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[RWBY] The Great Temporal Step-Sibling War!

I get what you were going for with having Moses's exposition interspersed with eating breakfast, but at least in my opinion it didn't quite work, and might have been better served with less description. For some reason it felt narratively similar to eating with your mouth open. I feel like either a) Moses is too busy thinking about what he's talking about, so he gets to the end and realizes he's eaten everything without noticing or b) he keeps getting distracted by breakfast in a way that bears Oz commenting on, which would provide some characterization of both characters. As is, it feels somewhat narratively useless.
 
Omake: Fighting Nana Arturia
Xander was rereading one of the older issues (to him) of X-ray and Vav when a straight thought occurred to him. The change in his breathing attracted the attention of his siblings and when they looked to him he gave voice to his thought., "'Great Great Grandmother Artoria is alive."

Looking at his siblings he knew Petra realized what he was thinking when she smiled and brought up another point, "There are 13 among us who are combat trained."

The children quickly huddled around the largest table and started passing around papers and maps that Theodore supplied>
**************************************
Winter made her way to the Library where the rest of her fellow rivals? Applicants? Sisters? She really needed to reduce the amount of Mistrali literature she consumed if that was one of her desired outcomes were and made her way over to where her hus...Jaune was standing. Turning to follow his gaze she saw Amethyst first pointing at August then Dorothy before pointing at multiple locations on a map. With a clearing of her throat she gained everyone's attention. "I was instructed to inform you that we have been authorized to detach one of the airships and make our way to Radian. Why we are going there when all of our parents are here, no one has explained to me yet," she looked at her boy...Jaune when her son(!) provided the answer.

"Mother, as you are aware Artoria Arc is still alive in the village of Radian. Given that she died at least a decade ago if not longer in myself and my siblings perspective, we are endeavoring to test our skills against hers."

Softly glaring at her son Winter chastised him, "The defeat of a woman over 110 years old is not any measure of skill, let alone for the person who faces her last."

'You misunderstand me Mother. With the 13 of us fighting her at once, this is the best chance we have of defeating her."
**************************************

May looked at the results of the one-sided spar spread out in front of her. Her maybe Great Grandmother a regal dragon feeling immeasurably proud at a better future was stretching her back after hurling her wooden practice sword over half a mile into the stand of trees Dorothy had deposited her son as part of the plan for the spar. The only reason she hadn't started sprinting over to try to help her son (aside from the fact that her first aid skills were limited at best) was because her possible mother-in-law was already on her way barely after the sword was thrown.


Looking back at the children she saw the resignation in Nicholas as he waited for someone to pull him out of the rock outcropping he had been backhanded into with enough force to leave him stuck up to his waist. Theodore was one of the first knocked out, being manipulated into being a shield from her son's covering fire. Julain was weakly beating the ground, despairing at the foolishness of thinking that Grannie Artoria could ever be defeated. Movement from one side saw Xander attempting to sit up before giving up on it. He called out to his siblings, "Does anyone think we would have done better if Thor and Mulan were with us?"


Xia, who was residing in a crater gave it some thought, "I want to think they would, but Thor's aggressive landscaping would only give Grannie more things to hit us with." Dull groans emanated from the children still conscience.
 
Hey Andrew, can we get a list of Jaune's children with their age? It will be kinda easier to imagine them.
 
Hey Andrew, can we get a list of Jaune's children with their age? It will be kinda easier to imagine them.

Here you go.

 
The (Second) Gathering of the Children of Arc
Petra maintained her prayer, head bowed, poised but relaxed. She could feel the essence of the Table Breaker in her, with her mother and father on either side. Despite how she had trained to maintain her emotional control, inside? She was practically giddy.



This was familiar. This was right. This is where she should be, with her family. All together by the grace of the Emperor Above.



She had been taught from an early age that life itself was the breath of Aslan himself. The animus, the gift of life for all living things. It was the purest expression of love that the Emperor and his Son had shown life on Remnant. And they emulated their creator by sharing that love with others. Whether it was killing the soulless abominations known as Grimm for strangers or joining together with family, it was by Love that all beings, humans and Faunus, were redeemed.



That is why her father and mother chose to be Hunters. To protect and bring hope to all, believer or non-believer. Because life was love itself.



She sighed softly. It would be absolutely perfect if her parents held her together, as they had ever since she was a little girl... But she could understand their initial reluctance. They barely knew each other now, and the timeline had changed.



She could only hope it wouldn't turn out like Grandma Basara's old movie, Back to the Present.



Still, she thought, at least I didn't kiss my father... Or mother.



She flushed.



Ugh... What a terrible thought!



A Blue Schnee Glyph appeared underneath her, and she yelped as she fell through nothing into a dormroom. She got to her feet, hands on her wooden hook swords, before Theodore Schnee stepped through the Glyph and held up a hand.



"Relax, I told Dad and your mom I needed you," he said.



Petra looked around in some disbelief. The rest of her "half-siblings" were gathered in the dormroom, sitting on various pieces of furniture. Julian was scowling, as Nicholas sipped some coffee. Xia glared, arms over her impressive chest, while Xander was stoic but clearly still waking up. Leandra and Leander glared in unison as they ate a platter of breakfast pastries. Amethyst did the same, looking extremely nervous. Ash and Ashley seemed unaffected, though there was fatigue in their glares at Theodore. August also drank his coffee, leaning against his extended polearm as he stood up. Dorothy was the only one who seemed completely awake, and she looked more exasperated than anything else.



Petra frowned, but went to sit next to Julian. He was rather sunny, despite everything. He reminded her of her little brother, Eustace.



"Anyway!" Theodore said, clapping his hands together, "You're probably wondering why I brought you all here."



"And why we should care," Ash drawled, his sister nodding in agreement. Theodore put his hands together in a steeple and took a deep breath.



"Okay... Leandra, Leander, and myself checked in on Moses."



Everyone perked up immediately at this, Dorothy especially.



"He had a chat with Ozpin," Theodore said, "Explaining some differences in the timelines and so on. Bottom line though: I think it's safe to say that until he can chat with his mom and a few other scientific geniuses on the planet, we're stuck here."



Many grimaces abounded. Theodore shrugged.



"On the plus side, we're not going to be erased from history... Probably. The way Moses is still in temporal flux means that could still be a possibility. Easiest way to change things in our futures is probably to kill one of our parents... Dad especially."



Julian's eyes widened almost comically. Petra tightened her grip on her hook swords. August stood up straight. Ash and Ashley grimaced. Leander and Leandra sighed as one.



"Adam Taurus is one of the most likely assassins," Leander stated, "He was creepily obsessed with our mom and he's a complete psycho. So that's one threat we gotta watch out for."



"And of course, Salem," Xander pointed out grimly, "She'll want to get her hands on Dad and Moses. Probably both."



"Same with Watts and Merlot," Nicholas volunteered. At the looks from half his siblings, he cleared his throat, "Mad scientists working for Salem. Well, in my timeline anyway."



"And of course," Petra added, "Leonardo Lionheart is a traitor. Did anyone think to bring that up?"



Much grimacing and embarrassed coughs ensued. Theodore shook his head.



"We'll get to that later," he decided, "For now? Let's focus on the immediate threat-"'



"Hey, who died and made you commander?" Julian asked petulantly.



"Nobody," Theodore stated stiffly, "But seeing as I did prevent the fall of Vale and the Vytal Festival-"



"Mom's not gonna be stymied that easily," Ashley pointed out, "Even if she is prone to acting like a comic book supervillainess at this time, she's still dangerous. You just made it so she has to come up with something entirely new. Something we can't predict."



"She has a point," August stated, raising an eyebrow, "Besides, even if you did that, the rest of us could have done it just as easily."



"Or more easily," Dorothy sniffed.



Theodore sighed and adjusted his glasses.



"Yes, but is anyone else now a Captain in the Atlasian Specialists?"



He held up his Scroll. A letter of commission signed by General Ironwood himself floated in the air via holoprojector before all the children of Jaune Arc. Nicholas snorted.



"So? I'm a second lieutenant in the Atlasian ROTC back home!"



"I'm with the Valean Defense Force ROTC too!" Xia smirked, "First lieutenant!"



"Big deal, so am I," Dorothy scoffed.



"I'm a prince," August stated firmly.



"We're prince and princess! Crown even!" Leandra and Leander protested, standing up with their own glowers.



"I am in the Argusian Defense Force ROTC myself, though I'm not ranked yet," Xander contributed, "Even so, you can't just declare you're our leader!"



"I don't really give a shit," Ash stated.



"I'm just a civilian," Amethyst repeated.



"I think you're a jerk!" Julian contributed.



"Back in your worlds, yes," Theodore stated calmly, "But I received my rank here and now."



"So? Doesn't matter if we don't respect it," Xia sneered.



Theodore sighed and his eyes climbed heavenwards.



"All right... We can either do this the old fashioned Arc family way," he said, "Where we beat each other up until someone's dominant-"



"All right!" Xia grinned, slamming her fists together. Petra shook her head.



"Our parents will be upset, to say nothing of everyone else," she stated.



"My mom will kill us," Dorothy emphasized.



"-So that leaves one other Arc traditional means of determining the leader," Theodore continued smoothly despite the interruptions, "Age. Everyone type out your birthdays and hold them out on your Scrolls."



All of the children did so. Theodore's smug expression became even moreso.



"Well! Looks like, as the eldest, I win!"



"You only beat me by a day!" Julian protested.



"And a year," Xia deadpanned.



"S-So?" Julian protested with red cheeks.



"Guys, relax," Theodore said, waving his hand, "We need a leader anyway. So let's just go with me. Hell, we could even vote for a new leader if I do a bad job. That sound fair?"



"For now," August stated dryly, leaning back against the wall, "So, Captain, what's our first order of business?"



"One? The Vale Breach is coming up," Theodore stated, "Maybe I have changed the timeline but it isn't a question of if, but when." He looked over at Ash and Ashley, who nodded in reluctance.



"He's right, Mom can't stop the train plan," Ash said.



"Huh, not bad for terrible jokes," Xia observed.



"You'd know best," Julian grumbled. Xia noogied him for that. "HEY!"



"And second?" Theodore turned to Amethyst. He walked up to her. He pulled her up to her feet, and placed his hand on her chest. She blushed deeply.



"H-Hey, I'm not that kind of sister-!"



"For it is in success that we achieve immortality. Through this, we become a paragon of perfection and dignity to rise above all. Infinite in supremacy and unbound by others, I release your soul, and by your hand, grace thee..."



Amethyst gasped as her Aura was unlocked, and energy flared around her like a small sun. Theodore pulled his hand back and smirked a bit.



"Congratulations, you're no longer a liability."



"G-Geez!" Amethyst squeaked. "You could have warned me!" She blinked. "W-Wait, but how do I use Aura-or-or fight or-!"



"If Dad figured it out, so can you!" Julian said encouragingly.



"Exactly," Nicholas chimed in, "We're all going to help you. As will your mother."



Amethyst flushed. Theodore shook his head.



"I still find it amazing you didn't get it unlocked at all."



"The world is at peace and I just wanted to be a jeweler!" Amethyst complained.



"Well, now you'll be a fighting jeweler!" Julian laughed.



Petra sighed, and hugged the fretting Amethyst. It was why she was here, after all. Why they were all here: Life was love.



Though she was finding that it certainly had its ups and downs...



- - -
 
Jaune is going to have Amethyst start on the training Pyrrha did with him, only for other people protest at the brutality of it.

Amethyst 'pulls a Jaune' and gets to student level in a few months. Xander later remarks that the training was much more severe then what he went through
 
Child Character Bios
A bit more on each child:


-Xander Arc-Nikos, son of Pyrrha Nikos. 17 year old human male, tanned skin. As tall as Jaune, with short red hair, and blue eyes. Roman-style armor with red cape, Roman-style shield and sword. Semblance: Magnetism (Like his mother but far more powerful). A very skilled young combatant and well learned, but not very confident standing in the shadow of his parents. He loves and respects them but is struggling to come into his own. His father has never seen him with his own eyes.

-Julian Arc-Rose. son of Ruby Rose. 16 year old human male, tanned skin. A little shorter than Jaune but taller than Ruby. Messy black hair with blonde fringes, and silver eyes. Red and Black coat and clothing. Sniper-scythe. Semblance: Golden Petal Burst (Super Speed). Genji, is energetic, brilliant at engineering, and a bit impulsive as well as melodramatic.

-Nicholas Arc-Schnee. son of Weiss Schnee. 17 year old human male, pale skin. Slightly shorter than Jaune, neatly coifed short white hair, blue eyes. Atlasian-style white and blue armor with a long blue coat. Sword and shield (Neo Crocea Mors). Semblance: Schnee Glyph Overdrive (Can make many Glyphs at once). Honorable, and practical, wants to be just like his father and can be exasperated with his mother. Good at making tea.

-Leander and Leandra Arc-Belladonna, son and daughter of Blake Belladonna,. 17 year old boy and girl Blonde Cat Faunus/human twins, pale skin. Leander is tall as Jaune, Leandra is as tall as Blake. Blonde hair and cat ears, blue eyes. Dark blue parka jackets with hoods, black pants, white undershirts (Leandra's is a tanktop) with black ninja sandal boots. Weapon: Matching Ninjato-pistols and various ninja tools. Semblance: Quantum Teleportation (They can teleport out from behind any object as long as no one is looking). They are devious ninja twins who enjoy deception and can be a bit impulsive, and aren't afraid to call out other's faults (like their mother).

-Xia Arc-Xiao-Long. daughter of Yang Xiao-Long. 17 year old human female, tanned skin. Slightly taller than her mother but shorter than Jaune. Wild blonde hair in a pigtail, with blue eyes. Black skirt, white tank top, boots, fighting gloves, and a blue and white jacket with the Arc symbol on the back. Weapon: Combat Gauntlets. Semblance: Super (Like her mother's but with an Aura boosting and energy retention feature. Can reach multiple levels of power by burning more Aura). A cocky martial artist with a heart of gold and who likes to fight. Very protective of younger children, and very enthusiastic about pushing her limits. Hates her grandmother Raven.

-Amethyst Arc-Sustrai, Daughter of Emerald Sustrai. 17 year old human female. Roughly the same height as her mother. Short blonde hair (dyed purple), blue eyes, dark skin. Knee height white dress, leather boots, dark blue jacket, jewelry. Weapon: None. Semblance: Unknown. A civilian jeweler who was just visiting Beacon to see her family friends and Moses. In way over her head, very unsure of herself.

-Ash and Ashley Arc-Fall, son and daughter of Cinder Fall. 17 year old human male and female twins, pale skin. Ash is the same height as Jaune, Ashley is a little shorter than her mother. Dark black hair, blue eyes, and burn scar marks over their left and right eyes. Ash wears dark blue jeans, black jacket, red T-shirt with woven Dust, and light black body armor with black combat boots. Ashley wears a black jacket, white tanktop, red combat skirt, tall combat boots with striped stockings. Both twins have a black messenger bag. Weapon: Dagger-machine pistols, anything else they can carry or grab. Semblance: Aura Drain/Leech. Combat pragmatists and dirty fighters, though with ironclad sets of rules. Traumatized by nearly being killed as children and having to kill with their Semblance to survive. Understand their mother's mindset all too well. Can be very cynical.

-Dorothy Arc-Goodwitch, daughter of Glynda Goodwitch. 17 year old human female, pale skin. A head shorter than Jaune. Curly, short messy blonde hair with green eyes. Wears a red and white blouse, blue flight jacket, and purple pants with black boots. Has goggles with angel wing motifs on the sides. Weapon: None. Semblance: Touch Telekinesis which allows her to fly, simulate super strength, and steal others weapons. Definitely a more by the book kind of girl, she's the class representative in her universe and very intelligent. Can be a bit wild at times when she loses her patience. Can be very sarcastic to her mother. Has romantic feelings for Moses.

-Prince August Arc-Sarkara, son of May Zedong/Maia Sarkara. 17 year old human male, dark skin. A head Taller than Jaune. Short dark blond hair, blue eyes. Wears a hooded jacket in white, blue and black, with black pants and white boots. Weapon: Sniper-Monk's Spade. Semblance: Aura Vision/Sight. A bit awkward but a very sober, serious and caring young man who feels the weight of responsibility, being a crown prince and all. Deeply respects his parents and all they accomplished and sometimes is a little intimidated by them. Can't help talking too much when he's nervous.

-Petra Arc-Atlan, daughter of Arslan Atlan. 17 year old female Lion Faunus/human female, dark skin. Long blonde hair in a braid, blue eyes. Slightly shorter than her mother. Wears White and red Table-Breaker Nun Robes with a white hood and golden sash. Weapon: Short sword with chain that can be used as a sickle-chain, wooden hook swords. A very serious, well educated and religious young woman. Very caring, but also very reserved and formal. Can be a little stiff around strangers and enjoys fighting a bit more than she really should.

-Theodore Arc-Schnee, 18 year old human male, pale skin. Messy white hair, blue eyes, sunglasses. Slightly taller than his father. Wears dark blue and black long coat over light white Atlasian body armor and dark blue trousers with white and black boots. Weapon: None. Semblance: Schnee Glyph Evolution (Has Blue Glyph for Increasing Anything, Red Glyph for Decreasing Anything. Can use them to teleport anywhere he knows the coordinates to, though only one/two people at a time. Can combine them with Dust for various effects, or combine the Glyphs themselves to produce a Purple Glyph that allows him to "Delete" matter from the universe".) A very intelligent young man, a bit cocky and arrogant though capable of being serious. Has some issues with defying and running around his parents in a desire to prove himself.
 
Glimpses Into Another Time: Liaris Freese
Cross-Posting this from the Spacebattles thread

Glimpses Into Another Time: Liaris Freese

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


The Continent of Anima. 1 Year After The Fall of Beacon.

Clang.

Clang, Clang.

Clang .


In the outskirts of Fushiguro Village, a song of swords rang out in the cold night. Pyrrha Nikos, the Invincible Girl, was training with her team leader and... boyfriend Jaune Arc.

Even after all this time, after all the suffering they have been through, calling Jauen her 'boyfriend' still lit her soul aflame.

Which is why it pained her to see him pushing himself as hard as he currently was.

"RRRAGH!!" Jaune roared, throwing the full weight of his new sword towards her. Pyrrha blocked with Akouo and softened the blow with Polarity. He was getting better. His use of Aura Sensing was getting far more precise every time they sparred. His sight may have been gone, but Jaune still proved he had what it takes to be a hero. How far he was willing to go to help anyone who needed it.

Jaune's sword then began to glow, releasing a blast of lightning dust, sending Pyrrha back. His new sword (Which he still had yet to name) was a very interesting element to their sessions. Ruby called it her second-best masterpiece: a railgun/bastard sword with a cycling Dust chamber in the crossguard. It could also mechshift into a spear, a design choice Jaune had apparently insisted upon. Pyrrha knew why he chose it. It was an homage to her: his champion, his mentor, his beloved.

She still felt guilty that his old sword, Crocea Mors, had been destroyed in the first place. During their fight with Cinder, she had disintegrated the ancestral blade, the flames hot enough to permanently blind Jaune. If it hadn't been for Ruby and her uncle, they might have been killed.

They had recovered in Jaune's hometown of Radian. His father and uncle had taught him what he needed to know about Aura Sensing and Aura Sight, much to Isabel's dismay. Jaune said he needed to prepare if he were to continue being a Hunter. Ruby and Yang had decided that they were going to cross Anima to go to Mistral in the off chance that Cinder might attack Haven Academy.

Jaune's sword had shifted into its spear form and he began a series of thrusts. He was aiming for her legs! Pyrrha began to weave between each thrust, blocking any stray strike. What didn't help was his Semblance. Aura Amp was amplifying his speed, make it far more difficult her to keep up. She felt her mouth shift into a smile. The only person to ever put her on the back foot was Arslan Altan, but Jaune might actually be the first person to defeat her.

Pyrrha still remembered the fight they had about joining Ruby and Yang on their journey to Haven Academy. She was prepared to leave with Ren and Nora until they had caught him sneaking out before them.

"Jaune, I'm sorry but you're not going with us. It's too-"

"No. Don't tell me it's 'too dangerous'. Tell me what you're really thinking, Pyrrha!," Jaune snapped. "It's because I'm blind. I told you, I can pull my weight just like the rest of you!"

"Jaune, please. You're not fully recovered," Pyrrha pleaded, "You can meet up with us at Haven once you've fully recovered! I don't want you getting hurt!"

"GODSDAMMIT PYRRHA!! I'M NOT MADE OUT OF GLASS!!" Jaune screamed.

"DON'T TAKE THAT TONE WITH ME, JAUNE!!," Pyrrha roared back, tears welling in her eyes, "I ALMOST LOST YOU AT BEACON AND I REFUSE TO LOOSE YOU AGAIN!!"


They had shared a few more harsh words, and eventually, Jaune did end up joining the group. They didn't talk to each other the first two weeks until Yang had dragged the two of them away from camp to let them sort things out. Tears were shed that night. So were words the two desperately needed to share.

"I... I don't regret it for a second," Jaune said "If it meant saving you, to be with for the rest of my life, I'd loose my sight all over again."

Pyrrha snuggled closer, resting her head against his chest. Her cheeks began to redden.

"Promise me, Jaune. Promise me you'll never make me cry like that ever again." Pyrrha whispered.

"I give you my word, Pyrrha. And an Arc never goes back on their word." Jaune replied.


Jaune switched his spear back into its sword form and unleashed another arc of lightning dust towards Pyrrha. She successfully dodges, but the moment she lands, her foot had been caught in ice. She looks to see Jaune had thrust his sword into the ground. He must have done that the moment she recognized the lightning attack! That was rather sneaky of him.

But Pyrrha was still the Invincible Girl. She hurled Akouo towards Jaune, who anticipated this, smacked the shield out of his way. Until his sword was yanked out of his hands by Pyrrha's Polarity, landing right into the ice covering her leg. Before he could lunge to reclaim his weapon, Akouo was pulled back, striking Jaune in the back of the head. As he landed on his back, Pyrrha freed herself from her leg from its icy prison with the Fire Dust in Jaune's sword. Charging towards her opponent, she shifted Milo into its rifle form and aimed it straight at Jaune. A smug smirk ghosted her face.

"Yield." She said. Jaune groans in defeat. He then began to pick himself up off the ground.

"You cheated," Jaune whined "You can't just snatch my sword out my hand like that! I thought we fighting by tournament rules!"

"I decided to mix it up tonight," Pyrrha says coyly "Besides, Yang fights dirty too, but you never complain when you spar with her."

"That's because I know she's going fight dirty." Jaune says dryly.

"Still, you were so close this time. The last time I was on the defensive was back in Sanctum. You should be proud of the progress we've made!" Pyrrha states proudly. She wasn't going to let him downplay his progress, especially now. Jaune's growth as a Huntsman was always impressive but now it was even more monstrous. His brain was like a sponge, any information or knowledge that was given to him, his brain would soak it in. "Plus, your handling of Aura Sensing and Aura Sight is improving. In fact, I think you might actually become an expert in both in a few years. Maybe even less."

Jaune began to rub the back of his head (It's so cute when he does that!) "Well, geez. When you put it like that, I guess I can't be that bad. But I still need to catch up to the rest of you."

He retrieved his sword and gave it a once over. He wasn't exactly a weapons expert like Ruby, but even he could tell this thing was impressive.

"So, how is it?" Pyrrha asks.

"I still need to get used to its weight. And the spear form. Everything else is fine," Jaune says, staring at it longingly "But... I still miss it. Crocea Mors. I still can't believe it got destroyed. Man, Mom was pissed."

That was a severe understatement. She had told him that if he weren't in a such critical state, she would've killed him. Even his Dad was disappointed. Until he found out that his new weapon was going to be a railgun sword.

"Have you decided on a name?" Pyrrha asks.

"Actually, I have," Jaune replies with a smile "I... I thought of you when I came up with it."

"Oh? How romantic." Pyrrha laughs

"I'm not calling it 'Pyrrha 2' if that's what you're thinking," Jaune turns to face Pyrrha, "When we weren't talking to each other at the beginning of our trip, I felt... I felt like a part of me was gone. Even if we were only a few feet away from each other. It felt as if you were out of reach."

Pyrrha felt a twinge of sadness. She didn't like being reminded of those first two weeks. She had fallen back into her old "apologize for everything" habit after they made up.

"I think that's when I realized that... I want to be by your side," Jaune continued. His eyes, even though his vision was gone, had a fire in them that only Pyrrha could see. "I never want to be away from you if I can't help it."

"Jaune, we're to young to get married." Pyrrha giggled.

Jaune's face began to turn red. "That's not what I-- Wait, you want...," Jaune then cleared his throat, mentally putting a pin on that conversation, "A-anyway, what I meant to say is: Yes, I finally have a name for my sword. I think it's pretty cool."

"Well, don't keep me waiting. What is it?" Pyrrha prys.

"Liaris Freese," Jaune states. "I figured I'd give it a symbolic name, y'know. It means 'Wholehearted Longing'. Because that's how I feel with you." Jaune's face began to blush. So did Pyrrha's.

She stared at him. She knew she could be easily swooned by Jaune's actions, but this was certainly one of her favorite ones so far!

"I-I know. It's pretty cheesy but--" Jaune didn't even get to finish his sentence. Pyrrha stopped him with a deep, passionate kiss. Putting all of her love into it. Jaune leaned into it, returning the amount of affection she was giving.

When they broke the kiss, Pyrrha pressed her forehead against his. "I love you, Jaune Arc. I'll never stop loving you. Nikos' word."

"Now you're stealing my 'Name Sworn Promises' thing?," Jaune asks, "Besides, shouldn't I be the one who says that?"

"Not today," Pyrrha says, taking his hand in hers, "Now let's go. We still have a long journey ahead of us."

"You want to go one more round? I'm not tired yet." Jaune asks. His drive to improve was rising up once again.

"Fine," Pyrrha sighs, getting into her fighting stance, "But you have to cook breakfast tomorrow. As much as I enjoy cookies and pancakes, I don't want to get to the point of craving them 24/7."

"You got it." Jaune says. He gets into his stance and waits. Pyrrha then makes the first move, changing shield first.

And so, the song of swords continued to sing in the night.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
 
The Grandparents Arrive, Part 1. By Sift Green
"Mrs. Nikos, We're on our final approach and will be landing in about five minutes," Orestes Nemes announced from the pilot's chair.

"Thank you Orestes," Athena put away her book and pulled out a compact mirror. She held it up so it framed her face perfectly and she stared intently into her own eyes. She took a deep breath to center herself and began her most important preparation for the day:

"The stage is waiting, and the audience thirsts for adventure," Athena whispered aloud. "Who am I? I could be anybody. I, I could be an airship captain who just returned from a mighty voyage to discover her daughter eloped in her absence! Or I could be a lone huntress! Battling Grimm in the rainforest until I receive a letter telling me I've become a grandmother and my family needs me at home! Or perhaps I'm a countess, fearful that her daughter has been deceived by her suitor! Yes. And if Pyrrha's love story needs a villain... I'll be the greatest villain the world has-"

"Mrs. Nikos!" Orestes interrupted the retired movie star's train of thought as the airship came to a complete stop on the landing pad. "I believe your daughter needs your genuine feelings right now, not another lived performance!"

"If she needs me in that role I'll play it Orestes," Athena objected. "I've always played the role Pyrrha's needed to push her story forward: the fact that's placed me in the role of antagonist more often than it's placed me in the role of loving support is a regretful necessity I made peace with long ago."

"You made peace with it far too quickly if you ask me." Orestes looked his employer in the eye as he continued, "Just remember that if you're the villain in your daughter's story you'll be the villain in your grandchild's story. I know you don't want that, so I need you to look inside your heart and ask yourself if playing any role besides the supportive mother is actually necessary or just something you want to do."

The two of them stared at each other unblinking for an uncomfortable amount of time. Eventually, Athena looked away first.

"It's always been necessary," the actress tried to justify. "I've taught Pyrrha more about how the world works through lived experience than I could have with heart-to-heart conversations."

"I'm not sure sure that's true ma'am," Orestes replied as he got out of his seat and started to collect his employer's luggage.

"You could just hold my hand to tell if I'm being genuine or not." Athena offered.

"My Semblance works based off of what someone BELIEVES to be true," Orestes clarified not for the first time. "That isn't always going to line up with reality. But it has given me a lot of perspective on what reality is for a person. Your reality is that your daughter needs you to be honest and sincere about your feelings: Not you playing a role."

Athena sighed and dropped her next protest. While Orestes hadn't been in her employ for long but he was one of the few people who had seen her real self since she had split with her husband all those years ago. Normally when a servant started getting that close she fired and replaced them as her budget for trust was quite small, but Orestes' had proven himself worthy of that trust before she had gotten the chance to fire him and now he was too valuable to let go. His pushback against her ideas was annoying but had been valuable on more than one occasion, so she would put off choosing a role to play until she had a better measure of her daughter's paramour.

She closed her eyes in concentration and when she opened them she in one of her more generic personas: the high society woman that men hesitate to approach. This mask would do until she was with her daughter.

She exited the private airship with graceful poise and a purposeful stride, Orestes following with the luggage that shouldn't be left behind in a private vehicle for any reason no matter how safe a parking place may be.

The long term parking for private airships ran parallel to the more short term landing strips of commercial airships, with the path leading to the school proper situated between them. The hatch for her airship just so happened to be facing away from that path so Athena strode around her airship like the diva she currently embodied, only for her steps to slow as she saw the airship that had landed next to hers...

That was one of the Schnee family's custom airships. The persona Athena was currently embodying wouldn't pass up a chance to speak with fellow members of high society like the Schnees. A delay keeping her from Pyrrha then. Athena closed her eyes and forced her annoyance down: breaking character wouldn't help Pyrrha at all.

The Schnee airship opened its' doors and Willow Schnee gracefully descended the access ramp like butter sliding over warm bread. Following slightly behind the Schnee matriarch on her left was her son Whitley, who was scowling as much as his dignity allowed. Athena could also see a butler wrangling some luggage behind them in the airship.

"Mrs. Schnee!" Athena greeted the matriarch of the world's richest family, "What a pleasant surprise!"

Willow gaped at the retired actress for a moment before she returned the greeting in kind, "Athena Nikos? My goodness, you haven't aged a day! How long has it been? Ten, twelve years?"

"Twelve," Athena answered, "It's been twelve years since the Martha Wayland Charity Gala, I see you've-"

"ATHENA! DARLING!" A loud and joyous voice shouted, and Athena's smile became strained and too polite as she recognized who that voice belonged to. The redhead turned just in time to be bear-hugged by the woman who had called out, and Athena felt the joints in her back pop as she was lifted off the ground. "IT'S BEEN TOO LONG!"

"Hello Basara," Athena wheezed with her smile becoming more and more plastic by the second. Basara put Athena back on the ground and let go of her fellow retired actress, stepping back to get a good look at the redhead.

"You look fantastic!" The dark-skinned woman gushed as her husband Logos stepped up beside her. "I see you're doing much better without the ponce than the ponce is doing without you, his latest batch of infomercials isn't even that good."

Athena blinked owlishly as her façade crumbled and she stared at Basara like the other woman had grown a second head. "I, I thought you liked Peleus..." She eventually managed.

"We did," Logos admitted with a frown, "And when we heard about your separation in the news it was a bit of a shock to us. But you were never a frivolous woman, so we knew you must have had good reasons for separating from him. You also have a high tolerance for fools and idiots, so Peleus had to have done something monumentally stupid for you to have demanded a separation."

"I, well, he did..." Athena stammered as she cast her eyes about for a way out of this conversation. From the look Orestes was giving her she could tell that he thought this was a beneficial interaction she needed to go through. And so Athena locked eyes with Willow and sent a silent plea for help.

A plea the Schnee matriarch was willing to answer as she strode forward and interjected herself into the conversation, "Excuse me, you're Basara Altan right? Winner of best actress four years in a row?"

"That is me," Basara confirmed in a slightly put out tone.

"I'm a HUGE fan or your work!" Willow gushed with all the enthusiasm of a teenage girl with front row seats for her favorite singer's concert. "Your soliloquy in Maple Lake brings me to tears every time I watch it, and I've watched The Lost Princess on my birthday every year since it was released! I can't believe we've never met before! I mean the whole reason I went to the Azurite Gala was because you were supposed to be there! Why weren't you?"

"Well my husband and I were invited," Basara shrugged as she accepted that this was the conversation she was having now, "But we were quietly uninvited about a week before the Gala happened."

"Why would you get uninvited?" Willow asked in surprise.

"The host was worried his mother would cause a scene after she found out my roaring in The Last Mile wasn't dubbed," Basara explained.

"Oh?" Willow blinked in confusion for a moment as she worked through the odd-seeming statement, but it didn't take her long to put things together, "Oh. Oh dear. I'm sorry to hear that happened."

"You have nothing to be sorry about," Basara looked Willow in the eye, "You aren't the one who insulted us."

Logos nodded in agreement with his wife before he rumbled out a question, "If it's not too much to ask what business brings you here Mrs. Schnee? It's still a bit early for the Vytal Festival."

"We're here because my sisters mamboed sideways with a man and are dealing with the consequences," Whitley sourly interjected. Willow gasped at her son's brazen disregard for his sisters' privacy while a scandalized look grew across her face. Athena closed her eyes and grit her teeth. Willow pulled her out of a social situation she didn't want to deal with, she was obligated to return the favor.

"I'm here for a similar reason," Athena explained in a commiserating voice. "My daughter has gotten a child from her team leader, Jaune Arc."

For some reason Willow froze at that pronouncement. Whitley's face grew more sour. Basara and Logos looked to each other with raised eyebrows, and then Basara said something that shook Athena's core:

"What an interesting coincidence," Basara's voice was surprisingly nonjudgmental considering the subject matter, "We are also here because of a child our daughter had with Jaune Arc."

"Oh dear," Willow murmured as she looked between Athena and the Altans, "Both my daughters are also with a Jaune Arc. Are we all speaking about the same Jaune Arc? Messy blond hair? Blue eyes? Son of an absolute hunk?"

"Excuse us," a new feminine voice interjected, "Are you talking about Jaune Arc?"

Athena's head snapped in the direction of the new voice to see Ghira and Kali Belladonna, rulers of the sovereign territory of Menagerie approached them with cautious smiles.

"We are," Logos confirmed, "My wife and I are here to help with the granddaughter Jaune Arc is responsible for."

"I see we're here with a common purpose then," Ghira observed. "I didn't expect to meet any of the other parents so soon after landing."

"Wait wait wait," The world was shifting beneath Athena's feet. She pointed to Basara and Logos, "Your daughter has a child with Jaune Arc." She pointed to Willow, "Both of your daughters have children with Jaune Arc." She turned her finger to Ghira and Kali, "And your daughter has a child with Jaune Arc."

"Twins actually," Kali corrected. Athena didn't notice.

"And my Pyrrha has a child with Jaune Arc!" Athena's voice rose an octave. "How many women has Jaune Arc been with!?!?"

Ghira and Kali gave each other a look and mutually agreed it was best to rip off the band-aid instead of dragging it out. "The number we were given was eleven."

"Eleven!!!" Athena croaked. She felt her stomach drop. Orestes was right: her never-ending role-play style of teaching Pyrrha hadn't worked! Her daughter had fallen in with an insatiable playboy! She should have had honest heart to heart conversations with Pyrrha like Orestes said she should have!

Athena fainted, and Orestes was there to catch her before she went down.

The redheaded actress wasn't out for long. She opened her eyes to see everyone present gathered around and looking down at her with concern as Orestes supported her.

"This is all my fault," the words spilled from Athena's lips as Orestes helped her stand again. "I've failed as a mother and left my daughter helpless to the charms of a rake!"

"Glynda assured me Jaune Arc is a good man," Orestes patted Athena on the shoulder, "The situation might not be what you're thinking."

"If what we were told is true then the situation is definitely not what you're thinking," Logos rumbled.

"Yes," Basara continued for her husband, "We were told our granddaughter is here due to time travel. I would not be surprised if it's the same for all of you as well."

"Time Travel?" Whitley scoffed, "And you believed that?"

Uncertain looks went around the group, and a lively debate about the plausibility of time travel kicked off.

With everyone so distracted it should come as no surprise that no one noticed the large corvid land on an extra tall lamppost a few dozen yards away.

Nobody noticed its' intense stare, or the calculating gleam in its' eyes...
 
With everyone so distracted it should come as no surprise that no one noticed the large corvid land on an extra tall lamppost a few dozen yards away.

Nobody noticed its' intense stare, or the calculating gleam in its' eyes...
Oh it's Raven. Gosh darnit. Also why is it an extra tall lamppost?

In other news, nice to see the 'rents meeting each other. If everyone knows about the time travel thing, I assume they don't know or haven't thought about the other timeliness so everyone is still under the impression that Jaune is some lascivious Lothario lurking around their daughters.
 
I'm sort of hoping that Xia beats up Raven, Xander goes "Wait, I'm related to that actress from those movies mom refuses to go to?", and Whitley's nephews terrorize him.

A fun time will be had by all, I'm sure.

Theodore: "Oh, Uncle Whitley's nice, but Aunt Weiss...let's just say that there's such a thing as too many cats and leave it at that."
Weiss: *horrified shriek*
 
Theodore: "Oh, Uncle Whitley's nice, but Aunt Weiss...let's just say that there's such a thing as too many cats and leave it at that."
Weiss: *horrified shriek*
Nicholas: Well, at least it's better than Aunty Winter deciding to take after grandma.
Theodore: No.
Nicholas: Yes.
Theodore: Excuse me, I need to quick discuss something with dad.
Nicholas: I think I do as well, actually.
*fighting starts again.*
 
Glimpses Into Another Time: Heir To The Throne And The Boy Left Alone
Cross-Posted From Spacebattles Thread

Glimpses Into Another Time: Heir To The Throne And The Boy Left Alone

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

Arc-Schnee Manor, Atlas. 5 Years After The Defeat of Salem


"Son". "Brother". "Fearless Leader". "Deadlast". "Friend". "Fool". "Rusted Knight". "Hero".

In his short career as a Huntsman, Jaune Arc was called many things. Currently, however, the one he was still coming to terms with was "Father".

He was sitting in the gazebo in Willow's garden watching the sunrise, holding his son, Nicholas, in his arms. As a farmboy, Jaune had always been an early riser and it looked like he passed that down to his son. At least, that's what he wants to think. Nicholas looked more like Weiss than him, so he was kind of hoping that his habits passed down to his son. But his Mom and Saphron insisted that's not how babies work.

"Bwah" Nicholas snaps Jaune out of his thoughts.

"Heh. Yeah, you're right. It's too early to me to be stressing out." Jaune chuckles. He began to feed Nicholas his baby food. It wasn't any of the expensive stuff Weiss insists they buy. It was a family recipe his Mom taught him. He also didn't want to trouble Mr. Klein so early in the morning. Or Willow, Gods know busy she's been in these past few years and deserves a couple of hours of sleep.

Ever since Ruby and Oscar defeated Salem, everyone in Remnant had one objective in mind: Rebuild. Winter, who had taken General Ironwood's spot in the Council, and the remaining members of Atlas' Council decided it would be best if Mantle and Atlas were no longer divided by the sky. It should've taken them years to rebuild Atlas from the ground up, but the Staff of Creation had made things relatively easier. Then, Willow decided the SDC needed a fresh start and restarted the Dust mines. She even went down and mined with her works on some occasions. Weiss, meanwhile, worked together with Blake to establish relations between the SDC and Menagerie. Her and the rest of Team RWBY go on missions the 2nd week of each month.

Weiss... Part of him still can't believe she said 'Yes' when he proposed to her. Hell, he's still surprised she agreed to go out with him way back in their Beacon days. But she did say 'Yes'...

And then she immediately got embarrassed after squealing like a little girl and said "It took you long enough, you dolt". You won't hear Jaune complain. A win's a win.

His sister Tangy started laughing when she heard the news. She said they were just like Mom and Dad...

Jaune looked towards the fountain in the garden. A statue of a man Jaune knew would've laughed his ass off if he saw him and Weiss getting married.

It was during the evacuation to Vacuo when his father Nick died. Jaune had been fighting Neo after she targeted Weiss. He could still remember that smug look on the henchwoman's face after she slashed his, giving him his scar over his right eye. But it was all a trick to get him away from Penny so Cinder could kill her and take the power of the Winter Maiden. Then his father had rushed in at the last second, sending Penny towards him and Weiss and taking the hit for her, but at a heavy cost. In that moment, time slowed for Jaune. His Dad was pierced through the chest by Cinder.

"What a pity. I guess being a fool runs in your family. Doesn't it, Jaune." Cinder said, coldly.

Nick slowly turned his head towards Jaune and simply said, "It's not over yet. They won't give up."

He set Blónt Joyeúx to its overdrive setting and threw it at the bridge the trio was standing on, causing it to collapse. Whether or not he knew about the Ever After's existence was a question Jaune would never get to ask. The only thing he saw before he fell was the life leaving his Dad's eyes and a smile on spreading across his face.

To this day, Jaune still blames himself for his death. No matter how much his Mom assures him, it was his fault Dad isn't here to see his grandson. It's his fault Mom has to go home to an empty house after work. His Dad died because he was too weak. Just like Pyrrha. It was all--

"Darling?"

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

"Daughter". "Sister". "Heiress". "Brat". "Snow Angel". "Bossy". "Friend". "Ice Queen". "Hero".

Weiss Schnee was called many things growing up. But the one she wore currently and proudly was "Mother".

How could she not? Her wonderful, caring dork of a husband blessed her with such a beautiful and spirited baby boy. A baby boy who would've woken her up if not for Jaune's tentative nature. He liked to keep himself busy around the manor.

Part of her feels like he's overworking himself on purpose. Unlike Jaune, Weiss wasn't oblivious to her surroundings. She knew her husband better than he knew himself.

Isabel, her mother-in-law, had referred to it as 'Survivors Guilt' and if she had to guess, it all started at the Fall of Beacon. When their friend Pyrrha died. During the Journey to Mistral, he spent most nights training obsessively. Ruby and the others were starting to get concerned until Weiss had intervened.

"Jaune. You're going to run yourself ragged at this rate. You need to stop pushing yourself like this," Weiss says. She pulled Jaune into a warm hug. "Please. Take it easy on yourself. Pyrrha wouldn't want this."

It made her feel a little rotten for invoking Pyrrha's name, but she needed to get her point across and she wasn't going to pull her punches. It worked. Jaune had started taking better care of himself. If Pyrrha had seen him at the Battle of Haven, she would've been proud. But it seemed the universe enjoyed watching her beloved suffer. His parents had met up with them in Argus, having been requested to go to Atlas by her mother for her family's yearly physicals. When Salem had caused the Fall of Atlas, his father, Nicholas, had sacrificed himself to save them. And being separated by time in the Ever After had worsened his trauma.

When they had defeated Salem, Jaune told her that he was going to step away from being a Hunter. A decision that she supported without a second thought. She knows how much pain her husband is in. But after everything he's done for her, she's willing to let him lean on her as long as he needs.

Weiss walked around the manor until she spotted Jaune with Nicholas in the gazebo... It appears Jaune is feeding him that "homemade" baby food again. Honestly, what was the point of purchasing all that baby food if he was just going to mash a bunch of bread and bananas together in a pot of milk?

As she approached, Weiss noticed that Jaune had been staring at the statue again.

"Darling?" Weiss says.

Jaune noticed her at the corner of his eye and looked towards her, as if he just snapped out of a trance

"Oh. Good morning, Weiss," Jaune greets her, giving another spoonful of baby food to Nicholas. "We were just enjoying the sunrise together."

"Jaune, you know we have perfectly good baby food in the kitchen. You don't need to feed Nicholas this mush."

"Hey, I ate this "mush" as a baby I turned out fine. Besides, who feeds a baby fish-flavored baby food anyway?"

Elsewhere, beyond the fields we know, Blake sneezes.

"I'm convinced that mush is what made you so dense in the first place," Weiss knew there was something on his mind. "You were staring at the statue again."

"I... I was just wondering if my Dad was as scared as I am now when I was born," Jaune looked down at Nicholas. He had fallen asleep again. "What if... What if I make a mistake? What if--"

"It's very presumptuous of you to think that you're taking this on by yourself," Weiss says, haughtily. She began to scoot closer to him "I'm here if you need someone to lean on. After all, you've saved my life plenty of times. As your wife, I owe you this much."

"Weiss, you don't--"

"Jaune, you've gone above and beyond for me going as far back as our days at Beacon," Oh, she was using her serious voice "It only makes sense that I put in just as much effort."

The two sat there for some time. Simply staring at their sleeping son. Weiss spoke first.

"Do you know when I realized that I was in love with you?"

"Uhhh..."

"Don't tell me you forgot."

"I... don't think you actually told me."

"Well then, allow me to enlighten you. It was when you told me take control of my life."

Now he remembers. It was a few days after the Fall of Beacon. Her father, Jacques, had come to essentially kidnap her. He used her position as heiress to strong-arm her to leave with him. When he tried forcing Weiss to break up with him...

Jaune punched Jacques with the all the rage he had. He was trying to grieve for Pyrrha but he was so angry. He needed to hit something and Jacques graciously volunteer. He then told Weiss

"Are you going to let this twig of a man hold your life hostage, Weiss!! It's your life, not his!!"

Those words meant everything to her. Weiss threw away her title as heiress that day. She decided to take hold of her destiny with her own hands and joined her friends and her boyfriend.

"Don't you dare doubt my love for you, Jaune Arc," Weiss kisses him. He felt her reassurance in that kiss. "Now then, let's go inside and have a proper family breakfast."

"Oh, come on, Weiss. Nicholas likes this stuff," Jaune protests "Don't knock it till you try it."

"Not on life, Mister. I'm not touching that slop, thank you very much."

As the couple walked back inside, Weiss thought back to a conversation she had with Blake. She had mentioned how she and Jaune were mirrors of each other and how it was destiny that had brought them together. She found herself struggling to disagree with Blake's assessment day after day. Meanwhile, Jaune was thinking about how proud his Dad is of him and how he'll try his hardest to honor his sacrifice.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
 
Glimpses Into Another Time: New Life
Glimpses Into Another Time: New Life



- - -



Arc-En-Ciel Hospital, Radian, Vale. Five Years After the Defeat of Salem




Cinder Arc slowly opened her eyes. Her Aura, so weak before, was thrumming through her tired body. Muscles were repaired and ligaments restored. Yet despite the power flowing through her, she was filled with a weariness and exhaustion that her long sleep hadn't cured.



She stirred and looked around the hospital room. It was one of many in the Arc-En-Ciel castle hospital: Warm wooden panels covering up cool granite walls, the high tech monitoring systems and holoviewers alongside old fashioned tapestries from the castle's long history.



None of that really mattered to her as much as the two tiny forms in the incubator nearby, or the sleeping blond man in the chair next to them.



"Good morning."



Cinder started and looked at the doorway. Nick Arc, her father-in-law, smiled broadly at her. He had doffed his usual armor in favor of a white shirt, a blue flannel button up shirt over it, and tan jeans with his work boots. He walked in silently, quite a feat for the seven foot tall man, as he set a pile of gifts and cards on a nearby table.



"Morning," she murmured. Her gaze turned back to the incubator unit. "Are they-?"



"Well, let's see," Nick rumbled softly. "Can you stand up?"



Cinder tried, but she grimaced as her muscles protested. Nick chuckled, and offered a strong arm built like the trunk of a mighty oak. She accepted it, and he helped her out onto the floor with his arm around her waist. Slowly, he guided her up to Jaune. He was snoring softly, his cheeks covered in fuzz, a blue duster wrapped around him like a blanket. She glanced at Nick, who smiled.



"He hasn't left since you passed out. About twelve hours ago," he said softly.



She reached out and brushed her fingertips over Jaune's face. He smiled softly in his sleep, and she felt weak in her knees for different reasons.



"Are they okay?" She asked again, her eyes turning to the incubator. She pressed a hand against the glass and stared intently through it. Twin babies, a boy and a girl: So small they were nearly lost in the mass of monitoring and life support equipment attached to them. Both had scrunched up faces, resembling prunes. One twitched and fussed, while the other lay very still. Her heart pounded as she stared intently at the still one.



"The Aura treatment worked," Nick said gently, a fond smile on his face as he looked down at his grandchildren, "It looks scary, I know, but they're going to be fine. Izzy's just very thorough when it comes to her grandkids."



Cinder sniffled.



"They shouldn't have been premature," she whispered, "I-I didn't... What did I...?"



"Nothing. This isn't your fault, Cinder," Nick murmured, squeezing her waist. Cinder bowed her head.



"You don't know that... All the... All the horrible things I've done to myself," she whispered, "All the surgery and magic and..."



Tears began to pour from her eyes.



When she'd learned she was pregnant, she had been elated and terrified in equal measure. Jaune had the same reaction, whooping for joy just before he fainted. Ever since she'd fallen in love with this idiot, there had been a part of her that had hoped... Had prayed... That she could give him children.



Yet another part had been just as frightened that she'd lose them. It would be a fitting punishment for a woman who had taken so much life, to be denied the ability to bring it into the world.



She sobbed quietly when the active one slowed and went still, only the breathing tubes telling her the baby was still alive.



Nick was silent as she cried, just holding her. His eyes looked over at his own son, still sleeping.



"Jaune was premature, too," Nick said quietly. "He was in a lot worse shape than your twins. Izzy had to invent new healing techniques just to keep him alive, all the while she was recovering from her labor. Me? I... I felt worse than useless. All I could do was stand there and watch my baby boy fight for his life, my wife do everything she could to keep him alive. I... I wondered if..."



She looked up at the big man. He took a deep breath, forcing himself to be calm.



"A few times, I wondered if I was going to have to go back to the farmhouse and tell the girls that they weren't getting a little brother," he said quietly. He looked over at Cinder.



"Isabel blamed herself. It's what she does you know? It took a long time for her to realize it wasn't anything she did. And it's going to take time for you to realize the same..."



The still one closest to her stirred again. Cinder stared, and rested a hand on the glass over the baby. It flailed a bit, before pressing its chubby fist up against the glass. It's twin, perhaps acting out of some instinct or early Aura sense, reached out and did the same.



"But you will realize it," Nick said softly. "Seeing your children grow up healthy and strong is a great motivator."



Cinder sniffled again. The tears poured down her cheeks. But a smile was on her face, as she stared down at her babies. She pressed her other hand down over their fists.



"Do you need anything else?" Nick asked quietly. Cinder planted her feet firmly on the floor. She looked back up at her father in law and shook her head.



"N-No... Thank you," she whispered.



Nick smiled, and squeezed her in a one armed hug.



"That's what family is for," he murmured. He looked over at his son with a tender look. "You should wake him up soon. He needs some food."



Cinder laughed softly through her tears.



"Idiot would get himself killed if not for me," she whispered.



"Heh. Izzy said the same thing," Nick beamed at her.



- - -



Just a bit of drama from the Cinder Timeline.
 
Theodore: "Oh, Uncle Whitley's nice, but Aunt Weiss...let's just say that there's such a thing as too many cats and leave it at that."
Weiss: *horrified shriek*
blasphemy!!! you can never have too many cats. or dogs for that matter.

Nicholas: Well, at least it's better than Aunty Winter deciding to take after grandma.
Theodore: No.
Nicholas: Yes.
Theodore: Excuse me, I need to quick discuss something with dad.
Nicholas: I think I do as well, actually.
*fighting starts again.*
which grandma are we talking about here? drunk grandma? or "my-only-son-lives-on-a-death-world-lets-not-teach-him-to-fight-that-won't-bite-us-in-the-ass-later" grandma?
 
blasphemy!!! you can never have too many cats. or dogs for that matter.


which grandma are we talking about here? drunk grandma? or "my-only-son-lives-on-a-death-world-lets-not-teach-him-to-fight-that-won't-bite-us-in-the-ass-later" grandma?

"Without dad your mom is a crazy cat lady!"

"Well, without dad YOUR mom is an alcoholic!"
 
The Grandparents Arrive, Part 2. By Sift Green
Two airships manufactured in the sub-kingdom of Pandu landed around the same time not too far away from one another. They were of different models; a smaller one designed for complicated maneuvers in remote locations and a larger one built for luxury and comfort while cruising along well-established airways. From the smaller of the two airships emerged Nicholas "Nick" Arc and his brother in arms Arjun Sarkara. From the larger ship came their wives Isabel and Saia. The two pairs converged in the space between the airships, with Nick scooping up his wife into a hug while laughing in excitement. Isabel hugged back, though her own hug was tenser and her expression anxious.

"Grandparents eleven times over!" Nick grinned as he pulled back from the hug. "Our son is winning at life!"

"Winning?" Isabel smacked Nick's arm, "Our boy's about to have more responsibility placed onto his shoulders than he can imagine! And that's if everyone agrees to play nice! There could be lawsuits! A public smear campaign! A hundred other nightmares you can't stab or shoot your way out of could be barreling down on our son at this very moment!"

"Well, he could always crash on our couch if he has to flee the country," Arjun half-seriously joked.

"Now isn't a good time to joke about such things dear," Saia admonished before a small smirk graced her lips, "Though we do have a nice couch."

"We do? Good. That's why I made you Queen, you know all about such things," Arjun said with a gentle smile for his wife.

Isabel closed her eyes and took a calming breath. She had gotten a LOT of practice keeping calm with her team back in school, after all. "Let's just find our son and talk with the headmaster before we're accosted by angry parents."

"NICHOLAS ARC YOU SON OF A BITCH!" All four of them flinched from the intensity of the bellowing voice that was approaching. They all turned to face the caller, and a snarl escaped Nick's throat.

"TAIYANG XIAO LONG YOU RAT BASTARD!" Nick yelled back. The two blond men of different heights aggressively strode toward each other with raised hands ready for an open-palm strike. Those hands came together with enough force to produce the sound of a small thunderclap and clasped each other in an arm wrestling position. The two men then tried to push the other's hand out of position, savage grins were mirrored on their faces as laughter escaped both of their lips.

Sauntering up from behind Taiyang was the familiar, if significantly messier from the last time they saw him, Qrow Branwen. The dark-haired scythe wielder took a sip from a flask he stored in a shirt pocket before nodding in their direction, "'Sup?"

Tension left Isabel's shoulders with the recognition that she was dealing with old friends instead of irate parents. "Qrow, Tai, it's good to see you again," She greeted the pair.

"It's good to see all of you too," Qrow replied as Nick and Tai's impromptu arm-wrestling match ended in a draw. "It's been quite a while."

"It has," Arjun agreed right before the passage of time hit him. "Was the wedding really the last time we were all together as a group?"

"It was," Tai affirmed with melancholy in his voice. "We still use the coffee machine you guys got us."

"We're sorry we couldn't attend the funeral," Saia bowed her head with a look of shame.

"You guys had a lot on your plate then," Tai excused, "What with that gang boss trying to sneak back into the country."

"That may be true," Arjun allowed, "Yet we still regret the fact we weren't able to honor Summer's memory with you. We placed a statue of her in the Hall of Heroes, but it felt hollow without those who were closest to her."

"You mean the Hall of Heroes in the royal palace?" Qrow asked. When Arjun and Saia nodded Qrow let out a low whistle, "That's one hell of an honor; I remember hearing a report in the news that your Hall of Heroes is almost out of room."

"Yes," a small smile grew on Arjun's face, "Adding any more statues will require a remodel of that wing of the palace. Some of our advisors were upset that we used some of our last remaining space to honor a foreigner that never stepped foot in Pandu, but Summer deserved it."

"That's, that's," Taiyang sniffed and wiped away a tear that threatened to spill from the corner of his eye, "Thank you. I'll have to make time to come and see it."

Nick placed a hand on Tai's shoulder and rumbled, "We're sorry the funeral was the last time we spoke with you."

"That's not your fault," Tai shrugged. "You guys live on the other side of the country, and I was enough of a mess after everything that we would have fallen out of contact even if you lived down the road."

"We still could have found some excuse to swing by and check up on you," Isabel objected. "Both of our jobs are flexible enough for that."

"Well," Qrow smirked, "If you really want to make it up to us you can tell your son that Tai's officially his favorite in-law."

Isabel's eyes darted back and fourth between Qrow and Tai before she buried her face in her hands with a groan, mentally kicking herself for not entertaining the possibility that Tai's kids could be among those her son had shacked up with. "Yang or Ruby?" She asked from behind her hands.

"Yes," Tai smiled.

"BOTH OF THEM?!?" Isabel's head whipped up with wide eyes.

"Yep," Tai popped the p as his smile morphed into a grin. "So I'm morally obligated to give your boy a hard time, but I think we can skip that if he marries my girls first."

"Breaker above," Isabel moaned, "Why?"

"Hey, it's not my fault your son inherited his father's harem powers," Tai replied slightly put out by Isabel's reaction.

"What are you talking about?" Nick asked with confusion on his face, "I'm married to the only woman I've ever dated. How could Jaune have inherited harem powers from me?"

"You can't tell me you never noticed how many girls were gunning for you?" Tai elaborated. "I mean beyond Isabel you had Mombi, Glynda, Snezana, that weird tiger faunus girl, and that was just at Beacon. I'm pretty sure that Schnee lady you played bodyguard for had the hots for you, and the whole reason Vermilion Pullet gave you a fifty percent discount on all her baked goods was because she was trying to reach your heart through your stomach."

"But I only dated and married one girl," Nick insisted. "That makes me as monogamous as possible. You're the person who married more than one woman, doesn't' that mean you had harem powers?"

"I was in a love triangle," Tai explained. "If you check with your local bookstore they'll tell you that isn't considered a harem story unless the guy marries both girls at the same time. You my friend were part of a love octagon; and that's considered a harem story even if only one girl gets with the guy."

"Oh, I see," Nick grinned, "You're trying to pin this on me because my son's gone beyond your greatest accomplishment of knowing the touch of two different women!"

"What! No!" Tai squawked before trying to give Nick a noogie, something the taller man easily avoided while laughing.

"I must admit I'm confused as to why both of you are avoiding the harem accusations," Arjun observed. "I was under the impression that Vale's laws allows for bigamy under a wide variety of circumstances. You would think more people would embrace the convenience those laws provide." The royal archer then noticed the side eyed expression his wife was giving him and so he hastily added: "Though the strict monogamy of Pandu's laws is something I'm personally quite happy with."

Saia rolled her eyes before kissing her husband on the cheek.

Isabel heaved a mighty sigh before she muttered to herself, "Alright. I'm going to be related to Taiyang now. That's fine. Tai isn't a stranger who'll try to take advantage of Jaune." Her face then contorted with self recrimination, "Oh! Where did I go wrong? Jaune's now the fourth child of mine to run away from home to find their destiny elsewhere! And do they talk to me and tell me what their doing? No! I only find out what they're up to after they get themselves into trouble like this! Trouble they could have avoided if they just stuck to the morals I tried to teach them! But no! They just put their morals aside in their quest to find themselves and then I have to help untangle the knot! Was I too hard on them? Not hard enough?"

"Well," Qrow interjected, "You're batting 50/50 right now, so I wouldn't say you're doing everything wrong."

Isabel turned her gaze to the dark haired man. "Thank you Qrow, for reminding me why I've never gone to you for a sympathetic ear."

"What's wrong with what I said?" Qrow asked without really expecting an answer.

"Isabel, I doubt the situation is as dire as you probably think it is," Arjun reasoned. "Jaune isn't the type to go after frivolous women. Their parents are probably decent folk like Taiyang and we'll all be able to find the best path forward together. Really the biggest obstacle is going to be the expense of raising so many children, yet if all of our families contribute I'm certain we'll be able to afford not just the current batch of children but any future children Jaune and his girls decide to have."

"Wait, you're including yourself among the families who are going to chip in?" Isabel asked.

"Well of course," Arjun smiled, "Jaune is my godson after all! It's only fitting we provide all the help we can."

"Of course it will be easier for us to access royal funds if it's a family expense," Saia picked up where her husband left off, "So if one of your daughters married our son everything will go more smoothly."

"Oh not this again," Isabel groused as the royal couple chuckled.

As his laughter came to an end Arjun cast his eyes about to look at the things his aura sensing ability had already told him were there. It was a simple wisdom to confirm what his more esoteric senses were telling him with his more mundane senses, it had let him catch oddities that turned out to be assassins on more that one occasion. Cardboard boxes weren't supposed to have human souls in them after all...

...and neither were birds.

Arjun kept the large corvid in the corner of his eye, watching it land on a particularly large lamppost where it had a good view of most of the airfield. It was staring at a small gathering of people a good distance away with the gleam of malice in its' eye. That in and of itself might not have been odd, corvids were smart enough to hold grudges after all, but this corvid felt like it had the soul of a human woman. Something was up.

Not wanting to draw the bird's attention, Arjun began to move his hands in the old sign language Team SANI had devised for stealthier missions. Saia noticed right away, they still used it to hold private conversations in the middle of court after all. Isabel and Nick proved they weren't that rusty either as Isabel was instantly alert and Nick stopped roughhousing with Tai. The three of them were soon keeping their eyes on the bird like Arjun was.

Taiyang and Qrow had never been taught the sign language Team SANI used, but they were still quick on the uptake and noticed the sudden change in their friend's dispositions. The two of them looked in the general direction the rest were looking in and saw the bird as well. The two of them tensed, and Qrow reached for his weapon.

"Shit." Qrow cursed as he looked at the raven. Then the raven jumped into the air, "SHIT!"

Qrow shot forward and Isabel felt her eyes bug out as her friend's shape changed before her eye, the dark haired man becoming a crow in more than just name, his aura infused wings pushing him forward faster than human legs could.

"What in the-" Saia began as Taiyang shot off after his teammate, fortunately he shouted an explanation as he went:

"THAT RAVEN'S RAVEN!"

Isabel's semblance Total Body Control gave her access to many abilities most would consider to be unnatural. Altering her own brain chemistry was one of them. The Arc matriarch altered her perception of time in an effort to analyze the rapidly changing events in front of her. The raven was indeed turning into Raven, who was drawing her blade and descending on a curved trajectory towards a group of important looking people. In spite of their speed Taiyang and Qrow wouldn't get there before Raven had the chance to stab someone. She knew what she needed to do. As the normal perception of time returned the command was already leaving her lips:

"NICK! THROW ME!"

There was no hesitation on her husband's part, and she was sent hurtling through the air at speeds something as non-aerodynamic as a woman shouldn't be able to achieve. Within a few heartbeats she was past Tai and Qrow, landing roughly on her feet between the group of important looking people and Raven, who's blade pierced through Isabel's aura and flesh.

The instant the blade touched her she shifted all of the vital organs and blood vessels out of its path through her flesh. As it came out her other side she grew a sheath of bone around it from her ribs, pinning it in place within her.

"Hello again Raven," Isabel growled, "Still a crazy bitch I see."

Isabel punched Raven using all the might she could muster with the blade keeping her from putting her whole body into the motion. It was still enough to knock the black-haired woman back as she was forced to let go of her sword.

Raven stumbled for a moment, and in that moment Taiyang was on Isabel's right and Qrow was on Isabel's left fully human again with his weapon drawn. Three to one with reinforcements literally seconds away and Raven without her weapon.

Isabel liked those odds.

"Isabel, Tai, Brother," Raven hissed. "This was going to be a stab and run, maybe grabbing a hostage or two on the way out." The black haired woman stretched our her empty hand and Isabel felt her eyes bug out again as a mass of rebar literally tore itself out of the tarmac and then shaped itself into a new sword that Raven grabbed out of the air. "Now? Now this needs to be a massacre with no witnesses."

The odds were not quite as Isabel liked.

For a moment something that vaguely resembled regret flashed across Raven's face before her countenance hardened, "Sorry you're about to be collateral Tai, Qrow."

She pointed her blade towards them, and lunged...
 
The next time we see Raven she will have a swollen face and be hogtied to a tree.

Jaune: Mom why the hell are you hogtying that woman!?
Isabella: Nothing to worry about sweetie just messing around.
Jaune: eyes the group standing next to a heating up branding iron. Right....
 
Well, at least Qrow no longer needs to do certain missions now. Finding the spring maiden, check. And finding Amber's attackers is semi checked, though I don't think Qrow knows that part yet.

And with Ozpin and son 4 minutes out and Jaune's group 15 minutes out, a lot can happen in that time frame. And there's still one more person to join the party.

Also, whose timeline hews closest to canon? I'm assuming mostly Ruby and Weiss...
 
Glimpses Into Another Time: Incompleto Sin Tí
Cross-Posted From Spacebattles

Glimpses Into Another Time: Incompleto Sin Tí

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

Belladonna Household, Kuo Kuana, Menagerie. 2 Year After The Defeat of Salem.


Blake Belladonna was trained to be as level-headed as she could be in any given situation. It was an essential part of her training during her days in the White Fang. But she also had a habit of making impulsive decisions.

Take, for instance, when she proposed to her soon-to-be husband Jaune Arc. She knew he was in love with her, so the idea of marriage seemed like it was on the horizon. She also knew that he was a hopeless romantic, so he was going to make some big romantic gesture with plenty of intricate planning. So she decided to speed up the process. Besides, Jaune had already done so many big romantic gestures during their journey to save the world. In Blake's eyes, it was her turn.

Her timing, unfortunately, couldn't have been worse.

It was just before they entered the Arc Family Home in Radian. She had popped the question and hoped that Jaune would be so awestruck that he would immediately say 'Yes'...

However, she underestimated the Arc Sisters ability to hear despite not being Faunus and began teasing the two of them the rest of the day. Jaune did end up saying yes, only after recovering from the harsh teasing he got from his sisters.

That was a year ago and Blake would say that she's grown a bit since then. But she's still Blake Belladonna. The quiet, brooding member of Team RWBY. She was still prone to going into deep thoughts about her past mistakes. Sitting in the living room of her family home in Menagerie brought up memories of when her and Jaune had come to investigate the White Fang's involvement at the Fall of Beacon. Memories of how Adam returned as a cyborg after Jaune had pushed him into an oncoming train. Memories of...

"JAUNE!!" Blake screamed. They had found him locked in the prison within the White Fang's stronghold. Adam... Adam had tortured Jaune. Simply for the "crime" of being in love with her. The right side of his face had a cut near his mouth. It was nasty. And when it healed, his right side of his smile was jagged. Right over his heart was a brand of the White Fang's insignia. There were lashes on his back and arms. His Aura couldn't heal all of them.

"Hey, Pretty Lady... I knew... You'd come." Jaune said before slipping into unconsciousness. How could he be acting so casually!

Adam had shifted all of his haterd for humanity towards Jaune. His deluded mind had saw him as some sort of rival for Blake's heart. And it had all come to an end at Argus.

Blake thought she could take him on alone. Until Adam had broken her Aura had slashed at her chest, leaving an X shaped scar. When he arrived, Jaune had released an overloaded Aura Slash the second Adam had slashed with Moonslice, causing an explosion. With their Auras completely shattered and bodies weakened from battle fatigue, they stared each other down. Breathing heavily, waiting for the other to make a move.

"Is this human really worth it, Blake!? Is *HE* worth throwing away everything the White Fang built!?" Adam tried one last attempt to get through to her.

"You'll never understand, Adam." Blake wished she had more to say. But in truth, there was no words left between them. Not anymore.

Adam snarled. "If you're willing to lower yourself to this monkey's lev--"

"Save the high and mighty crap for when you're dead."
Jaune said calmly, his intentions clear as he readied his stance. Adam's eye narrowed and did the same. A silence built between the two swordsman once again.

"I'LL RIP YOUR HEAD FROM YOUR SHOULDERS!!" Adam roared as he charged towards Jaune. But it was in vain. His blade was parried and in a single thrust, Jaune killed him.

Blake took a sip of her tea and sighed. She shouldn't be reminiscing about the past. Right now, she had something else to be worried about. In 2 days, she and Jaune are going to get married and she started feeling extremely sick. At first, she thought it was bad fish, but...

Let's just say her impulsive decisions aren't just limited to the battlefield.

Her ears perked up. A familiar set of footsteps was approaching the front door.

"Blake! I'm back!" Jaune said as he entered. Blake began to pour herself another cup of tea and downed it just as fast. She was more nervous than she thought, huh.

"How was it today?" She asked. Ever since Jaune moved to Menagerie with her, he was helping her parents' mission to get Menagerie recognized as Remnant's Fifth Kingdom. They started by exterminating all of the heavily Grimm infested areas.

"I am happy to report that the entire Northern region is 100% Grimm free!" Jaune said, approaching her with a victorious grin. He was really such a dork. But his look contradicted his attitude. His armor was covered in grime from the many, many Grimm he killed. Her past self would've said something like 'He looked just like the Rusted Knight' if not for the fact that he literally *IS* the Rusted Knight.

His new sword, Knightshade, hang from his belt. The fight with Adam had left his family sword, Crocea Mors, broken. So he took Adam's Wilt and created a new weapon from both swords: a katana with a bronze blade. However, Blake had re-train him. Jaune's old fighting style was incompatible with Knightshade.

"With that out of the way, we should be able to focus on the Western region," Jaune began to unhook Knightshade from his hip and pour himself a cup of tea. "My parents called. They said they should be coming here in about 5 hours. Have you heard anything from Ruby and the others?"

Blake mentally prepared herself. She was going to start with how Ruby and the others were going to come tomorrow. Then she was going to build up to the important news. Her mouth, however, had other ideas.

"Jaune, I'm pregnant."

Thunk

Jaune dropped his sword and his jaw.

"Are... Are you sure?"

"Yes. I want to double check when your mom shows up but I think I am." Blake says. Jaune then wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into a great big hug.

"I'M GONNA BE A DAD!!" Jaune hollered. He began to twirl Blake around.

"J-Jaune! I get that you're happy, but please put me down," Blake pleaded. "My parents can probably hear you!"

"Sorry. I'm just-- I can't believe this is happening!" Jaune began to let her down. He had a big smile on his face. "Should... Should we think of names? Maybe I can start saving up some Lien for--"

"I think I want to get married first, Jaune," Blake said dryly. A small smile began to form on her face as well. "We have plenty of time to think about names."

"You're being very calm about this." But what Jaune didn't know was deep down, Blake was scared. How could she not be scared. She was going to be a mother! And their wedding was in 2 days! She's more surprised Jaune isn't freaking out too!

"Truthfully, I'm just trying to stay as calm as possible," Blake admits. "Aren't you scared, Jaune?"

Jaune sits down on the couch and thinks. He was always good at giving Blake an honest answer. She said she always loved his honesty.

"Well... Yeah, I am. But... I think it's pretty natural. I mean, I'm gonna be a Dad. We're gonna have a family. Why wouldn't I be scared," Jaune started. "But I'm not alone. I have you Blake. You complete me." Blake sat beside him as he continued. "Let's try to take this one step at a time."

They kissed. This one felt different than all the other times they kissed. There was different emotions behind it. Reassurance. Hope. Love. So much love.

"I love you, Jaune." Blake says, breaking the kiss. She pressed her forehead against his. 'This might go a lot better than I thought' Blake thinks to herself.

"You do know you can't eat tuna when you're pregnant, right?"

"What?" Blake said blankly

"Yeah, Saph told me that too much fish might be bad for the baby."
...
...
...

This is going to be a lot harder than she thought.

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

The title translates to "Incomplete Without You". I figured, since this timeline's Jaune is Blake's voice of reason, it would fit perfectly.
 
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