JJD: Well, Cr00cy, I guess it's time to head back to the drawing board.

Cr00cy: Yeah, it's that time again.

Epilogue

Home

W.S. Quote Book Says: Chase your dreams, but always know the road that will bring you home again. - Anonymous

W.S. Playlist Says: It's hard to do these things alone. Just hold on, we're going home - Hold On, We're Going Home - Drake

Winter paced back and forth behind the thin black curtain separating her from the stage, trying desperately to ignore the sounds of the bustling crowd on the other side, and the weight of the announcement she was about to make, as she mentally reviewed her talking points. She closed her eyes and tried to focus.

Breathe. Just breathe.

"Ma'am?"

Her eyes popped open to see a mousy young woman with large glasses and short, brown hair standing in front of her.

"Yes, Lily?"

The small woman blinked, clearly surprised that she'd remembered her name, before continuing.

"They're almost ready for you, ma'am."

She let out a slow breath and nodded.

"Yeah, ok. Thanks, Lily."

"Ma'am?"

"Mm?"

The bespeckled woman blushed as her eyes found anywhere to be but on her.

"Do you…" She coughed. "Do you think that I could get your autograph?"

She blinked. "My autograph?"

"Nothing special!" Lily rushed out. "Just a quick scribble on any old scrap of paper if it's not too much!"

She shook her head. "Why do you want my autograph?"

Lily cocked her head to side and frowned. "Uh, because you're Winter Schnee. You're about to receive the Atlesian Cross."

Winter laughed. "I didn't realize that people followed that sort of thing. I figured this would be mostly a military and political affair."

"Oh." Lily's eyes slowly widened. "Oh."

"That's not a comforting noise, Lily."

"It's just...do you use the internet a lot?"

Winter shook her head. "Haven't really had the chance, been kind of busy since I got back. Something I should know?"

"You've become kind of a big deal, what with the battle being broadcast and all."

She raised a brow. "How big a deal?"

Lily bit her lip. "I both want to tell you to Schnee Search yourself and tell you to never Schnee Search yourself."

Her eyes widened. "Oh."

"Yeah..."

"Is it really that…"

"I've changed my mind. Don't do it."

Winter cursed, earning a giggle from Lily.

"But yeah, that's why I wanted your autograph." A small ping came from the woman's Scroll and she sighed. "Well, too late now I guess. They're ready for you now, ma'am."

"Thanks, Lily." Winter said as she took step towards the curtain and reached out a out to grasp the cloth. "And Lily?"

"Yes, ma'am?"

"If you still want that autograph after this, it's yours." The smile the squeal of delight behind her brought to her face somehow made the blinding flash of cameras and deafening murmur of the crowd of reporters when she stepped out onto the stage easier to bear.

"Ladies and gentlemen, Winter Schnee!" The tall and handsome Public Affairs officer announced from his place at the podium, sending the crowd into a flurry of applause before he stepped away and motioned for her to take his place. She quickly made her way over to the podium and did her best to hide behind it as much as possible, waiting for the storm of applause to die down and staring blankly at the assembly, made of of dozens of reporters from every publication imaginable. As silence overtook the crowd, she shifted nervously in place before clearing her throat and leaning into the microphone.

"Are there any questions?"

A hundred hands shot into the air. She sighed as she scanned the crowd, finally settling on a face that looked somewhat familiar to her and pointing to the purple haired woman.

"Miss?"

"Lisa Lavender, ma'am, Vale News Network."

She raised an eyebrow at that. "I wasn't aware Vale's news stations were still broadcasting."

"We're hard to put down, ma'am."

"Good for you." She said honestly.

Lisa nodded in acknowledgement. "Thank you, ma'am."

"Winter, please."

"Of course. Winter, being hard to put down is kind of what I wanted to ask you about today. Are you aware that you're about to become one of only three people to receive the Atlesian Cross while still living?"

"I'm a very lucky woman."

"With all due respect, ma'-Winter, the events of that day were broadcast to all of Atlas, and then the rest of Remnant. It certainly didn't look like luck."

Winter shook her head. "This was a team effort. Without the aid of every man and woman on that base fighting to hold to Grimm and White Fang back, we would have been lost."

"That maybe true," Lisa allowed, "but clearly your actions and those of the White Legion-"

Winter scowled. "White Legion?"

Lisa cocked her head to the side and glanced around the crowd to ensure her sanity before continuing. "Uh, your...ghost Grimm army?"

"Oh." Winter said, leaning back from the mic. "I didn't realize that they had a name."

Lisa leaned forward at that. "Are you aware that you have a name? What they're calling you online, I mean."

Winter did her best to suppress a groan. "No."

"Would you like to know what it is?" The reporter asked excitedly.

She sighed. "Sure."

"It's the Hellspawn Huntress. They're calling you the second coming of the Grimm Reaper."

Winter scowled at that. "That's ridiculous, she's the greatest Huntsman to ever live."

Lisa shrugged. "I just report the news, ma'am."

"Winter."

"Winter." She agreed, "but in my humble opinion, you're on your way."

"Well, thank you, Lisa." She said. "Did anyone else have anything else?"

A sea of hands shot up again. She sighed and pointed to a middle aged man sitting in the third row.

"Tom White, Atlesian Times. What's next for you? Will you be returning to military service?"

Winter felt her grip tighten on the wood of the podium as she steeled herself to take the plunge. She cleared her throat and started.

"No, after discussing it with General Ironwood, I'll be taking a leave of absence from the military to pursue family matters."

Lisa bit her lip regretfully before raising her hand again and asking what the network required of her "Can you give us some insight into what those family matters might be?"

She braced and let the bomb drop. "I'm going to be taking back ownership of the SDC from my father, Jacques Schnee."

The crowd exploded into an uproar, reporters finding their feet and pressing forward towards the stage with microphones held out. She just leaned back and let it all wash over her. It was done. She had taken the plunge and now there was no turning back. The chaos continued until finally the Public Affairs officer grabbed the microphone from the podium and began shouting for people to take their seats. After several minutes, enough order had been restored for her to continue. She pointed again.

"Yes?"

The reporter popped to her feet with barely contained excitement. "Mary Gold, Atlas Daily. Ma'am-"

"Winter."

"Winter, that is a very big announcement. Do you have any idea how you're going to tackle the beast that is the SDC?"

"Well, my lawyers will kill me if I talk about it too much," she said, earning a laugh from the crowd. "But my mother's struggle with alcohol has been no secret to the people of Atlas. In fact, she's thankfully in a rehab facility right now. Our home is no place for healing." She said sadly before continuing. "Some of you from outside the country may not know this, but in Atlas, the inheritance laws go straight from parent to blood related child. In this case, my mother."

Mary scowled. "But she signed over the rights to your father years ago."

Winter shook her head. "She was never in a condition where she could make that decision after the passing of my grandfather. We're arguing that the current owner of the SDC is, and has always been, Willow Schnee."

"But with her currently incapacitated…" The reporter's eyes widened.

"Yes, I am the current heir to the SDC."

The crowd exploded into incomprehensible shouting yet again as the Public Affairs officer lunged for the mic, trying in vain to restore order. It was only when she raised her hand that the crowd finally quieted down. She motioned to the Affairs officer, who nodded in thanks and began speaking into the mic again.

"Specialist Schnee, I'd like to request that we refrain from any more talk about private industry at this military ceremony."

"I agree." She said respectfully.

He let out a grateful sigh. "Then if there's nothing else, we can-"

"Actually, I did have one other thing." The look of betrayal he shot her made her feel bad enough that she mouthed, 'sorry' before shrugging. The man sighed a handed her back the microphone. "Thank you." She said before turning to address the crowd again. "Before I go, there's been a lot of discussion about my actions at the battle, but I'd be remiss if I didn't recognize someone that was every bit as important to our victory that day as I was." She let the murmur roll over the crowd before she continued. "Jaune Arc, former student of Beacon and current Huntsman of Vale. Without his actions that day, our base, and quite possibly the entire border of Atlas, would have been lost." She smiled as she motioned to Lisa. "The news isn't the only thing from Vale that's hard to put down. Look him up when you get the chance."

The reporter was already scribbling furiously in her notebook. "Don't worry, ma'am, I will."

"Winter." She corrected one last time before stepping back from the podium and nodding to the other side of the stage, where a grinning Ironwood stepped out from onto the platform, shaking his head slowly and chuckling as he pulled a gleaming silver medal from its case.

Winter almost collapsed from relief when she finally got to disappear behind the curtain again, slumping against the wall as she stared dumbly at the large medal clutched tightly in her right hand.

"That thing is shiny." A teasing voice stirred her from her thoughts. She glanced up to spot a smirking Coco Adel walking towards her.

"I thought so." She replied with a smile.

"You don't look too psyched about it."

She hummed. "Still feels kind of surreal I guess, like it's not really mine."

"I'll take it off your hands." The fashionista offered. "I've got a beret that it'll go perfectly with."

"Yeah, I think I'll be ok."

"Greedy." The younger girl teased. "You're already aiming for the biggest company on the Remnant, what do you need a medal for?"

"Guess I'm just selfish that way." Winter sighed. "Which is the reason why I brought you out here."

Coco grinned as she looked at her over her glasses. "Finally decide to take me up on that date?"

She rolled her eyes. "No, thank you. I want to hire you, rich and selfish people need private security after all."

Coco snorted. "One, I'm pretty sure you can look after yourself. Two, last time I checked, you're not rich yet. Someone still has a legal battle to win."

"One, you would probably be playing more offense than defense. I'm pretty aggressive about security."

"Ooh, mama likes."

"And two, I'm good for it."

Coco laughed at that before leaning in. "And what if I say I want a downpayment?"

Winter shrugged. "Then I guess we're both out of luck."

Coco threw her head back and groaned. "Fine! But you gotta tell me something then."

"What do you want to know?"

The young Huntress cocked her head to the side. "Why the thing at the end with the noodle boy? That was your moment."

Winter smiled. "Because he once told me that he wanted to be a player and not piece. Now we both are."

Coco shook her head. "You know he's going to hate it, right? Vale is desperate for a hero right about now. They're going to hunt that kid down."

"Oh, I'm sure. That's part of the plan too." She said with an evil grin.

"You're an evil woman."

"Haven't you heard? Apparently I'm the 'Hellspawn Huntress,' Winter teased. "And in my defense, he did shoot me."

A small man in a long, white lab coat leaned over a control panel arrayed with glowing and flickering lights and displays, flicking them on and off as he stroked his white beard nervously and glanced up at the muscular man strapped to his operating table.

"Tell me, my boy, can you feel anything yet? Anything uncomfortable?"

"No, doc, I'm all good."

"Good, that's good." The doctor said, voice thick with relief. "That means that the ARES implants are working just fine."

"Never had a doubt." The muscular man replied with a smile.

The old man chuckled. "Well, that makes one of us. I haven't worked with this stuff since…" He swallowed, "well, since Penny was born."

The man on the table frowned. "I'm sorry about your little girl, doc. That's hard."

The man smiled fondly. "Yes, she was special. I think you two would have gotten along swimmingly." He shook his head to clear it of the painful memories. "But you, my boy, you're special too. Do you know how few people are both paralyzed and have Aura? Not many I assure you."

"Guess I'm just lucky that way." The man on the table replied bitterly.

The doctor winced. "Yes, well, you're not out of the woods yet I'm afraid. I must warn you again of the dangers of this procedure. There is little to no test data for any of this. The science behind the implants in your spine is solid, but it could just as easily-"

"Doc?" The man cut in.

The older man blinked. "Yes?"

"This could let me walk again, right?"

"It might, my boy."

"And you believe in the sciency stuff?"

The old man sighed. "I do."

"Then flip that switch." The man demanded.

"Very well, my boy." Doctor Polendina whispered as he reached out and flipped the final set of switches and a surge of Dust provided power surged into the operating table and the man connected to it. He wasn't sure exactly what he expected, sparks, screams, perhaps even lightning, but none of the happened. The only visual representation of the procedure was the glow of the table slowly fading away without any fanfare. He sighed and prepared to comfort his patient.

"How do you feel, my boy?" He asked hesitantly.

The large man remained silent as he sat up on the table and shifted himself so that his legs were dangling off the edge. The doctor rushed forward to catch him, but the man held up a hand and waved him off. The giant closed his eyes and took a deep breath, then pushed off the table. When he opened them again, it was to legs holding up under his weight, shaking and buckling for sure, but holding nonetheless. He looked down at his feet, then back up at the doctor, eyes filled with disbelief and tears. He started laughing and crying as he took one shaky step, then another, and then another before stumbling and falling to the floor in a heap.

"Son, are you alright!?" Doctor Pelendina shouted as he rushed to his side, only to be gently pushed away as the man pushed himself back up to his knees.

"Alright?" Stevens asked with a grin, despite the tears running down his face. "Doc, I'm goddamn combat ready."

His hand hovered over the door for what felt like the hundredth time, curling into a fist and then falling limply back to his side.

He sighed when he felt Yang's warm hand start to rub circles in his back.

"I'm sorry," he apologized.

"You're good, Ladykiller, take all the time you need." She comforted. "Though, if you wait much longer, someone might do it for us."

"Yeah, that'd be awkward," he shot her a small smile before looking at the door again. That stupid, taunting piece of wood and iron that guarded some of what he held most dear in this world. And some of what he most feared.

"You want me to do it for you?" She offered. "Would that help?"

"It would." He admitted, then held an arm out to gently bar her path when she started to step forward. "But I've got to do this myself. It's…a thing I think."

She nodded and stepped back, the corners of her mouth twitched upwards in a smile. "Ok, babe."

"I know it's weird."

"I didn't say anything."

"But you're thinking it." He accused.

"It's a very scary door." She teased.

He rolled his eyes and bumped her with his hip. "Why aren't you more nervous?"

"Oh, I'm terrified." She admitted.

He shook his head. "You look so calm!"

"Look, babe, not am. I am about to meet up to nine members of your family, most of which are female. So yeah, you take your time with that door." She shot back.

"My sisters probably aren't all here," he muttered, "Probably only like five or six."

"Gee, what a reasonable number it's been reduced to." She deadpanned.

"We can leave." He offered.

"Jaune Arc, if you step away from that door after dragging me on three separate Bullhead rides with you, two of which were very messy, I cannot be held responsible for what happens to you."

"I'm not saying we leave!" He defended. "Just maybe that we go into town for a bit and regroup. You like Mistralean food, don't you? I know a-"

"Jaune." She cut him off.

"Yeah?"

"I know it's scary. I know they're probably going to be a little upset-"

"I think we can take the 'probably' and 'little' out of there."

She ignored him. "But you need to do this." She reached out and took his hand in hers. "I'll be here for you the whole time."

He squeezed her hand and smiled. "You're too good for me, you know that?"

"A fact that my father is sure to remind you of."

He groaned and ran a hand down his face. "We still have to do that after this, don't we?"

"Yep." She said, popping the 'P.' "Feeling any better about hanging out here for a while?"

"Is it weird if I say yes?"

"Only in that it means that you've started developing some survival instincts."

"I do enjoy life." He sighed, raising his hand up again and holding just above the door. He felt Yang squeeze his other hand once more and steeled himself. He knocked.

They sat in silence for a moment, staring at the wooden barrier and waiting for something, anything, to happen.

"Did you seriously just knock once?" Yang accused in a whisper. "Who does that?"

"Oh, are there door knocking rules now?" He shot back.

"Yes!"

He scoffed. "Where did you learn those, charm school?"

"You learn them by being a human!"

"I'm trying!" He said, his voice rising. "This is kind of a big deal for-"

"Hello?" A voice called from inside the house, silencing them both. "Is someone there?"

They listened to the sounds of footsteps creaking around on wooden floors for a moment before Yang elbowed him in the side, knocking him out of his trance. He shot a glance over to her and she jerked her head meaningfully towards the door. He swallowed and nodded.

"It's me, mom." He said to the door, his voice being both quieter and higher than he would have liked. When all sound ceased on the other side of the door, he cleared his throat and was about to call again before the sounds of feet thundering towards the door stopped him short. He pulled Yang a little bit closer for comfort and braced himself.

Victoria Arc practically ripped the door off its hinges when she reached it, pulling it back to reveal a woman that was both beautiful for her age and whose eyes looked like they could barely believe what they were seeing.

"Hi, mom." He said, smiling weakly.

"Jaune!" She cried, lunging forward and wrapping him in a fierce hug, tears already starting to stream down her cheeks. "Oh, thank the gods! We were so worried when we got you letter!"

The blond boy winced. "It was supposed to make you worry less."

His mother scoffed as she pushed him out to arm's length. "By telling us that you were in a warzone!?"

"That I was safe in a warzone!"

"It didn't look very safe on the news!"

"Oh, right." He mumbled, remembering Watts' broadcast.

"'Oh right,' is right, young man. You are your father's son." The older woman muttered. "Neither of you have any sense. You wait until your sisters get ahold of you, you might not be out a warzone yet."

Yang coughed beside him, weakly waving at the Arc matron. "Um, hi."

Mrs. Arc gasped as she seemingly noticed the girl for the first time. "Oh gods, Jaune! Is this her? She's beautiful!" She wrapped Yang in a hug without waiting for a reply. "Yang, wasn't it, dear?"

"Yes, ma'am." The younger girl squeaked, arms pinned to her side.

Victoria tsked as she let her go. "There's no need for that, dearie. Call me Vicky."

"Yes, ma'a- Vicky." The brawler quickly corrected when the older woman shot her a look.

Mrs. Arc nodded her approval, then sighed apologetically. "I'm sorry for what I'm about to have to do, dear, but it's been too long already."

"Wait, what does-"

"Girls!" Victoria shouted into the house behind her. "Jaune is home!"

Yang leaned over a whispered. "How bad is this about to be?"

"I'm really sorry." He said as a stampede of footfalls and girlish voices started to echo through the halls of the home, quickly approaching the door.

"Shit."

Mrs. Arc stepped out of the way as they reached a pitch and let the stream of a blonde humanity pour through the door and swarm her son. Yang, wisely, chose to step back and let the siblings have their moment. Their very loud moment. No less than seven blonde girls slammed into and circled around their brother, peppering him with insults, love, and questions in equal measure.

"You jerk!"

"It's so good to see you!"

"Where have you been?"

"Looking good, bro!"

"Did your thumbs break? Can you not text?"

"I'm so glad you're safe."

"Ok, ok." The knight laughed, slowly peeling his sisters off him. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'll make it up to you, but I need air!"

"Seem to have plenty in your head." One of the older ones with shoulder length hair shot back.

"Gee, thanks, Crystal." He said with a smile.

"Hey, someone has to keep you in check what with you being a big time Huntsman and all."

"Define 'big time.'"

"You seem to be doing alright for yourself." She said with a nod towards Yang. "You going to introduce us, or just be super rude?"

He shook his head and held a hand out towards Yang. "Girls, this is Yang, my girlfriend."

Yang waved at the pack of blondes. "Hi."

He squeezed her hand and motioned back towards his sisters. "Ok, where to start?"

Crystal tsked. "Me, obviously."

He smirked. "You're right, age before beauty. We'll go from oldest to youngest."

"Asshole."

He shook his head and laughed. "Yang, this is Crystal, my oldest sister and pain in my ass."

"Watch it."

He ignored the threat. "Up next is Cere, my favorite."

"Charmed." The long-haired blonde said with a curtsy.

"Then we get to my younger sisters." He continued gesturing towards a girl about Ruby's age sporting a pixie cut. "Rubin is our resident 'bad kid.'"

She tsked. "Yeah, I was before you ran off with the family heirlooms. How am I supposed to top that?"

He rolled his eyes as Yang snickered. "I'm sure you'll find a way, you little hellion."

"Love you too, bro."

He reached out and ruffled her hair, earning a yelp and playful curse from the girl before nodding towards a pair of pre-teens dressed in matching shorts and t-shirts. "You've got Violet and Lavender, the twins."

"Hey."

"Nice to meet you."

"They're adorable." Yang whispered in his ear.

"Give it time." He advised, sticking his tongue out playfully at the ensuing huffs. "And finally, the babies, Vivi and Sapphire."

"Hello." A small girl around seven or eight squeaked out as another, maybe five at the oldest, peeked out from behind her.

Yang cooed. "Jaune, I'm dying. They're like mini gender-bent yous! Except they're cute!"

"Hey!" He cried indignantly as the women burst into laughter. The knight let out a rejected sigh and slumped his shoulders. "Great, now there's more of you."

"Yeah, about that." Rubin said, eyeing Yang. "How do you feel about being an obvious sister complex?"

"Meh," Yang shrugged. "I'd judge, but we're going to meet my dad after this and that'd make things a little awkward."

"Really looking forward to that by the way." He grumbled, turning to his mother nervously. "Speaking of which is dad-"

"Home?" A voice called from beyond the wall of blonde women, who parted to reveal a middle-aged man with thickly muscled arms and broad shoulders, his golden beard flecked with grey staring up at them from his wheelchair with piercing blue eyes. "I am. Hello, Jaune." He greeted coldly.

"Hi dad." Jaune answered back, shifting uncomfortably in place. Yang immediately felt the mood shift, with the women of Arc family tensely watching the two men stare each other down. She reached out and grabbed Jaune's hand again, giving it a small squeeze of support. The older man was the one to finally break the trance, grunting and wheeling his chair back from the door.

"Well, you going to stand there in the door all day, or are you going to come inside?" He asked as he began wheeling himself down the hardwood floor of the hallway, ignoring her completely and calling over his shoulder. "Your mother has dinner going. You being here means I don't have to set the table for once."

"Arthur!" Victoria Arc shouted after him, exasperated, before shaking her head and reaching out to place a comforting hand on Jaune's shoulder. "He's excited, dear, really he is." She bit her lip. "He's just-"

"I know, mom." Jaune replied, eyes finding the floor.

Yang looked between the two, searching for more information on their faces. Finally, she mentally shrugged and tried the direct approach. "Yeah, well I don't."

Mrs. Arc winced. "Arthur and Jaune have just never…seen eye to eye on being a Huntsman."

"So that's why he's being an-"

"Yang, don't." He warned, before looking at her pleadingly and adding, "please."

She tsked and looked away. "Fine."

Crystal whistled. "This'll be a fun dinner."

"Don't add fuel to the fire! All of you inside!" Victoria chastised, pushing the sea of blond girls back into the house before looking back to Yang. "Thank you for looking after Jaune, that means more than you know, but please, give Arthur a chance to warm up. He's been worried sick about Jaune for ages, he just doesn't know how to show it."

Jaune perked up at that. "Really?"

His mother rolled her eyes. "That old fool keeps your letter on our nightstand. Reads it when he thinks I'm not looking."

She could feel the relief pouring off Jaune before they heard Arthur call from deeper in the home. "Honey! Did you want the red or the white wine? I forget which goes with the pasta."

She sighed and yelled back. "I've told you dozen times!"

"And I've forgotten a dozen and one! Now tell me which one you want or I'm just mixing them together!"

"Arthur, don't you-" She cut off with a shake of her head and looked sympathetically at Yang. "Arc men are fools, I hope you're ready for that. This is your last chance to flee if not."

Yang smiled back and pulled Jaune a little closer. "I think I've got this."

The matron smiled warmly at the two and jerked her head towards the entrance of the home. "Then come on in."

The older woman led them through the halls of her home. Yang spotted battered wooden floors that were covered with mismatched rugs, which in turn had mismatch and broken in furniture resting on them. Knick knacks and pictures covered almost every inch of the wall, celebrating everything from family picnics to little league games and spelling bees. In fact, the entire house seemed like shrine to their children, with every conceivable life event being captured and framed. Some of which she made mental notes to tease Jaune about later. As they neared the kitchen, and the delicious smell of a home cooked meal filled her senses, she started to relax. This wasn't so different from her own home back in Patch. One thing did stick out to her as they walked through the halls however.

There was no Hunter memorabilia anywhere.

Nothing to commemorate the long and illustrious career that Jaune had told her about on a dozen nights. No weapons hanging from the walls or pictures of Beacon. Simply…nothing.

She pushed the thought to the back of her mind as they took their seats at the dinner table and things began to settle into a comfortable rhythm. The Arc sisters were busy making up for over a year of missed prodding and teasing, clearly thrilled to have their brother back as he tried, and failed, to give as good as he got. Meanwhile, Mama Arc was busy trying to, politely, interrogate her.

'Where are you from? What do your parents do? How'd you meet Jaune? How do you feel about kids?'

That last one probably could have been subtler.

Only one remained silent at the head of the table, as Arthur Arc quietly ate, eyes watching the scene unfold before him. When he'd finally finished his meal, he set his utensils down and cleared his throat, silencing the table.

"So, uh, your letter said that you were attached to Atlesian forces." He started slowly.

"Yes, sir." Jaune snapped out.

His father nodded. "That's good. They're good troops."

A silence overtook the table again until Victoria coughed and glared at her husband, looking meaningfully between him and his son. He sighed and started again.

"That's an Atlesian pistol you're wearing, isn't it?"

"Yes, sir. I got it when I was with the Beowolves."

"Was that you unit then?" He waited for Jaune to nod before continuing. "You know, I was attached to the Nevermores once."

Jaune sat up a little at that. "Really? When?"

His father leaned back in his chair and hummed. "Long time ago, at least twenty years or so, well before you were born. We were hunting down a pack of Beowolves plaguing one of the smaller towns after the revolution."

"What happened?"

"They didn't make it." He answered flatly.

"Oh." Jaune said quietly as he sank back down into his chair.

Arthur winced and hurriedly continued. "That's where I recognize the pistol from, it's an old model."

Jaune nodded. "It belongs to a friend. I'm holding onto it for him. It's kind of a family heirloom."

"Collecting them now, are we?"

Jaune winced as his eyes found the table cloth. "Yeah, guess so."

Yang almost jumped in then and there, save for the silent conversation that was clearly happening between husband and wife at the end of the table. Arthur Arc ran a tired hand down his face and nodded.

"I also saw that you've made some modifications to Crocea Mors." Jaune opened his mouth to respond and his father held up a hand. "No, it's alright. You certainly wouldn't be the first to re-forge it. Whatever works best for you." Jaune was able to relax for a moment before the follow up question hit. "Is that Mistralian steel? I'm surprised they let you have any with how they treat their weapons."

She watched as Jaune froze in place and reached a hand under the table to rest on his knee. He gave her a silent look of thanks before swallowing and answering.

"It is. I-" He winced again. "I promised it to Pyrrha's, my partner's, family after I was done. They're going to add it to their gardens."

All eyes found Arthur Arc, working his hands open and closed into fists as he digested the proclamation. "That weapon has been in our family for generations." He said after what felt like an eternity.

"I know." Jaune said softly.

The range of emotions that played across his father's face was complicated to say the least, and at least three separate times he started to speak before closing his mouth once more. Finally, he nodded once a spoke a single word. "Good."

Jaune's head popped back up as his eyes widened in confusion. "Good?"

"Yes, good." Arthur grunted, "let this be the end of it. You've had you adventure, you've seen the world. Be done with the blade and return home. There's plenty of land to build on, we can-"

"Dad…" Jaune started slowly. "I can't."

"Yes, you can!" He roared, slamming his fist down on the table and causing everyone to jump. "You will! I know that look in your eye. I knew it from the moment you walked up to our door. You lost people out there and you'll lose more. You're staying here!"

"That's exactly why I can't!" Jaune argued back. "People are dying out there, dad!"

"And you won't be one of them!" Arthur bellowed.

"I won't abandon my friends!"

"But you will abandon your family?"

"Arthur!" Victoria shouted as her husband shook his head.

"No, Victoria, he needs to hear this! Maybe now he'll finally listen!"

"No, I'm done with this conversation." Jaune declared as he found his feet. "Yang, let's-"

His father scoffed. "Sit back down, you're not going anywhere."

"Yes, I am." Jaune said as he stared his father down.

Arthur met his gaze without flinching. "Do you feel big now, son? Staring down at your old man?"

"I'm not doing this to feel big, to feel special, not anymore." Jaune growled back.

"That's certainly why you left in the first place."

"I left because I wanted to be like you!" Jaune shot back.

"Fucking look at me, Jaune! Do I look like I want you to be like me!?" His father cried, pushing back from the table. "Do you know why I'm like this?"

"Because you were a her-"

"Bullshit! Don't you say that word in my house! It's because I wanted to be like my father. Do you know why you never met your grandfather, Jaune? It's because he wanted to be like his father and ran off on the first crusade that they threw down in front of him. And you never met your great grandfather because he drank himself to death when he found out his son died trying to be him!" He shook his head violently, like he was trying to escape the memories that came with the statement. "And I was still too much a fool to listen to him. Jaune, this fucking legacy has destroyed our family." He gestured towards the rest of the Arc family at the table. "This is our legacy! This is what matters!"

"They're why I'm doing it!" Jaune roared back. "You think I don't get it? You think that I want to this? I have to do this, dad."

His father shook his head again. "There are others-"

"There are," Jaune agreed, 'but I can't leave them to try to hold the line against what's coming next on their own. Not if there's a chance that me being there might mean that they make it back home…or that what's coming doesn't make it to my home."

"Please, don't do this." His father pleaded.

It was Jaune's turn to shake his head. "You were right about what you said earlier, when I left here the first time, I didn't get it. I thought you were just bitter about what happened to you." He chuckled darkly. "But now I do get it, and I still have to go. I'm sorry."

"Please don't make me bury my son." Arthur Arc whispered as he bowed his head. "I can't."

Jaune pushed his chair out of the way and made his way around the table, leaning down to pulling his father into a tight embrace. "I'm coming home."

His father let out something between a sob and a snort. "You think you're the first man to say those words? You can't know you'll keep that promise."

"I know, dad…"

"But you're still leaving." The older man finished.

"Yeah." Jaune answered softly.

After awhile, Arthur Arc sniffled as he raised his head. "Jaune?"

"Yeah, dad?"

"Do you remember the words?"

Yang watch as Jaune shot up like he'd been shocked, eyes wide. "You mean the words to-"

"-the family oath, yes." His father smiled sadly, "I figured you would. You always wanted to say them."

"Dad, that's the warrior's oath." The knight whispered reverently.

"Yes, do think you're ready to take it?" The older man asked seriously.

Jaune stared at his father long and hard before answering.

"Yes."

Arthur nodded and turned to his wife. "Dear, this is supposed to be between father and son, and I'm sorry to ask, but could you please…"

"Of course." She said softly, reaching out and taking his hand. "Just tell me what you need."

"Nothing but the three of us."

"The four of us." Yang challenged as she found her feet.

The Arc patriarch considered her for a moment before nodding. "The four of us then. We're going to need to go down stairs." He looked apologetically to his daughters. "I'm sorry girls, but-"

"It's ok, daddy." Crystal comforted. "We understand."

He nodded in thanks as his wife took hold of his chair and began pushing him back into the hallway, taking a left instead of right towards the front door and heading deeper into house. Jaune reached out and gently took her hand in his, leading her after his parents. They soon reached a plain, white door that Victoria pulled open to reveal a dusty set of wooden steps leading down into darkness. With Jaune's help, she helped her husband out his chair, and with an arm draped around each, they began to carry him down the stairs. Yang followed silent after, listening to the steady creak of the stairs till they reached the bottom and Jaune reached out flipped a switch on the wall. As the lights slowly flickered to life, she immediately realized why they come down here. The floor was bare concrete, but the walls? The walls were stacked to the ceiling with generations worth of Hunter legacy. Weapons, armor, trophies, and medals laid out, unorganized and uncared for. They came in every shape and size she could imagine, obviously too hurtful to look at anymore, but too important to discard. Arthur grunted as released Jaune and pointed to a place on the floor in the center of room.

"Kneel."

Jaune nodded as he made sure his mother had a firm hold of the large man and then walked over and knelt as asked.

"You may stand behind him." Arthur advised her. "But please, give us some room."

She hummed in agreement as she circled around and stood a few paces behind Jaune. Victoria helped her husband shuffle forward till he loomed over his son.

"I will give you the same version of the oath that my grandfather gave me, drunk and dressed in his uniform from the Great War." He said. "Are you ready?"

"Yes." Jaune answered softly.

His father nodded. "Then begin."

She watched as Jaune straightened and started without hesitating. He must have practiced the words a thousand times.

"I am heir to a legacy of honor."

She wasn't sure who was more surprised at the crack that filled the air as Arthur Arc delivered a brutal backhand to his son's cheek, her or Jaune, but it certainly wasn't Victoria. The woman stared her down with an intensity belying her motherly demeanor and mouthed, 'no.' She looked down and saw that she'd crossed half the distance between them. She hadn't even remembered moving.

"You are heir to a legacy of bloodshed and violence." His father roared. She watched as Jaune blinked in shock for a moment, before swallowing and starting again.

"I will uphold the house's tradition of service to the realm."

Another crack filled the air as Arthur struck his son again.

"You'll uphold the house's tradition of chasing fame and glory above hearth and home."

"I will stand tall in the face of darkness."

Crack!

"You'll kneel for any lord that whispers sweet nothings in your ear."

Jaune's whole frame shifted with the force of the blow, and she felt her fingernails dig into her palms as he righted himself again.

"I will be the shield of the weak and the blade of the just."

Crack!

"Then your shield will rust from lack of use and your blade from the blood of those that were considered 'just' yesterday."

Her heart ached as she saw the small trickle of blood leaking from the corner of Jaune's mouth. Still, he was unperturbed.

"Through my deeds, I will make my family proud."

Crack!

"Your deeds will lead to your death, forgotten on a tombstone as you bring your family naught but tears."

Her stomach lurched when Jaune stumbled, only just catching himself and shaking his head once to clear it.

"These things I solemnly swear on my name as an Arc."

Crack!

"You will swear nothing to me as an Arc, cursed be their name. You will swear to me by the name given to you by your father. You will swear to me that you will break every promise you have ever made, so long as it brings you home to your family."

Jaune's eyes flicked over to Yang before settling on his father once more, full of resolve.

"All but one."

His father grinned for the first time, chuckling as he shook his head. "You're stubborn and a fool. You really are my son. Do you swear this to me?"

"I swear."

"Then rise, and be known not as an Arc, but as Jaune, son of Arthur and Victoria, brother to seven sisters." The older man's gaze drifted over to Yang. "Man that this woman has chosen to love. Be nothing more and nothing less."

Jaune got about halfway through standing before his father pushed away from his wife, leaning towards his son and collapsing in the process. Jaune hastily caught the man and slowly steadied him as he felt a still strong pair of arms wrap around him and his father's head rest on his shoulder. He felt the older man's voice whisper in his ear.

"I'm so goddamn proud of you, son."

"I know, dad."

He didn't bother to try to hold back the tears that burned hot streaks down his cheeks, nor from the wetness he felt running down his neck, did his father.

After all, they had made no such promises.

The next morning was a much calmer, if equally emotional, affair, with the Arc sister each taking their time hugging and harassing him in equal measure. He wiped away tears, kissed foreheads, gave and received noogies. Each goodbye was special, as unique as girl that had given it. When they'd finally finished, they stepped back, giving their mother and father room. Arthur Arc smiled fondly up at son.

"You're lucky we're as handsome as we are dumb." The older man said with a nod towards Yang. "Don't know how we'd make out otherwise."

The knight chuckled in response. "Think it's some kind of evolutionary trick? Keep those Arc genes going?"

His father shrugged. "As good a guess as I've ever heard." He looked to Yang. "And thank you for taking care of my son, he means the world to us."

"Also, thank you for tolerating our son." Victoria cut in. "I know how hard that can be-"

"Hey!"

"-But he's worth it. I swear."

Yang laughed as she bumped him with her hip. "Guess I'll just have to find out for myself, huh?"

"That a girl." The older woman encouraged before looking to her husband. "Dear, would you like to show Yang your rose garden? I hear her father is something of a gardener himself."

The man's eyes lit up immediately. "Is he? Tell me, does he buy the soil or uses what he has around the house? Some people use Dust infused soil, but I say that's cheating. Personally, I…" Victoria shook her head as they watched the man ramble on as he rolled towards the garden, an overwhelmed Yang in tow.

"Your father is ridiculous."

"You married him."

She sighed. "So I did."

"Hope you're not having second thoughts. That'd be a hell of a custody battle." He teased.

She snorted. "No, your father is the only fool for me. I have been thinking about something though. Kept me up most of the night."

He sighed. "Mom, I'm going to be fin-"

He was cut short when she pressed something into his palm.

"I know you will be, dear."

His eyes widened when he took the object in.

"Mom, I don't know-"

"Yes, but I won't be there when you do know." She smiled kindly at him. "Don't worry about making any decisions now."

He shook his head. "But how will I know?"

She shrugged. "You'll figure it out."

"You're a tome of wisdom, mom."

She laughed as she closed his hand around the object. "Here, I'll help you start. What do you think about when you close your eyes at night?"

He blinked in realization. "Oh."

"'Oh' indeed, dear."

"Is that all there is?"

She huffed. "What do I look like, a fortune cookie? Go live your life, Jaune. You'll figure out what you want there." She peered over his shoulder and snickered. "In the meantime, go save your girlfriend from your father, I'm pretty sure he's talking about PH levels now."

He groaned as he turned and started to jog down the path towards the garden, his pocket and his heart somehow seeming both heavier and lighter than before.

Watts felt a very unfamiliar, and very unwelcome, feeling rise up in his chest as he stood in front of the door to his Queen's conference room. She could feel him standing there, he knew that. Hell, she could feel everything in the Grimmlands, perhaps even beyond. And so, he pushed down the fear that gripped his heart and pushed the door open, his new mechanical arm clicking as it did so, a reminder of his failures.

There she stood, at the far end of the long, black room, staring out a giant window at the barren and horror filling landscape of the Grimmlands. He cleared his throat.

"Ma'am, you asked-"

"How is the arm, Watts?" She asked without turning around.

He sighed as flexed his right arm, listening to the gentle whir of machinery there. "It's good, ma'am. Thank you for your concern."

"I could have replaced it for you. Could have made it better, stronger than that hunk of iron strapped to you now." She finally turned to face him. "Perhaps it's because you don't trust me?" She offered dangerously.

"No!" He blurted out in a rush. "Never, my Queen! I-I...I just felt the need to correct my own mistake! As a reminder of my failure!"

"I see." She said softly as she started to cross the distance between them, taking long, slow strides as her eyes remained locked on him. "So, you would keep something around that is less efficient?"

"I-" He coughed as he felt the first beads of sweat start trickle down his scalp. "Well, yes."

She hummed as she reached him, cocking her head to the side. "That doesn't sound very scientific, doctor. That sounds...sentimental." He tried, and failed, not to shake when he felt her hand reach up to caress his cheek gently. "Are you a sentimental man, doctor?"

"No." He whispered as he closed his eyes and whimpered when her hand started working its way through his hair.

"And do you believe I'm a sentimental woman?" She asked softly.

"Please." He begged as he felt his knees start to buckle.

"Please what, my dear Watts? I'm not sure what you're asking."

"Please forgive me!" He cried as he fell to his knees. "I swear to you with everything that I am, I will not fail you a second time! I-"

"Silence." She commanded as she placed a finger on his lips. "You've already sworn everything you are to me. I own you, body and soul. It is my choice whether or not to discard both." She stared down into his terror filled eyes for a moment before sighing and turning away, leaving him to fall forward onto his hands. "Still, I suppose that I too share some of the blame for this." She said tiredly. "After all, I've been the one entertaining Ozpin's game of shadows and puppets for far too long." She hummed. "Perhaps I am sentimental."

"W-what." He swallowed. "What would you have me do, my Queen."

"Gather your experiments and grotesqueries, my good doctor. Produce as many as you can as quickly as you can."

He winced. "My Queen, the resources that they'll require to sustain don't exist in the Grimmlands."

"Then it's a good thing that they won't be staying here, isn't it?"

His eyes widened. "You mean…"

"Yes. I'm done being quiet." She said as she stared out of the window at the Grimmlands, and what lay beyond them, once more. "It's time to be heard."

JJD: Man, Cr00cy...what did we even end up writing here with this weird ass story?

Fighting Smart is a little bit of this and a little bit of that. Thoughts on service, sacrifice, faith, fear, and a love of rap. It's a strange concoction that I hope resonates with somebody. On a writing note, there were a few things that I wanted to try to hit when we set out:

Winter: AKA Best Girl. I really wanted to try to deep dive into her character like we did with Qrow in Fighting Mean. She's clearly an important figure to Weiss and Atlas, but we know so little about her. So, I took the context clues - serves directly under Ironwood, young and talented officer, anger issues, good sister, and walked away from her father, who is one of the most powerful men in Remnant. What I came to? Winter is a bad bitch. Also, she likes to jam...because I said so? I love Winter like I love Qrow.

Jaune and Yang growing separately and together: Jaune slowly, and painfully, growing into the man that he's going to be is really kind of the theme of the series. He's always been a man filled with doubt, fear, and promise. Trying to write him overcoming that fear and doubt in a realistic manner to achieve that promise is the key. Did it work? Who knows.

Here's the thing with Smart though. Not only do Jaune's emotional struggles directly affect someone else now, Yang, but hers also directly affect him. To me, writing a relationship and being in a relationship are different than writing someone falling in love and falling in love yourself in that the former is always much harder than the latter. Relationships are work and a partnership.

Adam and the Fang: It's always bothered me that the Fang has been treated as fanatics until very recently on the show. They're supposed to be a reaction to the conditions that they've been subjected to, to include a race war in living memory in the Faunus War. There should really be MORE violence. Adam is a product of that violence, and I just never think it's covered properly in the show. 'Atlesian Promises' (which ironically came out just before his character short) was my take on it.

The men and women of Remnant: As cool as Hunters and Huntresses are, they make up a small portion of the population of Remnant. There's a huge number of people that have to learn to fight or live with the Grimm without the gift of Aura. I can't imagine trying to face down a horde of charging armored grizzly bears with just a rifle, but there's people this world that do, because they care about their homes. Hence the Beowolves and the Atlesian military having their time in the sun during the story.

Anywho, I know it's some weird shit. I just hope it's some weird shit you enjoyed. I'll probably go dark for a bit. Cr00cy has a story that I want to support (hinted in this chapter!), so be on the lookout for that!

PS: Saphron is missing from the Arc sisters, I'm aware. It's not because I hate her. Cr00cy came up with Arc sister names way back in The Profession Arc and I dutifully stole them, so Crystal is here to stay. In fact, if you look between our stories, you may notice some familiar faces pop up now and again. Maybe a certain redhead or military squad.