Hey! It's been a while, I know. I did put up another story, which is only two chapters long at the moment, but it's getting there. The fight was a bit lackluster, I know, but I'm gonna stick to my guns this time around. Anyway, I've held you long enough, so enjoy!

I do not own Roosterteeth

or the rights to RWBY

and may Monty Oum be forever unbound by death.

The hall was silent, Goodwitch's declaration echoing off the wooden bleachers of the combat arena. There was scarcely a breath it seemed, and pin could be heard if dropped.

That is until the student body watching slowly began to clap. One by one, student by student, the applause grew. The outcome was expected, but the closeness of the fight left more than a few cheering for the transfer student. On the sidelines, Professor Port gave Doctor Oobleck more than a few lien.

Said transfer student, however, was still lying on the ground with Yang a few feet away. His eyes were still wide beneath his helmet, and the replacement shield weighing more than seemed possible on his arm. Ruby still seemed shocked, her eyes wide and mouth open as she looked out from the edge of the arena. The rest of Team RWBY was slowly making their way back to their leader, with Yang assisting Jaune in standing. They all gathered back in the center of the arena, waiting for Professor Goodwitch.

She did not disappoint, and the crack of her riding crop silenced the students. With a nod, she turned to the five before her.

"While you've all grown exponentially as of late, please do not fail to work on your teamwork. There was more than one occasion where you interfered with one another mid fight." RWBY had the sense to look sheepish at the call-out, recalling the same moments where they were led into attacking one another.

"As for you, while what you accomplished was impressive, please do not let it get to your head." Jaune nodded his helmeted head, still reeling at the loss. "You may have knocked out three of the four, but that overconfidence led to you being caught off guard by Miss Rose." Jaune was still nodding, causing Goodwitch to release a sigh that carried a certain amount of exhaustion with it.

"Go to the infirmary, there should be a map on your scroll to guide you." Jaune didn't even wait before turning on his heel and quickly walking away. Glynda wanted nothing more than to follow him, to look him over and see if he was alright herself. Though if the faces on RWBY were anything to go by, she'd have little to worry about.

"Everyone is dismissed!" She called out, sending RWBY and the students gathered in the stands out of the room as she used her semblance to reset the arena. Port and Oobleck stuck behind, only moving towards Glynda once she finished.

"Quite the show, eh Glynda?" Port's jovial mood carried easily through his voice, and Oobleck nodded vigorously beside the portly Huntsman.

"Indeed, the young mister Arc has improved vastly over the course of his stay here, and that was no doubt expanded upon exponentially by his stay in the Wilds." Oobleck said, quickly but not as swiftly as he does when teaching. That level of fast talking was reserved for the classroom.

"Yes, but I do worry about the councils decision in the end," The raised eyebrows of both male professors made her release a small sigh, but she elaborated nonetheless.

"Well, while we may see him as more than worthy enough to stay at our school, I fear that the council may just take the loss at face value and demand his expulsion." Unbeknownst to them, one student had stayed by the door, listening for a chance to question the combat professor. Instead, they were left staggered by the knowledge of the fights true nature. Thus, they swiftly put their years of training to good use, tearing through the halls and towards the infirmary containing Jaune Arc.

Jaune was lying on one of the many infirmary beds as a nurse was processing his vitals and preparing a few tests. His helmet was on a stand beside him, trenchcoat and armor having been placed in his rocket locker while the school's sword and shield was returned to the armory. His eyes were rimmed red as his back and head rested against the aluminum bed frame.

"I can't believe it. I-I'm going to be expelled." He sniffed and cleared his eyes of the tears yet to fall. "All of Cinn's work, all of that time getting back, for nothing."

"I'm going to have to disagree with you there, Mr. Arc."

Jaune's head snapped to where he heard the voice, and there in the corner was the headmaster of Beacon, Professor Ozpin. A steaming mug was in one hand while his other rested on his cane. They stared at each other for a little while, Ozpin hiding a smirk behind his mug while Jaune sniffed. Finally, Ozpin released a small sigh.

"Mr. A-no, Jaune," Jaune's eyes widened at the change in address, but Ozpin continued.

"You are one of Beacon's most promising students, have come a long way from your first few months here." Jaune nodded in agreement. His first months at Beacon were hellish, between his lack of skill to lack of knowledge in seemingly everything but tactics, he was a far cry from being Huntsman material.

"You were posed with a situation that could have cost your entire team their lives, but instead all that was lost was an appendage." Jaune felt the remnants of his left shoulder ache painfully at that, but showed no signs of interrupting.

"Even without an arm, you pressed on, surviving what many others could only dream, or have nightmares of, in the Wilds." Jaune's chest filled with an inkling of pride at the compliments thus far.

"At the loss of your sword, you learned to use your shield as a weapon, one that was enhanced by your semblance I might add. Even though you lost today, you showed a leap in skill that made you a force to be reckoned with. I believe you have more than earned your keep at this school," He paused to take a sip from his mug, leaving Jaune in anxious for but a moment.

"And the Council of Vale agrees as well."

The student that had eavesdropped on the professors was now joined by two others, and they all were running towards the infirmary. They arrived just in time to see Headmaster Ozpin exiting the room, and after a nod of recognition on his behalf, they pressed onwards into the room. There, they met the sight of Jaune Arc, who was smiling happily at them.

Nora wasted no time in diving forth, bringing him into a bear hug which was returned with the rubbing of her head as he reached over with his one arm. Ren stepped forth as well, placing a comforting hand on his right shoulder while Pyrrha hugged him from the other side. Both Nora and Pyrrha were crying, while Ren let a smile break through his normal composure.

"We were so worried, Jaune." Said knight's smile softened at the wavering voice of Pyrrha Nikos, who had her face buried in his right side while Nora only squeezed tighter. "We watched your aura level the whole time you were out there, and whenever it dropped to nothing, w-we just-" She hiccuped, and Jaune started running a hand through her hair, letting her vent until she finally went silent. Nora looked up from her place near his stump, a massive grin on her wet face.

"So, fearless leader, now that you're back, are you gonna be like a pirate?!" Suddenly she was standing beside the bed, a straw hat and false red beard on her head while she wore Cinn's trench-coat, one of the sleeves vacant as her arm hung on the inside. Jaune gave a chuckle at the whole thing while Ren released an exasperated sigh.

"She's right, you know." Now Jaune's gaze shifted to Ren, an eyebrow raised at the statement. "Not Nora," said redhead deflated slightly. "But Pyrrha. They retrieved your arm, and we grew much more anxious than before." Ren dug a fist into Jaune's hair, a smirk atop his face. "So don't do it again."

All of Team JNPR smiled at that, and so they all joined in one group hug, as a team.

As a family.

Pyrrha refused to let go of his side though, no matter how hard Nora and Ren pulled. The nurse was forced to remove them with the threat of sicking Goodwitch on them so she could conduct some tests on his arm, and after an agreement to meet up later, Team JNPR sans Jaune left the room in a comfortable silence. The same silence persisted while the nurse conducted her tests, and she left once again to check the results.

"So it's true."

Jaune's head snapped to the open doorway of the infirmary and was greeted by the sight of Team RWBY. Blake and Weiss' gaze were cast downwards while Ruby and Yang looked him in the eye, Yang's face was marred with a frown but Ruby looked ready to cry.

"You lost your arm..." Ruby sniffed as she finished, her voice wavering. Jaune released a small sigh before he raised his remaining arm, beckoning her into a hug. Slowly, tentatively, she approached and wrapped her small arms around his torso, weeping quietly into his side. He returned the hug in full, not even flinching when Yang joined in too. Weiss soon followed, much to everyone's surprise, and if Weiss' joining shocked them then they were floored when Blake joined in as well.

They remained like this until Ruby started squirming a little bit. He released her, and everyone else backed off as well. While her eyes were rimmed red, the silver eyed reaper was wearing a smile to rival the sun in its brightness. From Yang's grin to Weiss' and Blake's much smaller smiles, everyone seemed happy.

"Gotta hand it to ya, you got us good in that last match." Yang punned, earning a groan from everyone while Jaune just shook his head. As much as he hated to admit it, it was nice to hear even the worst of puns from Yang at this point. "But next time it'll be a complete shut out. No rings to throw us out of in a real fight anyway." He just shook his head at her antics. It wasn't long before felt his eyes begin to droop, and noticing his tiredness, everyone else bid their farewell with more promises to meet up later. Ruby had to be bribed with cookies, but when they finally exited it left the room in silence. A silence that seemed to ring out with promise for the future.

Thus, he drifted back to sleep, knowing that he was finally home.

The room was small, yet not uncomfortably so. Its white plaster walls were soundproofed and the wooden floor underfoot was not uncomfortable to stand on. There was a twin sized bed in the corner, whose sheets hadn't been ruffled in many a month, and a single fan was still in its place on the ceiling. A window that led to a small balcony was open, letting in the cool night air.

In the room's center was the figure of a woman, whose ebony hair reached past her waist. A sheathe carrying her single edged blade rested on her hip, and the eyes of her avian Grimm mask glowed a soft red as she looked at a scroll. After a short while, she crushed it in her grip before stepping out of the room and into the hallway.

Making her way down the stairs and into a living room revealed a group of people in red and black leather, a variety of weapons in each of their hands as they talked amongst themselves. The clearing of her throat silenced them all, and one woman stepped forth. Her tan face and pale blue eyes that were framed by short brown hair shone with pure respect for the long haired woman.

She held out an arm, and the group split to reveal a family of six, all of which had heads of hair that varied in shades of gold and blue eyes that were filled with fear. All except the one who was clearly the father, who had the rest of his family behind his large for. His gaze was filled with a hatred that burned hot enough to melt steel, while the rest of the large family were shaking behind him. The woman could only smirk behind her mask at the man's attempt at intimidation.

"That iron will of yours, one synonymous with the Arc name is it not?" The man's eyes widened at her voice before they returned to their venom filled state, his bindings seeming to strain against his strength as his muscles tensed.

"Raven Xiao-" He was cut off by a strike across his face, a red hand print marring his face. He still retained his grin, one filled with contempt and some mirth.

"I bear his name no longer, Arc-"

"Yeah, I know," Her hand dropped to the hilt of her sword and she fingered the trigger built into its underside.

"You haven't carried it since you walked out on your daughter and husband, leaving Summer to-" He never got the chance to finish. His sudden silence confused everybody except for Raven, who flicked her blade to the side and sheathed it. A red line formed across the man's neck before his head slid off its base, the grin adorning its features never leaving. The grief filled howls of the girls that followed were silenced as they were forcefully knocked unconscious, leaving the mother weeping on her knees.

Raven used the tip of her sword to tilt the woman's head up towards her, and the glare she received was no less venomous than the late Arc patriarch. Raven's voice, however, held a steel to it that no other could hope to match, that carried with it not a threat, but a promise of future pain.

"Now, Miss Arc. You are going to tell me all about your son."