Ruby Rose was muttering under her breath as she entered the lobby of the Patch branch of the Vale Bureau of Investigation, the heels of her shoes clicking on the stark white tiles. She loved her job and really, really hated being late to work. It almost felt like she was letting the whole kingdom down or something. Absentmindedly she sidestepped the normal security checkpoints and headed for the one for VBI agents and other people who worked there, only to have one of the security guards hold up a hand and keep her from going through. "What's going on? I'm already late for work," she said, fighting to keep her hands by her side.

The guard gestured at the screen on the security checkpoint. "It says here, your access has been suspended, Agent Rose. You're to wait here for Deputy Director Goodwitch."

"Great." As if her day didn't already suck. They didn't suspend you for being late to work, right? She had a legitimate reason for it, with a police report and everything. And she couldn't remember anything else she'd done that would warrant the attention of the deputy director. With a sigh, Ruby smiled at the security guard. "Any chance I can get a cup of coffee while we wait for Goodwitch?"

No such luck. At least she was only waiting a few minutes before Deputy Director Goodwitch came stalking out the elevator, the scowl that was permanently etched on her face more pronounced than usual. No wonder her nickname was 'Goodbitch,' not that anyone would ever use it where there was even a hint of a chance she'd hear it. Especially not Ruby.

Ruby stood up from where she'd been leaning against the wall waiting, fixing her jacket nervously. "Deputy Director, I'm really really sorry for being late. I can explain. Somebody-"

"Agent Rose." Ruby fought to keep from cringing at the disapproval in Goodwitch's tone. "While being late for work is of concern, you did follow procedure and call in, and your reason at least sounds legitimate. Just make sure we get a copy of the police report. You have been placed on temporary suspension while we address a different matter entirely. Follow me." Goodwitch led her through security and into the elevator, hitting the button for the top floor. When someone tried to slip inside, the deputy director just glared at them.

Ruby jumped when the elevator doors opened again. She'd gotten lost in thought, going over her recent actions for anything at all that should have brought her to Goodwitch's attention. Nope, nothing came to mind. Maybe something old, a slip on a closed case that made it not-so-closed? Oh man, this was going to suck.

Goodwitch led her straight to the director's office, brushing right past the director's secretary. Inside, Ruby's supervisor, Yang, sat in front of the director's desk, arms crossed and scowling. Ruby's heart sank even further. Whatever it was she'd done, she had fucked up megabad.

"Agent Rose," Director Ozpin sat behind his desk, fingers tented on the edge of his desk. "How kind of you to join us at last. We've been waiting for you."

She stopped a few steps behind the chairs in front of Ozpin's desk, trying not to fidget or look nervous. "Sorry, sir. Someone slashed my tires, and I had to wait for the police. There's been a couple of them around my apartment complex."

"Well, hopefully, they catch the person responsible. Please, have a seat, Agent Rose. I'm sure you're both aware we've been running an internal security audit in the wake of… some recent lapses within the bureau." Ozpin leaned forward his eyes intent. "During the course of this audit, we came across something involving the two of you. Did you think we wouldn't find out?"

"Find out what?" Yang said, shooting Ruby an annoyed look. "I mean, I am Rose's supervisor, but she's been a good agent. Even does her paperwork without too much of a fuss, which is more than I can say for some of the other agents under me."

"This." Ozpin slid a piece of paper in front of them. Ruby picked it up, scanning the top of the page in confusion. "It's a birth certificate. Looks like it's Xiao Long's."

"Keep reading." the director sat back in his chair, folding his hands in his lap.

Her eyes slid further down the page. Date of birth, huh, Yang was only about two years older than Ruby. Mother, Raven Branwen, father… "Wait, your dad's name is Taiyang Xiao Long?"

"Yeah, why… oh. Your dad's name is the same as mine. So does that make us… sisters?" Yang looked up from the paper in her hand to meet Ruby's silver eyes. "But dad… dad never talked about any other kids."

Goodwitch coughed gently from behind them. "I assume you're familiar enough with pregnancy to remember that there's something of a delay between conception and a woman discovering she's pregnant, much less giving birth, Agent Xiao Long?"

"Heh, yeah," Yang said, scratching the back of her head with her prosthetic arm.

Now Director Ozpin leaned forward, leaning his arms on the edge his desk. "I take it from your reaction that you were unaware of this possible connection?"

"Not a clue. Sir," Ruby added, looking at Ozpin sheepishly. "I mean, I knew my dad's name, but mom never talked about him, just that she'd explain about him 'someday.' Guess someday came sooner than she expected. Um, sir, can I… can I take some personal time, talk to my mom about this?"

"Same," Yang said, giving her newfound sibling a grin. "I mean, if we are sisters, we need a bit of time to sort this out."

Ozpin nodded. "Given that one of you is the other's supervisor, I don't have much choice but to place both of you on suspension while we look into this. Only temporarily and purely as a formality, of course."

The pair rode the elevator in stunned silence until Yang spoke. "So, uh, Rose, how do you want to play this? I'm kind of on unsteady ground here."

"Well, first thing is, if we really are sisters, I suppose you ought to get used to calling me Ruby, Yang," Ruby said, letting out an explosive sigh. "I mean, even though our last names are different, sisters should be on a first-name basis, right? And I guess divide and conquer is the way to go. You send me a picture of your dad, I'll send you a picture of my mom, and we'll see what they have to say about this."

Yang nodded. "Sounds good, uh, Ruby." They shared a laugh at how awkward Yang sounded calling Ruby by her name. "Probably should do a DNA test or something, just to make sure we really are sisters, too. I mean, dad's name is kind of a big clue, but just in case."

"Yeah." The doors opened and the two of them started to head off in opposite directions. "Hey, sis?" Ruby called before Yang was more than ten feet away.

Yang turned, glancing at her new sister over her shoulder. "Yeah, Ruby?"

"Nothing." Ruby smiled. "I just, I just always wanted to say that, you know? I always hated being an only child."

Yang spun on her heel, grinning and making finger-guns at Ruby. "I know what you mean, sis, I know what you mean."

Yang hesitated, then brought her finger down on the doorbell before she chickened out. No matter how you sliced it, this was going to be an awkward conversation. A voice called from inside the house, "I'll be there in just a minute." Her palms started sweating as she heard the distinctive rhythm of her dad, making his way to the door on his cane. Finally, he opened the door, a smile spreading across his face. "Yang, I didn't expect to see you today. Shouldn't you be at work, big bad VBI agent stopping the bad guys?"

"Yeah, well, I'm on suspension and that's sort of what I need to talk to you about. Let's sit down." Once they were in the living room, Tai sat down in his battered recliner with a grimace. The leg that had forced him out of fieldwork must really be bothering him today. "Dad, do you remember a woman named Summer Rose?"

Tai's face froze. "Summer Rose… that's a name I haven't heard in a long time." He reached up and ran a hand down his face. "We, we were together for a while, when you were about just about a year old. She, she got the wrong idea, thought I was looking for a substitute mother for you after Raven left. How in the world did you ever come across her name?"

"Well, that's kind of a funny story. One of the agents I work with is Summer's daughter." Yang stopped and took a deep breath. "Dad… this other agent, her birth certificate says you're her father."

"Summer… Summer had a daughter, our daughter, and never told me? I, I don't know what to say." He shook his head. "Do you have a picture of her? Can I, can I meet her? I don't even know her name."

"It's Ruby, Ruby Rose. And, well, she's off talking to Summer about you. See, we kinda got in a little trouble at work..." Yang laid out the scene from the director's office that morning, finishing with, "So Ruby's off to talk to Summer, and I'm here talking with you." Her eyes went wide. "Oh my god, I forgot to call Weiss, I need to tell her this."

"Relax." There was a gentle twinkle in Taiyang's eyes. "If anyone's got the right to panic right now, it's you and me. And Ruby and Summer too, I suppose," he added with a laugh. "We'll get through this. Now, tell me about this new sister of yours."

Yang gave a weak smile. "Ruby's a bit of a maverick. Goes with her gut more than I'd really like, but her gut's usually right. Really good at picking out the one thing that just doesn't fit about a situation. Like this one time, she was at the bank, not a VBI thing, just doing normal banking stuff. Guy comes in with a gun, grabs a hostage and tries robbing the bank. Ruby figured out the hostage was really the robber's accomplice and threatens to shoot the hostage. The director wasn't sure if he should give her a commendation or a suspension. And then there was this other time..."

Something caught Summer Rose's eye outside the window of her office, drawing her attention. Oh, it was her daughter Ruby. She frowned. Shouldn't Ruby be at work? And instead of coming in to see her, Ruby was leaned up against her car, smoking. As Summer watched, Ruby ground finished one cigarette, grinding the butt under her heel, then lit another.

She sighed. Whatever brought her daughter to visit today, it had to be bad. Ruby'd been trying to quit for months now, with mixed success. Shaking her head, Summer turned back to the mountain of paperwork she was gallantly trying to turn into a molehill. Whatever was bothering Ruby, she'd come inside to talk to Summer soon enough.

Eventually ,the door opened, and Ruby slumped down in one of the chairs in front of her mother's desk, reeking of cigarette smoke. Summer tried not to reach for the can of air fresher by her desk. "Hey, mom," Ruby said weakly.

"Ruby." Summer forced a smile on her face, setting her pen down on the desk. "It's nice to see you. What's up?"

"Mom, I, I found my half-sister," Ruby stammered, then cringed. Her mother had never talked about her father, all Ruby had was his name, and that only because she'd needed her birth certificate to join the VBI. She had no idea how her mother was going to react.

"Half-sister?" Summer's voice was shocked. "How-?" She shook her head. "So you found Yang. I suppose I always knew you'd go looking for your father, but you found her instead."

"More like the VBI found her for me. They've been running this crazy internal audit, and they realized me and my supervisor had the same dad. So we're both on suspension while they decide what to." Ruby rubbed her eyes. "Why didn't you ever tell me about her, mom?"

"I… Ruby, you have to realize, that I really cared about Tai and Yang, while we were together. Yang was a wonderful little girl, and I thought the three of us could be happy together. But after I found out who her mother was, I couldn't stay." Summer walked around the desk, sitting on the edge next to Ruby. "Ruby, we've never talked about the life I had, before you. The truth is, I was a mercenary, a gun for hire, and sometimes I worked with Yang's mother, Raven. I did it for the excitement and the money, but Raven, she did it for other reasons. Raven liked to kill. She had a vicious streak a mile wide. Honestly, I wonder how she got together with someone like Taiyang."

Ruby blinked. "You were a freaking merc? Please tell me you don't have any outstanding warrants or anything."

Summer laughed. "Not as far as I know. So, are you and Yang friends? You said she's your supervisor. She's not one of those bosses from hell or anything, is she?"

"Nope. We work well together. She always has a smile on her face and she always hears me out when I have one of my crazy ideas. Shoots them full of holes sometimes, but it works out in the end." Ruby's phone rang, and she glanced at it. "I, uh, I gotta take this." Before Summer could say a word, Ruby was out the door. Curious, Summer walked to the window, watching her daughter lean up against the back of her car, phone already to her ear. Wonder what that's about. Is it Yang?

Ruby took a deep breath before answering the phone. "Hey, Blake, how's it going?"

"Just felt like calling you. Is something wrong? You sound… nervous," Blake answered, and Ruby found herself cursing her girlfriend's perceptiveness yet again.

"Not wrong, exactly, just… I found out I have a half-sister today. And just to prove that the gods have a sense of humor, she's my supervisor from work," Ruby said as she fished around in her pockets.

"The one you asked out?"

"Yep," Ruby answered, wedging her phone between her shoulder and her ear as she lit a cigarette.

"That had to be… awkward."

Ruby laughed. "It, uh, it hasn't come up. I'm hoping she's as eager to forget it as I am, right now."

"Let's hope. And how many cigarettes have you had since then?"

Now Ruby froze. "Uh, most of a pack," she muttered, looking at the four cigarettes sitting forlornly in what had been a full pack that morning. "It has, officially, been a hell of a day." Hopefully, Blake wouldn't be too mad.

"Ruby, given what happened to your car, and finding out about your sister, I am hereby issuing an amnesty for any and all cigarettes smoked today." Ruby let out a breath she didn't know she'd been holding. "But," Blake continued, "I expect you to be very observant of our bargain for the next few days."

"I'll try." A month after they started dating, Blake had put her foot down about Ruby's smoking. She hadn't expected Ruby to quit cold turkey, but she was making Ruby cut down. "I meant to pick up some more gum, but the car and stuff."

"I know. So, when do I get to meet this sister of yours?" Blake asked with a laugh.

"Blake, I will remind you that, at your request, we still haven't told anyone about us. Not your parents, not my mother. Or, I suppose, my dad now." Ruby tried to keep her tone light but knew she failed. Blake wasn't ready to come out, not yet, and it drove Ruby crazy. She wanted to shout from the rooftops how she felt about Blake, not whisper it in the dark.

"Maybe it's time." Ruby jumped, knocking the cherry off her cigarette and brushing it off her clothes as Blake went on. "I just… I'm so used to keeping things to myself. But, well," Blake sighed, "Ruby, one of the things I love about you is how okay with myself you make me feel. And, well, I know you hate hiding how you feel about me. So tell your mom when you see her, and we'll handle my parents somehow."

"Y-you love me?" Ruby asked, putting away the pack she'd started to pull out.

"Yes, Ruby, I love you. Dork," Blake added with a laugh, making Ruby smile.

"Love you too, Blake. And telling my mom's no problem, I'm at her office now."

"She's not listening, is she?"

"No, I'm outside. She can see me, though," Ruby said, waving at Summer where she stood watching through the window

"Go tell her, then. And I love you," Blake said, the words sounding more relaxed now.

Ruby knew she was grinning like an idiot as she walked through the door into her mother's office. "You had me worried for a moment the way you ran out of here, but I guess it's good news," Summer said, setting a cup of coffee in front of Ruby.

"My girlfriend, saying she loved me," was Ruby's reply as she sipped the coffee.

"Mm. Didn't know you were seeing anyone," Summer answered, trying to keep her surprise off her face.

"Eh, she wanted to keep things quiet. But she's ready to make some noise. I told her about Yang, and she wants to meet her."

Yang was fighting to contain her excitement as she walked through the front door of one of the newest five-star restaurants in Vale. Her mood vanished like smoke when she saw the man yelling at the hostess standing behind the podium. "I don't care what you've been told, I want her out here immediately!" he shouted.

"Sir," the rabbit-eared girl said, "First of all, you're making a scene. Please don't yell. And second, I have strict instructions about you. You are not allowed on the property and Mrs. Schnee does not want to speak with you. If you want to talk to her, you are to contact her attorney."

"You listen to me-" he started again, but Yang grabbed his arm before he could really get going. "Mister Schnee, I think you need to go."

"Let go of me before I sue the VBI for harassment," he snarled, trying to shake her grip.

"Go right ahead and try. I think it'll play really good in court, how you're here in violation of a restraining order, harassing the staff and causing a disturbance. And then there's me, politely asking you to leave." Yang's voice dropped low as she stared Jacques Schnee in the eyes. "Now get lost, before I arrest you," she added, giving him a shove toward the door.

After Jacques had left, Yang turned to the hostess again, a fresh grin on her face as she remembered why she was here. "Need to talk to Weiss. She busy?"

"Mrs. Weiss is very busy, unfortunately. If you like, I can tell her you were here, miss…?"

"Aha, thought you were new. I'm Weiss's wife, Yang Xiao Long. We kept our names, got it? Just ask one of the old hands. Or, hey, Sun, go let Weiss know I'm here, and I need to talk to her?" The blonde man gave a thumbs-up and hustled back toward the office.

The rabbit-eared girl shrunk down. "I'm sorry, I didn't know-"

"It's fine." Weiss had appeared behind Velvet and laid a calming hand on her shoulder. "You're relatively new and Yang doesn't come to the restaurant that often. We prefer to keep our respective professional lives separate. And I suppose I have you to thank for the absence of my father, Yang?"

"Just the right word in his ear. Listen, we need to speak in private. Let's go to your office."

"Alright, Yang? What is it?" Weiss asked as they sat down in her office. "Is this going to be quick? The lunch rush is in less than an hour."

Yang exhaled heavily. "Found out I've got a half-sister this morning. Dad hooked up with another woman for a bit after my mother skedaddled."

"I see." Weiss nodded thoughtfully. "Is this a good thing or a bad thing?"

"Good thing, I think. She's one of the agents that I supervise, one of the better ones, in fact. I, uh, I already talked to dad, and he remembers her mother but didn't know she was pregnant," Yang replied, leaning back in her chair.

Weiss smiled, one of her rare genuine smiles that reached her eyes. "That's a good sign, although I'm guessing that being the sneaky suspicious VBI agent that you are, I'm assuming you're probably going to have a DNA test, just to be sure?"

"Yep. Ruby suggested it, even."

Weiss' face froze. "Ruby? As in Ruby Rose, the agent that asked you out?"

Yang groaned. Of course, Weiss would remember something like that. "Yeah, she asked me, and I cut her off, cold." She leaned forward, taking Weiss' hand in hers. "Weiss, I love you, okay? You don't need to worry about that. I'm not leaving any time soon. Proof's right here," Yang finished, tapping her right arm.

Weiss flinched at the reminder of how Yang had lost her arm. "I know, Yang. But it's hard, sometimes." She cleared her throat. "So, when do I get to meet this sister of yours, that I have absolutely no reason to be jealous of, whatsoever?"

"Soon as we can get everyone together in one place, probably. We're both on suspension while the VBI decides if we knew we were sisters or not." Yang's phone buzzed, and she pulled it out. "Ah, speak of the devil."

Mom remembers your dad and wants to meet both of you. Where & when?

I'm pretty sure I can wrangle the where, when is variable. Dad wants to meet you two as well

Awkward, party of four?

Five. Probably should introduce you to my wife

Six, my girlfriend is gonna want to come too, and we had plans for tonight anyway

Yang looked up at Weiss, who was giving her a suspicious look. "So, babe, I don't suppose we could get one of the private rooms for tonight? Lots of introductions to be made."

Weiss just snorted.