[RWBY] The Great Temporal Step-Sibling War!

[AndrewJTalon]

Neopolitan had been having a rather hectic day so far, and not the kind of hectic she enjoyed.

The day had started out like the other days she hand spent infiltrating Beacon with Cinder and her crew. Wake up, spend some time in one of the school's gyms, eat a hearty breakfast that left Mercury wondering where she was putting all that food, and then splitting off from her 'team' to scout out the campus for any useful secrets.

Today she had been looking for discrete ways to sneak out of and sneak into campus. Sure she had already found a few good ones, but those were the ones she had shared with her 'team' and she'd rather have a few more in her back pocket just in case she needed to ditch them for any reason. Like with the party that was supposed to happen tonight, it'd be a perfect opportunity to slip away and check up on a few things in person.

Then she had returned to her 'team's' dorm room to find it destroyed: Emerald's bed had burned down and everything else had been soaked by the fire suppression system. That had been concerning for a number of reasons, and those concerns only grew when she found the glass knife in the ruins of Em's mattress.

Emerald had been Cinder's chief sycophant, and basking in Em's praise had been one of the few things that made Cinder look kinda happy if you squinted real hard. Because of that Neo had always figured that it would be Mercury's behind or her own that would burn if the fire bitch ever snapped, and that their best chance of survival would be Em interceding on their behalf.

The fact that Cinder had apparently lashed out at Em with killing intent meant that Neo's plans for dealing with Cinder' anger issues were kaput. And if Em was dead and the mission was now falling apart? She and Roman weren't' off the hook, which meant Cinder would be turning the screws on her and Roman to make up the loss of Cinder's right hand.

Before she could spend too much time thinking about the implications of that she got a text from Mercury that read:

Just got a new leg. Need help sneaking out of the infirmary. Maybe wear a different face.

That had been a pretty easy job; the nurses were distracted by two kids with rather nasty burns on their faces, and the only complication to the extraction had been Mercury's insistence that they get a few pictures of the other people in the infirmary. That had annoyed her in the moment, but once they were out and Mercury had explained the situation to her she saw the value of those pictures.

Time travel. Kids from the future who all shared the same father but had different mothers. The father in question? Jaune Arc, team leader of Pyrrha Nikos and an obstacle to Cinder's plans. One of those future kids being a child of Emerald, meaning Em had to have betrayed Cinder for that future to happen, and that's what set Cinder off.

The two burned kids in the infirmary being Cinder's somehow. Cinder fleeing Beacon to avoid fighting everyone else all at once.

The rest of their day leading up to this moment had been spent sneaking around the school taking inconspicuous photos of the time displaced kids and their mothers, while keeping their ears pealed for what the rumor mill had already picked up. They needed as much information as possible to keep Cinder happy.

And that brought Neo to now; waiting with Mercury at one of the discreet ways in and out of Beacon for Cinder to arrive. It was an abandoned artificial grotto down by the river where one could easily take a paddle powered boat to sneak in or out of school grounds.

It didn't take much longer for Cinder to arrive, seated in a canoe big enough for four. She didn't row. The canoe glided across the water as if Cinder was moving it through sheer force of will alone. As the little boat entered the grotto Cinder tossed a rope to Mercury, who dutifully tied that rope to the little dock in the grotto so the canoe wouldn't drift away.

Once the canoe was secure the false maiden disembarked and fixed Mercury with a glare. Yet to Neo's keen eyes there was an almost imperceptible degree of hesitation in Cinder's movements, and there was a hint of something in her glare that Neo had never seen in Cinder's eyes before: uncertainty.

And while the growl of her voice did a lot to hide the uncertainty of her words, Neo could still hear it as Cinder leveled an accusation against Mercury:

"You helped Emerald get away. Do you really think the pictures you sent me makes up for that?"

"No," Mercury drawled, "But the information we've collected makes up the difference."

"I'll be the judge of that." Cinder hissed.

"The burned kids' names are Ash and Ashley," Mercury began, and if Neo wasn't looking for it she might have missed Cinder's flinch, "When they were brought into the infirmary they were drifting in and out of consciousness, and during that time they were calling out for their mama, their daddy, and their Auntie Em. If you had killed Emerald they might have just gone poof," Mercury made a popping hand gesture, "Because she was super important to their timeline."

Cinder stood still as a statue with an inscrutable expression, and for a few moments the only sounds that could be heard in the grotto was the whistling of the wind and the flowing of the river.

Seeing that he wasn't going to be interrupted Mercury continued, "Only reason the two of them aren't dead is cause their daddy figured out his semblance and used it to share his aura with them. So while they might be scarred they still have faces."

Flickers of emotion threatened to break through Cinder's stony facade, and Neo saw hints of anger, relief, wrath, sorrow, rage, and regret all waging war in the shadows for the chance to show themselves on Cinder's face.

"They were asleep when Neo helped me sneak out," Mercury continued as he pulled out his scroll, "I guess even with magic healing helping you out having your head set on fire will take a lot out of you." Mercury opened up the pictures he had taken of Ash and Ashley, holding up his scroll to show them off.

Cinder's hands twitched as if she wanted to reach out and take the scroll and have a closer look at the pictures. Although she didn't move beyond that Neo could see the way Cinder's eyes were drinking in every detail. The strength of their jawlines, the look of their noses, the cut of their hair, the color of their cheeks.

The mirrored burn scars in the vague shape of a feminine handprint. Cinder's hands slowly flexed open and closed as slight trembling shook her frame.

"I also got good pictures of Moses, the kid with the time travel semblance, you want to see them?" Mercury asked.

"Yes," Cinder hissed in a strained tone.

"Alright then, brace yourself cause this is supper weird," Mercury began as he pulled up a new image. "This is Moses:" The photo displayed a young man that would fit in with Valean high society; pale white skin, almost silvery red hair, brown eyes and aristocratic cheekbones. Mercury then pulled up a second image next to the first. "This is also Moses:" The new picture displayed a young man that looked like he belonged on a Mistrali farm; with a farmer's tan, dark almost brown red hair, hazel eyes and rounded cheeks.

"I was looking at him the whole time and never noticed anything strange," Mercury explained, "But when I took these pictures this really stood out. If you hold up one of the photos next to him he looks like the other photo. Compare him to both and he looks like a blend of the two, and it's not a consistent blend."

A clearly readable expression finally dominated Cinder's face: bewilderment.

"How? No. Perhaps? No. Maybe? No." Cinder seemed to pick up and discard a dozen different ideas in just as many seconds. Eventually she reached a conclusion: "This is going to make recognizing him without seeing him in person first difficult, isn't it?"

"Probably," Mercury agreed.

"A problem for later then," Cinder mused. "We have a different problem now. I trust the two of you gathered the few incriminating things we had in our room?"

Mercury nodded, Neo gave a casual thumbs up.

"And I don't suppose Emerald dropped her scroll when she ran off, leaving it where you could collect it?"

Mercury shook his head. Neo gave a thumbs down.

"Then she still has it," Cinder concluded. "Meaning she has documents, notes, addresses and other bits of useful information that threaten our operations. While eliminating Emerald would be best for operational security we don't know what killing her would to the fabric of space-time, so the next best thing we can do is deprive her of her scroll."

Cinder turned her gaze towards Neo, "Neopolitan, you have the best shot at stealing her scroll. If you can't steal it, destroy it. Mercury and I will follow from the shadows and create a path of retreat should you be discovered after getting it." Cinder's eyes became dangerous, "Don't try and retreat if you failed to get it or destroy it."

Well, the challenge should be fun at least. Neo bowed in a dramatic fashion as her answer.

 

[AndrewJTalon]

Jaune and his growing entourage were heading down the hallway away from BRZN's dormitory. It was a bit difficult: The rest of the student body had heard plenty about what had happened, and it wasn't hard to overhear what they were muttering.

"... weirdo playboy..."

"... are they all together...?"

"... be he's a creep..."

"... sluts..."

Ruby winced. Yang and Weiss strode forward, and squeezed Jaune's hands on either side.

"Ignore it," Yang muttered.

"It's meaningless," Weiss added.

Pyrrha nodded her agreement, and squeezed Ruby and May's hands. The other girls calmed, and Jaune relaxed.

"Thanks," he murmured. He really was grateful for his friends. Honestly, whatever their futures, he was thankful to have such good friends in on this frankly insane situation.

"Some things never change," Nicholas sighed.

A Red Schnee Glyph appeared on the wall, and Theodore Schnee-Arc appeared through it. He grabbed Jaune's shoulder, as his Glyph turned blue behind him.

"Borrowing Father, see you all later!"

"Wait wha-?!"

Theodore yanked Jaune back into the Glyph, and in a flash of light, they were in an empty conference room. Jaune gaped at his son in disbelief, as he adjusted his sunglasses with a smug look.

"Wait, I thought you could only teleport via line of sight?" Jaune asked.

"Not unless I know the exact coordinates of each location to teleport to," Theodore said, "And I memorized many coordinates around Beacon that would be useful to know."

Jaune blinked a bit. A strange instinct pushed the next words out of his mouth.

"You don't have the women's showers as one of those locations, do you?"

Theodore coughed and adjusted his sunglasses again.

"Of course not, Father! I-I would never abuse my power like that!"

Jaune's eyes narrowed.

"Oh really?"

"Really!" Theodore insisted. "Also, you should talk to Mother!"

He vanished through a Blue Glyph, and a moment later, it turned red. A tall, beautiful woman who strongly resembled Weiss was shoved through.

"Wha-HEY!"

She glared back at the Glyph. Theodore appeared and shrugged briefly.

"Sorry Mother, Father: You always told me it was better to ask for forgiveness than permission when the stakes were high enough."

He vanished again, leaving the two of them alone. Jaune gripped the back of a chair nervously, as Winter Schnee fidgeted and looked anywhere but directly at him.

"Er... Hey," Jaune managed, "Sorry about all this. He's uh..."

"Impetuous?" Winter asked. Jaune nodded.

"Yeah... No idea where he gets that from."

Winter's lips twitched slightly into a small smile. Jaune's heart skipped a beat.

Geez...!

"Probably both of us," she said quietly, "I've read the reports about your... Shall we say... Misadventures? And my sister wrote me extensively about you."

Jaune winced.

"Oh... Um... Well. Since you're not beating me up... It wasn't all bad, right?"

Winter chuckled.

"I could read between the lines," she said, "She does like you. It's just difficult for her to admit it, the life we've both lived."

Jaune nodded slowly.

"I guess I can understand that," he said. He mustered up his courage.

"I-I... I mean, I'm not expecting anything and you don't have to-"

Winter strode forward and wrapped her arms around him. She blushed heavily as he gaped at her.

"In all honesty," she said, "I was... I worried that I would never be able to find love. Learning that there is a future where that's possible is... Very reassuring."

"Oh, uh... I-I mean, um... That's good," Jaune admitted, "I always hoped I would marry and find happiness. Y-You know if I didn't die."

Winter smiled softly and nodded. She squeezed him a bit more tightly.

"A similar fear," she said, "The other problem is that I've devoted my life to serving and protecting Atlas. Having a family feels... A bit incompatible with that goal."

"How?" Jaune asked, blinking. "I-I mean... If we're not going to have happiness and joy, what's the point of fighting?"

Winter chuckled.

"That is fair," she admitted. Her eyes became very warm. "But more than that... Our children will, in the future, protect Atlas even better. Theodore may have saved all of Vale and the Vytal Festival."

She began to stroke his hair. She blushed deeply, which did make her look even cuter.

"S-So... It is not just for my personal happiness! But a part of my duty to protect Atlas and all of humanity!" She licked her lips nervously.

"So, um... As it is a military imperative, I was hoping we could progress to-?"

"Dating?" Jaune guessed, his high pitched tone sounding a bit desperate.

Winter flushed.

"Is... Is that necessary?" She asked. "We know the outcome-"

"And that doesn't matter, because there are eleven different outcomes," Jaune stated, narrowing his eyes. He pushed away from Winter. "I'm not gonna have kids or-or use the future as an excuse to be selfish."

Winter stared at him, looking like she had been slapped. Jaune flushed and stuttered.

"N-Not that-I mean-You're absolutely beautiful and-and from everything Weiss had told me you're incredible! Amazing! I-I don't even see how I would have had a chance with you! But I... I can't be selfish. And neither should you. Not like this. We're not producing weapons, we're making a family! Or-Or will... Or might... You know what I mean!"

Winter stared at him for a time, and then bowed her head.

"... You're right," she murmured, "I'm sorry. I... I am used to resolving issues in the most straightforward way..." She looked back up. She extended her hand.

"I am Specialist Winter Schnee. It is nice to meet you."

Jaune smiled and took her hand, gently shaking it.

"Jaune Arc. Nice to meet you, too."

She again pulled him into a hug.

"This... Is this all right?" Winter asked with a blush. "I... I seldom have the chance to get hugs."

Jaune flushed, and then nodded.

"Um, s-sure..."

The doors slammed open. Weiss glared.

"SISTER!"

"What?" Winter demanded. "I am only following my orders!"

"YOUR WHAT?!" The rest of Jaune's potential future wives and children shouted.

Theodore again adjusted his sunglasses and smirked. Jaune narrowed his eyes.

"Don't think I won't put you over my knee, young man!" Jaune barked. Winter blushed, but adopted her own stern look. A much more effective one.

Theodore coughed.

"Yes Father..."

- - -

 

[AndrewJTalon]

Ozpin cupped his chin in deep thought. Today had been chockfull of surprises and unusual revelations, and it wasn't over yet. From the time displaced children upending his own personal theories about time travel to the bits of conversation he had overheard while monitoring them implying that Salem had faced a true defeat in more than one possible future, he had learned a lot of things that meant a paradigm shift or two were in order.

He was most interested in true defeats Salem had faced for obvious reasons. He had no idea at this point if they were permanent defeats or only major setbacks on the Witch's part, but right now he didn't care. If they were permanent then fantastic! Half of his problems were gone for good. If they were only major setbacks then fantastic! Man and Faunus would have a generation or two to push back against the darkness and take back lands lost to the Grimm, and if he pulled the right strings civilization would be much better entrenched by the time Salem had recovered.

Of course before any of that could happen they needed to navigate the temporal paradox they were currently in the middle of. He had a plan, and from the looks of things that plan was getting off on the right foot, but he hadn't gotten to where he was today by never getting a second opinion on things, or by refusing to acknowledge when things were outside his wheelhouse.

His normal second opinion was Glynda, but she was too close to the situation to be objective about his plan and temporal mechanics wasn't her wheelhouse either. General Ironwood wasn't the best place to go for second opinion in this case; he was too invested in the outcome and military action was a very different wheelhouse form temporal mechanics. The other headmasters were out because this was too sensitive to trust to international communications; none of them were free to come for an in person meeting, and the fact that this wouldn't be in their wheelhouse any more than it was in his went without saying.

That left him with one option, and while he wasn't sure if she would be objective about this he knew this was in her wheelhouse.

And so Ozpin gave Dr. Weena Nebogipfel a call on the most secure channel available to him.

The call began the way all video calls with her began; with Weena holding her scroll too close to her face.

"Ozpin? Is that you?" A set of thick rimmed hexagon shaped glasses over a set of baby blue eyes took up most of the screen, "That's convenient; I've been thinking about calling you for the last couple of days!"

"Really? What about?" Ozpin kept his expression warm and welcoming. Weena's tone was worrying; it sounded halfway between a thousand yard stare and existential dread which was at odds with the easily excited scientist he knew.

"You know the new sensors I'm testing? To put in the Grimm early warning detection systems? Meant to pick up on more esoteric energies?" Weena would have normally put her scroll down on her desk at this point, letting the person she was talking with see her whole body, but she kept it close to her eyes.

"I remember helping you design them," Ozpin pointed out, "So I know which ones you're talking about."

"Right, right," Weena continued with a distracted sounding voice, "So my semblance isn't high speed regeneration like I always thought it was. The sensors say I'm generating a lot of Temporal Energy. I haven't been regenerating, I've been rewinding my body back to an uninjured state."

"That's fascinating," Ozpin noted. It also meant that Moses' power didn't come out of the blue.

"It's horrifying," Weena gasped.

"How so?"

"Oz, I'd be easier if I showed you," Weena finally put her scroll on her desk, allowing Ozpin to take in her full image. Her frizzy orange hair was in its' usual unkempt bun, her earrings looked like stopwatches today, her purple lab coat was open to show her shirt had an hourglass pattern on it. "Once I knew how my semblance functioned I did some experiments and, well watch:"

Weena closed her eyes in concentration, and she started visibly aging before Ozpin's eyes. She went from a woman in her thirties to her forties, then fifties, sixties, seventies, eighties, nineties, over a hundred and then like a skipping record she was suddenly a newborn baby aging rapidly through childhood, her teenage years and then her twenties until she finally landed on her normal age in her mid thirties. Then she took a deep breath, and repeated the entire process in reverse.

"And that's not all," Weena got up from her desk and walked towards a set of tesla coils at the back of her lab, an old project of hers meant to outright vaporize Grimm that had been abandoned once it had proven too difficult to aim. She dramatically pulled a remote from her pockets as she stood between the coils, "CHECK THIS OUT!"

"WEENA WHAT ARE YOU-" Ozpin called out too late to keep her from hitting the power button on the remote. Ozpin's screen filled with a blinding white light while his speakers crackled from trying to play a sound far too loud for them to play. When the white light cleared away Weena was nowhere to be seen, a scorch mark occupied the ground where she had been.

And then suddenly like a video skipping a frame Weena was back, and the scorch mark was gone. She staggered froward towards her desk while cackling like a loon.

"Oh thank the Gods," Ozpin whispered as he clutched his chair's armrests in a death-grip, his heart knocking against his ribcage like an unbalanced washing machine.

"You see?" Weena asked as she got back to her desk and plopped down in her chair. "I can't die of old age or rewind myself out of existence! Even complete disintegration doesn't put a dent in the temporal energy I'm generating! I'M IMMORTAL!" She wailed as she threw her hands in the air with a voice of despair.

That wasn't a normal reaction. Sure Ozpin had gone through a similar crisis, twice, but that was after he had lived through ten different lives. To see someone go through this exact crisis while still in their thirties was disconcerting to say the least.

"You found out you could control your age and then jumped straight to vaporizing yourself?" And sometimes even when you're older than civilization itself you can't stop the first question from popping out of your mouth.

"Okay, so the first vaporization was an accident," Weena admitted, "But I was getting desperate to find anything that would make my temporal energy go down!"

"Why?" And sometimes you can't stop the incredulous follow up question from popping out of your mouth.

"You don't understand Oz!" Weena pointed a dramatic finger his way, "I'm going to outlive everyone I know! I'm going to watch every architectural wonder built today crumble into ruins, and then I'm going to watch those ruins crumble into dust! The day will come where the language my mother taught me and the culture that raised me will be nothing more than a footnote in a history book nobody will read!"

Weena pulled her hand back and continued in a calmer yet haunted manner, "And sure I'll have all the time in the universe to unravel the mysteries of physics and quantum mechanics and all the other secrets of how things work, but with all the time in the universe the day will come where I'll have learned everything there is to know about how the material world works. Then I'll be left with questions I'll never be able to answer, because the answers all lie on the other side of death."

Ozpin allowed that somber note to hang in the air long enough to be sure Weena was done with her rant.

"I understand your going through a crisis right now," Ozpin began, "But your son's in a lot of trouble and we're going to need your help to figure out how to fix it, so I need you to pull yourself back together Weena."

Weena looked towards him with confusion, "I don't have a son."

"His semblance allows him to manipulate temporal energy like yours does."

"Time travel," Weena gasped as her eyes grew wide, "And if he's... maybe I won't be alone..."

"If I have anything to say about it, no, you won't," Ozpin gave her a small smile.

"What kind of trouble is he in?" Weena asked.

"He traveled farther back than he meant to, caused a paradox. I need to know if my solution to the paradox is going to work."

"Right, so you need me to come to Beacon then?"

"Yes," Ozpin nodded, "We'll have a lot to discuss once you get here."

"If I start packing now I'll be ready to get there before lunch tomorrow," Weena mused. "Some of my instruments are going to be finicky."

"I'll prepare a room for you, and a lab," Ozpin stood up from his desk. "Oh, by the way, welcome to the Immortals Club. You might be the first member to have an existential crisis before hitting their first century."

Weena had gotten up to start packing, so her head whipped around when she heard that, "BUHWHA?"

"Like I said; we'll have a lot to discuss once you get here."

 

[AndrewJTalon]

- - -

Radian was once the capital city of the Northern Sanus kingdom of Gallia. From this circular mountain city, the Kings and Queens of the House of Arc had ruled for centuries. The ancient castle Arc-En-Ciel still stood in the center of the ringed fortifications, houses, shops, and fields like a marble sculpture. The white stone and large windows gleamed brightly in the late afternoon sun, illuminating the town that surrounded it with a gentle glow. It was said that on the sunniest summer days, the knights beholden to the Arc dynasty could find their way home by the bright white tower guiding them home.

Trumpets would blow and banners would wave as the great Gallian armies returned home from successful campaigns to families, children, and friends. Yet time took its toll, and things changed. The Arcs joined the Emerald Emperor of Vale into one great allied Kingdom to stand against Albion's massive Empire, then allied with them against the menace of Atlas, Mistal, and Vacuo's attempts at world domination. The Arcs were reduced to Wardens of the North, then landed nobles, then middle-class landowners as their influence and the need for their leadership faded. Their cousins, the Pendragons, ruled Albion until abdicating with the collapse of that empire in the Great War, and joined them in the country as regular citizens.

Arc-en-Ciel was abandoned by the Arcs, and left to the democratically elected Council of Verdun. Then they got a new town hall, and the castle was going to be torn down. Yet the desire for tourism, and Isabel Arc's work in the medical field transformed the ancient fortress, and it took on a new mission. A new enemy to defend life from.

Within the castle, Instead of a grand entryway for horses, there now stood a wide, well-lit and clean lobby with couches, chairs, and a grand receptionist desk. The troops wore scrubs and doctor's jackets instead of full plate armor and mail. The Arc who resided in the castle did not wear a crown or fine robes: Just the same medical garb as anyone else.

She was about five foot nine, curvy from motherhood and exercise. Her shining blonde hair was held back in an elegant rope braid that swung behind her back. Underneath her white doctor's jacket, she wore a dark green dress with black stockings under flat shoes. A pair of glasses decorated her pointed nose, black-rimmed and round, which served to emphasize her aquamarine eyes.

She strode through the hallways, her gait quick but measured. A gentle smile was on her face as she walked through her hospital, with gentle nods to patients and staff alike.

"Doctor Arc!"

She turned to face an older woman with graying brown hair, tanned skin, and much wider curves in her purple scrubs.

"Yes Meredith?"

"You have a call on your private line in your office," she said, "It's from Beacon."

Doctor Arc frowned deeply.

"Any idea what it's about?" She asked, shifting her gait towards her office. Meredith easily matched the doctor's stride.

"Just that it's about Jaune," she said quietly. "You gonna be okay, Isabel?"

Doctor Arc shook her head, subconsciously steeling herself.

"I hope so," she said quietly. "Please tell the Director's meeting I'll be a little late?"

Meredith smiled in understanding.

"Of course, Isabel."

Doctor Isabel Arc went down the stairs and headed for her office. It was one of dozens of such offices, all with large windows to allow the epic vista that was the Albus mountain range to be seen. It did let her just make out her own farmhouse, near the old Arcadia Manor.

She took a few deep breaths as she slid down into the chair behind her desk. She quickly looked around at the many family photos she had all over her walls and desk. Her handsome husband, her seven darling girls, and her wonderful son.

Isabel rested a hand against one of the photos-The last taken that had all nine of them together. They'd been on a camping trip in Argus. All of them dirty, exhausted from hiking to the top of Mount Orias. All of them were smiling broadly though.

She had never thought Jaune would just run off like that. Not when he'd had such a great future ahead of him. She had hoped he would give up on becoming a Huntsman, come home, and make the best use of his talents in something much faster.

Nick had said to let Jaune go. Let him try. When he failed, well, they'd welcome him back. They'd teach him that just because he couldn't achieve one dream, that didn't mean he couldn't find another.

And yet...

She turned to her computer and activated it.

"Isabel Arc here," she said.

A familiar blonde woman with green eyes and very severe glasses appeared.

"Hello Isabel," Glynda said, looking tense.

Isabel sucked in a breath as her entire body tensed up.

"I was told it was urgent. Is Jaune...?"

Glynda shook her head, her expression gentle.

"He's safe and healthy, Isabel," Glynda said, "I am sorry if the message gave you any other impression."

Isabel's body slowly unclenched. She slowly nodded.

"That's good to know," she said, "So what is the situation?"

Glynda sighed.

"It's... Complicated," she said. "I would much prefer to discuss this with you and Nick in person, with the other parents."

Isabel frowned deeply in confusion.

"Other parents? What's this about, Glynda? Did...?"

Her eyes widened.

"Oh... Oh my... Am I going to be a grandmother soon?"

Glynda sighed.

"In... A manner of speaking," she said carefully. Isabel's jaw dropped.

"What do you mean?! Am I or am I not?"

"Again, you should come down and meet the other parents. It's going to require some explanations," Glynda said.

Isabel glared at the Deputy Headmistress of Beacon.

"What? Is the mother someone of great importance? Is there a huge scandal involved? Did my son end up with the Schnee heiress? Pyrrha Nikos?"

Glynda slowly nodded.

"Them... And nine other girls."

Isabel gasped in disbelief, holding onto the arms of her rolling chair for dear life.

"Are you telling me... My son impregnated eleven women?!"

Glynda nodded slowly.

"Yup. And I'm one of them."

Isabel fell out of her chair and down to the floor in a dead faint.

- - -

 

[AndrewJTalon]

- - -

Gallia in Northern Sanus was a mountainous region, with great wide valleys between the Albus ranges carved out by great glaciers long ago. Yet there were flat wide plains in the kingdom turned province, especially further north towards the sea. The island Vytal, which held Albion, could be seen from the beaches of Port Accalon, a large Gallian city. It had once been Gallia's main port and had made the kingdom very rich. Now, Accalon was one of Vale's busiest shipping ports, sending and receiving goods from all over Remnant in quantities that were only rivaled by the capital city of Vale itself.

Great sea walls had been constructed around the city port. In the tradition of most Valean cities, they simply built another ring of walls out further from the older ones and put in more city and farms. Same with the sea walls and the expanded harbor: The older, smaller harbor walls sheltered smaller craft, while the gigantic sea walls allowed massive container ships to dock.

These walls were well guarded... But there were always weaknesses in the city defenses. Given the vital nature of Accalon, it was only natural for Hunters to be hired to deal with Grimm.

Nicholas Jacques "Nick" Arc was mostly retired as a Huntsman. Settling down in Radian after a fairly successful career as a Huntsman to become the head of the local militia and a trainer of militia and Huntsman was far more lucrative. Yet the seven-foot-tall blond man, built like a mountain of a man, with pale blue eyes and a broad grin beneath a bushy beard could never turn down the chance for a real battle again.

It simply wasn't in his nature.

It did annoy his wife, but she hardly minded the extra lien his "special" jobs brought in.

He stood in front of the western wall of Accalon, his six-foot-long railgun sword held behind his back. His armor plating was white and blue, with some black interlocking sections. A blue scarf waved from around his neck as his messy dark blond hair waved.

A gigantic crab Grimm, the size of a small car, trundled up out of the surf. It was joined by a few fellows, all hissing and clicking their giant pincers together ominously.

"Cancer, eh? Whoever named them that must have been a real asshole, huh Arjun?" Nick laughed. He looked over at his companion: A dark-skinned man in a purple and dark blue cloak, with white armored trousers, tall black boots, dark red eyes, and a silvery bow at his side. The dark-skinned man sniffed behind his balaclava.

"A most unfortunate name indeed," Arjun observed.

The first of the Crab Grimm charged... And Nick slashed it in half with one mighty swing of his sword. The blond man sighed, and jumped over the next, slamming his massive blade through it hard enough to shatter the Grimm. More of the brutes assaulted the two Hunters, but their lack of speed hampered their attack greatly.

"Ah... Isn't this the life?" Nick chuckled, ramming his blade through the face of a Cancer, "Just two good friends, drinking beer, killing Grimm..."

"Cheap beer," the dark-skinned man laughed, taking a sip before he raised his bow. His arrow crackled with Lightning Dust, and he loosed it with a keen eye. The arrow shot out into the surface, and detonated. Many Cancers were hit by the electric attack, and fell to pieces from the impact.

"That's ten for me!"

"That's cheating!" Nick growled, lopping off the claws of another Cancer before stabbing it through the face. "Eight for me the proper way!"

Arjun rolled his eyes, and let loose three more arrows, blasting apart three more Cancers.

"Thirteen."

"Grrr...!" Nick hefted up his mighty sword, and swung it with a roar. He triggered the Lightning dust in the hilt, and unleashed a railgun round empowered with a bolt of his massive Aura. A huge shockwave issued forth, blasting apart five more Cancer. "HA! We're even!"

Arjun just unleashed another Lightning Dust Arrow, and smirked with his eyes at his best friend.

"Eighteen."

"Hmph!" Nick pouted. He kicked another Cancer's claws off, before beating it to death with the hilt of his massive blade.

"So, how fares your son?" Arjun asked, "He was at Beacon last I checked."

"Well... He hasn't come home yet," Nick grunted, chopping another two Cancer into pieces. Arjun sighed.

"I know your wife likes to baby him, but honestly. If he wishes to be a Huntsman, you shouldn't discourage him."

Arjun unleashed four more arrows.

"Twenty-two."

Nick leaped up and cut through four more Cancers in quick succession.

"I agree but... There is something to Isabel's desire for a peaceful life," Nick said. He stabbed another Cancer with his blade as it tried to ambush him from underneath the sandy beach. "Twenty-three!"

"Yet you earned that through martial prowess. We all did," Arjun observed, once more putting arrows between the eyes of Cancers. "You and Isabel? Your happy life. Myself and Saia? A happy life, and our kingdom back. Twenty-five."

"Does anyone want their child to pay the same price though?" Nick asked, unleashing another Aura Slash on a group of Cancers. "Twenty-six!"

A truly gigantic Cancer rose from the waves, bigger than an Atlasian battle tank. It stomping through the surf, making the ground shake. It roared, as both Arjun and Nick stood up.

"Ah, the mother Grimm," Arjun stated, "Finally."

"Yep! Now that's a real challenge!" Nick laughed with a bloodthirsty grin, "Now we can-!"

A cheerful ringtone broke the tension. Nick tapped his earbud.

"Hm? Isabel, sweetie, I'm in the middle of something-"

Nick lifted his massive sword to block the gigantic claw of the Alpha Cancer. He was driven back by the sheer bulk and strength of the beast, but held his blade up firmly. Arjun leaped up and unleashed a volley of Dust Arrows, blasting the Grimm with Fire and Lightning. The Alpha Cancer swung its claws at him, but he dodged and darted about like a shadow.

Nick's eyes widened.

"WHAT?!"

"What? What is it?!" Arjun shouted back, taking out the beast's eyes with his steady aim. The Alpha Cancer roared in pain, as it reared back. Arjun fired off Ice Dust, freezing the beast in place. Nick charged up his Aura, his entire body and blade burning with white fire. He roared in triumph as he swung his railgun sword, ramming it right into the beast's underbelly. He fired four powerful railgun rounds into its body, blasting them right out the back of the Cancer. Nick yanked back his blade just as Arjun unleashed Ice Dust arrows through the holes. The Ice froze the water in the aquatic Grimm's body, cracking and shattering its armor from within.

"FINAL SLASH!" Nick bellowed, unleashing a gigantic Aura blade that cut the beast's belly apart. It collapsed into the tide, its struggles slowing and then ceasing as it began to dissolve. Arjun looked over at his best friend with a raised eyebrow.

"Nick? Nick, you all right-?"

Nick laughed giddily and thrust his sword up into the air.

"MY SON MADE ME A GRANDPA!" He cheered. "ELEVEN GIRLS! HE GOT ELEVEN GIRLS PREGNANT! AND THEY ALL KNOW ABOUT EACHOTHER!"

Arjun blinked slowly.

"... Your son is truly a man among men," Arjun breathed softly.

"I KNOW RIGHT?!" Nick laughed. "HAHAHA! LIKE ME, HE WINS AT ALL ASPECTS OF LIFE!"

"Except I beat you," Arjun stated, a bit smugly. Nick scowled.

"What?! I landed the final blow on that Alpha Cancer!"

"But I landed the killing blow," Arjun smirked.

"IT STILL ONLY COUNTS AS ONE!"

- - -

 

[AndrewJTalon]

Huh. No note here on how you wanted to make Arjun May's father here as on SB. Though in the chapter where May and June talk May mentions she is an orphan and was there when her parents died of illness, so that would have to change. I think it's better off that she isn't related to Arjun myself though.

Love the premise. Looking forward to when the parents meet. Well for those who still have parents. Also looking forward to how different each timeline is, especially since Xia spoiled it a bit to her mom, Yang.

Will some be darker futures than others?

Click to shrink...

Depends on what Sift Green wants to do since it's his fic and I'm just helping out.

And yes, there will be.

- - -

If someone had told her when she got out of bed that morning that she would be spending a good chunk of her afternoon in the medical wing waiting for complete strangers to wake up she might have looked them in the eye and asked 'Why would Cinder need me to do that?'

Amethyst had wanted to check up on her friend Moses after they had finished lunch, and so Emerald was in the medical wing waiting for complete strangers to wake up. It was fascinating in a way, the stranglehold her daughter had upon her even though they had only met this morning. The small part of her that was still a street rat trying to survive in a big and scary world was telling her that throwing herself into being someone's primary pillar of support when she had just lost her's was a terrible idea, but what else could she do?

Moses groaned and shifted in his bed and for a moment Amethyst and Emerald had their focus completely riveted to the boy, but he didn't wake. With that false alarm over Amethyst went back to designing a new set of rings on her scroll, and Emerald found her eyes drifting across the way to the other patients of the medical wing.

Ash and Ashley, the burned twins. Cinder's children. Living evidence that her former mistress actually had room in her heart for someone else.

Just not her.

That was a fact she needed to get through her stubborn and bleeding heart. Even now some small treacherous part of her wanted to call Cinder and beg for clemency, to regain the clear direction and purpose of her mistress' plans. Emerald squashed that part with the hindsight blessed knowledge that Cinder always put her own happiness before Emerald's, and that meant any future that ended in her own happiness couldn't come living beneath Cinder.

It honestly hurt to look at the twins and think the thoughts they brought to her mind, and part of Emerald wanted to leave so she wouldn't have to. But Amethyst wanted to be here for her friend, and she needed to be strong for Amethyst.

A welcome distraction then came into the room. Dorothy, the time displaced daughter of Ozpin's right hand woman Glynda was entering the infirmary. The blonde girl waved off the nurses as she made her way into the room, and it didn't take long for her to join Emerald and Amethyst at Moses' bedside.

For a brief moment Emerald felt her hackles rise as Dorothy seemed to size up Amethyst in a way that Emerald didn't like, but that sense of unease was for not. Amethyst looked up from her scroll and smiled at Dorothy, and the taller blonde flinched. Dorothy's countenance was suddenly all sheepish awkwardness, and an uncomfortable silence stretched out as Amethyst's smile went from welcoming warmth to polite confusion.

"Ahh..." Dorothy finally managed, "Can I sit next to Moses?"

"Sure!" Amethyst beamed as she popped out of her chair and went to get another one. In short order Dorothy was in the chair by Moses' bed, and Amethyst was in a new chair right next to it showing Dorothy her current project while whispering in hushed tones to not disturb the sleeping boy.

Listening to her daughter prattle on about goldsmithing to a captive audience was a delight, and it was more than enough to keep Emerald's mind off the burned twins and the implications their existence brought. Or at least it would have if Ash and Ashley weren't just across the way, occasionally shifting in their sleep and muttering barely audible cries for a parental figure. These cries were so quiet in fact that Emerald might not have even heard them...

...if they weren't occasionally murmuring for their Auntie Em amidst the normal calls for mama and daddy.

And with that the small treacherous part of her mind was whispering again, spinning yarn about how she could still be a mother if she contacted Cinder and devised a plan to get Jaune away form the others...

...THAT idea Emerald crushed with extreme prejudice. If that was a viable option Amethyst would have come from the same timeline as Ash and Ashley. She didn't. Standing with Cinder could only result in borrowed motherhood via borrowing Cinder's children. If Emerald wanted to preserve her own flesh and blood she needed to stop entertaining any thoughts of returning to Cinder's shadow...

...Why was that so hard? Cinder tried to kill her this morning! This should be EASY!

Emerald's self recrimination came to a halt as a large group crowded around the Infirmary's main entrance, and at it's front stood Jaune Arc. Amethyst's Father. A man who helped her get over Cinder in a another time and place, as evidenced by Amethyst.

The crowd piled into the reception area and remained there while Jaune split from them and approached her group around Moses' bed.

"Hey Emerald," Jaune began in a warm yet uncertain tone. "Can we talk?"

Jaune held out his hand and helped Emerald out of her seat, the two of them making their way just a little bit further into the infirmary where they wouldn't disturb the still sleeping patients.

"So I'm not really sure where to start," Jaune admitted with an apologetic tone. "I mean if we want this ting to work we need to get to know each other. We've talked with each other a couple times before, but from what I understand that was you putting on a face so you could spy on my team. How much of the real Emerald was in those conversations?"

"I don't know," surprise filled Emerald's eyes as that answers slipped out from her lips. She hadn't meant to tell him anything like that! But now that she had, she might as well keep going, "For as long as I've known her I've always been the person Cinder needed me to be. I'm not really sure who I am without her."

"Have you been with Cinder your whole life?" The concern in the blonde boy's voice was oddly soothing to the parts of her heart that still ached.

"No," Emerald drooped as old memories came to the surface, "But I wasn't in a good place before she found me. I was a street rat before she took me under her wing." Emerald chuckled darkly, "My semblance lets me manipulate someone else's senses, making them perceive the world the way I want them to, and how was I using it? To pickpocket people who looked rich! With a semblance like mine I could have been living on easy street! But there I was, squandering my talents stealing barely enough money to make ends meet. I was a lowlife with no ambitions beyond my next meal, a nobody going nowhere."

Emerald's voice grew hollow, "Before her I was nothing. Where does that leave me now?"

"More than nothing," Jaune affirmed, "And I'm not just saying that to say it. I was sick a lot as a kid: there were plenty of days when I couldn't do anything for myself. The fact that you survived on the streets means you were never that worthless, right?"

Part of her wanted to tell him that he shouldn't be self-deprecating. Another part was latching onto the glimmer of positivity he was trying to push forward like a shipwrecked sailor clutching a life preserver. The two impulses ran headlong into each other, killing any words trying to form and leaving her only able to nod in response.

"And you have a direction you want to go, right?" Jaune went on, "If you have a direction to go you can always end the day in a better place than where you started it. That's what my dad told me when I was feeling down, and he spoke from experience. He started life on the streets but set a goal to be a huntsman. That got him here to Beacon where he met and impressed my mom. He married her and became an Arc, and today he's the beloved patriarch of our branch of the family."

Jaune took Emerald's hand in his and looked her in the eye with more compassion than she had ever felt sent her way before. "Feeling like you're a nobody just means you're free to become anybody, you just need to know who you want to be."

After a pause, Jaune frowned.

"That sounded better in my head."

Emerald snickered. Then she giggled.

"That's... Really silly and cliché," she softly mocked. Jaune winced.

"Er..."

"But... I know you meant it," she said quietly with a blush on her dark cheeks. Jaune beamed.

"Every word."

Her heart was soaking in that sincerity like a sponge. It felt good, and it flowed into all the cracks and rips that had been building up all day. For a moment Cinder's looming shadow was completely gone from her thoughts, and as that moment ended she ached for its' return. Fortunately she could see a path to more moments like it within the blue eyes before her.

"Well I'm not exactly sure about who I want to be, but I have a general idea," Emerald allowed a small smile to grace her lips, "If you're willing to help me figure out the finer details?"

"Definitely," Jaune beamed at her, and Emerald let her heart soak it all in again. Exquisite.

A comfortable silence grew between them, and for a moment all that existed in Emerald's world was the warmth of her hand in his and the tenderness of his gaze.

Then two loud groans caught their attention, and they turned to see Ash and Ashley sitting up in their beds and stretching.

Ashley looked their way and blinked with bleary eyes, "Dad? Auntie Em? Why are you here? Did I wake you up? Sorry, I just had a new nightmare and..." Ashley had been reaching up to rub the sleep from her eyes, and so she touched the scar upon her face, "...oh..."

Emerald took a deep breath and steeled her resolve. The twins weren't their mother. She could be kind to them without compromising her future, or Amethyst's.

She gripped that thought tightly as she followed Jaune to their bedsides.


- - -

 

[AndrewJTalon]

- - -

It wasn't like Taiyang Xaio-Long was completely ignorant of his daughters' exploits. The insurance bills and Qrow kept him up to date on a lot of their... Exploits.

Even so, to have Glynda Goodwitch calling at this hour was unexpected. He held back a wince and sat down at his desk as the holoscreen blinked urgently. Zwei, ever loyal, hopped into his lap. Taiyang patted his loyal corgi, and calmed himself. The potpourri he had just add to the room helped him maintain his focus, the scents of lavender and Frankberry wafting through the room like a calming breeze.

Only then did he hit the 'answer' button on his computer.

"Taiyang Xiao-long speaking?"

Glynda's face appeared, looking grave. Taiyang held his breath.

"Glynda?"

"First of all, Taiyang, your daugthers are all right," Glynda said firmly. Taiyang let out the breath and smiled a little.

"Oh thank goodness... So! How much did they destroy this time?"

Glynda winced. Taiyang blinked rapidly.

Since when does she wince?

"Nothing we couldn't cover," she said slowly, "Your premiums will be unchanged."

Again, Taiyang's heart soared as relief replaced anxiety.

"Oh good, good... So! What's up?" Taiyang asked brightly.

Glynda coughed.

"Well... It's a bit difficult to explain..."

Taiyang blinked. He scoffed.

"What? Did some boy knock up one of my... Girls...?"

Glynda's wince became worse. Taiyang blinked... And then his eyes narrowed. Zwei wisely hopped off his master's lap and put some distance between them.

Taiyang's Aura flared into existence like a furious bonfire of rage. His eyes burned scarlet as his hair waved and turned into pure white flames. Lightning began to crackle around him as his chair was burned to a crisp.

It completely ruined the aroma of the room, but this was immaterial.

"WHO TOUCHED MY RUBY?!" Taiyang snarled.

"Ruby? What about Yang?" Glynda blurted out.

Taiyang paused, and then shrugged.

"Well, her getting teen pregnant is less surprising. I'm still gonna kick the ass of the guy who-Wait, BOTH OF THEM?!" Taiyang demanded, clenching his fists so hard the air crackled around them. Zwei whimpered.

Glynda nodded.

"Well yes, sort of... Not yet though."

Taiyang blinked a few times. His Semblance petered out.

"Huh?" He asked intelligently.

Glynda sighed heavily.

"It's honestly a bit complicated and-"

Ozpin poked his head up from behind Glynda.

"X-Ray and Vav, issue 198," Ozpin stated blandly.

Taiyang blinked a few times... And his eyes widened.

"Time-travelling children from the future?"

Ozpin sipped his coffee mug and slowly nodded.

"Mmhm."

Taiyang blinked.

"So... Ruby and Yang's future kids came back in time-?"

"Along with thirteen other children by different mothers but the same father. One Jaune Arc."

Glynda blushed and glared at Ozpin.

"Is it wise to be so blunt about things?!"

"Taiyang is in the know about much already, we can afford to be a bit more open," Ozpin said, "Besides, you're personally invested in this situation and I wanted to make things easier for you."

Taiyang blinked rapidly as Glynda's blush deepened.

"Wait, your future kid-?"

"Just get here already!" Glynda said sharply, glaring at him, "The other parents are coming and so should you!"

"Did you tell Qrow?" Taiyang asked.

A disheveled, muscular man in white and black stumbled into the room, blinking the hangover out of his eyes.

"Tell me what?" Qrow yawned.

"Yang, Ruby, and Glynda. X-Ray and Vav, Issue 198," Taiyang recited.

Qrow blinked a few times in disbelief, his brain processing all this. He gaped.

"Time travel?! Future kids?!"

"All by one father," Taiyang said with a wry smile. Qrow narrowed his eyes.

"I knew it. I knew that Arc kid was another you! Another freaking blond himbo with harem powers!" Qrow glared at Ozpin. "How could you let this happen again?!"

"Personally, I blame the parents," Ozpin observed wryly, as Glynda's blush deepened.

"Can you all please act like adults for five minutes?" Glynda demanded.

"I wouldn't be talking, Miss Future Cradle Robber," Qrow pointed out with a smirk.

If looks could kill, Glynda's would have been an Atlasian cruise missile. Taiyang frowned.

"Jaune Arc... Jaune Arc... He's not the son of Nick and Isabel Arc, is he?"

"The same," Ozpin said. Taiyang grinned and cheered.

"WOOHOO! Rich and stable! Come on, Qrow! Let's go meet the grandkids and our well off in-laws!"

"And beat the shit out of mini-you?" Qrow asked.

"Yes and stop calling him that!"

"Never!"

"No violence against Mister Arc! The temporal situation is so unstable we have no idea what might happen!" Glynda ordered angrily.

"Right, wouldn't want to harm your future baby daddy," Qrow observed.

Glynda's glare felt like an MRI machine starting up at full power. It was so intense, Zwei hid under the couch.

The men managed to stand their ground, just barely. They'd had to deal with Raven, after all.

"Just get here as soon as you can!"

"We will, we will," Taiyang said cheerfully.

"And congrats Glynda, on escaping your apartment full of cats," Qrow tossed in.

Glynda's eyebrow twitched, and the transmission abruptly cut out. As though the electronics on the other end all abruptly exploded due to some unknown but violent force.

Taiyang looked over at Qrow in concern.

"You do realize she can kill you, right?"

"Hasn't killed me yet," Qrow chuckled. Taiyang rolled his eyes.

"Yet being the operative word..."

- - -

 

[AndrewJTalon]

- - -

Athena Nikos sighed in her country manor in Mistral. She looked out upon the gardens of her estate, standing in repose. She was a beautiful woman, with long red hair and a figure that rivaled her daughter's. She wore a red house dress and expensive jewelry. She was surrounded by the very finest of furniture in tasteful arrangements.

Her daughter had brought her family so much success. So much glory. And yet... And yet...

"OHHH I CAN'T HELP BUT MISS HER!" Athena wailed, turning and rushing over to a gigantic, wall covering poster of Pyrrha. She sobbed and pressed her hands against the poster. "OHHHH! WHY DID I AGREE TO LET HER GO TO BEACON?!"

She bit on a handkerchief as rivulets of tears poured down her cheeks.

"I should have just said no! But my foot down! But she's such a good girl! I couldn't refuse her anything! Ohhh...!"

A tall, thin man with a five o'clock shadow and short curly blue hair entered. He wore a simple black suit and tie. He sighed.

"You really shouldn't cry like that, Mrs. Nikos," he stated, adjusting his large glasses, "You're ruining your makeup."

"To hell with my make up!" She sniffled, "Orestes, can't you be a little sensitive? My little girl is off at Beacon all on her own!"

Orestes Nemes sighed again.

"I am aware, ma'am," he said, "But that's typical. Besides, she wanted to be somewhere away from her fame."

"But what if my daughter needs her mother?!" Athena cried. "I should call her again! I can call her right now!" She pulls out her Scroll and dialed. Her eyebrows twitched.

"What?! Blocked again?!"

Orestes gently pulled the Scroll out of his employer's hands.

"You really need to not overdo things, ma'am," he said gently. He helped Athena up to her feet, even as she whimpered. "She's doing just fine, and you shouldn't smother her. She's left the nest. Let her spread her wings, hm?"

Athena sniffled... And then bawled. She hugged Orestes tightly.

"Ohhhh Orestes! You're soooo kiiiiind and wiiiiise!"

Orestes sighed quietly, and patted her on the head.

"There there, ma'am. There there-"

Athena's Scroll rang. Orestes hummed, and checked the caller ID.

"Miss Glynda Goodwitch, from Beacon, ma'am," he said, opening up the Scroll. Athena gasped as she saw Glynda's face.

"GLYNDA! GLYNDA! Is Pyrrha okay? Is she hurt? Is she doing well? Is she eating right-?!"

"Yes, no, yes, yes, YES," Glynda sighed. She shot a commiserating look at Orestes, one the fellow put-upon servant returned in mutual understanding, "However, there is an unusual situation that has sprung up involving her and... Jaune Arc."

Orestes raised an eyebrow. Athena grabbed the Scroll.

"What?! What is it?! Did they get together and ELOPE?! IS SHE PREGNANT?!"

"No, no! And... I mean... It's rather complicated," Glynda sighed, "Let's just say we require your presence, along with Jaune's parents. But please, keep it calm and restrained? This situation is delicate enough."

Athena glared harshly at Glynda.

"Come on Glynda! Is she pregnant? I can take it! I can handle it! If she has to take a year off from her career, that's fine! I'll even babysit the sweet little thing!" She sighed happily. "Ohhh! What if the baby has her eyes and his hair? Or the other way around? They'll be SUCH beautiful children!"

Glynda looked over at Orestes pleadingly. Orestes coughed.

"Ma'am, I'll make the travel arrangements."

"DO SO! And we must buy baby gifts! Supplies! My grandchildren will NOT do without! I need to make sure they're shown as much love and affection as possible!" She pointed dramatically out the window. "MAKE IT SO, ORESTES!"

"Yes ma'am," Orestes deadpanned.

"I'LL MAKE THE REST OF THE ARRANGEMENTS!" Athena wailed, rushing off like a charging bull. She went right down the stairs, and out the front doors without opening them. Orestes watched her run off, and sighed heavily. He looked back at the Scroll.

"You don't know how lucky you are," Orestes deadpanned.

"Oh believe me, you have no idea of your own luck," Glynda sighed.

"Tell me... Is this Jaune Arc a good man?" Orestes asked. Glynda nodded.

"He is."

"Good. I won't have to kill him," Orestes stated. Glynda scowled.

"Given your background, that's not funny at all."

The former Mistralian gangster grinned and spun a butterfly knife around his fingers.

"You can either laugh at the universe, rage, or cry. I think laughter is much more suitable, don't you?"

Glynda closed her eyes and shut off the call. Orestes sighed, folded the butterfly knife up, and tucked it into his jacket. He walked down to the ground floor, and walked out the wrecked doors.

On the front lawn, a small airship lay burning on the lawn. Athena, covered in smoke and grass stains, smiled nervously at her butler/bodyguard.

"Um... Orestes? Eheh... I kind of forgot I don't know how to pilot an airship. Can you fly the other one?"

Orestes sighed heavily.

"Never a dull moment..."

- - -

 

[AndrewJTalon]

"How often do you get nightmares?" Jaune inquired as he got close to Ashley's bedside. Her brother answered for her.

"Before we turned eight, never," Ash got out of his bed as he carefully felt around the edges of his scar. "After we turned eight? About once a week, sometimes more?"

"What happened?" Emerald asked with genuine concern in her voice.

"Home invasion that ended with us unlocking our semblance," Ash explained, "it was a bad time for everyone involved."

"We have the same semblance," Ashley picked up for her brother, "We call it Aura Syphon. It's kind of an inversion of your Aura Amp, Dad. Instead of supercharging your aura and letting you share it with other people like Aura Amp, Aura Syphon lets us drain someone else's aura to supercharge our own. Neither of us like using it because it's insanely dangerous; we can completely drain someone of all their aura in less than a minute, and that's kind of fatal..."

Concern grew in Jaune's gut, "Does that mean...?"

"That we killed the home invader?" Ash shuddered, "Yeah... Yeah we did. And then we weren't able to turn it off and almost killed Mom and Aunt Saphron. If you weren't there things would have been a lot worse. So yeah, the nightmares started after that."

"Can we pause this conversation for a bit?" Ashley asked as her stomach growled. "I need to stretch my legs and I'm kind of hungry."

"Right, you guys slept through lunch," Jaune looked toward's the infirmary's door in thought. "There's a vending machine with sandwiches between here and the Pastoria fountain, you think that will tide you over until dinnertime?"

"Probably," Ashley rubbed at her stomach as she got out of her bed.

After a few short moments Jaune and Emerald had the all clear from the nurses to take Ash and Ashley for a little stroll, and it wasn't long before the four of them had gotten to the vending machine. The twins made their selection, Jaune payed for them, and they returned to the Infirmary without any real problems.

When they got back to the twin's assigned beds the rest of Jaune's children and potential wives had moved past the entrance area and were loitering about Moses' bedside. This was far enough away to give an illusion of privacy, but it was still close enough that it wouldn't be hard for them to listen in on his an Emerald's conversation with Ash and Ashley. For the most part Jaune was willing to let that slide; considering who the twin's mother was and what she did in most of the timelines it was important for everyone to hear about the timeline where she was good.

Or at least he hoped she was good. Jaune turned to his children with Cinder as they finished off their sandwiches and sighed. "Alright then, we should probably start with the most important question: How did your mom and I get together?"

--------------------

Neopolitan frowned. For how simple of a plan 'Find Emerald and Steal Her Scroll' was, it was hitting all kinds of snags. It had taken far too long for them to find the green-haired thief, and when Mercury had finally spotted her she was in the infirmary with all of the time displaced children and most of their mothers.

That complicated getting in and out. Well more the getting out than getting in. Her semblance was more than up to the task of sneaking past everyone on the way in. That would not hold true on the way out. Emerald was a good enough thief that she would notice her scroll getting pulled from her pocket, meaning Neo would be exposed the instant she grabbed Em's scroll. Neo would have to book it at that point, and the odds were longer than she was comfortable with.

Four snipers, plus four Schnees multiplied by the fact that one of said Schnees was the top specialist of Atlas' military, plus Pyrrha Nikos times two, plus who knows what else the others had up their sleeves added up to a chase sequence Neo wasn't arrogant enough to think she could pull off.

The smart play would be to wait for Emerald to be alone. The boss lady didn't have the patience for the smart play, and insisted that if she was right there besides her they would have no issues with the retreat.

And so Neo was now sneaking through the infirmary with Cinder's right hand clamped on her left shoulder, uncomfortable anticipation building in her gut.

They entered the infirmary from the far end and moved slowly down its' central aisle, approaching Emerald as quietly and carefully as possible. Then Emerald shifted in her seat and Neo had a clear view of who was on her other side; Ash and Ashley, Cinder's twins.

Cinder's grip on Neo's shoulder tightened like a vice, and her free hand shot up to grab Neo's bicep. The false maiden then frog marched her reluctant underling to a spot where they could look at the burned twins with no obstructions, and then Cinder planted her feet like a tree and held Neo firmly in place.

Noepolitan's frown deepened, and since the boss lady couldn't see her face she rolled her eyes. She had a sudden sinking suspicion that getting Emerald's scroll was just an excuse for Cinder to look at her kids with her own eyes. And the more she thought about it the more it made sense: Cinder didn't need to return to campus to help Neo and Mercury tie up loose ends. That was fine and all, she just wished the boss lady had been upfront about her real objective before they snuck into the infirmary.

She glanced Cinder's way, and the false maiden seemed completely enraptured with watching the twins demolish a vending machine lunch. Soon the meals were finished and the twin's father, Jaune Arc, sighed and spoke:

"Alright then, we should probably start with the most important question: How did your mom and I get together?"

Cinder tensed, and leaned in with calculating eyes.

--------------------

Ash looked his father in the eyes as he began; "Well, Mom didn't like talking about her life before she married you, so most of what we know we learned from Aunt Em."

"From what she told us," Ashley continued for her brother, "The two of you got together at the party that's supposed to happen tonight. Aunt Em never went into the specific details of what went down, but it was basically an accident on Mom's part."

"In other words Mom was so drunk she didn't remember how it happened," Ash supplied, "But when she was sober she decided roll with it for a couple of reasons. Dating you was a good excuse to be close to the teams she wanted to spy on for the Vytal Tournament for one thing, and she thought you'd be an easily manipulated rube for another. There was one thing that didn't enter her calculations though: since you didn't know the relationship was fake you put in some serious effort into making things work."

"It didn't take you long to charm your way past mom's defenses," Ashley explained with a smile. "You gave her a whirlwind tour of every kind of fun she had missed out on growing up, and at the top of a Ferris Wheel she realized she liked you for you. Then The Breach happened, and she realized she didn't like seeing you get hurt."

"That's when she talked to her master, the Grimm Witch Salem, about you," Ash went on. "Mom asked Salem for a way to get you out of Vale so you wouldn't get caught in the crossfire of her grand plan. Salem refused to do that. When Mom insisted Salem snapped and ordered Mom to kill you; to cut out the weakness," Emerald flinched at that turn of phrase, "You were causing to grow within her. Mom told Salem she would, but she kept putting it off because deep down she realized she couldn't go through with it. Eventually the day she had been planning for came around and Mom kicked off the tumult of the century."

"It didn't take you long to find her in the middle of the chaos she was causing," Ashley continued the tale. "The two of you had your first and only big fight right outside of the elevator that leads to Ozpin's office. We don't know the details, but in the end you talked Mom into standing down and surrendering."

"The next couple of years were hard on Mom and Aunt Em," Ash sighed, "You were the only person who trusted them at that point. Sure Uncle Ozpin was in a forgiving mood, but that was because of everything Mom and Aunt Em were able to tell him about Salem and her inner circle. Mom had to earn everyone else's trust, and it wasn't until you all had finished dealing with Salem that the last of our honorary Aunts and Uncles came around."

"It didn't help that Mom's default response to mistrust was to get all cold and prickly," Ashley allowed a small smile to grow on her face. "Aunt Em told us it took Mom three years before she warmed up to Aunt Nora, which is kind of funny since Aunt Nora was one of the first people to warm up to Mom."

"The two of you got married on the first anniversary of Salem's defeat," Ash pulled out his scroll and showed off a wedding photo, "Though Mom was half convinced the Witch would still show up in spite of the shellacking you all gave her. Ashley and I were born about nine months later, and our family just kept growing after that." Ash swiped over to a different photo, and Jaune did a quick headcount.

"So there are nine of you?" Jaune asked.

"Yep," Ashley grinned, "Mom runs a pretty tight ship in spite of all the ruckus our younger siblings cause. Mom's a great Mom!" Her smile shrank, "Please don't let what happened today be a mark against her, she isn't really like that!"

"You mean she won't be like that," Emerald reminded in a gentle tone.

Ash and Ashley looked away at that and Ash's eyes turned to the crowd around Moses' bed, where he saw a peculiar sight. August and his mother May were staring very intently at an empty space beyond his and Ashley's beds. May tugged on Ruby's cloak, and whispered something to the silver-eyed girl and her son Julian. The silver-eyed boy looked at the empty space and his eyes seemed to glow for a moment before he let out a completely silent gasp. Julian then had a rushed and whispered conversation with his mom who also stared at the empty space with a look of extreme concentration, then her eyes started to glow like her son's. Surprise dominated her features, only to be replaced with steely determination.

Ruby stormed forward, her eyes glowing brighter and brighter with each step. "I Know You're There!" She called out to the empty space, "There's No Use Hiding! I. Can. See. Your. Souls."

A sound that could only be described as the kind of pained yelp only a mute person would make came from the empty space, only for that emptiness to shatter like glass. Ash could hardly contain his own surprise as he saw his mother standing where the emptiness wasn't anymore, squeezing the shoulder and arm of Neopolitan far too tight with a look on her face comparable to a cornered and panicking tiger.

She threw Neopolitan forward into Ruby and took a fighting stance. The tension in the room skyrocketed as almost two dozen weapons were drawn, just as many Schnee glyphs appeared in the air and Amethyst screamed something about a warlock.

"HOLD IT! HOLD IT! HOLD IT!" Jaune Arc yelled with all the authority he could muster as he sprang up from his seat. Surprisingly everyone held it. "Everyone just hold it for a minute, Okay!" He walked cautiously into the infirmary's aisle with his left hand behind him towards his entourage in a signal to stop, while his right hand stretched out in front of him in a placating manner.

"Cinder," Jaune addressed Ash and Ashley's mother in the most soothing voice he could manage right after yelling. "Cinder, we need to talk. Can we do that? Just talk? You and me? A nice, quiet conversation with no violence before, after or during?"

Neopolitan and Ruby got off the ground. Ruby cautiously joined Jaune. Neo marched to Cinder's side with a scowl on her face.

Cinder looked rather out of sorts all things considered. Like someone caught between two conflicting thoughts.

"Can we talk?" Jaune asked again hopefully.




Moses rolled over, somehow still asleep.

 

[AndrewJTalon]

- - -

Cinder stared. She worked her jaw for a moment, before she held up her hands.

"All I want to do is talk," she said quietly. Much scoffing ensued. Emerald glared daggers at her former mistress. Xander's glare was a thing of legend, his weapons out and fully charged.

"You snuck back into Beacon for that?" Xander scoffed.

"Just say the word, Dad, and she'll be gone," Theodore stated.

"That goes double for me," Julian growled, fists tight around his sniper scythe.

"Like hell. She's mine," Xia snarled, slamming her fists together. Her mother followed suit.

Jaune looked back at his future wives and children, and then back at Cinder. He kept his breathing nice and even. In and out. In and out.

"Then we'll talk," he said.

"Alone," Cinder asked, very deliberately trying not to look at her children. Ash and Ashley's eyes narrowed at this.

Jaune glanced back at the twins, then back at their mother. He slowly nodded.

"Okay."

The entire infirmary was filled with loud, angry voices.

"You can't be serious, Jaune!" Ruby shouted.

"She killed so many people!" Nicholas added, his Glyphs spinning around at full power.

"At least let us tie her up!" Leander protested.

"I talk. Then I leave. I won't hurt anyone, if you don't hurt me," Cinder said softly.

"Vomit Boy, don't!" Yang hissed.

Pyrrha winced at the looks some of the future children shot her. It wasn't something Jaune missed. He sucked in another deep breath.

"... Ruby. May. Julian. August. Keep an eye on her friend here," he said, nodding to Neo. The shortstack in the bowler hat smirked and winked at Jaune, something he ignored. "And us. We'll be right outside in the hallway. If anything goes wrong..."

His eyes locked onto Cinder's, grave and cold.

"You know what to do," he said quietly.

"Dad-" Ash tried, but Jaune looked back and him and shook his head.

"Follow my orders," he stated. Ash grimaced, but slid back. Jaune turned back to Cinder.

"Hallway. Now," he ordered, calm but with an edge. Cinder slowly nodded. She backed out into the hallway, keeping her eyes on everyone the entire time. Jaune tried not to look back at everyone's staring eyes. He had a pretty good feeling about what he'd see, and in who's faces.

Yet he had a funny feeling. Something deep in his heart. Something that told him that Cinder wasn't here to fight.

He didn't really know why, nor why the faces of two children he didn't know flashed in his mind... It just felt right.

They stepped out into the empty hallway, facing one another like gunslingers in an old West Valean film. Cinder licked her lips nervously, eyes going anywhere but towards Jaune.

"I... I'm sorry," she murmured, "I-I lost myself... The entire situation was so overwhelming and-and I-"

Her poise and acting were so overwrought it pissed Jaune off immediately.

"You burned your own children," Jaune stated, a cold anger rising up in his chest. Cinder actually paused, staring at his shoulder. Away from the infirmary. Her face faltered a bit, towards something more honest.

"Yes... I... I didn't-"

"I know about Salem, Cinder," Jaune said calmly, "I know about your past. The twins and Emerald told me."

Cinder stared at him in disbelief and shock.

"They... They know... You know-?"

"Not all the details," Jaune admitted, "But enough to make some... Guesses as to why you'd trade one master for another."

"I didn't trade anything!" Cinder snarled. "Salem... She saw my potential! She saw what I could do! She offered me power! Power to-"

"To hurt? To harm? To destroy people's lives?" Jaune asked quietly. Cinder glared.

"All people did to me was hurt me. Use me. Enslave me... She's eternal. She... She would make sure that I would never be hurt again."

"And yet, here you are, hurting," Jaune murmured.

"I'm not-!"

"You know what I mean," Jaune stated.

Cinder stared at Jaune.

"... I didn't mean to," she said, just as quietly.

"Which means maybe sometimes the world didn't mean to, either," Jaune argued, taking a step forward, "Maybe you don't need to hurt people who never did you harm to be safe. Maybe... Maybe you found it in that future. I know you found it in that future."

"With you?" Cinder sneered. Jaune slowly nodded.

"Yeah... I know I'm not much right now, Cinder... But it happened. In one future. In one future, you were free."

"I'm free now-"

"Bullshit," Jaune snorted, "What did Salem tell you when you called her?"

She gaped at him.

"How did-?"

Lucky guess and bluff, Jaune thought. Outwardly, he shook his head.

"If my plan had been upended by time travel, I think I'd at least let my boss know," he said, "What did she tell you?"

Cinder fell silent. Jaune's arms twitched. The conflict on her face, the anger she was just barely reining in... Part of him wanted to run and let his friends just demolish her.

Yet... Something in her eyes. Something about the discoloration around her neck. Something about how she'd looked when the twins were brought up...

That hurt inside of her was deep. Intense. Yet there was just the hint of regret. A moment of... Of empathy.

Maybe he was imagining it. Maybe she couldn't be saved. Yet...

"I'm guessing," Jaune said quietly, "She said some things you didn't like."

Again Cinder said nothing, glaring holes into the wall nearby.

Jaune steeled himself and took a step forward. Cinder looked at him, but didn't react otherwise.

"She's not your master in the future, Cinder," Jaune said quietly. He took another step forward, slow and steady.

"She can't be destroyed," Cinder murmured, "What kind of fool would oppose power like that?"

"Maybe, maybe not," Jaune admitted, taking another step, "But she can be defeated. You really think I'd have kids in so many timelines where she was still a force to be reckoned with? You think she'd suffer someone like me to live?"

Another step closer. Slow and steady. Still she didn't bolt.

"That... That proves nothing," Cinder gritted. Her fists were clenched tightly. Jaune took another step, placing him within reach of her. He stopped, and again steeled him.

"Your kids... Our kids still care about you," Jaune said softly, "They still love you. Even with what you've done."

"I didn't ask them to love me," Cinder hissed.

"But they do... And that has to matter to you somewhere, Cinder. Somewhere deep down inside," Jaune murmured. "Otherwise you wouldn't be here. You wouldn't feel like this."

"You don't know how I feel-!"

"I've got a pretty good idea," Jaune countered. Cinder looked up at him sharply.

"You've got yourself a virtual harem! Why would you care about me?"

"Because there's a way for you to be happy. To be at peace. To not fear for your life, or lash out at the world," Jaune said softly, earnestly, "And I want that... I want that for everyone."

"You can't give everyone a happy ending," Cinder hissed.

The blond knight slowly nodded.

"You're right. I can't. I can't change what happened to you. To Emerald. To Yang and Ruby's mothers. To May, Winter and Weiss's families. To Nora and Ren's home and loved ones. To Blake's people, or any bad things in Professor Goodwitch's or Pyrrha's pasts. I can't change any of that."

He then did what might have been the stupidest thing he could have done: He reached out and took Cinder's hand in his. She started, and instinctively tried to pull away. Jaune didn't let go, but he didn't squeeze too hard. He applied just enough pressure for her to pull away if she really wanted to... But just enough to keep her there.

"But maybe we can change our futures. Maybe I can change yours. Isn't... Isn't that worth thinking about, at least?"

Cinder stared into his eyes. For a moment, he thought he could see a glimmer of hope...

She then yanked her hand away, and turned her back to him.

"... I'll consider it," she muttered. "I won't be Ozpin's lapdog-"

"I didn't say you'd-"

"And I will choose the time and place of our next meeting," she stated firmly.

Jaune slowly nodded.

"Fine. Somewhere neutral... So we can trust eachother."

She shot a glare at him over her shoulder. He shrugged.

"A little."

"... Fine," Cinder managed. She glared at the door. "Call off your watchdogs."

"Don't call them that, and I will," Jaune retorted. Cinder stared at him for a moment, before nodding. Jaune looked back.

"Let her go, guys," he said.

Ruby and August grimaced, but they let Neo go. The bowler hatted girl grinned devilishly, and moved her hand towards her sleeve-

"Enough, Neo," Cinder barked. Neo pouted at her. "No... No violence. Take it out on some goons when we get home."

Neo huffed, but nodded. She then pranced up to Cinder. She gave Jaune an appraising look. One none of the other present women missed.

"HEY! Ogle someone else's beefcake!" Yang growled. Neo flipped her off. "Oh that's it, let me-!"

"Ease up, Yang!" Blake stated, gripping her partner's arm.

Cinder and Neo stood next to each other. Cinder narrowed her eyes.

"I'll get a message to you somehow," she stated.

"I... Look forward to it, I guess," Jaune managed.

"Hmph," Cinder snorted. She looked at the packed doorway, where her twins stood and stared. "... What are your names?"

"Ash," the boy volunteered.

"Ashley," the girl said.

Cinder slowly nodded.

"I see..." she whispered. "Until next time."

A smoke bomb and flashbang went off, and everyone held their arms up to their eyes. Jaune coughed hard. He felt something slip around his pockets, but couldn't see anything.

"DAMNIT! WHY DO MY EYES NOT WORK IN THIS CRAP?!" Julian shouted.

"LANGUAGE!" Ruby coughed back.

"Oh for...!" Weiss summoned up a Glyph and used Wind Dust to clear the hallway. May, Ruby, Julian and August scanned around. May grimaced.

"I can't see them," she admitted, "They must have booked it to get out of range."

"Ugh... My eyes," Ruby moaned, rubbing hers, "They're super eyes but they still get hurt thanks to crap like that?!"

"Language," Yang chided her, and Xia and Julian snickered a little.

Jaune sighed, and looked back at Ash and Ashley. The twins looked a little less tense.

"Well...?"

"That... Probably went about as well as it could have gone," Ash admitted.

"That so?" Weiss asked.

"We aren't dead, after all," Ashley opined.

"I suppose she has a point," Leandra muttered.

- - -

 

[AndrewJTalon]

Radian

Arc Farm

- - -

Isabel Arc barged in through the front door, the impact making the MANY pictures hanging from the walls shake.



"ACK!" Lilac Arc, a beautiful young woman of twenty-three with her hair in a loose ponytail over one shoulder, started. She looked up from the living room couch where she'd been working on the finances for the farm. "Mom, what is it?!"



"Your brother got himself into trouble," Isabel stated brusquely, hurrying upstairs. Lilac got up and walked to the bottom of the stairs. She stared up in disbelief as her mother began ransacking the closets.



"Wh-What kind of trouble?!"



"Very official trouble," a female voice said behind her. Lilac yelped and looked behind her. A beautiful dusky skinned woman with reddish hair and green eyes smiled at her. She wore humble white and blue robes and a head covering. Her forehead bore a single red jewel, and she held an elaborate silver staff in one hand.



"Aunt Saia?!" Lilac gasped. "Aren't you supposed to be... Being a queen or-or something?!"



"Oh, I left Uncle Drona in charge of the kingdom," Saia said with a laugh, "Besides, my husband the King was off playing hooky. I believe the queen has the same right. Especially if I can help out dear old friends."



Isabel emerged from her room, carrying several large, heavy looking suitcases and bags. She stomped down the stairs, smiling at Saia.



"Glad to see you taking initiative, Saia," Isabel said gratefully. Saia chuckled, her laugh like the sound of tinkling bells.



"Well I was on my way to Beacon anyway. Arjun wanted me to be a representative while he and Nick cheered for your son."



"And he didn't tell me that because...?" Isabel prompted. Saia smirked slightly.



"You didn't ask," she said wryly.



Isabel rolled her eyes.



"Of course. Jackass."



"That's my husband you're talking about. Please, call him a royal jackass, it's more appropriate," Saia encouraged. Isabel scowled.



"Not in the mood for jokes, Saia."



"I know... But it's better to laugh at the universe than cry," Saia said with a sigh, "Tears do nothing."



The queen looked very solemn, a hand resting on her belly. Lilac reached out to hug her aunt. Saia returned it, smiling gratefully.

"Thank you dear."



"Anyway," Isabel smiled at Lilac, "Just manage the farm as usual until we get back. If you have any issues, call us. all right? Hopefully this won't take too long, but I'm honestly not sure how bad things might get with Jaune."



"Well, uh... What kind of trouble specifically is he in?" Lilac asked.



Isabel sighed heavily. Saia smirked a bit.



"Your brother decided to outdo Saphron and Terra," she said, "And has impregnated at least eleven women. Who all know one another."



Lilac's jaw dropped.



"E-E-ELEVEN?!"



"At least," Isabel sighed. "Just try to keep it quiet, Lilac? This will inevitably get out, but the less media attention we have, the better."



"R-R-Right! Right!" Lilac said, nodding vigorously.



Isabel hugged and kissed her daughter goodbye, before she turned to the door. Saia opened it up, and Isabel managed to squeeze through with all the baggage. The two women hurried over to a large silver and red airship hovering over the front drive of the farm. They leaped up into the open hatches, which closed, and then the large airship turned and began to head to the south.



Lilac watched them go, and waved her hand at them in a dazed manner. She shook her head.



"Eleven?! Oh my... That's a lot of knitting! I'd better get started!"



She sat down and pulled her her knitting needles. She went to town on several bundles of yarn, her needles clicking loudly.



A few minutes later, twin blonde women of twenty-two entered. One had her hair in a short spiky bob with orange streaks going through it, while the other had green streaks in her wild curly locks.



"I'm just saying, Verdy," the orange streaked twin said, "There is a fine line between a prank and terrorism."



Verdy stuck her tongue out at her sister.



"And I'm saying, Coral, as long as Sarge says it's cool, it's cool! And he said it was cool! So did Caboose!"



Right after them, a shorter blonde woman with a neat pageboy cut and glasses on her nose walked in with a frown.



"Caboose said he was no longer on speaking terms with that pile of explosives," she stated.



"There see? We didn't even blow up one of his friends, so what's the issue?" Verdy asked. Coral sighed, as Orchid shook her head.



All three sisters looked over at Lilac, who looked up with a smile.



"Hello Verdy! Hello Coral! Hello Orchid!"



"Uh, hey Lilac," Verdy said, frowning, "Why are you knitting?"



"Because Jaune's got at least eleven babies on the way and we need to get on top of the situation!" Lilac said cheerfully.



Verdy's jaw dropped to the floor. Coral gasped. Orchid adjusted her glasses.



"E-ELEVEN BABIES?!" Verdy cried.



"How many mothers?!" Coral exclaimed.



"At least eleven!" Lilac said brightly, her knitting needles clicking like a Geiger counter on top of a mountain of uranium.



Orchid blinked.



"Huh... I would have thought there would be a few twins."



"THAT'S ALL YOU'VE GOT TO SAY?!" Verdy cried. Orchid shrugged.



"What else is there to say?"



"I-I mean, a lot of things?" Coral suggested.



"Are you three going to stand there and argue or are you going to help me knit?" Lilac asked tensely.



"Shouldn't one of us let the others know?" Coral asked, as Lilac's smile was looking just a bit terrifying.



"Oh! O-Of course!" Lilac agreed with a nod. She finished a pair of red booties, and smiled happily, before she set them aside and got back to knitting at high speed. "Verdy! Coral! Get to work on scarves and hats! Orchid! Make the calls!"



- - -



Somewhere in the wilds of Mistral, Aqua Arc stared in disbelief at her Scroll. The rest of her team was busy dealing with a bandit tribe they'd been tasked by the locals to deal with. The members of the tribe were scattered around them, unconscious or tied up.



Her partner, one Kazuma Satou, was trying to console a bandit while the other two members of their team kept watch on or looted the others.



"It's okay, it's okay, Megumin's explosions were set for non-lethal," he soothed the shaking man.



"So huge...! So terrifying!" The bandit wailed.



Kazuma looked over at Aqua in concern.



"Something up?" He asked.



Aqua slowly looked over at her partner/boyfriend and shrugged helplessly.



"Um... It looks like my little brother is going to be a father."



Kazuma chuckled.



"Little Jaune, huh? Well, good to know! Little young but hey! Good on him!"



"Eleven times over," Aqua deadpanned.



Kazuma blinked a few times.



"... And the mothers aren't going to murder him?"



"Apparently not," Aqua shrugged.



Kazuma sobbed, clenching his fist.



"That lucky bastard...!"



Aqua summoned some water with her Semblance and blasted him into a rock.



"IDIOT!"



- - -



Tangerine "Tangy" Arc blinked rapidly at the message on her Scroll. She scowled deeply as the cold Solitas wind blew her blond hair out of her face.



Her assistant, one Viktoriya Ivanovna Serebryakov of Mantle, looked at her boss in concern.



"Something wrong, ma'am?"



"Well... No... Sort of," she sighed. "My idiot little brother knocked up some girls."



Viktoriya beamed and gasped happily.



"He did? Oh that's wonderful! I love babies! They're ever so cute and adorable and-" She blinked. "Wait, girls?"



"Eleven," Tangy deadpanned.



"Oh." Viktoriya winced. "Um... Oh dear..."



"They all know about eachother and they're all getting along, mostly," Tangy went on. Viktoriya beamed.



"OH! How wonderful! Shall we get some gifts for them?"



"We pretty much have to," Tangy sighed.



"Boss!" A handsome blond man shouted. Tangy looked over at him. He, with a few other men, were holding a group of bandits under armed guard near an armored train.



"Any of them willing to talk?" Tangy called.



"No ma'am!"



"All right! Guess we'll pick one at random to start torturing! Maybe that will loosen some lips!" Tangy chuckled, as the bandits all paled.



"Um, w-we're willing to split the entire fortune on the train with you?" One of the bandits offered.



Tangy snorted.



"Please. The system only works if we all agree to play by the rules. That's business 101. Sure, I'll get as much as I can and sometimes I'll push the line, but dealing with a bunch of assholes who just steal as they please and generate no value is a losing proposition."



A psychotic smile came over the short blonde woman's face.



"And just for that? Guess who gets to be tortured first~?"



- - -



In Argus, Saphron Arc-Cotta scowled deeply at her Scroll. Terra Cotta, her wife, sat across their kitchen table. Their infant son Adrian was sucking from a bottle, utterly at peace.



"Uh, Saph? You okay?"



"Jaune's going to be a father," Saphron scowled. Terra's eyebrows rose.



"Oh? Well, good on him! He's a little young but-"



"To eleven kids."



Terra's jaw dropped.



"From eleven women."



Terra choked. Saphron, still scowling, reached out and slapped Terra on the back.



"E-E-ELEVEN?!" She gasped.



Saphron nodded, her mouth a thin angry line.



"He's beating us at the grandchildren game, Terra! I WILL NOT ALLOW IT!" She declared. "Call the sitter! We're making more babies RIGHT NOW!"



"... Right now right now or-?"



"RIGHT DAMN NOW!"



"Yes dear!"



- - -



Again, using my silly fanon for the Arc Family sisters. They will not have a big impact on the rest of the story, it's a little too complicated to have them all be involved, after all.

 

[AndrewJTalon]

- - -

August sighed in some relief as everyone settled back down to keep an eye on Moses. He was still worried about Cinder, but he was pretty confident everyone would be able to handle her. He knew the stories from Aunt Pyrrha, after all.

Speaking of which, he smiled warmly at the redhead.

"I uh, I just wanted to say, Aunt Pyrrha, I'm really glad you're still okay," he said. Pyrrha started, and stared at the tall teen.

"Oh?"

"Yeah! I've heard you weren't in a lot of other timelines," he said with a sigh, "And in mine. But I'm so glad you're good here. Mom and Dad had a memorial raised to you in the royal palace!"

"Oh, well, um, thank you," Pyrrha managed, flushing a bit in confusion, flattery, and some frustration.

His mother May frowned deeply, as did his father, and Xander.

"Royal Palace? What do you mean, August?" May asked. "Does your father become a king in our-um, I mean, your future?" She cast some nervous glances at some of the other girls.

"Eh? No, he's your..." August trailed off and his eyes widened. "Ohhh. Oh, this-this is before you find out. Dang, uh..."

"Find out what?" Jaune asked.

August winced.

"I-I really shouldn't say-The timeline's a big enough mess as it is-You really shouldn't-"

"Just tell us, dipshit!" Ash shouted with a glare. August coughed.

"Um... Dad? Arjun Sarkara is still your dad's best friend, right?"

"Yeah," Jaune said with a nod and a grin, "Uncle Arjun's the best! He's super busy but he and Aunt Saia show up for the holidays!"

Weiss, Blake, Pyrrha, and Emerald all gasped in shock. Arslan looked deeply startled.

"Wait, you don't mean King Arjun Sarkara of the Kingdom of Pandu, do you?" Weiss cried. Jaune blinked and shrugged.

"Well, yeah. He's my godfather."

Much staring.

"Why didn't you ever tell us?!" Nora shouted angrily. "I COULD HAVE BEEN A PRINCESS!"

"It's not that big a deal!" Jaune insisted. "When my parents helped him and Aunt Saia retake his throne from the Kaurava Crime Family-"

"Your dad and mom helped overthrow a government?!" Ruby gasped, eyes sparkling, "And restored an exiled prince to his throne?! THAT'S SO COOL!"

"Why didn't you tell us your family was so awesome?!" Yang demanded.

"I did," Jaune deadpanned. Yang and Ruby winced.

"Oh... I guess we weren't listening," Ruby conceded bashfully.

Blake looked immensely jealous for some reason, though she didn't voice her thoughts on the matter.

"That's... Wow," Pyrrha beamed, "To know you're the godson of King Arjun himself... He's such an inspiration! A noble warrior, a compassionate ruler-!"

"A fearsome fighter against corruption," Arslan nodded, as Petra nodded with her.

"Someone my father tried to buy out but failed," Weiss breathed in amazement.

"A cunning tactician," Ren added.

"And a snappy dresser!"

Everyone stared at Yang. She shrugged and grinned.

"Had to lighten the mood a little, right?"

"Mom," Xia moaned.

"Anyway, anyway!" August said quickly, "Um, their only daughter was kidnapped by Kaurava sympathizers when she was a baby... And thought lost and dead..." He shyly met his mother's eyes, "Until the Vytal Festival."

May's jaw dropped. Her dusky cheeks went bright red. She began to sway unsteadily even as she sat on her chair.

"Y-You mean... I'm... I'm...?"

"Uh, yeah," August coughed, "You're actually Maia Sarkara, the future Queen of Pandu. Dad's your consort... Maybe I should have mentioned it sooner?"

"HOW MANY HIDDEN PRINCESSES ARE AT THIS SCHOOL ANYWAY?!" Nora demanded.

Once again, May Zedong fainted.

- - -

Aboard a small Pandu airship, some distance to the north...

Arjun piloted the craft from the pilot's seat, while Nick was in the copilot seat. Notably, his controls were all shut down and triple-locked out.

Nick sighed and looked over at his best friend.

"This really isn't necessary. I learned my lesson last time, promise!"

"One airship crashing, I could forgive," Arjun stated, "Two? I could tolerate, if the circumstances warranted it. But you crashed three of my airships, Nick. No more piloting for you, ever."

"Oh come on!" Nick groaned. "That last one was a fluke!"

"Two would be a fluke, three is enemy action."

"Come on, I've been practicing!" Nick complained. "Tex let me in the simulator back in Radian! She said I was doing better!"

"You crashed the simulator."

"I didn't crash it as fast that time!"

Arjun rolled his eyes. Nick held his hands together with a pleading expression on his face.

"Come on Arjun! You have any idea how embarrassing it is to have to ask my wife or children to pilot me anywhere?"

Arjun sighed, checking their readouts. Everything was on course and looked good.

"Any more embarrassing than crashing every air vehicle you've ever tried to pilot?"

"Uggggh," Nick groaned, leaning his head back and fidgeting like the very mature adult he was.

Arjun then adopted a sly smile.

"Of course... I might be persuaded to be patient enough to teach you how to fly properly... If one of your daughters married my son."

Nick's head snapped up and he scowled.

"No."

"Oh come on!" Arjun groaned. "It would make us family! True family! That's something we've wanted forever!"

Nick wavered a bit.

"That's true, Arjun," Nick said, his voice thick with emotion, "You are my brother in every way but blood."

Arjun smiled, filled with the same manly emotions.

"And you too, my brother," Arjun nodded.

"But," Nick sighed, "Isabel made it very clear: No arranged marriages. Besides, your son is twelve."

"Abhimanyu is very mature for his age!" Arjun protested. Nick gave him a deadpan look.

"Besides. Saphron is already married and a lesbian, Aqua is practically married and a disaster I wouldn't inflict on anyone, Lilac is engaged to Primo, whom she's been in love with since childhood, Verdy and Coral would eat him alive, Tangy would probably depose him for the money, and Orchid would have to look up from her books for five minutes to take notice of him."

"... So Tangy and Orchid are my best bet?" Arjun asked.

Nick sighed. Arjun smiled.

"Come on. We would get to be together all the time to arrange their dates. We could do all the fun things our wives forbade us to do in the name of ensuring our children got married!"

"I know, damnit!" Nick sighed, "We could have had that with..." He hesitated.

Arjun sighed and nodded sadly.

"With Maia and Jaune. I know. But unless she's one of the eleven women your son knocked up? Abhimanyu it is."

Nick sighed.

"... Is he interested in video games?"

"A few."

"Well, that's a start for Orchid," Nick nodded, "Let's set it up!"

- - -

 

[AndrewJTalon]

- - -



Schnee Mansion



Atlas, Northern Solitas



- - -



Willow Schnee sat on her couch and lazily watched the goings on in her garden. Her cranes were looking healthier than before-She would have to thank the vet next time he showed up.



Or both vets. At the time she'd been a bit soused so she wasn't entirely sure if it was one or two.



She was about to lift up her glass to start her breakfast, when Klein, the head butler, entered the warm gardens at a brisk pace. She looked over at him in curiosity.



"Mm? Klein, is something wrong?"



"On your private line, ma'am," he stated firmly, holding out a Scroll. "It's from Professor Goodwitch. She says it's about Weiss and Winter, and it is urgent."



Willow bit her lower lip. A tiny pang of guilt shot through her chest at this. For all her depression and self pity... She did care for her children.



"Does Jacques know?" She asked quietly.



Klein smiled politely underneath his bushy mustache.



"Mister Schnee is regrettably detained by a private meeting at this time, and asked to not be disturbed," he stated. Willow smiled just a bit.



"I see... Then I'll take care of this," she said. She took the Scroll, and opened the chat window. A somewhat frazzled Glynda Goodwitch greeted her: A far cry from the stoic, taciturn and neat woman she'd met briefly at a party to celebrate Weiss entering Beacon with top scores.



"Miss Goodwitch," Willow asked quietly, "Is Weiss all right? How is Winter involved? I don't understand that at all."



Glynda slowly nodded.



"They're safe, there's no need to worry about their physical well being," she said, "However, an... Incident involving a young man has... Well..." She sighed. "It's... Complicated."



Willow frowned deeply.



"Who is this young man? Has he... Done anything to them?"



She couldn't imagine many young men who could do anything to her girls. Not easily, at any rate.



"Nothing bad, I assure you," Glynda said firmly, "I can vouch for his character in this matter. But it is... Complex. You should come and speak to him and his parents."



Willow blinked. She blinked a few more times. Despite her alcoholism, her keen mind could still be roused to action when the situation called for it.



"You almost make it sound like he's... Put them into a family way," Willow said with a light smile to indicate she was joking.



Glynda's expression did not change. Willow blinked. She blinked again.



"Wait... You're not telling me that he... They're both...?!"



Glynda sighed tiredly.



"It is, and is not like that," she stated, "But it is a delicate situation nonetheless and I believe you are better suited to handling it than Jacques."



Willow frowned, and squeezed her thigh out of nerves.



"I, well..." She cleared her throat. "How soon do you need me?"



Glynda glared at her.



"As soon as possible."



Willow slowly nodded.



"And you can't give me any more details?"



"Not over the Scroll, no," Glynda stated. "You'll understand when you arrive, I promise."



Willow hummed.



"Can I at least see the man my daughters are... Involved with?"



Glynda pulled up a photo of a handsome, brightly smiling young man with messy blond hair and blue eyes. Willow's eyes widened.



"Is... Is he by any chance, related to a Nick Arc from Radian?" She asked.



"He's his son," Glynda said, cocking her head curiously, "Are you familiar with him?'



For a moment, Willow wasn't a burned out, depressed trophy wife kept prisoner in her own house by an uncaring, cold, two-faced bastard of a husband.



She was a young up and comer in the Atlasian social scene, her father a newly made millionaire. She still made frequent trips to the mines though, to see her father and all the dear "uncles" who made up the head teams. Her brother Warden among them, Gods rest his soul.



She'd met a young man who was part of a Hunter-in-training team from Beacon. Brash, blond, always confident, grinning, and kind. He'd been her personal bodyguard when a rival company tried to kidnap her.



He had taken bullets for her, all with a happy grin on his face. Even as his team leader healed him, he refused to move from in front of her. When she'd asked why, he just smiled and gave her a thumbs up.



"Because it's my Huntsman's way! I'll never let any harm come to someone I'm protecting. Not ever!"



Her heart still fluttered at the memory, even now. She'd entertained the fantasy of running off with the sunny, brave boy... But Nick's goals lay elsewhere. Besides, it was clear his blonde medic leader had designs on him. Oh she had denied they had any attraction, but even at that age, Willow knew when someone was infatuated. The way the medic's eyes had softened around Nick had been too obvious for it not to be love.



That, and she loved her father too much to run away.



Of course, after that, she'd met Jacques. She thought him like Nick: Dashing, warm, even courageous. Yet it was all a facade, and by the time she realized it... It was too late.



She clenched her fists tightly. She looked over at her cranes. Their chicks had just hatched, and the proud mother and father were both doting on them shamelessly. Showing them love and affection as they fed them, a mated pair.



How she had felt like that, back in the day... How things might have turned out, if not for...



She nodded.



"Yes, I am. I'll be there in a day."



"Good," Glynda said. The call ended. Willow allowed herself a small smile. She set her wine glass on the side table, and stood up.



"Klein, please prepare my airship and my luggage."



"Already done, ma'am," Klein said. She looked at him oddly, and he blushed.



"I uh... Well... I hoped you would want to go, ma'am. Despite everything, when you show an interest... The girls were always happy."



Willow frowned deeply, and nodded.



"I know," she said quietly. "If-If you could? Get Whitley, too. He should come as well."



"Of course, ma'am," Klein said, "And what should we tell Mister Jacques?"



A little smirk came over Willow's face.



"Nothing. He asked to not be disturbed, after all."



Klein was too professional to smirk back, but she knew the glint in his eyes.



"Of course, ma'am."



"I just need to look over some of my luggage first," Willow declared, striding confidently for the door to the gardens. She had a few outfits that would be good for her daughters.



And even better for Nick. Just because she was married didn't mean she couldn't show off, right?



- - -


Whether or not Jacques gets involved in the story is ultimately up to Sift Green. He would be more interested in Moses and his time traveling ability than almost anything else, I think.

 

[AndrewJTalon]

Aelia Paravel was one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities still standing within the Kingdom of Mistral, and perhaps the whole world. As such it has carried many titles over the centuries: The Crossroads of Anima, The Lower Court, The Oasis of Justice, The City of Kings, The Holy Place, The Table of Fate, The Broken Table.

It is said that the city was built around an artifact left behind by ancient gods known as The Stone Table. According to legends this Stone Table governed the births, lives and deaths of mortal souls, both human and faunus alike. The legends go on to say that because of the Table's power a Witch with mastery over ice and snow conquered the city in her quest to live forever. It is said that the Ice Witch would sacrifice young men and women upon the Stone Table in a ritual that added their lifespans to her own. For a hundred years her tyranny covered the city in winter, but it all came to an end through the sacrifice of the Table Breaker.

According to the faithful the Table Breaker was born with the spark of the divine within him. This divine spark gave him otherworldly knowledge and the power to work miracles no semblance could hope to replicate. He healed the sick, gave comfort to the weary, and taught truths that confounded the wise. He gathered a following of disciples who did their best to record all his teachings, and this following caught the attention of the Witch's secret police.

The Table Breaker's followers expected him to confront the Ice Witch in an epic duel of cosmic powers, and they were all shocked when he willingly gave himself up and allowed the Witch to sacrifice him upon the Stone Table. For three days and three nights his body lay upon the Table, and the Witch mocked those who morned him. Then on the dawn of the fourth day the ground shook, the earth cracked, and the Stone Table broke in two as the Table Breaker's spirit returned to its' body and lived again.

Breaking the Table killed the Ice Witch as she had tethered her life-force to the "unbreakable" artifact, and her power went off to inhabit another young girl. As for the Table Breaker? The sacred texts claim his time in death had allowed his divine spark to come to the surface, and he had returned as a being that could only be called a god. He remained within the Holy City of Aelia Paravel for a year doing good and teaching doctrine before he departed for a place beyond the world, where he would build a paradise of growth so that all those who believed on his name could escape the dooms engraved in the Stone Table.

Believers spread the good news of the Table Breaker far and wide, and Aelia Paravel became a site of pilgrimage for those who believed. This kept the city relevant over the millennia through the rise and fall of empires. Aelia Paravel was conquered, freed, conquered, conquered, conquered, freed again, conquered again and again so many times over the centuries that any other city would have faded into obscurity and disappeared, but thanks to the wealth brought in by faithful pilgrims the city was always able to rebuild. Even as the faith began to loose popularity in the continent of Anima it had enough adherents in other far flung lands to keep Aelia Paravel relevant in the world.

In the modern era the city is is still the beating heart of the faith in spite of the central government of Mistral's best efforts, so many of the faithful have dreams of living there. Among those living that dream are the Altan family; a clan with a membership so sprawling and massive and intertwined with the city that whenever one of them starts dating they have to check with their local genealogist just to be certain their paramour isn't a lost cousin less than four times removed.

In a modest mansion overlooking the old city lives a relatively small branch of the Altan family. Heading this branch is Logos Altan, retired stuntman and hobbyist mechanic. At his side stands his wife Basara Altan, retired actress and hobbyist artist. Together they have brought eight children into the world, seven sons and a daughter they named Arslan.

This day started off like many other Saturdays for the family; with Logos getting out of bed first and cooking a hearty breakfast for everyone currently home. Then after the meal was spread across the dinning room table Logos would lead his family in prayer, imploring the Divine to keep a watchful eye on those members of the household who were now grown and making their own way in the world.

Once the meal was finished and the dishes and kitchen cleaned Logos and Basara retreated to the garage. There Logos worked on restoring this or that old vehicle while Basara painted murals on the sides of the vehicles he had finished in the neighboring bay. This kept them occupied until lunchtime when they returned to the kitchen and fixed themselves a humble meal of simple sandwiches.

After lunch the two of them spent the early afternoon strolling arm in arm through a local park, taking in the beauty the gardeners had labored so hard to bring forth. While at the park they ran into handful of fans who recognized Basara from her acting days which lead to an impromptu autograph signing that took up a surprising chunk of time. All in all it was a full afternoon.

As the two of them returned home Logos looked to his wife and asked in his deep baritone voice, "Should I cook something, or do you want to cook something, or should we order something?"

"Hmmm...." Basara contemplated the question for a moment, "It would take too long to thaw out the mutton we have in the freezer, and you grilled yesterday. I say we order something."

Logos solemnly nodded and pulled a wheel of chance from behind a cabinet, seven high end restaurants with a ten minute delivery time to their home decorating its' face. He placed it upon the table in a purposeful manner before stepping aside so his wife could spin it. She ceremoniously stretched forth her hand, but then her scroll ringed.

Frowning at the unexpected call Basara pulled her scroll from her pocket and redirected the call to a screen on the dinning room wall. They were treated to an unexpected sight: Glynda Goodwitch, the deputy headmistress of Beacon Academy, who looked frazzled and near the end of her rope.

"Have I reached Logos and Basara Altan? Parents of Arslan Altan?" Glynda sounded desperate, "The Arslan Altan who's fought Pyrrha Nikos in the finals of multiple tournaments?"

"How many of my distant cousins did you accidentally call while trying to reach us?" Logos asked dryly.

"None, I got your number from your daughter," Glynda clarified, "And she needs the two of you to come to Beacon as soon as possible, a complicated situation has arisen and she could use your support."

"What happened?" Basara asked with a layer of concern blanketing her words.

Glynda took a deep and resigned breath, "Congratulations, you're grandparents."

Logos and Basara looked to one another with raised eyebrows, then they looked back to Glynda.

"Has our daughter eloped?" A layer of confusion was evident in Basara's speech.

"The situation is complicated, but no she hasn't," Glynda ran a hand through her hair, "It will be easier to explain things in person with the other parents."

"Has the man been arrested?" Logos asked in a deadly serious tone.

"Beg pardon?" A strand of hair popped out of Glynda's bun.

"Our daughter would never willingly have a child out of wedlock," Logos explained in a dangerously even voice, "So there is only one way for us to have become grandparents. I ask again, has the man been arrested?"

For a moment Glynda gaped at them, as if his perfectly reasonable question was the last thing she had expected to hear and she had been left speechless. Then the teacher from Beacon began to squeak in a rapid-fire manner.

"Wait Wait Wait! Hold On For A Second! It's Not Like That!" Glynda flailed about, "Jaune Arc Hasn't Touched Your Daughter!"

The two parents filed away the name of Jaune Arc while Basara asked, "If he hasn't touched her how are we grandparents?"

"That's the complicated part that we need to talk about in person! Everything will-" Glynda tried only to be interrupted by a voice calling from offscreen:

"Glynda! I told you to look up Basara's filmography before calling them!" The male voice admonished.

"HOW DOES THAT HELP!?!?" Glynda yelled back in frantic exasperation.

Ozpin, Headmaster of Beacon Academy stepped into frame and looked at the Altans with an apologetic look. "The complicated part of all of this is like the premise of The Argus Experiment, but in real life and in reverse."

Logos and Basara looked at each other again with surprise on their faces this time. They remembered The Argus Experiment well, they had first met during its' filming after all. It involved a woman (played by Basara) getting hurled forward in time as a result of exotic dust tests and having to stop a second larger exotic dust test. In real life and in reverse could only mean...

"You're saying our grandchild is a time traveler," Logos summarized in thoughtful voice.

"She is," Ozpin confirmed, "And we need your help untangling the paradox she's gotten herself into."

"I see," Basara nodded, "We'll be there as soon as possible." She then looked away from Ozpin and back towards the flustered Glynda and asked, "Why didn't you lead with that?"

Glynda took off her glasses and messaged her temples. "Now I know why Dorothy thought I needed a drink," She grumbled.

 

[AndrewJTalon]

- - -

It was a bit of a minor miracle they'd managed to escape. Salem though had given Cinder maps of the ancient castle's secrets. How Salem had gotten them was not a question Cinder had asked, though she had some guesses.

They'd managed to get down to the grotto, clambered into the boat with Mercury, and set out into the river back towards Vale's underground water works tunnels. The whole time, Cinder had been silent. As had her companions, thankfully.

Mercury had looked concerned. Well, more concerned that she might lash out and barbecue him. Something that in the past seemed like it would be appealing if only to stop his yammering.

Right now though she didn't have that luxury. Her plan was in shambles, her most loyal minion had betrayed her, and...

A mother... I'm a mother to... I could be...

Her children stared at her in pain and fear, as flames consumed their faces...

She clenched her fists as the waves gently lapped against the boat's hull.

No... No, that can't be... I can't...

Power. She wanted power. That was all she had ever wanted. Power to make those who would harm her suffer and die. Power to be feared and obeyed. Power to crush all who would oppose her.

It was still what she wanted. It was all she wanted...

"Ah, hey Cinder?"

Cinder looked up and glared at Mercury. The assassin winced.

"What?"

"We're going to a safehouse Emerald doesn't know about," Mercury said, "Uh... Neo's got some news?"

Neo held up a Scroll and tapped out a message.

"I put a hackchip on Arc's Scroll. You'll be able to access his data and anyone else's."

"Why didn't you get Emerald's scroll?" Cinder demanded with her eyes narrowed. Neo rolled her eyes as she continued to type.

"Hey, I'm good but not that good. Besides, this is more subtle!"

Neo made a face.

"I hate being subtle but hey, sometimes you gotta do that."

She smirked at Cinder.

"So do you need a mistress for your future husband? I'm game if you are."

Cinder shot a deadly glare at the smirking little imp. Her fists flared with flames. Neo didn't even flinch.

"I could kill you now," she hissed.

"But you won't. Cause you need me," Neo typed back, wiggling her eyebrows.

Cinder seethed. Her flames burned white hot, making the boat steam. Mercury winced and began to scoot towards the stone dock nearby. Neo remained motionless, her smirk unchanged.

Cinder took a deep breath and released the flames.

"Keep it that way," Cinder spat, as she rose and stalked up onto the stone dock. Mercury gave her plenty of room as she stormed past him. Neo jumped up onto the dock and smirked after her.

Cinder threw open a wooden door and stomped up some stairs. She threw open another door and practically flew through the plainly appointed and decorated safe house. She found a bedroom, threw open the door and stormed inside. She slammed it shut behind her and went to the bed.

She laid down on it and glared up at the ceiling, her rage roiling inside her. It made the Grimm parasite within her grow. Yes, that's what she needed. She needed to turn her conflicted feelings into power. Her rage, her sorrow, her grief...

It all went into her Grimm. It all made her stronger, better. It was what she wanted... it was what she wanted...!

Her children stared at her in pain and fear, as flames consumed their faces...

Her Scroll pinged. She pulled it out and opened it up. It was a message from Neo, with a smirking emoji attached.

"Click here to check up on your boytoy~."

Cinder snarled under her breath. She wanted to fry that irritating little gremlin, burn her to a crisp...!

She took a deep breath. She opened the link.

She began to go through Jaune... Arc's... That idiot's files. Games, pictures, so many pictures of his team and Beacon... It was all so disgustingly wholesome. Pictures of him hanging out with his teammates. Pictures of his large family, sisters and parents hugging him. Pictures of him with his baby nephew... It was impossibly saccharine! Who could live like this?!

How could she have fallen for-?

Cinder tossed the Scroll aside, letting it clatter to the floor. She sat up and bent over, breathing hard. She clutched at the bedspread, fighting with all her might to keep her flames at bay.

No. No, that wasn't her. That wasn't her. She didn't fall for him, she wouldn't fall for him, she chose not to. Her future was her decision! Her choice!

She didn't want love! She didn't want him! She didn't want THEM!

"I don't want it," she seethed, "I-I don't need love... I don't want it... I can't have it... I-I choose not to have it! I choose power!"

She glared at the mirror, her lips twitching violently. Her eyes shone with tears.

"I want... You want power," she hissed at the mirror. "You want it! You've always wanted it!"

Her children stared at her in pain and fear, as flames consumed their faces...

She got up and stormed to the mirror, slamming her hands down on the dresser. Her hot hands left deep burning imprints on the wood as she glared into her eyes.

"You don't want him. That other you... She was weak. She failed. She-She can't be happy! She can't have what she wants! You can't have it! YOU WON'T HAVE IT!"

Her children stared at her in pain and fear, as flames consumed their faces...

She bit back a sob.

"YOU WON'T GET IT!" She screamed, blasting the dresser with flames. It collapsed to the floor, the fire consuming it as the mirror shattered. She stared down into the spiderweb, panting hard.

She shut her eyes and willed the flames to die away. She turned and fell onto the bed, face first.

"I... I can't have it," she muttered into the fabric, "Even if I wanted it..."

She clutched at her bedsheets.

"Even if I..."

For the first time since her shitty rotten excuse for a childhood, Cinder Fall cried.

- - -

 

[AndrewJTalon]

Neptune Vasilias had been out in Vale all day, trying to pick up tourists here for the Vytal Festival. While he'd had some bites, most of the girls he'd talked with had not been interested. The blue-haired young Hunter-in-Training was thus quite depressed as he trudged back into Beacon proper, Sage Ayana and Scarlet David walking behind him.



"Seriously, I have been so damn off my game," Neptune sighed.



"Could it be you feel guilty for dumping Weiss?" Scarlet asked. "Oh wait, I forgot, you don't feel that emotion."



"I do too!" Neptune protested, scowling back over his shoulder as they walked through the hallways of the dormitory, "I-I just don't see any reason to feel guilty here! I thought she just wanted a nice simple fling!"



"Women of her social level can't really afford to have affairs like that out in the open," Sage commented, tapping out a text message on his Scroll, "That, or they want genuine, sincere love from someone they can love back."



"Well I know that now," Neptune protested. His friends sighed in unison. Neptune scowled directly at Sage.



"Besides, who made you the authority on women anyway?!"



"I have an actual girlfriend," Sage stated in his usual, patient monotone. Neptune scoffed.



"Yeah, whom we've never seen before!"



"To be fair," Scarlet smirked, "That would mean actually interacting with you, Neptune. I can see why he's spared her that."



"Oh haha!" Neptune snorted as he turned and they resumed their trek for their dorm, "I'll have you know I'd be a perfect gentleman!"



"You stole Ferrous' girlfriend last semester," Scarlet deadpanned. Neptune flushed.



"W-Well, he had it coming! His fault she was so cute and lonely!"



"He didn't see things that way," Sage observed, still calmly tapping on his Scroll and navigating around the hallway with no issue.



"He should have appreciated her more!" Neptune protested, "And anyway, they're back together again, right?"



"After she managed to stop him from cutting your head off," Scarlet smirked. Neptune coughed.



"Th-That was all part of my plan as a master of love!"



His friends shot him extremely dubious looks. He could tell without looking.



"That's my story and I'm sticking to it!" Neptune stated. "Besides, Scarlet got into that drama with those twin brothers!"



Scarlet huffed and brushed his hair back over his ear.



"That was not my fault. The older one was pretending to be his brother. How was I supposed to know?"



"They have different tattoos on their chests," Neptune growled.



"I didn't know that until they stripped down!" Scarlet sniffed. "What, you think I'm easy or something?"



"Yes!"



"Not as easy as you," Scarlet shot back.



Sage rolled his eyes as Neptune and Scarlet continued to bicker. They passed by some students chattering about many things. Well, mainly one thing. Neptune picked up on this as they went along.



"... new students fighting..."



"... all those girls over Arc..."



"... Even Professor Goodwitch! That's what I heard..."



Neptune's gossip senses tingled, and he frowned.



"Something big go down involving Arc?" He wondered aloud.



"I'm sure it's not that big a deal," Scarlet sighed. "You know how this school is, making a big deal out of everything."



"Teams RWBY and JNPR fought terrorists though," Neptune pointed out.



"Like I said, a big deal out of everything," Scarlet sniffed.



"Come on man, how can you dismiss stuff like this? It's totally bogus!" Neptune retorted.



Scarlet glared at Neptune as Sage took the lead. The green haired young man opened the door to their dorm.



"I'm going to do my best to ignore the fact you just said 'bogus'," Scarlet stated, "And point out that if something big had gone down, surely Sun would have told us by now?"



"He texted us that he had a date," Sage observed.



"Ha! He finally got the kitty cat, huh? Good on him," Neptune said. He frowned as he saw Sage stop short and stare into the dorm. Neptune elbowed him and stepped inside. "What's your deal, Sage? Move, I gotta-!"



Neptune's jaw dropped. Scarlet peered in and his eyes widened.



Sun was eating some leftover burgers with a cute chameleon Faunus girl. A cute chameleon Faunus girl who was tied up, as Sun held the burger up to her mouth as they sat on his bed and watched TV.



"H-Hey guys," Sun managed, "This, uh... This... This is Ilia!"



"H-Hey!" Ilia managed, blushing brightly.



"... Are we interrupting something?" Sage managed in his usual deadpan.



"No! Nooo, not at all!" Sun said with a smile and a blush, "She's uh... She's just more comfortable tied up!"



Ilia nodded rapidly.



"Yup! Very comfortable!"



Neptune blinked.



"... How comfortable?"



Sage and Scarlet looked at each other, communicated silently, and as one, grabbed Neptune by his shoulders and dragged him out.



"H-Hey, wait, hang on, it's a legitimate question damnit!"



- - -

 

[AndrewJTalon]

Things were surprisingly calm in the aftermath of Cinder's departure. Sure Winter had lead a quick yet efficient search of the school's grounds to confirm that Cinder had indeed left, but other than that not much exciting had happened before dinnertime rolled around. They decided as a group to eat in the infirmary in part to keep an eye on the slumbering Moses, and in part to avoid the rumor mill for just a little bit longer.

The dinner itself had been a somewhat tense affair at the start, but as the meal wore on things relaxed and the air was filled with more pleasant conversation that carried on long after the meal was finished. Jaune looked over his children and their present mothers and took it all in. Seeing everyone more or less getting along in spite of the big fight that started the day did a lot to put him at ease. Jaune closed his eyes and for a moment he let the murmur of the mixing conversations wash over him, picturing himself in the dinning room of a home he had imagined building one day. With his mind's eye he took in his dream home and did his best to place each of his possible wives within it, trying to see how it would change under each woman's feminine touch.

He could picture Ruby cleaning her beloved Crescent Rose right there at the dinner table, popping out of her chair as the timer buzzed signifying it was time to take the snickerdoodles out of the oven. The vision shifted and he could see Yang corralling a small heard of blonde kids into their seats. Another shift saw Pyrrha tutoring a pair of redheads with homework strewn about the table. Shifting again put Weiss at a piano in the far corner of the room, helping a platinum blond girl find perfect pitch. A shift, and a young cat faunus snuck up on Blake in an effort to ambush their mother, only for Blake to use her semblance and reverse the ambush at the last moment to the shrieking delight of the child.

It was a bit harder to envision the women he was less familiar with in that dream home, but as Jaune squinted his metaphorical eye he could see it. He could see Arslan with him at the head of the table, reading a story from The Good Book to a set of attentive children. He could picture May comforting a child who had scraped their knee. Winter congratulating a boy for a job well done. Glynda organizing a group of children for the post meal cleanup. Emerald cradling an infant in her arms.

Jaune was pulled from this reverie as he tried to envision Cinder in his dream home by a slight hiss of pain not far from his right. He opened his eyes and looked to see Xia rubbing at a bruise on her wrist.

"You got me good Petra," Xia admitted, "I'm kind of surprised you don't normally fight with hook swords."

"Well I can't exactly use my Chain Sickle when sparing against Aunt Pyrrha, so I decided to broaden my weaponry repertoire for those spars," Petra explained. "Those wooden hook swords are the alternatives that felt the most natural to me, so I always used them for my fights with Pyrrha."

"You must spar with her a lot if you're that good with a substitute weapon," Xia observed as she poked at another bruise on her tummy.

"Pyrrha's one of the few people who can keep up with my Mother and Father, so I spar with her every chance I get," Petra explained as she prodded a bruise on her neck. "Who taught you how to do the suplex you used on me? I'm going to be feeling this for weeks."

The protection granted by Aura could be a funny thing at times; it could keep you from getting crushed by a ton of bricks all day everyday so long as you had it active, yet it didn't always keep you from getting bruised. If you did get bruises it usually meant the natural healing provided by your Aura was dealing with more important injuries so there wasn't enough left over to deal with the bruise. In those cases there was nothing to do besides treating the bruise gently and waiting for things to heal naturally.

Jaune frowned. There was nothing to do...

...There was something he could do. Jaune shook his head ruefully as he got out of his seat and walked up to his daughters. He placed his hands on their shoulders and flexed his newfound semblance, pushing some of his aura into their aura reserves. Both Xia and Petra stopped talking as their father's soul embraced theirs. Within moments the bruises were gone as if they were never there in the first place.

"Thanks Dad," Xia beamed.

"Thank you Father," Petra smiled.

"You're welcome," Jaune smiled back. From the familiar happiness on their faces this was obviously something he normally did. Would do. Could do. Should do. He patted his daughter's shoulders and moved on to help everyone else with their bruises and sprains.

He quietly moved through the throng topping off people's aura reserves as he went, starting with his children figuring they wouldn't need an explanation for what he was doing. As he went about his work he overheard a number of peculiar conversations.

"...So that's why I think no-bake oatmeal cookies are better than oatmeal raisin cookies," August shrugged.

Julian squinted at his paradox half sibling, "Blasphemer. How can you call it a cookie if you don't cook it?"

"...Pure gold doesn't go with your complexion," Amethyst advised Dorothy, "Silver or copper colored jewelry would be a much better bet."

"...I don't care how good your reflexes are," Nicholas objected to Theodore, "Blocking a guy who gets too close with a shield would be a lot safer than blocking with martial arts. Get a shield man."

"...You guys the only set of twins in your timeline?" Ash asked Leandra.

"Not even close," the catgirl grinned.

It didn't take long before he had topped off all of his children, and he turned his attention to his potential wives. Their conversations were just as varied.

"...Wait wait wait, you mean you're a legit nun?" Yang asked with confusion in her voice.

"I am," Arslan answered, "Why is this a surprise to you?"

"Well, you have a daughter over there," Yang waved in Petra's direction, "Are you going to quit?"

Arslan heaved the heavy sigh of someone who's had to explain something far too often for their liking. "Followers of the Broken Table don't practice celibacy, we practice chastity."

"There's a difference?" Yang tilted her head.

"Yes, there is," Arslan affirmed, "Chastity is the idea that carnal relations should only happen within the bounds of a divinely sanctioned marriage, and is built upon the commandment to not commit adultery. Celibacy is the idea that carnal relations shouldn't happen ever under any circumstances; it is a heresy practiced by monasteries of the Ash Bride. People who don't like the Church will frequently conflate our monastic traditions with theirs in the hopes that the confusion will make learning the teachings of the Table Breaker less appealing."

Blake butted in at that point, "So you're saying I can be a real sexy nun, wear a real sexy nun outfit, and still have sex?"

Arslan pinched the bridge of her nose, "The answer to that question is yes, but the way you asked it makes me want to say no."

"...Neither of us are princesses, but we both grew up in high society," Weiss gestured to Winter as she talked with May, "Both of us would be more than happy to coach you on proper etiquette before you find yourself in a situation where you'd need to use that etiquette."

"Right, right," May answered in a haunted tone, "Um... when movies show fancy dinner parties they always make jokes about the absurd amount of silverware... and how you can offend someone by grabbing the wrong fork or spoon... that's not real, is it?"

"It's real," Winter spoke this time, "Unfortunately. But a sniper of your caliber has the brains necessary to learn these things quickly. You'll be fine."

"...So if I'm dead in Julian's future," Pyrrha whispered to Ruby, "How did he know how to make an add on for Crescent Rose that would make it invisible to Polarity?"

"Apparently some tech-whizz bad guy is going to invent a magnetic sensor system for an army of evil robots," Ruby whispered back, "He showed me photos of the robots: It's going to be so cool fighting them together!"

It took him a little bit longer to slip into and out of those conversations as he sought to top off their aura reserves, he needed to explain what he was doing after all, but he did it. He felt a bit stretched out afterwords, yet knowing none of his present future family would be dealign with any aches or pains tomorrow made that stretched out feeling worth it.

Just before he could settle down again to let the rolling sounds of the disparate conversations wash over him again the doors to the infirmary were dramatically flung open by an invisible force, and Glynda Goodwitch strode in.

His combat instructor (and potential future wife) looked far less put together than she normally did; her cape was askew, her hair was popping out of her bun, and her stride was off tempo. In spite of this she looked over the crowd and announced with dignity:

"It. Is. Finished."

"Uhhh... what's finished?" Ruby asked for everyone.

"I've contacted everyone's parents," Glynda explained, "All of them should be arriving sometime tomorrow to help sort all of this out."

A new wave a murmuring washed over the room; some of it excited, most of it nervous. Yet before this din could grow much louder Ashley's voice cut through all of it as she heckled: "I bet you missed someone!"

Glynda blinked owlishly in response to that, and the sight of that was so unusual it ground all of the murmuring to a halt. The deputy headmistress then pointed into the crowd and to everyone's surprise started a headcount.

"I called Isabel Arc," Glynda pointed to Jaune, who nodded in resined acceptance. "I called Taiyang," Glynda pointed to Ruby and Yang, with Ruby squeaking while Yang blanched. "I called Willow," she pointed to Weiss and Winter, who shared a surprised look with each other. "I called Athena," she pointed to Pyrrha, who put on a strained smile. "I called Kali and Ghira," she pointed to Blake, who suddenly looked like she wanted to hide behind something. "I called Logos and Basara," she pointed to Arslan, who nodded in acceptance like Jaune albeit slightly less resined. "Everyone else is listed as an orphan so yes I contacted everyone."

"May here isn't actually an orphan," Leandra supplied with a grin in her voice, "She was kidnapped as a baby and presumed dead, so everyone just thought she was an orphan!"

Glynda looked at May Zedong like a cow looks at an oncoming train, "Who are your parents?"

May sputtered from being put on the spot like that, so Jaune stepped forward and placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder before answering in her stead, "Her parents are the other half of my parents' Beacon team; Arjun and Saia."

Glynda took off her glasses and rubbed her eyes with her free hand, "Of course they are. I'll be back after I've called them-"

"WAIT! Don't Call Them Yet!" May shouted to her own surprise. Glynda looked back at her with a raised eyebrow, and May found it within herself to keep going, "I only found out about them a few hours ago. I'd kind of like some more time to adjust to the idea before I have to meet them. Would, would that be alright?"

Glynda stared at the young sniper, who fidgeted a bit under the deputy headmistress' gaze. Glynda then closed her eyes and sighed, "I'll call them tomorrow."

"Thank you," May sagged a bit as tension left her body. Jaune smiled at May before turning to Glynda and frowning at the frazzled state she was in.

"Ms. Goodwitch? Are you okay?" Jaune asked as he approached his teacher.

"I'm fine," Glynda replied in a tone that wasn't a perfect facsimile of fine, "Today's just been one of those days."

"Yeah, it's been one of those days all around," Jaune agreed. "You looked kind of drained, let me help." He put his hand on her shoulder and flexed his semblance.

"Mr. Arc, what are you-?" Glynda started before the rush of Jaune's aura flowed into her body, rejuvenating her and pushing away the stress of the day.

"My semblance lets me share my aura with other people," Jaune explained. "I'm still figuring out how it works, but I've used it enough over the last hour to know how to top off someone else's reserves and... ...oh," Jaune suddenly felt light headed, and the stretched out feeling stretched beyond a point it probably shouldn't, "...I guess... I was... closer to empty... than I... thought..."

Jaune's eyes closed as he fell forward face first into Glynda's bosom.

--------------------

Silence hung in the air as everyone stared. Soft snoring escaped Jaune's lips as he slept half-standing with the support of Glynda, who's face blushed a deep crimson as the sleeping young man nuzzled closer to the soft things he had landed against.

Winter slowly approached the two of them and gently pulled Jaune away from the frozen Professor. Jaune remained asleep, even as Winter moved him into a chair. She let a nurse give him a quick one over: simple aura exhaustion, he'd sleep it off.

"It's a bit early to turn in for the night," Winter observed after the nurse's prognosis, "But it isn't too early to do so at any rate. I'll take him to my quarters so he can rest up."

"YOUR Quarters!" Glynda sputtered. "Why would you take him to your quarters?"

"Cinder Fall has a proven capability to sneak onto and out of school grounds undetected," Winter explained as she pulled out her scroll and started typing orders into it. "As long as she's free the two central figures of this temporal paradox are at risk. I'll organize a security detail to make this location as safe as possible for Moses, and I'll take Jaune to the most secure location I know on campus; my quarters." Winter looked up from her scroll and came to the sudden realization that she was surrounded.

"Why are your quarters the safest place on campus?" Pyrrha asked with a frighteningly polite smile.

"I know every possible avenue of approach," Winter tried to justify her idea, "And Theodore will be with us, meaning we can rapidly relocate Jaune if Cinder shows up. We can stand guard over him as he recovers."

"If it's a question of keeping Jaune protected he should be with Team RWBY," Yang cracked her knuckles. "Us plus our kids equals nine huntresses and huntsmen to keep watch. Can't get much safer than that."

"The security systems we brought from Atlas more than make up the numbers difference," Winter looked to her sister for support. "You've seen what I've done to my room, tell them."

"That would leave you alone with him," Weiss narrowed her eyes at her sister.

"Theodore would be with us!" Winter pointed out as she began to comprehend the real objection.

"Theodore could step out," Weiss' eyes narrowed further.

"And it's better with all of you?" Emerald glared at the girls of RWBY as she stepped up besides Pyrrha, "Team JNPR's dorm is right across the hall from yours; you don't need to have him in your room to help keep him safe. Unless you have some kind of team plan involving him."

The girls of Team RWBY made scandalized noises at that accusation. But before they could fire back Arslan stepped forward with her hands outstretched in a placating manner.

"Hold on a moment," Arslan began in a beseeching manner, "If trust is a primary concern here then I should watch over him. My vows as a Warrior-Nun of the Broken Table forbid any promiscuous behavior outside of marriage, and with Reese here," Reese waved, "To keep me honest you can be certain nothing with happen tonight."

Blake fixed Arslan with a wild eyed expression, "You'll just sneak off with him to a drive through chapel and elope!"

Arslan's eyes became unfocused as shock overtook her features, "Drive through chapels are a thing in Vale? That's an option?" Most of the women present eyed Arslan with suspicion. Blake's teammates eyed her with the same suspicion.

"Alright that's enough," Glynda blustered, "As deputy headmistress I'll watch over him. My reputation as a rule keeper is ironclad, you can trust me with him."

"That's exactly what somebody about to abuse their power would say!" Emerald accused, and everyone's glare shifted to Glynda in solidarity with that accusation.

"Well he's My best friend-" Ruby started.

"I've loved him since the day we met!" Pyrrha objected over her.

"We know," Team RWBY and Glynda replied as one, before splitting off to accuse each other of trying to weasel out an advantage over the others.

The argument circled about for several minutes like this, with nobody willing to give ground and the volume of their voices slowly getting louder and louder.

Eventually Reese rolled her eyes and pulled out her Hoverboard, switching it into its' gun formation of twin revolvers with bayonets. She fired two shots into the air. Instantly all of Jaune's potential wives had their weapons out and pointed at Reese, except for Arslan who was staring at her teammate in confusion.

"Now that I have your attention let me just say as someone with very little skin in this game that this is pointless," Reese began, "Considering the fact that Ren, Nora and all the kids took Jaune to JNPR's dorm room while you've been arguing."

They all looked to the chair that Jaune had been in when the argument started. He wasn't there.

It wasn't exactly a mad dash. It was a little more organized than that. That being said the group made good time from the infirmary to the dorms.

The door was ajar, and they crowded around to look in. Ren and Nora fixed the lot of them with a glare and Nora held a finger to her lips in the near universal shushing gesture. Jaune was in his bed, the children gathered round.

"Goodnight Dad," Julian whispered.

"Night Dad," Xia also whispered.

"Sleep tight Dad," Leander and Leandra murmured in tandem.

And so it went down the line, each child wishing Jaune a good night's rest in a hushed tone before shuffling out of the room.

The potential future wives looked at one another with embarrassment in their eyes.

"Umm... we... we'll be across the hall if you need us," Ruby whispered to Nora who was still giving everyone the skink eye.

"We'll, we'll sleep somewhere else," Pyrrha whispered as she and Emerald made their way into the room and grabbed their pillows and blankets, not wanting to be under Nora's suspicious glare longer than they had to be, "I think there's an empty room down the hall."

A few more awkward farewells were exchanged, and everyone separated to turn in early for the night.

 

[AndrewJTalon]

Blake was very good at faking being asleep. Her mother had trained her in the art of the kunoichi, and she'd been a very good student. So she waited until everyone was asleep, snoring away softly, before she made her move.

Granted, this was more difficult than usual. Everyone was on high alert. Who wouldn't be, with what was on the line?

Blake though... Well... The simple fact was? While she might have sniffed at Yang's brash competitiveness... She didn't like to lose any more than anyone else.

Less, in fact.

She left a shadow clone in her bed as she stole out through an air vent, sparing a loving glance at her sleeping twins before she moved out. She slithered her way through it like a snake out to an empty dormroom. She dropped down, and went out the window. Scaling the side of the dormitory, she snuck to the other side across the roof and dropped down on ninja claws to the window.

She peered in, eyes locked on Jaune's sleeping form. He looked so peaceful in the bed, an innocent smile on his face.

Blake scrutinized the other inhabitants of the room: Nora and Ren were fast asleep in the adjacent bed, Nora snoring loud enough a normal person could hear it through the glass. Well, no matter.

It would help her plan, which was not impulsive or misguided!

It was perfectly simple: Take Jaune somewhere isolated and talk with him. Just talk. Nothing more. If the subject of eloping came up naturally, well, who was she to refuse her future husband?

She slowly opened the window, and crept inside. She crouched over Jaune, staying up over him as though she was about to do a pushup. She smiled down at him.

I didn't realize he was so handsome... I didn't pay him any attention because I was so wrapped up in my own affairs, she thought, But I promise you Jaune, for the sake of our children, and our future, I will be completely unselfish and-!

BWEEP! BWEEP! BWEEP! BWEEP!

Blake screamed as Jaune shot up. He wrapped his arms around her and shoved her to the floor, looking around frantically.

"AH! ABANDON SHIP! MAN THE TORPEDOES! ABANDON-WHAT?!" Jaune shouted.

Blake squeaked and blushed. Okay, so... She wasn't totally inexperienced but a handsome, muscular man pinning her down to the floor was not something she'd experienced in a while...

"Hello Friend Blake!"

Blake looked up. She coughed as she beheld the upside down visage of Penny Polendinia. The orange haired girl's eyes were glowing as she waved with a cheerful smile.

"Uh... Hello, Penny," Blake managed. She winced as Jaune stared down at her in shock. She winced more when Nora and Ren got up, murder in their eyes and their weapons in their hands.

"Uh, Penny? Why are you here?" Jaune asked groggily. "Blake... Same question...?"

Penny beamed.

"Friend Jaune! You have been deemed a Very Important Person and Vital National Asset by General Ironwood! As such, I have been assigned to your security detail! Your very existence is vital to the survival of mankind! Isn't that neat?"

"Uhhh... Yeah, but, don't you need to sleep?"

"No! But that's fine, as I am a perfectly normal human girl!" Penny chirped.

"Then why were you... Bleeping?" Jaune asked.

"Oh! That is my Virgin Alarm!" Penny explained, "My Father installed it-I mean gave it to me-To go off before a young male could on me! I have extended it to you to ensure you remain pure and unsullied!"

Jaune went bright red.

"P-PENNY!"

Blake's blush became incandescent.

"Do you remain unsullied?" Penny asked, tilting her head curiously.

"I-I mean-!"

Blake coughed. She didn't like drawing more attention to herself but... Well...

"Um... I was just... Making sure you were safe," Blake mumbled. Ren pulled Jaune up, and pushed him back into bed. Nora scowled at Blake and bonked her on the head lightly with her fist.

"OW!"

"No! Bad Kitty! No despoiling innocent maidens on our watch!" Nora declared.

"I'm not a maiden!" Jaune complained. Nora gasped.

"Who took you, Jaune? Who despoiled you? WHO VIOLATED MY BABY BOY?!" She hugged him tightly, and glared at Blake. "You?!"

"N-NO! I didn't even get that far!" Blake said defensively. At everyone's looks, she continued her weak self-defense: "Not that I was planning on that sort of thing!"

"How dare you, Blake!"

Everyone started and looked out the window. Ruby was scowling at them from the sill, her cape waving dramatically in the wind.

"You snuck out and tried to-to make off with Jaune, didn't you?!"

"No I didn't!" Blake insisted. "I-I just wanted to talk!"

"Why are you here, Friend Ruby?" Penny asked. Ruby blushed.

"Um... To check on Jaune?" Ruby offered weakly.

"Uh huh," Ren stated flatly, "Which is what the rest of you are doing here, too?"

"Rest of-?" Ruby asked, before Ren opened the closet door. Pyrrha, dressed in black workout clothes with a mask tied under her nose, yelped as she stumbled out.

"PYRRHA!" Ruby hissed.

"RUBY!" Pyrrha gasped. She looked at Jaune and blushed furiously. "It-It's not what it looks like!"

"Wow! That's very impressive to sneak into the closet without me sensing you!" Penny complimented her. Pyrrha flushed darker.

"I um... I'm very flexible... But-But I didn't have anything nefarious planned for Jaune! Honest!"

"Y-Yeah! Nothing nefarious! Maybe some kissing!" Ruby said defensively.

"ENOUGH!" Ren barked, raising his voice for the first time ever. Even Penny looked taken aback. He glared around the room. "All of you go. To. Bed. You can work things out with Jaune when it's daytime and he's awake. All of you!"

Blake heard a lot of movement and shuffling around outside the dorm room. She blushed a bit more deeply.

Blake looked over at Jaune. Despite his embarrassment (or perhaps because of it), he had passed out again and was softly snoring.

"R-Right," Pyrrha said, looking very guilty.

"Goodnight everyone," Ruby managed, just as abashed.

"Ahem, sorry," Blake added. She went out of the window with Ruby, Pyrrha joining them a moment later. Penny leaned out of the window, smiled, and waved.

"Goodnight, Friend Ruby, Blake, and Pyrrha! I hope your romance goes well!" She said happily.

"Thanks Penny," Ruby mumbled.

The three of them stood on the roof in awkward silence. Ruby then held up her chin and scowled.

"No more stupid junk... Agreed?"

"Agreed," Blake and Pyrrha sighed.

"At least until tomorrow," Blake muttered.

"What?" The other girls asked.

"Nothing!"

- - -

Nora grumbled as she made sure Jaune was tucked in.

"Stupid freaking harems, so noisy and inconsiderate," Nora huffed. She beamed at Ren. "I'm so glad we're not degenerates like them, aren't you Renny?"

"I don't think Jaune is a degenerate," Ren said smoothly, as he cleaned up what had fallen out of the closet.

"Well of course he isn't," Nora stated, hugging the sleeping Jaune to her chest, "Aw, my pure captain!"

"I find the entire situation fascinating," Penny chirped, "Time travel and complex human romantic interactions? The data I am processing is sensational!"

She blanched.

"Uh..."

"Which is exactly what a normal human girl would say!" Nora said happily. Penny beamed.

"Correct, Friend Nora!"

"Great!" Nora cheered. She pulled Ren down onto the bed and hugged him. "Mm... Though... I am a little disappointed."

"Why?" Ren asked.

Nora pouted.

"Well... Why didn't our future kids show up? None of them thought that grabbing onto a guy with a time travel Semblance when it was overloading was cool?" She sighed. "Where did we go wrong?"

"We'll have to correct that when we have them," Ren said, patting his childhood friend/partner/future wife on the head. Nora pouted and snuggled up to him.

"We'd better!"

- - -

Somewhere in Mistral...

Raven Branwen enjoyed her solitude. As fearsome a warrior as she was, even she needed a break from time to time. She lounged in the bedroom of a manse whose owners had been devoured by Grimm, luxuriating in the fine robes they had left in their marble finished bathroom. The hot bath had left the room filled with steam, and it felt so good to relax after being immersed in hot water.

It was fortunate they'd saved this home after dealing with the Grimm they had unleashed. They would have to move on, but maybe this village would make for an effective hideout in the future. For the bathroom, if nothing else.

Not that she would tell her followers that. To the strongest went the spoils. She had earned this.

Her Scroll went off. Her eyebrow twitched in some annoyance. She let it ring for a while, before she very slowly reached out, picked it up, and slid it open.

"This had better be good, Khan," she stated flatly to the leader of the White Fang. The tiger Faunus scowled back at her through the screen.

"We have a significant opportunity here," she stated, "Tell me... How would you like the full support of Menagerie? Not just the White Fang?"

Raven's eyes narrowed.

"I'm listening."

"Ghira and Kali Belladonna are heading to Beacon," Sienna went on, "My sources tell me they went very quickly, with only a minor security detail. They're even taking a commercial airship flight. If you were to assassinate them... I could seize control of Menagerie."

Raven kept her face a steely mask. Inwardly, she pondered the possibilities.

Having an ascendant Minor Kingdom in her debt was an appealing prospect. Slaughtering such weak leaders who had somehow gotten such power was also appealing. However, Raven Branwen was not stupid.

"If I do so, your people will want my head," Raven stated. Sienna shook her head.

"I can spin it easily. Most people do not know you are the Bandit Queen. Only that you were once part of a prominent Vale hunter team. It will look like Ozpin wanted the leaders of Menagerie dead. That is to both our advantages."

Raven pondered this for a moment.

"It will not come cheap."

"I will not be cheap," Sienna said, "Imagine what you could accomplish with our full backing. The kind of kingdom you could build."

Raven snorted.

"I have no interest in settling down and becoming soft."

"Then make slaves handle the busywork, rule as the warrior queen you wish to be," Sienna stated, "But this opportunity is too great to ignore."

Raven slowly nodded. As much as she hated to admit it, the Faunus had a point.

"When do they arrive?"

"Tomorrow morning. I'm sending you their itinerary," Sienna said, and the info popped up on her screen, "Remember: They both need to die."

"What about their daughter?" Raven asked.

Sienna smirked.

"Leave her to me. I turned her when she was in a spot of emotional turmoil before: I can do it again. Through her? We will have Menagerie."

Raven hummed... Then nodded.

"It will be done."

"Good... Though fair warning: Your ex husband and brother might also be there."

Raven smirked.

"They won't be a problem..."

"See that they aren't."

The call ended. Raven stretched her arms up over her head and sighed softly.

She was going to get some sleep. Best to be rested before causing worldwide chaos.

That was one thing she agreed with Summer on.

- - -