is professional quality."

Yang nodded. "Ruby said he did, yeah. Even if she hadn't, I can't imagine he'd let anyone else to do it for him. If Dad wasn't a teacher and huntsman, he could work as a carpenter. He built the family home, and a lot of those skills transfer to making furniture. That said, Dad should never be allowed to put cabinets up. Even if I'm pretty sure Qrow had something to do with that disaster in the kitchen…"

"Why were they never lowered to a more sensible height?" Blake asked.

"Dad thinks it's funny to have to climb onto the counters to get anything out of them. He felt bad about that after I lost my arm, but not bad enough to lower them." Yang shrugged. "To be fair, I insisted on being independent and reaching things myself. He paid the price with replacing the glasses and crockery I sometimes dropped until I got used to being all left." She waved with her flesh and blood hand.

"Yang," Blake groaned, covering her eyes with a hand. "I'm going to find a home for these—" She patted the cot and crib, "—and you're going to thank Tai. Tell him what I said about the quality."

"Your wish is my command," Yang drawled, getting out her scroll again. "I was going to thank him anyway, what kind of ungrateful brat do you take me for?"

"I'm sure you were," Blake said. "And you're only a bit of brat sometimes in the bedroom."

"That's you, not me. Brat." Yang stuck her tongue out.

Blake raised an eyebrow. "I'm talking about you, not me. And don't stick that out at me unless you intend to use it, or you're just teasing."

Yang caught Blake's hand and kissed it. "Consider it a promise." She licked Blake's hand and laughed when her wife recoiled.

"Yang! Ew!"

"You like it when we kiss with tongue, and when I lick you between—"

"That's different, especially when my parents might be within earshot! At least I said 'good girl' quietly. Go on with you, message Tai, and stop distracting me." Blake huffed, picking up the cot and stepping out of Yang's reach.

Yang cringed at the thought of Blake's parents overhearing bedroom talk, and obediently typed out the message.

Yang: Thanks for the baby furniture, Carpenter Dad, Blake said it's professional quality and she's right! Nice carvings too, I can see Ruby's influence with the bees. By the way, I'm sitting in the rocking chair right now, it's so comfy!

She didn't expect an instant reply; Tai was busy, it was why he wasn't here. Yang almost dropped the scroll when she got one anyway.

Dad: You're welcome, it was the least I could do. Sorry I couldn't be there today, I'm sneaking on my scroll right now, I'll probably get in trouble, but worth it. Barty and Peter say hi, and congratulations. You remember that's their first names, right? Oobleck and Port from Beacon in case you need reminding. Goodwitch says—

Dad: I'm definitely in trouble with Goodwitch. I'm sure she'll send her congratulations to you.

Yang: Dad, get off your scroll, this can wait!

Dad: Love you too, sunny little dragon! How was the baby shower?

Yang sighed. She'd better take the distraction away from him by not responding further.

Yang: Stay safe damn it Dad! Gotta go thanks bye love you x

She rolled up her scroll.

"I think that's stable…" Blake cautiously stepped back from the pile of baby furniture, hands raised in front of her as if warding off a wild animal.

"At least organising everything can wait," Yang said.

"Can it?" Blake asked. "It might make sense to send some things with Ruby and Weiss, and with my parents. For them to use while babysitting in their own homes."

"That would mean we'd have a use for the duplicates…" Yang stroked her chin thoughtfully, rocking in her chair. The only problem was deciding which things to keep at home, and hopefully avoid offending anyone. She eyed the mountain of gifts. "They were given the list of things we needed, right?"

"Yes, I made sure of that myself," Blake said.

"We have generous friends and family, it's just…" Yang trailed off with a wince.

Blake sighed. "It's a little clear most of them didn't communicate. Of course they wouldn't have wanted to spoil the surprise by telling me, but they could have checked among themselves." Her cat ears lowered. "It feels ungrateful to complain."

Yang couldn't argue with that. "Yeah, and it's our fault more than theirs. Maybe we should've taken Kali up on her offer to organise more than just the catering."

Blake smiled sheepishly. "Hindsight is perfect."

Yang shrugged. "Oh well. I'm sure everything will come in useful, even the duplicates." She turned, looking over the back of the chair, suddenly aware of Weiss sidling up to them.

Weiss took their hands, shamefaced. "I'm so sorry," she said quietly. "I should have organised a gift registry for your baby shower. So many duplicates… It's all my fault!"

"No," Blake chorused with Yang. They exchanged a look, and Blake gestured at Yang to speak first.

"You've been busy on missions," Yang said. "It's on us, not you. Anyway, uh…" She rubbed at the back of her head. "What's a registry?"

A glance at Blake proved she was equally baffled.

"I see neither of you read all of my backup binder on your wedding plans," Weiss muttered, rolling her eyes. She huffed. "Nevermind. The weddings you've been to so far must've asked for charitable donations instead, so how would you know? A digital gift registry is made with links to shops selling things you'd like as gifts for an event like a wedding or baby shower, and removes them from the list when bought. No duplicates, provided people use the registry." Weiss glanced outside, at the shrub Sun and Neptune had accidentally taken out when fighting for the last morsel from the snack table. "Not that everyone would, naming no names."

"Don't worry about it," a soft voice murmured, right next to them.

Yang almost jumped. Within her the baby kicked vigorously, reacting to her surprise. Beside her, Blake's cat ears went bolt upright, the fur on them standing on end. Weiss went for her waist, where Myrtenaster would normally be sheathed. She must've left it by the front door; she'd been wearing it earlier. A sigh of relief escaped them all when they recognised Kali, an amused smile on her lips.

"Duplicates don't really matter with things for a baby. Spares are always useful, even for things you think you only need one of," Kali explained.

"I was thinking that maybe you could take a cot and crib and maybe some of the other duplicates home with you, to use for babysitting," Blake said. "You too, Weiss."

Weiss blinked. "Wouldn't we come to your home to babysit while you two went out?"

"When it's just for one night, sure, but for longer than that? I think it makes sense for the baby to come to you," Yang said.

"We'd be happy to have our grandbaby for longer stays." Kali turned to the door and raised her voice: "Wouldn't we, Ghira?"

"Hmm?" Ghira poked his head around the door, hair brushing the ceiling.

"We can set up a grandbaby's room at home for our babysitting services, can't we, dear?" Kali tapped his chest.

Ghira nodded. "Of course, although if I finally manage to step down as chieftain, we'll have to make sure we move somewhere with a spare room. We'll need to get some furniture too."

Blake gestured at a stack of cots. "The idea is you'd take one of ours. We have enough of the things for you, and Ruby and Weiss to take a set each. And blankets and baby clothes."

"That's true. It'd clear space for the nappies," Ghira mused, scratching his beard.

"For the what, sorry?" Weiss asked.

"Diapers to an Atlesian," Kali said.

"Is there room for me in there?" Ruby called.

Ghira stepped aside, letting Ruby slip past.

"No wonder you're not in here," Ruby said to Ghira. "There's barely space for me!"

"There'll be room soon enough."

Ruby stared around the cluttered baby's room. "How?"

Weiss pointed at a cot. "We'll relieve Blake and Yang of some gifts so the baby—"

"Bumblebaby," Ruby corrected.

Weiss rolled her eyes, but a fond smile slipped out. "So the Bumblebaby can stay with us sometimes."

"That makes sense! Do we get to choose?" Ruby eyed the cot from Tai, reaching out to fondle the carvings.

Weiss swatted her. "No. That's not our choice to make."

"It's okay, Weiss. Dad's handiwork can be represented here by this rocking chair." Yang stroked the smooth wood of the chair arms under her hands. "Go on, Ruby, take the cot and crib from Dad. I know you'll treasure them just as much as I do." She tried to keep how much of a wrench it was to part with them out of her voice.

"Are you sure?" Ruby asked. "Why not at least keep the crib?"

"Because Ren made one too, and I know which Dad would tell me to use."

Ruby smiled. "Yeah, come to think of it, he would. He'd want you to use Ren's if it came down to a choice between their handiwork. At least this way the Bumblebaby will use all of the cribs and cots, just the ones here more than the others."

"We could move them all around, take it in turns so they all get used the same amount. I'll draw up a rota." Weiss got out her scroll.

"Good idea!" Yang grinned, making finger guns at Weiss. It'd be a relief not to feel ungrateful or worry about offending someone.

Weiss sniffed. "Of course it is. Organisation is one of my specialities." She was clearly trying her best to look impassive, but couldn't help looking pleased at the compliment.

"For now let's send Tai's masterpieces back with Ruby and Weiss, and you can take the cot made by the Happy Huntresses, Dad." Blake pointed at it. "Don't forget the wedges. There should be two of them around here somewhere…" She frowned at the floor, pointing. "They were right there."

"And now they're here." Kali held up the wedges and put them inside the cot for safekeeping. "The rest of us will have to move before Ghira can get to it."

"We might need to get a crib," Ghira said from the doorway. "I don't think you were given a third one." He pointed at the pile of furniture. "Cribs: one, two."

"No, there's one from Ren, the Schnees and Penny, and Tai." Blake counted them on her fingers. "You just can't see the one from Tai because it's inside the cot."

"Ah. My mistake," Ghira murmured.

"It helps simplify the rota that there's three cots and three cribs," Weiss said.

"Ghira, dear, shoo." Kali flapped her hands at him.

Ghira backed away, allowing Kali to get by.

"Come on, everyone out!" Kali ordered.

Yang stood and promptly swayed. Blake steadied her. After a few deep breaths, the world stopped moving, and Yang could walk without the floor coming up to meet her. Blake followed close behind, and Yang didn't argue when her wife encouraged her to sit on the sofa.

They watched Ghira move the furniture to be temporarily relocated for babysitting services, Weiss and Ruby pointing out the chosen cribs and cots.

Yang's jaw dropped when the Belladonnas shifted a pile of nappies into the baby's room that surely wouldn't fit, even with some of the furniture removed.

"Uh. Thanks, Mom and Dad, but… Do we really need that many?" Blake looked just as dumbfounded as Yang felt.

"It's amazing how many a baby will go through," Kali said. "Chances are you'll need more."

"That reminds me…" Ghira fished a slip of paper out of a pocket and handed it to Blake. "Just in case you still need anything that hasn't been given in the baby shower."

Yang peered at the piece of paper. As she suspected from Ghira's words, it was a blank cheque: signed by Ghira, and the amount left blank.

"Dad, no, you're already giving us the nappies and babysitting services," Blake protested.

"And? We'd do that anyway." Ghira gently closed Blake's hand around the cheque. "Take it. And promise me you'll use it if you need to."

Blake exchanged an unhappy look with Yang.

"You know he'll only leave blank cheques hidden around the house if you don't," Kali said. "You'll find one as a bookmark. In all of your books. He'll do it."

Blake groaned. "Fine! Just don't do that."

"I'll be right back, because I definitely didn't already do that…" Ghira wandered off, whistling innocently.

Blake glared at his back as he sidled up to a bookshelf.

Yang's scroll buzzed.

"That better not be Dad living dangerously," Yang muttered. She unrolled it, poking the message notification, eyeing it suspiciously. "He needs to focus, damn it—Oh."

An apologetic message from Midwife Upland, rearranging her next appointment. It seemed Doc wanted to be there for the next scan again, but couldn't make it to the appointment that had been scheduled.

"Oh?" Blake asked.

"Next scan's delayed so Doc can be there. Just by a couple of days."

"Will you settle Nora's bet?" Ruby asked. "I mean, as far as it can be settled before my nibling says otherwise."

"Depends how shy the baby's feeling," Yang said. "Besides, Nora can wait for her cookies."

"I can't!" Ruby whined.

"How many cookies did you have today?" Weiss asked.

"Lost count, why? You know I can never have enough! And they'll taste all the better for being won from Nora!"

"You might end up owing Nora cookies," Weiss said.

Ruby shuddered. "Nope, not going to happen."

"What will you do if your nibling wants cookies?" Blake smirked.

"Oh no, competition…" Ruby mumbled, eyeing Yang's bump. She took a deep breath, face pained. "I'd… I'd share."

"And if the Bumblebaby wants all the cookies, just like their aunt?" Yang should probably have felt bad about making her sister suffer, but it was only cookies.

Ruby wiped a tear away. "I'd be proud. And hide a few for me to have after their bedtime."

"At least you don't have to worry about potentially being deprived of cookies until the baby's old enough for them," Weiss pointed out.

Ruby brightened. "That's right! They don't have teeth at first!"

"Technically they do, they're just hidden under the gums," Kali said. "But Weiss is right: no cookies for the baby until they're a toddler."

Ruby cheered.

Yang smirked. "Babies can have strawberries sooner than cookies, right?"

Kali nodded. "Of course, especially when mushed up."

Ruby choked. "Cookies are the limit! I'm not sharing my strawberries with anyone!"

"Not even me?" Weiss gave Ruby a look sadder than puppy eyes.

Ruby staggered back. "Gah! Don't look at me like that!"

Weiss raised an eyebrow. "You frequently use puppy eyes on me, Ruby Rose."

"There's puppy eyes, and there's whatever you just inflicted on me," Ruby whined. "It made me feel like I'd just kicked something cuter than a puppy."

"Kitten eyes," muttered Blake.

"Can confirm, you looked sadder than Zwei ever does," Yang said.

"Whose side are you even on?" Weiss grumbled. "We'd joined forces against your greedy sister, hadn't we?"

"At the moment? My own. Ask me again when I'm not heavily pregnant and suffering from that." Yang touched her bump, giving it a sulky glare. Oh, she loved her Bumblebaby, but she definitely didn't love what the wriggly menace was putting her body through. She'd probably murder the next person who told her to enjoy sleep while she could. Doc had told her to nap during the day when necessary for a reason…

"It does sound like you're having a rough time," Weiss admitted. "I'm sure you haven't even told us everything, being you."

"Being me? What's that supposed to mean?" Yang barely managed to keep from snapping the words out.

Blake put a hand on Yang's. "It means you sometimes don't even tell me about what's bothering you if you're not ready to talk about it. You don't like troubling your loved ones."

"I guess," Yang grumbled. She flopped back on the sofa. "I already had a nap and all I want to do is crawl back into bed."

"It's been a busy day," Kali said. "I think it's time we left you in peace. You need all the rest you can get."

A surge of annoyance left Yang reeling. Kali meant well, Yang knew. She closed her eyes to keep burning red irises hidden, and clamped her mouth shut. She'd only feel worse afterwards if she lashed out verbally. But it wasn't Kali's place! Yang hadn't seen her sister or Weiss in person for too long. She didn't want them to leave yet. So what if it was exhausting?

Blake stroked Yang's hand, and Yang swore she could feel her wife's concerned gaze. "Thanks, Mom, Dad. It's always lovely to see you, and thanks for doing the catering, it made things so much easier. But Ruby and Weiss are staying for dinner, maybe even overnight."

"We are?" Ruby muttered. She squeaked.

"We are," Weiss confirmed. Chances were she'd elbowed Ruby. "Team RWBY was last under the same roof at the wedding before today, and that's unacceptable. That Ruby and I have been so busy is no excuse."

"We'll leave you to catch up," Ghira said.

Yang blinked her eyes open, once she felt the telltale burn fade. "Thanks." She stood up. Too fast. Damn—

Blackness swallowed her.

She found herself back on the sofa when consciousness returned, seconds later. Concerned faces crowded around.

"I'm fine, it's a pregnancy thing." Yang waved dismissively.

Kali nodded. "I remember. How many times did I find myself on the floor, Ghira?"

Ghira shuddered. "Too many. I tried to be close enough to catch you every time, but…"

Kali patted his arm. "You couldn't be there all the time. Besides, Blake turned out fine. She was well padded, just as her baby is now."

"The midwife did say the baby would be getting plumper by the day now," Blake said.

"That's good, while the baby might survive if Yang went into labour right now, it's not ideal before the baby's developed more," Weiss said. "I've been reading up about it," she added, after receiving some questioning looks. "I was curious. Ruby and I have talked about having kids in the future, but with everything I've read, and from what I've witnessed Yang go through… We might just adopt."

"We thought about adopting too, after having Blake, but our attention was always taken up by our work. First for the White Fang, then for Menagerie… It didn't seem fair. Blake already deserved more of our time than she got, and dividing it further with another child? It also felt wrong while we were estranged, like it'd be replacing her." Kali shuddered.

Ghira put an arm around his wife.

Blake gave her parents a sad look, cat ears lowered.

Kali shook her head. "Anyway, back to what I was talking about: I meant the baby is cushioned within the womb by amniotic fluid."

"Didn't you tell me it was amnesiac fluid?" Ruby muttered to Weiss.

Yang chuckled. "That might explain why no one can remember being babies…"

Weiss sighed. "Never change, Ruby. Amnesiac means forgetting, as you may have gathered from what your sister just said."

Ruby shrugged. "So I mix up similar sounding words sometimes! That's why I have you to correct me."

Weiss poked Ruby's cheek. "Yes, and it's part of your charm. I meant it when I said never change."

"Oh, good." Ruby poked Weiss back. "So why does no one remember being a baby?"

"Pretty sure it's to do with the brain's development or lack thereof at that point," Blake said.

Ruby's face fell. "The Bumblebaby isn't going to remember being a Bumblebaby."

"No, but we'll remember for them. With adorable baby pictures to show off later in life." Yang grinned, waving her scroll. "I upgraded the storage on here just so it'd fit all the pics I'll want to take."

"Mine too," Blake said.

Ghira cleared his throat. "Does that mean it's allowed to show off your baby pics—"

"No," Blake snapped.

Kali tutted. "I see how it is. Do as I say, not as I do."

Blake flopped onto the sofa next to Yang, arms crossed, a sulky look on her face. "I'm not a hypocrite."

"Did I say you were?" Kali raised an eyebrow.

"You implied it." Blake pouted. "Fine! Share them if you want, just not around me. I don't want to witness it."

Yang put an arm around her wife. "I won't look at pics of cute baby Blake. I know you'd rather I didn't."

Blake sighed. "I wouldn't want to deprive you."

"We made a deal, remember?" Yang kissed her cheek.

"What deal—"

Weiss slapped a hand over Ruby's mouth. "We don't want to know."

"Blake did make it worth my while to never—"

Weiss covered her ears. "No." She gave Yang a smug look. "You can't make me suffer if I can't hear you!"

Yang exchanged a look with Blake. They could make Weiss regret keeping her eyes open, but Blake's parents were right there, and the thought of doing anything in front of them… Nope. Besides, she didn't really want to make Weiss rethink staying for a longer visit.

"Later," Blake murmured, for Yang's ears only. "Let's be merciful."

"As a treat," Yang muttered back. "Next time…"

Blake nodded. "We wouldn't want her to feel left out."

"…What are you saying? I don't want to know, do I?" Weiss narrowed her eyes.

"Wow, she makes herself suffer. We don't even need to do a thing!" Yang smirked.

Blake poked Yang's cheek in the dimple made by her smirk. "I think that might count as doing something. It'll make her suspicious." She glanced at Weiss, and corrected herself: "More suspicious."

Kali clapped her hands. "We'll leave you to it. Please don't get up, Yang. I'm sure we'll see you again soon enough, but until then please keep us posted."

"Of course." Blake stood and hugged her parents. "Thanks again."

"Whatever you need, just let us know. Or I'll put these blank cheques back in your books." Ghira held up the slips of paper like playing cards.

Blake heaved a sigh. "Don't worry, Weiss, it's apparently my turn to suffer today. Go on, Mom, Dad, shoo!"

Yang waved as Kali and Ghira retreated. At least that was the silver lining when it came to her own dad not being able to come, or he'd surely have made her suffer too. No one else came close to him in being able to make her want to die from mortification. She touched her scroll and sighed. Even if he specialised in embarrassing her, she missed him. Hopefully he'd survive Glynda Goodwitch's wrath…

AN: Coming up next: Yang gets closer to her due date. That was supposed to happen during this chapter, but the characters had other ideas and didn't want to shut up.

Word of god AKA Monty Oum revealed that Ruby's favourite food is strawberries, much as she likes cookies enough to devour most of a plate full of them in a very short time.

Not all midwife appointments appear 'on screen' in this fic, so that's why Blake referred to Upland saying something that readers didn't witness. This fic can't cover everything that happens during Yang's pregnancy, it's already a lot longer than I intended.

Thanks for reading. Comments much appreciated, it helps me keep writing. Please let me know if you spot any errors, I'd rather know so I can correct them.