I want to sincerely apologize to anyone that has been following this story. It has been a rough year due to various personal factors that have sort of drained my motivation to do anything outside of work. I've worked on this chapter periodically over that time, as I've had ideas, just not the desire to put them to text. To make up for this a bit, the chapter is longer, and I'll be answering review questions after the chapter. Enjoy!

Standard disclaimer, I don't own anything.

Initiation had gone off without a hitch, teams were formed, and no one suffered any egregious injuries! Truly an initiation for the record books as far as the professors of Beacon were concerned.

Well, except for a certain paladin.

He had stood proud with the other professors as the teams were announced, the standouts being CRDL, RWBY and JNPR, pronounced Cardinal, Ruby and Juniper respectively. He'd even beamed at the comraderie he'd already seen developing among the team mates of their teams. They had been deployed through the forest, ready to jump in if a student had been put in danger beyond their capability.

He had been hesitant to obey the order not to jump in when a giant two-headed snake Grimm he'd learned was called a King Taijitu appared. He'd been less so when the Nevermore appeared, something that was apparently not beyond the students ability even with its flight advantage. They all had to be ordered to stand down when a giant Scorpion, the Deathstalker, appeared during initiation.

By the end of it, Anderson's fingers were twitching for his bayonets, his teeth grinding as he fought the urge to defend the children he would be teaching. When they defeated the two beasts of darkness though, he felt himself swell with pride, glad that he'd followed the Headmaster's orders to stand down. He'd felt that the headmaster knew what he was doing, and he felt that he could relax.

At least until the after party held for the teachers to relax a bit before the beginning of the year the following day. The other professors had to hold him down from tearing off Ozpin's head, his protective tendencies overpowering his understanding that the initiation was made the way it was in order to test the student's battle prowess.

Anderson found himself in Professor Port's class remembering his actions from the night before. Sometimes the stresses of raising children got the better of him. It seems launching students off of a cliff on top of everything else was the way to finally send him over the edge of reason.

It really didn't help that the night before, Dr. Oobleck had failed to show up for their shift change, so Professor Port and himself had to handle the entire night, only to pull rescue duty the next morning. The Headmaster had decided to simply say exhaustion had overtaken him and simply let him off with a laugh and a playful smile. A night of sleep had certainly helped his frayed nerves, although the news that followed on the first day of school had quickly sent him into a slight panic.

It wasn't that he was afraid or nervous about teaching children. He'd done it plenty of times during his time at the orphanage. He'd even had experience from teaching Iscariot's new recruits or occasionally making an appearance in front of the Pontifical Swiss Guard, warning their new recruits of the supernatural threats that the Pope may face. He could train them how to fight vampires, werewolves, demons and witches. Even ancient heretic deities were on the table with the right weaponry and blessings. Those were all after nearly a century of experience, with hard work that came with his devout service in the name of the Lord.

The Grimm on the other hand, he'd learned about just over a month ago. He'd studied a bit, but more important to him were basic terms. He knew the names and shapes, but not how to fight them. It wouldn't have been a problem, were it not for a certain Headmaster's change of plans.

He was only supposed to be support for Port, who would take the lead on the class while he observed. However he needed to be pulled from his class to look into something for the Headmaster. So that left him as the sole teacher for the morning course.

Already students were filing in, finding their groups to sit with as they conversed, expecting the rotund professor to enter at any moment. Time ticked by, with Anderson looking through the lesson plan he'd been left. What he hadn't expected was for the Professor to simply plan on telling stories of his youth, and then have a student just fight a Boarbatusk at the end.

"I suppose I'll focus on the Boarbatusk then." he said with a sigh, opening a screen that was built into the desk at the front of the class before opening it and going to a page dedicated to the known creatures of Grimm. He still had a few minutes to go before class, so hopefully he could at least glean some sort of information from the site.

Fifteen minutes was just enough time to learn just enough about the creature and as the students began to take notice that he most definitely was not Professor Port, he realized he would have to fall back onto an age old tactic. Act like he was asking questions for the students sake, rather than his own.

With the frantic entrance of teams RWBY and JNPR, everyone had arrived, and his time had run out. He gave them time to get set up, notebooks and pencils coming out as they stared at him expectantly. With a sigh he planted both hands on the desk and stood, looking around the class as he made his way to the center of the lecture hall.

"Good to see everyone is on time, if only barely." he began, his eyes drifting over the two sister teams and grinning at how they shrunk under his gaze ever so slightly. "Grimm Studies, a class whose name is rather blunt, and to some, a waste of time. Why should we study the monsters we will simply be slaughtering? How could they possibly stand against our holy crusade?" he asked, pacing back and forth whilst watching the students.

Some took on smug looks, apparently agreeing with his assessment, in particular a burnt-orange haired giant and his team. Others looked ready to take notes with rapt attention, while others looked like they simply struggled to understand his accent. Any way they looked at him, the altered Iscariot speech he usually gave to new recruits would serve its purpose. To tell them how full of themselves they were...and to help them acclimate to his way of speaking.

"Cut them, shoot them, maim them! Slaughter them like the mindless animals they are, destroy the enemies of humanity no matter the cost!" he exclaimed, his fists clenching before he threw his arms out, his fiery words both hyping up the class while seemingly incensing others. He looked over them, his arms still held wide before he crossed them behind his back, one hand clasping the other.

"That way of thinking is good, the hope that we will win against the tides of darkness." he said in a much calmer tone "However, such thinking without the proper temperament and education, will result in your death. You will be torn asunder, killed, and slaughtered yourself." he said, watching as the entire class became more somber, the leader of team JNPR in particular seeming fearful of such a prospect.

"All the same, that is why you are here." he said, his voice becoming more optimistic "You are here to learn that temperament, to learn the things you will need to know to survive, and eventually thrive against the forces of evil." he said with a smile, glad to see and feel the oppressive atmosphere almost disappear at his optimism despite his words.

"With that said, my name is Alexander Anderson, Paladin of Mantle, and a new Professor here at Beacon Academy. I will be assisting your teachers in their classes, so expect to see a good deal of me." he said before motioning to Professor Port's desk "Unfortunately, the Headmaster required Professor Port's presence, and I've been left to my own devices." he said before going to the chalkboard and touching the rather well drawn sketch of a Boarbatusk.

"Now then, can anyone tell me what type of Grimm this is?" he asked, his eyes darting to a girl with white hair as her arm thrust upward. "Please state your name and then your answer. I'm not familiar with all of your names just yet." he said with a smile before motioning for her to begin.

She cleared her throat and stood up straight, although it didn't really do much for her short height. "My name is Weiss Schnee, heiress to the Schnee Dust…" She paused, her cheeks reddening a bit at her mistakenly slipping into her professional introduction before coughing into her hand. "A boarbatusk, a Grimm that relies heavily on its armor with an appearance similar to the standard wild boar." she recited as if from a book. "This type of Grimm typically employs a direct charge, and displays an intelligence comparable to that of the aforementioned wild boar. Thus you should practice caution when fighting them."

Anderson gave a pleased nod and motioned for her to remain standing as he looked to the rest of the class. "An exemplary answer, but does that translate to ability? It is a bit early into the class, but that's perfect. Ms. Schnee, if you would retrieve your combat uniform please?" he asked, earning a nod and a proud grin as she made her way to the exit. He didn't even notice how her grin turned into a sneer at the supportive cheering of her team leader.

Weiss looked at herself in the mirror, her frown still on her face before she let out a calming breath. "It's ok Weiss, she's just a little girl. There's no reason to be angry." she said to herself, even as her anger over not being named the leader returned. Ruby had done well enough, even with the silliness in their room that had nearly made them late. She paid attention to Professor Anderson, even if it was only because he was one of the few Paladins seen outside of Mantle, let alone Atlas itself.

She knew the only reason she was angry was because of the voice in the back of her head, her father and her own voice questioning why someone so young and inexperienced had been chosen over her.

Either way she continued to simmer, putting on her combat outfit a little too quickly and handling Myrtenaster a little too roughly before she took another calming breath. She straightened out her uniform and made sure her weapon was functioning before she stepped out. She needed to present herself seriously, especially in front of a Paladin.

So of course her carefully planned entrance was destroyed by her teammates, no doubt led to such idiocy by her 'leader.'

"Goooo Weiss!" Cried Yang Xiao Long, pumping her fist like the barbarian.

"Fight well!" Blake said, sounding far more enthusiastic about the situation than she'd been when the team assignments had been announced.

Those were easy enough to tune out while she readied her weapon, but the shrill cry of her leader finally broke her patience.

"Yeah! Represent teeeeeeeeaaam RWBY!" she cheered, a bright smile on her face as she threw her arms up in support of her teammate.

"Ruby!" Weiss sneered, looking at her with a frown "I'm trying to focus." She said, ignoring the small apology that Ruby gave as she turned back to the growling cage next to the Professor.

She would show them who really deserved to be the leader of her team.

Animosity between teammates, it wasn't something that he was happy to see, but that could be remedied. No, what was being tested right now was Weiss' personal abilities, her ability to perform under pressure. "Are you ready Ms. Schnee?" he asked, his blue eyes looking to her confirmation. She gave a nod, sliding into a practiced stance.

He only waited a moment more before a bayonet slid from his sleeve, slamming down onto the lock and unleashing the beast inside. The Boarbatusk, a demonic facsimile of a boar, wasted no time in charging at its human target. With a quick deflection and a dodge to the side she avoided its attack, earning a shout of encouragement from her team leader.

Ignoring Ruby for now, Weiss charged forward, the tip of her sword aimed directly at its skull. Unfortunately for her, the sword was caught by its tusks. Her smaller form was easily manhandled, the Boarbatusk tossing her to and fro as she tried desperately to pull her weapon from its tusks.

"Come on Weiss! Show it who's boss!" Cried Ruby, eager to provide morale support for her partner. He could appreciate such a thing, although he could tell Ms. Schnee did not share such a sentiment.

Her momentary distraction was enough for the monster, who with a might twist of it's head sent her flying, Myrtenaster finding itself in the same situation, although in the opposite direction of its master.

With a flick of his wrist a second bayonet was in hand, his stance changing ever so slightly so he could jump into action if he needed to. Thankfully, she dodged the next attack, rolling out of the way just in time for it to slam into a desk. She made a beeline for her weapon then, sliding into it before standing back up.

"Weiss!" Cried Ruby once more, his eyes drifting momentarily to catch the worried look in her eyes "It's belly! Go for it's belly! There's no armor underneath-"

"Stop telling me what to do!"

"ENOUGH!"

The bayonets in his hands were flying as the words left his mouth, piercing the Boarbatusk's side and causing it to let out a pained scream. A third was quickly in his right hand before it too was airborne, quickly piercing through its eyes and silencing it for eternity. He ignored Weiss' stunned look, stalking over to the beast before pulling its weapons from its body. "Ms. Schnee, return to your seat. Leave your weapon on the desk." he said, watching with interest as the monster began to dissipate.

"Professor-" Weiss tried to protest, flinching when he turned to face her with a disappointed glare. She stalked over to the desk, placing Myrtenaster on it before she angrily made her way to her seat, refusing to look at the watery eyes of her team 'leader.'

He stood there for a moment, surely confusing the students before the bayonets were back in his sleeves. He let out a breath before he turned to the students, the dissipating darkness giving him a rather intimidating presence.

"Who can tell me what went wrong?" He asked, looking around for a hand to go up. He didn't have to wait long, his eyes drifting to a young woman with bright red hair and expressive emerald eyes.

When he gave a nod she stood, giving a small bow before she spoke. "I believe Weiss' refusal to acknowledge her team leader's advice is why you put a stop to the fight Professor." she said, easily ignoring the annoyed look on Weiss' face. "Barring that, she should have been able to fight with the distraction instead of letting it get to her." she said, whispering a barely audible 'I'm sorry!' before she sat.

"There is no need for apologies Ms…" he let the sentence drag on, raising a brow at the young woman's look of surprise before she stood once more.

"Nikos sir. Pyrrha Nikos." She replied, a bright smile forming on her lips before she gave another apology and sat down.

"Thank you Ms. Nikos." He responded, pacing from one end of the stage to another as he looked over the students. "Your team leader is there to support you and to make sure that you are prepared for battle. Taking their advice into account could be the difference between life and death." His eyes lingered on the red-headed team leader for a moment. "What is your name young lady?"

She let out a small sound of surprise before standing up quickly "R-Ruby Rose sir! I'm sorry I shouldn't have yelled during the fight I just wanted to be supportive you know I just thought that-" She started to ramble, tears forming in the poor girl's eyes as stress and embarrassment struck the poor girl.

"Ms. Rose!" He called out, causing her to clam up and stare at him with worried eyes. "Ms. Rose, I would recommend speaking with Ms. Schnee. Your team must get along if you are to function as one." He looked to the Schnee next. "Ms. Schnee, I do not know where this attitude of yours comes from, but you must gain control of it. Your pride cannot be the reason that your team or you are taken down."

With the sound of the bell he let out a sigh, looking around the room at the assembled students. "Well with that, class is over. Let this be a lesson to you all, while being self-sufficient is important, do not refuse help due to your own pride or ego. I'll see you again tomorrow." He said, turning to the desk to begin writing his report for the headmaster on how the class had gone. He paused before looking up again from the desk. "And remember students-" he said, earning their attention once more. "Remain vigilant!"

"Ozpin made a mistake." The words hadn't been directed at him, but they stung all the same. Jaune Arc was a fraud, he didn't belong at Beacon anymore than Ms. Goodwitch belonged at a comedy club. The same could not be said about Ruby. She'd worked hard, and sure she had been moved up a few years, but she more than made up for her immaturity with her skill.

"You should talk to her!"

Jaune sighed and rubbed his eyes "Right, and let her know that I was listening in on the conversation. That'll work out well."

"But she looks so sad…"

He let out another huff before he started walking. "You shouldn't listen to her Ruby." he said softly, looking at her and suddenly realizing just how badly Weiss's words had affected her. Her eyes were watering and on the verge of tears, although she quickly wiped her cheeks in a panic, as if she hadn't wanted Jaune to see her in such a state.

"What if she was right? Maybe I don't belong here…" She said softly, sniffling as she rubbed her eyes. Jaune smiled gently before his hand pressed onto the top of her head, patting it gently and chuckling when she jumped away, her face nearly as red as her hood.

"That's dumb, you beat down a Huntsman turned criminal and held your own alongside Professor Goodwitch. You obviously belong here. She's just mad because someone younger than her got the job."

Ruby took a moment to think about that, frowning slightly before she smiled. "T-Thanks Jaune. That really means a lot." She said softly, looking up at him before she puffed out her chest. "Then I'm just going to have to prove that I earned my place here! Thanks Jaune!" She said, pulling him into a bone crushing hug before she was off, a trail of rose petals left in her wake.

Jaune smiled at the warmth in his chest, the feeling of a job well done. "Yeah you were right." he said to the open air with a laugh. Making a quick turn he slammed into someone, a surprised yelp echoing in the hall. "Oh crap I'm sorry!" he cried out, freezing when he realized who he'd run in to.

"Mr. Arc." Professor Ozpin replied with a small smile, gently placing a hand on his shoulder "I'm glad to see that Ms. Rose has friends she can depend on." He patted his shoulder before walking past him. "It saves me from having to deal with teenage angst. Now move along, what is team JNPR without its fearless leader?" he said with a small chuckle before he disappeared around the corner.

"R-Right! Thanks Professor!" He called out, running in the opposite direction his team had already left in. With one good deed done for the day, Jaune Arc was feeling like he was on top of the world.

Even if his Semblance kept teasing him about how adorable Ruby was.

Anger was not something that Weiss was used to feeling, at least not often. She wasn't emotional like Whitley or her father, she was like Winter or their mother Willow. Calm, collected and ready to face the world. The fact that Ruby had forced her to both acquiesce her position as leader, and make a fool of herself in front of the class, had only served to shatter her carefully practiced facade.

"Silly-" She tore through a training robot, "little-" And another, this one being bisected from head to hip, "GIRL!" She finally screamed, Myrtenaster punching a hole through a final robot before her arm went through with it. Even with the sharp metal grinding against her aura she couldn't stop the smirk that formed, pulling her now oil slick hand and sword from the machine. Father had always told her that getting your hands dirty was sometimes necessary, and even if her dress would need cleaning, she was certainly feeling better.

"You should use your anger more Ms. Schnee. I don't doubt you could have pierced the Boarbatusk's plating with that strike." Came Professor Anderson's voice, his playful tone echoing through the now quiet training room.

She quickly brought her facade back up, turning to him and giving him a bow. "Good evening professor."

He waved her off, making her stand up straight before eyeing him warily. "I would like to apologize about my attitude earlier in class Professor. It won't happen again."

He chuckled then, making a pang of anger shoot through her for a moment. She stamped it down quickly, not wanting to explode at a teacher of all things.

"Ms. Schnee, I'm not the one you should be making amends with. Your team leader is the one you should be speaking to."

Anger surged forth again, her hands balling into fists and gripping her weapon tightly. "I...I don't think she should be team leader." She said, doing her best to keep herself under control. "She's too young and inexperienced. She'll surely get the team or herself injured."

He gave a nod, looking like he was considering her words before his arms crossed across each other. "And who would be the person to replace her?" His eyes were on her now, making her shift nervously now. It was like he could see right through her.

"Me of course!" She replied, moving to clean off her weapon, sitting down and running a cloth over the pristine silver blade. "I've trained all my life for this! I had the best tutors, I was trained in strategy by the best that Atlas could offer! I personally made my sword according to the ancient traditions of the Paladins, ensuring that my weapon is the most effective weapon against the Grimm out of everyone in the school! That little girl being chosen over me shows how little thought Ozpin put into our teams aside from making the names sound cool!"

She was breathing heavily now, her hand gripping her weapon tightly before she let out another calming breath. She placed the weapon in her lap and looked up to the Professor, only to be caught by a confusing sight.

He had a smirk on his face, one that quickly turned into a chuckle. "Despite only knowing the man for a few months, I don't believe he made a mistake when he chose Ms. Rose over you.."

She fumed, her pale cheeks turning red as she stood angrily. "And what makes you say that?" She said, her voice barely holding back her anger.

His chuckling stopped, and once again his eyes seemed to be staring directly into her very being. He walked closer to her, getting within arm's reach before taking a seat next to her. "Well, a pretty good start is that you came here to fume instead of talking it out with your partner." He said, looking over to her.

"You have shortcomings that she doesn't have either, namely your arrogance. Your attitude shoves others aside, making no room for them in your perfect world. Such a way of thinking will only get in the way in a team, and at worst will get yourself, a teammate, or your entire team killed."

Any retort she'd had planned died on her tongue, her eyes falling down to her weapon. She wassupposed to be the mature one. She was supposed to be the one that could negotiate and bring the team back together. She was supposed to have been trained in the various aspects of maintaining a team. Yet here she was, destroying training bots and complaining to a man that she, for all purposes, should be trying to court favor from.

She was pulled from her thoughts by a firm hand, making her jerk slightly before she realized it was his hand on her shoulder. It was gentle and warm. It reminded her of her Father. The look on his face reminded her of Father as well. Full of regret for being too hard on her, restraining a darker side that was seemingly locked away for her sake. She reached for his hand, ignoring the oil that stained his hand and her dress.

"Ms. Schnee, I do not mean to bring you down." he said softly, letting go of her shoulder and gently patting her hand before letting it fall to his lap. "I've seen recruits like you, from back in my time before I began my service to the Church. Rash, ready to take control and fight. I was one of them." He said before running his clean hand through his hair. "I lost everyone, my squad, my friends...all dead because I charged into the night."

The Professor suddenly looked far older, his shoulders sagged and his eyes grew dull. Instead of a paragon of strength and faith, she saw a frail old man that was full of regrets and sorrows. As quickly as it appeared, it was gone, his body straightening out and his bright eyes meeting hers again. "The Lord has given you a path, it may not be the one you wanted, but in this darkened world it is the one you must take."

He stood up and gently patted her head, making her blush from the paternal touch. "In other words, you mustn't be the best leader you can be. Rather you must become the best person you can be. Have a good night Ms. Schnee. You have combat classes tomorrow. It would be best for you to rest up in case you are called up."

He walked towards the exit, pausing to look at the droid she'd left behind before continuing through the door.

She watched the exit for a moment before letting out a sigh. "He's right…" She whispered to herself, looking down at her weapon before she stood. "First, I need to shower." She said before groaning in disgust. "Can't make a proper apology while smelling of body odor and oil after all." She said to herself before leaving the training room with her head held high and her confidence restored.

"Our Father, who are in Heaven. Hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done…" It was a small room, one given to the Paladin as a courtesy from Ozpin. A place of worship, blessed and warded against enemies that Anderson wasn't sure even existed anymore. Desks replaced with chairs, and a small altar made from a table. It lacked any of the iconography he was used to, but it wasn't needed, not for him.

It would take some time to gather resources for the Eucharist, but without any worshipers he was unsure if he would need much. Enough for himself at least, to receive the Body and Blood of his Lord to maintain his soul. It was a small comfort in a world that was alien to him. For someone as bloodsoaked as he was, the happiness of children and his service to the Lord were all that brought him true comfort.

His knees popped as he stood up from his kneeling position, his right hand moving his forehead to his chest, then from his right shoulder to his left before he kissed the silver cross he grasped in it. "Amen."

He opened his eyes and looked at the small wood-carved crucifix that stood in the windowsill of the room, staring at it for a long moment before giving a deep bow. With that done, he made his way around the Altar, blowing out the small candles he had lit before exiting the makeshift chapel. With a click he locked the door, pocketing his scroll and making his way towards his room in contemplative silence.

Combat courses were scheduled for the next day, taking up a majority of the day for the first few sessions, to gauge skill levels and other factors. Aura control, weapon proficiency and dust manipulation, all things that would be graded in the various spars that would occur. Then there was what he assumed was a way for them to gauge his own performance.

An exhibition against a student of Ms. Goodwitch's choosing. As he understood, those with Aura had a severe advantage against those without. It was not only a way for Ozpin to see how effective he would be as an agent or as someone to accompany students on missions, but also a way for Anderson himself to see how he would fare against them.

He thought about it as he took off his garbs, his coat being hung up delicately along with the rest of his clothing. A beautiful bond of science and miracles, his clothing acted as a mobile armory, carrying all of his relics in seemingly innumerable amounts. The material itself recovered damage along with his flesh, being stopped only by the poisoning effects of mercury.

So naturally he treated each article with great care, folding his pants and hanging his shirt. The only article of clothing that wasn't of the blessed garb gifted to him was his underwear. He could only imagine the fun Heinkel and the others would have at his expense if they'd seen the emerald boxers with Beacon emblazoned across the band.

He paused for a moment, his thoughts wandering to his lost children before he let out a sigh. He pulled off his cross last, gently hanging it over his bed before climbing into it. "One day at a time…" he whispered to himself, putting his glasses onto the nightstand before closing his eyes.

His dreams were filled with darkness, beasts crying out for mercy against a God long thought lost.

Well there you go guys, another (longer) chapter after a little over a year in hiatus. I want to apologize again for the wait, but various factors have drained my creative energy over the last year. I hope I can write more this year, but I don't want to promise anything like the last time. Now on to the review questions/comments!

LordofBones: Yeah, the way the show handled the Faunus was a bit of a mess, resulting in Blake and the White Fang looking like hypocrites at best and complete idiots at worst. I'm hoping to remedy some of that along with other things I found lacking in the original show.

DraculGeorgios: Yes, wilji1090 recommended it to me. An explanation for what it is in the context of this story will come later.

C4: Unfortunately, there aren't any plans to pair Anderson up with anyone right now. As for his faith I have plans with it, but I'm trying to integrate it without sounding too preachy. I'm writing for fun not as a missionary. :P

Sorrel Hopp: You'll just have to wait and see where things go~

Once again, thanks for reading and hopefully I'll have something for you soon.