Chapter 15

Team RPBY was busy playing a four player co-op game on the Xiao-Long's home entertainment system when a sharp knocking came to the front door.

Taiyang popped out of the kitchen where he'd been preparing lunch, and waved for the girls to stay where they were. "I'll get it." He assured them, heading that way.

A pair of rather stern looking men in black suits and ties, with crisp looking white shirts and sunglasses, were there when Taiyang opened the door. The one on the right, a man with a well groomed beard and a no-nonsense expression, showed Taiyang a badge contained inside of a leather wallet. "Vale Police. Are you Taiyang Xiao-Long?"

Tai blinked, then nodded. "That's me. How can I help you officers?" Inside, the girls stopped playing as they listened in, Ruby quickly hitting the pause button to mute the sound coming from the game.

"How do you know a Mister Tuckson, owner of Tuckson's book trade?" The man asked, his voice tense.

Tai blinked again. "Tuckson is... a friend. Why do you ask?"

The other man spoke up. "Can you account for your whereabouts two nights ago? Around nine PM?"

Tai blinked again. "I was here, at home." He answered in confusion. "What's happened? Is Tuckson alright?"

The second man spoke up again, not answering the question. "Can anyone verify your whereabouts at that time?"

By now, the girls had started standing up, and Pyrrha squared her shoulders and marched forward. "Mister Xiao-Long was here, with all of us. We were having dinner about then, I believe. Tai cooked." She looked back at the others. "Isn't that right?"

Yang strode forward to Pyrrha's side. "Yeah! Dad was right here with us. What's this all about?"

Blake, on the other hand, was shrinking back from the doorway, shaking her head. "No... no..."

Ruby glanced worriedly at her girlfriend, and put a hand on her shoulder, trying to reassure her.

The police officer who'd been first to speak spoke up again. "Tuckson was found dead in his shop as of yesterday afternoon. One of his regular customers contacted us, concerned that he hadn't opened for business yet, and when we investigated, we found he'd been killed the previous evening."

The second officer was eyeing Pyrrha in confusion, as if trying to place where he'd seen her before.

"Well, Taiyang Xiao-Long has been here for the past several days, playing host to all of us." Pyrrha said calmly, stepping forward so that she now stood next to Tai. "I give you my word on that."

The second man's eyes went up to Pyrrha's ever-present tiara, then back to her face. "You're Pyrrha Nikos!" He exclaimed in astonishment.

Pyrrha nodded. "That's right. Mister Xiao-Long's daughters are members of my team at Beacon Academy. We've been here since the semester ended. With Tai."

The second cop shrugged to his bearded companion. "Sounds like a pretty good alibi to me."

The second man frowned. "Maybe. But we still have some questions. Can you tell me about your relationship with Mister Tuckson?"

Tai raised an eyebrow, then nodded. "Sure." He frowned and glanced at Ruby and the others. "But let's talk outside."

The officers nodded and followed Tai as he headed outside and closed the door behind him.

Blake collapsed onto the couch even as the door swung shut behind Tai. "No. No! They killed him! This is... this is...!"

Ruby practically fell into the couch beside her, wrapping her in a hug. "This is NOT your fault. It's not, OK?"

Blake shook her head. "But he... but he..."

Ruby leaned her head into Blake's. "Tuckson was already helping get faunus out of the White Fang before we showed up. We just helped him get them out easier. We didn't put him in any extra danger." Even as she said the words, she started to grow uncertain. Had they ended up putting him in harms way?

"We should have protected him better!" Blake protested. "I should have known... Adam... he doesn't suffer traitors lightly." Her shoulders were shaking, and tears were flowing down her cheeks. "Tuckson... Adam, how could you?"

Ruby grimaced. "We don't know it was Adam."

Blake shook her head. "He wouldn't have delegated something like that."

Ruby looked conflicted. "It could have been Torchwick? Or someone working for him?"

Blake sagged against Ruby. "It doesn't matter. We should have been there."

Ruby sighed. "I wish we had been... but we can't save everyone, Blake."

Pyrrha had come up and knelt in front of the couch. "I'm so sorry for your loss, Blake. From what you told us, he sounded like a very good person."

Blake nodded shakily. "He was. He was so brave, doing what he did. I... maybe we didn't make things worse, but... but we should have known something like this would happen. We should have protected him."

Pyrrha sighed. "How? We couldn't watch his shop every day. We had school..."

"We didn't have school two days ago." Blake said quietly. "We were here, having dinner with Bonnie and Devlin. Laughing and having fun. And he was being killed." Blake went silent for a long moment before speaking again. "We should do something." she said softly, her voice slowly rising and becoming more passionate. "We shouldn't just be sitting here waiting for the police to do something... we should go and..." She trailed off, eyes focused on the front door through which Tai and the police had gone.

"We'll do something." Ruby told her girlfriend quietly. "But we can't go to Tuckson's right now. There will be police... and they won't let us in. And we don't know how to do crime scene stuff anyway."

Blake frowned, but nodded. "I know that, but... we could... we could do something. We have to do something!"

Ruby hugged Blake, wrapping herself around the cat faunus and snuggling her face into the larger girl's neck. "We'll figure out something. We'll do something. Together. I promise."

Blake sighed, but put an arm around Ruby's back, and leaning into the smaller girl. "OK."

Yang caught Blake's eyes and nodded. "We've got your back, Blake. Anything you need."

Pyrrha smiled warmly. "Absolutely."

Blake sighed and nodded. "Thanks guys. I... I appreciate it."

Meanwhile, Ruby was wracking her brains, trying to remember what she knew. She knew the White Fang would end up in Mountain Glen. They might already be moving supplies there and getting that train ready. But knowing that and getting anyone to believe what she knew were two different things. She tried to remember how they'd found out in the first place. Blake had heard from Torchwick himself, hadn't she? When she'd infiltrated a White Fang meeting with Sun. Of course, that had ended up with Blake and Sun getting chased by Torchwick in a giant robot. They'd beaten the robot, of course, but Ruby didn't think it was wise to simply trust that Blake and Sun would be able to manage as well again, assuming things even went the same way. Torchwick was in jail, and even if he escaped again, things were almost certainly different by now. Still... Torchwick and the White Fang had stolen that robot, and a bunch of others from the Atlas Military. They'd still want them, and unless she did something to change things, it was likely that they'd manage to steal them again in this timeline. The question was, how could they stop that? Ruby didn't know how those mechs had gotten stolen in the first place, so she had no way of beating the White Fang to them, or preventing the robbery.

"Penny!" Ruby said suddenly. Blake, Yang and Pyrrha all looked at her in confusion, and Ruby covered her mouth in embarrassment.

"What about her?" Yang asked with a frown.

Ruby fought for an answer. "Er... she's from Atlas, and... the White Fang like stealing stuff from the SDC, and I thought maybe she might know... some stuff... that could help us?"

Blake blinked. "Well, it's not that I'm against the idea, Ruby, but... we don't really even know her."

Ruby licked her lips. "Well, I trust her... but I know the rest of you don't really know her that well." She put a hand behind her head. "It was just an idea."

Blake sighed. "No... we need ideas. You shouldn't hesitate to suggest something. Who knows what might end up being helpful."

Ruby smiled softly. "Well... I do have a few others. Like..." She pointed at Yang. "That guy who runs the Club you go dancing at. He's some kind of information broker, right?"

Yang blinked. "How did you know that?"

Ruby wrinkled her nose. "Um... you told me?"

Yang frowned. "I'm pretty sure I didn't."

Ruby opened her mouth, then closed it, then shrugged. "Huh."

Yang raised an eyebrow. "What?"

Ruby shrugged again, her eyes looking anywhere but her older sister. "I guess I don't remember where I heard that..."

Yang's eyes narrowed. Ruby was lying. It was obvious. And it wasn't the first time, nor the first time it was about something Ruby shouldn't have known about. But why would she lie about it?

"What's going on, Rubes?" Yang asked seriously.

Ruby shrugged again, eyes wide and innocent now. "What do you mean? I'm just trying to think of ways to help figure out..." She glanced at Blake, and sobered. "I want to know who killed Tuckson. I was the one who encouraged him to go to dad..." Ruby's face fell. "And maybe he got in trouble because of that."

Blake sighed, her own shoulders sagging further. "It wasn't just you, Ruby."

Ruby shook her head stubbornly. "I made the call. I called Dad, and your parents. I got them all involved, and... and Tuckson started getting people out of the White Fang. We made it easier, but maybe... maybe that's why he was killed."

Blake hesitated for a long moment before nodding. "I... it probably is connected."

Yang shot her an angry look, but Ruby held up a hand. "She's right, Yang. I don't like thinking that, but we... maybe we put him in greater danger because of what we did."

Blake spoke up. "He chose to do what he did, Ruby. You were right about that. And he saved lives. Lives that might not have been saved if you hadn't helped by getting him in contact with our parents. It was the right thing to do."

Pyrrha spoke up quietly. "I agree. We'll avenge his death if we can, but none of you did anything wrong. Each of you acted to do something good for this world, and neither of you have anything to be ashamed about."

Ruby growled. "I keep screwing things up! First Jaune... now Tuckson!"

Pyrrha looked shocked. "Ruby... Jaune's death was NOT your fault. You know that, right?"

Ruby looked away, unwilling to meet anyone's eyes. Jaune's death HAD been her fault. And quite possibly, without her changing things, Tuckson would be alive as well. And what good had she managed to do? She hadn't stopped the White Fang. Not yet. The twenty or so men they'd lost were only a drop in the bucket, and that alone wouldn't stop their plans from moving forward. Torchwick had been captured, again, but how long would that last? Torchwick had been able to escape from the brig of General Ironwood's battleship! Surely the police couldn't hold him for long. She had to do better!

"Yang... you can talk to Junior. Find out if he's heard anything about the White Fang or Torchwick." Ruby said quietly, eyes on the floor. "Blake... can you get into a White Fang meeting or something? Infiltrate a recruitment rally or something like that?"

Blake blinked, then looked thoughtful. "Yeah. Actually, that shouldn't be all that hard, really. I doubt they've changed their recruitment procedures all that much."

Yang raised an eyebrow. "So, we're really doing this?"

Ruby nodded firmly, looking up at Yang with determination. "Yeah we are."

Pyrrha pointed at herself. "What shall I do?"

Ruby wrinkled her nose. "I don't know yet... but going into a White Fang rally can't be very safe. So... if you were to hide nearby while Blake does her thing..." She trailed off, nodding to herself. "Actually, better if we both do that."

Yang frowned. "If it's not safe, why are you asking Blake to do it?"

Ruby blinked, then turned to Blake. "Because... it's what you'd want to do, right?"

Blake nodded immediately. "Absolutely. I would almost certainly try something similar on my own even if Ruby hadn't suggested it. I CAN'T let this go. Whomever killed Tuckson... the police won't be able to stop them."

Ruby wrinkled her nose, remembering how Torchwick had recognized Blake and Sun in the previous timeline. But she'd already considered how to deal with that problem. "Blake... before you go sneaking into White Fang meetings, you're going to need a new look."

Blake blinked. "What?"

Pyrrha looked thoughtful. "It's a good suggestion. I would assume there are people still in the White Fang who would recognize you?"

Blake frowned, and nodded. "True. I wouldn't think anyone I'd know well would be at a recruitment rally, but..."

"Better safe than sorry." Yang said, then grinned. "Sounds like this calls for a makeover!"

Blake groaned. "Oh... great..." She said sarcastically.

"Haircut?" Ruby suggested.

"Maybe some hair dye as well..." Yang agreed with a thoughtful look at Blake.

Blake winced. "Dye?"

Yang shrugged. "I've dyed my hair a couple times. Thought I'd look better as a red-head for a couple months." She looked thoughtful. "Although... I don't know if hair dye is safe on cat fur..."

Blake winced, reaching up and covering her cat ears with her hands. "I am not liking the sound of this..."

Yang smiled. "Don't worry, I'm sure we can find some dye that works on fur."

Blake lowered her hands and sighed. "I'm not getting out of this, am I?"

Ruby looked apologetic. "You don't have to go infiltrating White Fang meetings... but if you do, I'd want you to be safe. And to be safe, you should go in disguise."

Blake sighed and nodded. "It makes sense... I guess. I just... I like my hair."

Ruby smiled. "Believe me, I like your hair too! It's wonderful the way it is. But it's pretty distinctive. Between your hair and ears, I would know you from a hundred feet away, even from behind, Blake. You'll need to change them if you don't want to be recognized, even while wearing a White Fang mask."

Pyrrha blinked. "Ah! I hadn't thought of that. Of course, if you wear one of their masks, and change your hair color, no one will recognize you!"

Yang grinned. "We better change her clothing too. Blake does have this thing for black and white."

"And purple." Ruby reminded. "Guess we'll have to go clothing shopping."

Blake grimaced. "I... I can't really afford much."

Ruby put a hand on her shoulder and looked up into her eyes. "It's for a good cause. Besides, maybe I'd like buying something nice for my girlfriend?"

Blake raised an eyebrow. "Can you afford to do that?"

Ruby hesitated. She did have a little money saved up, but she'd been planning on stocking up on dust ammo and supplies for the Mountain Glenn mission. She still didn't know how she'd get limpet mines, but she wanted them. Those Paladins had been tricky, especially the one Torchwick had been driving.

Blake caught the hesitation. "You don't have to do that, Ruby."

Pyrrha spoke up softly. "I have quite a bit of money coming in, and I'd be more than happy to help out."

Blake frowned at Pyrrha. "I don't know..."

Pyrrha smiled. "I insist. After all, you will be in the greatest amount of danger. Anything I can do to lessen that risk, I will do."

Blake took a deep breath, then nodded. "Alright. One new outfit. Something completely different than what I usually wear, I guess?"

Yang grinned. "Got you covered, Kitten. We'll match your outfit to your new hairstyle. You'll look stunning, I promise."

Blake's smile was a bit weak, but it was there. "Sure. I'm in your hands, I guess."

Yang shot her a thumb's up. "You've got the Xiao-Long guarantee."

"What's that?" Taiyang asked as he came in the door. "Anything I should know about?"

Yang blinked. "Er... just talking about taking Blake out clothes shopping."

Taiyang looked confused and a bit worried. "After... er... after what's just happened?" He finished lamely.

Yang shrugged, then did her best to look serious. "Haven't you ever heard about retail therapy?"

Tai blinked. "Well... whatever helps, I suppose."

Ruby spoke up then, looking anxious. "Did they tell you anything else about what happened to Tuckson, Dad?"

Tai frowned, sobering. "Not much. Although I got the impression the police are thinking that it was done by a hunter or huntress. They wanted to know if I knew anyone Tuckson might have interacted with that had huntsman training."

Yang spoke up. "Are you going to be OK? They don't still think you could have had anything to do with it, do they?"

Tai shook his head quickly. "No, I don't think they suspect me. I was here, after all, and I think Pyrrha speaking up for me really helped solidify that."

Ruby and Yang looked at Pyrrha with sincere gratitude, and the championship fighter just blushed and put a hand behind her head sheepishly. "Well, I'm just glad I could help."

Blake had been staring at the floor, but now she looked up to catch Tai's gaze. "Mister Xaio-Long... Tai. Do... do you think they know about his connections to the White Fang?"

Tai frowned. "I'm not sure. I thought it might be best not to mention what exactly I've been helping Tuckson with... at least some of the people we've been smuggling out have almost certainly got warrants out for them somewhere, and as much as I'd like to help their investigation, I don't think spending the night in jail while they try to figure out if I'm a terrorist is the best use of anyone's time."

Blake paled. "Oh no... Mister Xiao-Long, I..."

"Call me Tai, Blake." Taiyang reminded her gently. "And don't worry about me. I was happy to be of help, and I would have gladly done it even if Ruby hadn't recruited me. I'm in no danger, regardless. As I said, I've got an ironclad alibi, and even if I didn't, I'm sure Ozpin would vouch for me."

Blake still looked troubled. "Still, the police need to know why Tuckson was... why he was killed. It has to be because of what he was doing."

Tai nodded somberly. "I'll talk to Qrow and Ozpin about it. They'll make sure that whomever needs to know finds out what direction they need to be looking. But your father would never forgive me if I got you involved in this, Blake. Let us handle things."

Blake started to protest, but Ruby squeezed her arm hard and caught her eyes, giving her a knowing nod, and Blake caught herself. "I... yes. Yes, alright."

Tai shot Blake, then Ruby, a suspicious look, while Ruby looked innocently toward the ceiling.

Yang broke in. "Don't worry Dad, I'll make sure my partner doesn't do anything stupid." She gestured at Blake. "We're going to go shopping tomorrow. Get our minds off..." she broke off with a frown. "Off of stuff."

Tai looked at his eldest daughter with a mix of pride and gratitude. "That actually sounds like a good idea, Yang. Do you need any money?"

Yang hesitated, then shrugged. "Well, if it's no trouble...?"

Tai nodded smoothly, obviously glad for the change of subject. "It's not a problem. Not having to feed your hungry gut throughout the last few months, I've managed to put away a bunch in savings. It's fine."

Pyrrha spoke up. "Why don't we all go? Shopping as a team? I'll spring for dinner at a nice restaurant."

Tai smiled at Pyrrha then. "That's very generous of you, Pyrrha. It sounds like a great idea."

Ruby gave Blake a sideways hug, and changed the subject. "Did Tuckson have any family, Blake?"

Blake shook her head. "I... I think... I think he had some family in Vacuo, but... he didn't talk about them very much."

Tai sighed. "I think I'll call Ghira. He might know more, and... he should probably know about this." Tai walked slowly from the room, heading upstairs to his bedroom, apparently wanting to make the call in private.

Ruby waited till her father was out of sight and earshot before speaking up. "So... we're going into Vale tomorrow to get Blake a disguise, right?"

Blake spoke up. "And see if we can locate a White Fang recruitment rally. I know where to look for the signs." Pyrrha and Yang looked at each other, then back to Ruby and Blake, then they both nodded.

"That's the plan." Yang agreed.

/-/

Up in their bedroom that night, Yang turned to Pyrrha as Pyrrha started getting into bed beside her. "Babe... did you tell Ruby about Junior being an information broker?"

Pyrrha blinked. "I don't believe so, no. It never really came up."

Yang frowned. "Are you sure? I mean, I wouldn't have minded if you'd mentioned it. It's not something I was keeping secret or anything, but..."

Pyrrha shrugged helplessly. "I... I don't think so, Yang. I would have remembered if I had. I had the impression that Junior's Club is one place you don't share with Ruby, and I didn't want to spoil that."

Yang frowned again. "Huh. Then how did she know?"

Pyrrha blinked. "Hmm?"

Yang shook her head. "Never mind. It's not important, I guess."

Pyrrha looked thoughtful. "Ruby always seems to be full of surprises. And she seems to know everything that's going on before anyone else does."

Yang nodded slowly. "Yeah. Especially since we got to Beacon." She looked thoughtful. "Huh. She was right outside of Junior's club after I'd... er... trashed the place the first time. Before we ever got to Beacon. It never occurred to me to wonder how she knew I'd be there?"

Pyrrha glanced over at the bedside table, where Yang's scroll was sitting. "She must have used the tracking app she asked us to put on our scrolls, right?"

Yang shrugged. "Yeah, I guess. Dad had us install those last year."

Pyrrha nodded. "Well, there you go."

Yang frowned. "But that still doesn't explain how she knew Junior is an information dealer."

Pyrrha shrugged. "Ruby has been looking for information on Roman Torchwick and the White Fang practically since we started Beacon. And she found out about that raid at the docks. She must have heard about Junior while doing that."

Yang nodded agreeably. "I guess. It's just... she keeps surprising me. What ever happened to my little baby sister who eats too many cookies and forgets to do her homework?"

Pyrrha smiled. "Everyone grows up eventually, Yang."

Yang sighed. "I know. And I'm glad that Ruby's gotten so mature. It's just... it happened so fast. It's like she changed overnight."

Pyrrha looked thoughtful. "I guess being chosen to go to Beacon two years early must have been a bit of a wake up call for her."

Yang nodded. "Yeah. And she's really stepped up. I'm so proud of her I can hardly express it. I just... I don't feel like she really needs me to look out for her anymore."

Pyrrha smiled softly. "She'll always need her older sister, Yang. She loves you."

Yang sighed. "Yeah. It's weird, seeing her growing up so quickly though. I've been... well, almost like a mother to her for so long. But nowadays, it's almost like she's the adult, taking care of me."

Pyrrha continued to smile. "I think a lot of that maturity you see in her is because of you, Yang."

Yang shook her head. "No... Ruby's gotten strong all on her own. She's going to surpass all of us at this rate."

Pyrrha nodded. "Of that, I have no doubt."

/-/

In Ruby's room, the girl in question was squirming nervously while she watched Blake get ready for bed. "Blake... I..."

Blake stopped in the middle of pulling off her top. "Yes, Ruby?" She turned to face the younger girl, dropping her top on the bed, and leaving her wearing only her bra from the waist up. She started undoing her pants. "What is it?"

Ruby frowned, not certain how to say it. "I don't want to put you in danger. You know that, right?"

Blake's face softened. "I know that."

Ruby hesitated. "I know it kind of sounded like I wasn't worried about you when I suggested you infiltrate a White Fang meeting... but..."

Blake shook her head, then sat on the bed as she laid her pants next to her top. "I wasn't offended, Ruby. You were right. That is exactly what I'd have done on my own, even if you hadn't suggested it. Actually, it's reassuring that you know me that well, and trust me to be able to take care of myself when it matters."

"I'd go myself if I could." Ruby muttered sourly. "I've been trying to think of how to pretend to be a Faunus... but..."

Blake smiled and shook her head as she reached around behind her back to undo her bra. "It's OK, Ruby. Really. I KNOW you'd rather be the one to be in danger. And I know you'll be as close as you can be, ready to leap in to save me if anything bad happens." She laid the bra on top of the rest of her clothes, then hesitated, looking torn. She wrinkled her nose. "Ruby... I..." Ruby had turned her face away, deliberately not looking at her half-naked girlfriend, and Blake smiled softly. "You can look at me you know. I don't mind."

Ruby shifted to face her, licking her lips and looking nervous and conflicted. "Um... OK?" She hesitated. She'd already gotten changed, and was wearing her usual loose tank top and sleep pants to bed. "Should I...?" Ruby tugged lightly at one of the straps of her tank top.

Blake shook her head. "Only if you want to. I... I'd like to hold you tonight, if that's alright. But you can leave your clothes on if you're not comfortable."

Ruby hesitated for a long moment before pulling her own top over her head and tossing it lightly to one side. Her blush deepened, but her eyes stayed on Blake's own. "Is it wrong, wanting to touch you like this when someone we knew... when Tuckson..."

Blake sat down and pulled up the covers to Ruby's bed, slipping under them smoothly. "Wanting to be with the person you love after a loss... to be able to feel alive, that the person you care about is safe and there... there's nothing wrong with that."

Ruby slipped off her sleep pants, then slipped into bed next to Blake. "Being held sounds pretty good right about now, actually."

Blake gave Ruby's shoulder a small nudge. "Turn on your side. I want to be the big spoon tonight."

Ruby obediently turned on her side, facing away from Blake, and sighed happily as the larger girl cuddled up against her back, laying an arm over her waist. Ruby took Blake's hand in her own and the two of them lay there in silence for a few minutes.

"Blake?" Ruby spoke quietly, although she could tell Blake was still awake.

"Yes Ruby?" Blake answered.

"Am I a good girlfriend?" Ruby asked a bit plaintively.

"The best." Blake answered calmly.

"Sometimes I don't feel like I'm a very good person." Ruby said softly.

"Why on Remnant would you think something like that?" Blake asked incredulously.

"I use people." Ruby answered. "And I manipulate them to get what I want... and... I feel like I'm causing more harm than good."

Blake reached up with her other hand to run her fingers through Ruby's hair. "Are you talking about making sure you were paired up with Pyrrha during initiation?"

Ruby blinked. "You knew about that?"

Blake chuckled softly. "All of us knew about that. Pyrrha didn't mind, you know? We've got the best team in Beacon, and a lot of that is because of you, Ruby."

Ruby sighed. "It wasn't just that."

Blake hummed softly to herself. "Want to talk about it?"

Ruby hesitated. "I used what I knew about you in order to convince you to help me against Torchwick and the White Fang." She admitted.

Blake hummed again, noncommittally. "OK."

Ruby frowned, half turning so that she could see Blake's expression out of the corner of her eye. "What do you mean, OK?"

Blake shrugged, then resumed stroking Ruby's hair. "I mean OK. You had a good reason, and you helped me in the process. I certainly can't complain about the results." Ruby kind of choked a little at that, and Blake hugged her tightly around her waist. "Ruby, I'm friends with Weiss Schnee because of you. I'm friends with all of Team Winter... and I don't have to hide who I am. I'd have ended up going after the White Fang myself even if you'd never done a thing, but the difference is, I'd have done so alone. If that's what you call using me... please... use me as much as you like." Her voice had gotten low, nearly purring at the last sentence, and Ruby started blushing dark red. Blake chuckled throatily and leaned in to kiss Ruby at the jawline, then behind her ear. "I give you permission, Ruby Rose. Manipulate me to your heart's content."

Ruby turned away from her and hid her face, groaning. "Blake!"

Blake chuckled softly, then stilled, starting to get a bit worried. "Ruby...?" She swallowed. "Sorry, I'm being pushy..."

Ruby shook her head, still looking firmly away from Blake. "No... no... or... well, I don't mind so much." She sighed. "Even if I get a little embarrassed."

Blake took a slow breath. "Well... speaking of using people... I sometimes feel like I'm taking advantage of you, you know?"

Ruby shook her head quickly. "You're not! You're really not, Blake. You've let me set the pace the whole way. I know you've been ready for more for awhile, but you've been so patient with me. I haven't felt pressured at all... expect maybe because I feel like I can barely keep myself from... doing... stuff... with you. All of the time."

Blake grinned at that. "Well, I mean what I said. You have my permission, Ruby. Anything you want to do."

Ruby shivered as her imagination raced, then forced herself to calm. "For tonight... just hold me."

Blake pulled Ruby more firmly into her body. "For tonight, and forever." She murmured.

Ruby swallowed a lump in her throat. "If I... if I start to cry out tonight..."

"I'll keep you safe." Blake promised. "Even from the nightmares."

Ruby nodded once, then let herself relax into Blake's arms. "Goodnight Blake. I love you."

"I love you too, Ruby Rose."

Ruby blushed in the darkness. Did I really say that? Did I just tell Blake that I loved her? And Blake said it back! She slowed her breathing with an effort. Calm down, Ruby... you know how you feel about her. Just... wow. Blake loves me? Wow.

Between the feeling of Blake's body pressing up against her back, skin to skin, and remembering their final words, it took a lot longer than normal for Ruby to fall asleep, but when she finally did, she was smiling.

/-/

They'd gotten into Vale around mid-morning and hit the clothing stores.

"You know, I've been thinking..." Yang said quietly as they were wandering through aisles of jeans. "Maybe we should all go for a new look? I mean, sure, Blakey needs to not get noticed, but if we're all hanging around nearby when things go down, maybe we shouldn't stand out too much either?"

Blake hummed in acknowledgement. "That's a good point. It'll depend a lot on where the meet up is going to be, though. A good disguise needs to be appropriate for the location you're going to be staking out."

Yang looked over at her partner in interest. "Sounds like the voice of experience."

Blake nodded softly. "I had to do a few infiltration missions while I was..." she glanced around once to make sure no one else was in earshot. "While I was part of the White Fang. If we're going to do this properly, I do have a few suggestions." Ruby and Pyrrha both turned to her, stopping their idle scanning of the clothing racks to pay closer attention, and Blake lowered her voice further as she continued. "I should scout for the location by myself, and in disguise. If any of you are with me when I'm doing that, people might get suspicious."

Ruby frowned. "I don't like the idea of you going alone, Blake."

Blake shook her head. "There shouldn't be any real danger while I'm just looking for the meeting site. The real risk will be when I try to infiltrate the rally. If... if Adam, or some of the stronger fighters I know are there, that's when things could get dangerous."

Yang spoke up. "OK, so once you figure out where the meeting is going down, we'll plan our own disguises?"

Blake nodded. "How you all infiltrate the area should depend on the location and time of day, yes. It might just be easiest to sneak in over the rooftops and stay out of sight entirely, depending on how out of the way it is."

Yang looked thoughtful. "Well, at the least, why don't we all pick up some simple outfits so we can at least pass for civilians?" She grinned at her girlfriend. "Might be nice to be able to not be recognized by random fight fans when we're in the city, huh Babe?"

Pyrrha chuckled. "I can't argue with that."

They moved on to a thrift store after a while. "Wherever the rally is, it's not going to be in an upscale neighborhood." Blake explained. "So at the least whatever we buy should be inexpensive, and perhaps look a bit worn."

Yang had come up with some ripped jeans and a muscle shirt with a ten year old band logo on it, but Blake vetoed it. "Yang... if you wear that, everyone who looks at you is going to see your arms..."

Yang blinked. "And that's a bad thing because..."

Blake smiled. "Because your arms look like you punch Grimm in the face for a living."

"Oh yeah..." Yang flexed one of her arms, causing her already impressive muscles to stand out further. "I guess these guns do kind of stand out a bit."

Pyrrha held up a large puffy white sweater from a nearby rack. "How about this?"

Yang grimaced. "I'm going to look like a marshmallow in that."

Blake chuckled. "Maybe, but at least you won't look like a huntress."

Pyrrha beamed at her. "I think you'll be a very cute marshmallow."

Yang sighed. "Not helping, Babe." Pyrrha's face fell slightly, and Yang waved a hand dismissively. "Nah, it's fine. The point is not to stand out, right?"

Pyrrha nodded, then blushed. "You stand out no matter what you wear, Yang. I think we'll have to work hard to make you seem... anything close to average."

Yang grinned. "Alright, quit with the flattery. You'll give me a big head."

Ruby giggled. "Because you were SO humble before!"

Yang rolled her eyes, but couldn't help but grin back at her younger sister. "Hey, I'll have you know I'm the most humble person out there." She winked. "Most modest too!"

"We should all come up with secret identities!" Ruby decided. "Like real spies!"

Yang held up the white sweater to herself, modeling it. "So... I'm a soccer mom?"

Ruby stuck out her tongue at her sister, then seemed to seriously consider it. "Actually... no. You'd never pull it off."

Yang looked almost offended. "I could too!"

Ruby hesitated, thinking of all the times her sister had acted as a kind of second mother to her, and shrugged. "A mom... maybe. But trying to be all meek and mild mannered and stuff?"

Yang raised an eyebrow. "Soccer moms can be tough..." she said a bit weakly.

Ruby chuckled. "Sure. But maybe you should try for a character that's a bit... I don't know, rougher around the edges?"

Yang blinked. "OK... like what?"

Ruby looked around, then snagged an oversized leather jacket. "Like this, maybe?"

Yang raised an eyebrow, then took the jacket. "It's a bit large for me, isn't it?"

Ruby nodded. "Yeah, it'll hide how buff you are. But maybe you can pretend your big tough boyfriend gave it to you?"

Yang chuckled. "So I'm the girlfriend of some tough guy?"

Ruby looked thoughtful. "Maybe you're in a gang?"

Yang blinked, then nodded, looking contemplative. "You mean like Gilda?"

Ruby looked surprised. "That mean girl from your class in Signal?"

Yang nodded. "We actually got along pretty well after I kicked her ass a couple of times. I think I spent enough time around her to pull it off."

As Yang and Ruby reminisced about their days at Signal while arguing about what sort of disguises they should go for, Pyrrha and Blake moved onto the next aisle. Pyrrha looked thoughtful and pulled out a nice green, button up shirt with a formal looking collar. "How about this?"

Blake blinked. "Kind of formal, isn't it?"

Pyrrha nodded. "A little. Like something someone would wear to an office, maybe?"

Blake raised an eyebrow. "Are you saying I look old enough to be a secretary or something?"

Pyrrha blushed. "Well, some men do like to hire younger women to be their secretaries... or so I've heard."

Blake looked thoughtful. "Pretending to be a civilian would enhance my cover... let's see what else we can find to match it."

In the end, they got Blake a grey pencil skirt, short grey suit jacket, nylons, grey pumps and a neat dark grey bow-tie to complete the outfit.

"We should put your hair up in a bun after we die it." Yang suggested as they were leaving the store. "Maybe get a pair of fake eyeglasses as well to complete the sexy librarian look..."

"I thought we were going for sexy secretary?" Ruby asked curiously.

"Why are all your suggestions for me to dress up as something sexy?" Blake complained.

Yang grinned. "Besides the fact that you look hot in just about anything?"

Blake blushed. "Yes, besides that."

Yang shrugged. "If the guy letting people into this secret White Fang meeting you're planning on infiltrating is thinking about asking you out afterwards, he's less likely to worry about if you might be a spy, right?"

Blake grimaced. "OK... maybe... but..." She glanced at Pyrrha. "Aren't you going to say anything about your girlfriend objectifying me?"

Pyrrha blushed slightly. "Well... I think Yang's right, actually?"

Yang grinned. "Oh? About which part? That it'd make it easier for Blake to do her mission if she looks good, or that she looks good in anything?"

Pyrrha snickered. "Yang, you're terrible."

Yang winked. "Yes, yes. So which is it?"

Pyrrha sighed, then shrugged. "Both, obviously."

Blake sighed as well. "Ruby... Yang's corrupting Pyrrha. Do something."

Ruby raised her hands into the air. "It's too late, Blake. She's too contagious. There's no hope." She giggled. "Besides, I think you'll look good in it too."

/-/

Before they reached the ferry back to Patch, Blake held up a hand. "Wait..." She glanced around cautiously, checking to see if they were being observed, even taking a moment to check the nearby rooftops, then she moved over to nod at a trio of scratches on the corner of a building. "This is a White Fang symbol. I should check this out..."

She started to reach up to remove her bow, but Ruby stopped her. "What should we do, Blake?"

Blake nodded in the direction they had been going. "Keep moving. If you hang around here too long, you'll be spotted."

Yang frowned. "You don't have your disguise yet, Blake, maybe we should wait?"

Blake shook her head. "It's still the middle of the day, at most, it'll be an individual recruiter or information cache. I'll be quick. Just... trust me, and get moving before someone sees us all standing around acting suspicious."

Ruby grimaced, then nodded. "Alright." Ruby started walking in the direction they'd been going again, gesturing for Pyrrha and Yang to follow her. "Blake's right. We can't just stand around waiting for her."

Blake smiled at Ruby as she led their teammates away, and slipped into the alleyway between the buildings.

Yang was frowning almost angrily, but kept her temper in check, and instead pulled out her scroll. Tapping on the tracking app, she selected Blake's picture and after a few moments to load, a map image of Vale popped up with a small red dot showing Blake's current location in comparison to their own.

The three girls kept walking, although slower than they'd been walking before, trying to pretend to be taking it easy.

Yang was hyper focused on her scroll, as if the red dot showing Blake's location could somehow tell her if the cat-faunus was alright or not. "Come on Blake... you said it would be quick..." Then she trailed off. "Hey... it looks like she's coming this way now."

Yang started to turn around but Pyrrha put a hand on her shoulder to keep her moving. "Perhaps we should meet her at the ferry. If whomever Blake may have met up with sees her with us, they might be suspicious."

Yang grimaced but continued walking, and before long, they reached the ferry dock. A couple minutes later, Blake joined them.

"Mission accomplished." Blake said, looking pleased. "It was a recruiter. New guy... they almost always use fresh faces for recruitment, as they won't have any criminal record if the police should pick them up. He obviously had no idea who I was, and I kept it casual."

Ruby nodded. "So... what did you find out?"

Blake wrinkled her nose. "Big recruitment meeting coming up. Friday night, two weeks from now." She sighed. "I didn't find out the exact time or location... but that's standard procedure. Still, I got enough for me to be able to find the meeting if I go out the afternoon of the day it's set for."

"We'll be back at school by then." Yang observed. "Will we be able to make it?"

Blake nodded. "It'll be late, so that faunus with day jobs can make it. We shouldn't have any trouble getting into town in time if we leave after our last class of the day."

Ruby beamed. "It sounds like we've got a plan then!"

Blake frowned. "I suppose... I just don't like waiting that long."

Yang put a hand on her shoulder. "I get it... but is there a better way to do this than infiltrating that meeting?"

Blake sighed. "Not really. I mean, I could try and find their actual base, but... that would be a lot more risky then trying to slip in among the new recruits."

Ruby nodded firmly. "Then we stick with the plan."

Blake took a deep breath, then nodded. "Right."

Pyrrha smiled reassuringly. "Well, it'll give us a chance to perfect your disguise, at least?"

Blake rolled her eyes. "Ah yes. Lots of opportunities for Yang to dress me up as a sexy librarian."

"Or sexy secretary!" Yang reminded her.

Blake groaned. "Seriously, Pyrrha, call off your girlfriend."

"You can do her hair, Pyrrha." Yang said with a grin.

Pyrrha chuckled. "How can I turn down such a gracious offer?"

Blake just sighed while Ruby patted her shoulder comfortingly.

Above them, perched on the corner of a nearby building, a black crow with red eyes looked down on the four girls with interest.

/-/

The ferry ride home was uneventful, as was the walk from the docks up to the Xaio-Long cabin. As they approached the cabin, however, Ruby's eyes brightened.

"Uncle Qrow!" The diminutive reaper shouted, racing ahead with a little burst of her semblance to latch herself onto his right arm near the shoulder. "Hi!"

"Heya Pipsqueak." Qrow greeted her affectionately, raising his arm up effortlessly so that Ruby's legs dangled off the ground. "Miss me?"

"Yeah I did!" Ruby agreed happily. "Hey!" She blinked and stared at him somewhat suspiciously, still hanging onto his arm. "What are you doing here anyway? Aren't you supposed to be on a mission for like... forever?"

Qrow shrugged, patting her head as if she was an overeager puppy. "A professional huntsman like me is expected to get results, as soon as possible."

Ruby dropped off his arm, landing on her feet and looking at him strangely. "Yeah... of course." She agreed, but there was a strange note to her voice that caused both Yang and Qrow to look at her oddly. Pyrrha and Blake glanced at each other in confusion.

Sensing that she'd been a bit too obvious with her own confusion, Ruby put on a smile. "Anyway, it's great to see you, Uncle Qrow! You have to tell us all about your mission!"

"Over dinner." Qrow said with a shrug. "Tai's already cooking." He grinned. "So, Kiddo, going to introduce me to your team?"

Ruby blinked, then grinned back. "Sure." She gestured to Yang. "Uncle Qrow, this is Yang. I'm not sure you remember who she is, but..."

Qrow bopped Ruby lightly on top of the head. "Very funny."

Yang chuckled. "It was, kind of."

Ruby grinned unrepentantly and gestured to Pyrrha. "Well, THIS is Pyrrha Nikos, my partner in Beacon, and Yang's girlfriend."

Qrow raised an eyebrow and nodded appreciatively to Yang. "Nice."

Yang grinned. "I know, right?" She then stepped forward and gestured to Blake. "And this is Blake Belladonna, my partner and Ruby's girlfriend."

Qrow's eyes widened dramatically, but both sisters could tell he wasn't actually surprised by the revelation. "What, the Pipsqueak is dating now?" He started walking towards Blake, stalking at her, exuding a palatable sense of menace towards the cat-faunus as he approached. "So, you're dating my fifteen year old niece, huh?"

Blake paled slightly, but rallied. "Um... yes. Yes sir, I am."

Qrow seemed to loom rather dramatically over Blake. "So... do I need to tell you exactly what I'll do to you if you ever hurt her... in any way?"

Blake swallowed nervously, but shook her head. "I'd die to protect her... sir. I'd never hurt her."

Qrow grinned suddenly, all sense of menace fading like a dream. "Good answer." He turned to Ruby, jerking his thumb back at Blake. "I like her." He reached back and grabbed Blake around the shoulders, pulling her toward the house effortlessly, despite Blake's obvious reluctance. "Let's talk, kitten."

Ruby quickly put herself between Qrow and the house. "No interrogating my girlfriend, Uncle Qrow. She's off limits." Ruby said the words in a low growl, obviously angry at the man.

Qrow raised an eyebrow, but took his arm away from around Blake's shoulders, lifting both hands into the air in surrender. "OK, OK... fine. I'll be good."

Blake stepped away, trying not to be noticed again, even as Yang crowded up next to her uncle as well. "What, no third degree for MY girlfriend?"

Qrow snorted, then turned to Pyrrha. "You watch out for this one, Nikos. She's a firecracker." Yang choked in exaggerated dismay at the betrayal.

Pyrrha smiled gently. "I'm well aware, sir. Thank you for the warning."

Qrow grinned back, then frowned at Pyrrha. "And don't call me sir. Call me Qrow." He glanced at Blake. "You can call me Mister Branwen."

"Uncle Qrow!" Ruby protested loudly.

"Just kidding." He said to Blake with a wink and a shrug. "Qrow's fine."

Blake forced a fake sounding chuckle and a weak smile. "OK... Qrow." Qrow's eyes flashed, and she winced, but he was already turning toward Pyrrha. "So... Tai says you nearly took him down in a spar a while back. Care to go a round with a dusty old hunter like myself?"

Pyrrha looked interested. "I heard that you trained Ruby with her scythe. I would be most interested in a spar."

Qrow grinned. "I showed the little pipsqueak everything she knows." He bragged. "Although, not everything I know..."

Ruby moved over to her uncle, elbowing him in the ribs. "No fair, Uncle Qrow, I want to spar with you first."

Qrow looked down at her fondly, then ruffled her hair. "Sure, sure kid. But tomorrow, OK? Don't want to spar right before dinner, and it'll be pretty late after that."

"You're staying the night?" Ruby asked, looking pleased.

Qrow nodded, grinning. "Thought I'd stick around for awhile, yeah." He said with a wink. "If I won't be cramping your style too much..."

Ruby actually frowned slightly at that, realizing that with Qrow here, he'd probably take the guest room, forcing her and Blake to share a room with Yang and Pyrrha again. Then she shrugged and smiled. "I don't care. It's really good to see you Uncle Qrow."

/-/

Dinner was a noisy affair, Qrow telling exaggerated, and, Ruby realized with a certain surprise, censored, stories about his various adventures as a solo huntsman.

Why was he here? Ruby had to wonder as the people around her chatted and laughed and joked. Why was Qrow here? He'd been on a mission. An extended mission that hadn't ended till after the Vital Festival had gotten underway, which was still months away! In the previous timeline, that was. But now he was here, in Patch. And he wasn't telling them something. Qrow went into a story about his most recent mission, and Ruby realized she'd heard it before. During the Vital Festival, in their dorm room, Qrow had shared much the same story... about searching for information, and the ridiculous ending about being defeated by the barmaid's skirt. Had he rehearsed it? Why the same story?

She'd never realized before how much her uncle kept from her in the past. She'd just ignored things that now she couldn't help but catch. He never really explained what he was doing, or for who, or why he was doing it. He distracted them with wild tales and salacious tidbits, often causing Yang to groan, Blake to smile, and Pyrrha to blush. But the amount of actual information he gave out ended up being next to nothing.

He wasn't supposed to be here this soon. Not that she minded his presence... much. Qrow was a reassuring person to have around. He'd trained her to use her scythe, and he was one of the strongest huntsmen she knew. But could she count on him to be there when they needed that strength? If she could get him on their side against Cinder and her team, she knew they could win. But how to do that? If she told him what they were up to, he'd tell Tai, and they'd try and stop her from going after the White Fang. If she told him absolutely everything, he'd never believe her. He'd think she was crazy, and she'd get locked up in some institution till it was too late to save anyone. And nearly all the dangerous events yet to come were still months away. How could she get him to stick around for that long?

Ruby wracked her brain during dinner, but by the time everyone was headed up to bed, she still hadn't thought of anything. After dinner, Ruby and Blake moved their stuff into Yang's room so that Qrow could have the guest room, and the four girls retired to the room together, leaving the two older men downstairs to their own devices.

/-/

After they heard the door to Yang's room close upstairs, and the sound of the four young women quietly talking faded, Qrow stood and headed for the back door, giving Tai a pointed look. Tai followed, and the two men started walking slowly down the trail that led from the Xaio-Long house into town.

When they were well out of earshot, Qrow spoke up. "They're up to something."

Tai sighed. "I thought as much. What do you know?"

Qrow frowned. "I spotted Belladonna talking to a shady looking character in a back alley. Looked like a Fang recruiter to me. I'm pretty sure that the other three knew what she was doing though. They kept clear so that she wouldn't seem suspicious, but they knew where she was and were relieved when she got back to them."

Tai nodded. "Sounds like they plan on trying to find out who killed Tuckson and doing something about it on their own."

Qrow grimaced. "Sheesh. They're worse than we were when we were in Beacon."

Tai laughed. "I wouldn't say that. Do you remember some of the scrapes you and Raven used to get into?"

Qrow chuckled wryly. "OK, fair point. Still... what are they thinking, pulling a stunt like that?"

Tai went sober, then sighed. "They've been through a lot already. Ozpin has been keeping me up to date with what Ruby's been up to... it seems like ever since she captured Roman Torchwick at that Dust store, she's been acting like it's a personal affront whenever he escapes."

Qrow raised an eyebrow. "Do you think she knows he's loose again already?"

Tai shook his head. "No... or she'd be a lot more upset. But Tuckson... Ruby talked me into helping him. Set it up so that Ghira Belladonna and I could work with the man to get faunus out of the White Fang and back to Menagerie. If she's anything like her mother, she's going to feel responsible for him getting killed."

"The Belladonna girl as well, unless I miss my guess." Qrow said tiredly. "That one has a chip on her shoulder."

Tai sighed. "Yeah. I can tell Ruby's been good for her, but she's been hurt in the past. You can see it in her eyes. She's scared, and angry."

"And you trust her around Ruby?" Qrow asked sharply.

Tai frowned. "She's a good kid. I honestly believe she means well. And I don't believe she'd ever hurt Ruby. Not intentionally."

"You thought that about Raven once too." Qrow warned.

Tai sighed. "I was in love. And I wasn't the only one. Summer was devastated when Raven left us."

Qrow closed his eyes, and sighed. "Yeah..." He pulled his hip flask out and took a swig. "We all were."

Tai glanced at the flask, but didn't say anything about it. "Blake's hurting, but she means well, I think."

Qrow raised an eyebrow. "You can say that, even knowing that she's meeting with White Fang recruiters?"

Tai looked at Qrow. "You said Ruby knew about that."

Qrow shrugged. "It LOOKED like she did, but I can't say for sure."

Tai shook his head. "No... Ruby's in on this. She's been cagey all day."

Qrow nodded. "You noticed that too, huh?"

Tai nodded. "Summer used to get the same look in her eye when she was planning something."

Qrow shrugged. "OK, so what do we do?"

Tai frowned. "I want to just tell them to stay out of it. To just... ground them to the house and watch the doors."

"Don't forget the windows." Qrow said with a grunt. "Won't work anyway."

Tai sighed. "I know. Maybe... just maybe we could keep an eye of them while they're here on Patch, but once they get back to Beacon..."

Qrow frowned. "We could have Glynda put them in detention?"

Tai laughed. "They'd mutiny."

Qrow shrugged. "Well, I can try and keep an eye on them. Oz has me back in Vale looking for Torchwick and his Fang buddies anyway. Following Belladonna might actually get me there sooner than I'd manage on my own, as much as I hate to admit it."

Tai sighed. "I don't like the idea of using my baby girl's girlfriend as a stalking horse."

Qrow shrugged. "She can handle herself, from what Oz says. And I'll be there to pull her butt out of the fire if things go south."

Tai looked mildly surprised. "Are you really going to be able to shadow them for as long as it might take?"

Qrow nodded. "Yeah. Probably. I kept running into dead ends on my mission anyway. No sign of Amber's attackers anywhere. I might have been able to track down a lead eventually, but Oz wants me on this. Torchwick and the Fang are up to something, and as much as I hate to say it, I'm thinking Belladonna might be my best lead."

Tai shook his head, looking at the sky. "The Belladonna's are good people. I don't know how I'm going to explain any of this to her parents."

Qrow shrugged. "Then don't. Leave the scullduggery to me, Tai. You're not suited for it."

Tai frowned. "I don't like lying to them. And if this goes down like I think it will, they'll hear about it."

Qrow shrugged again. "So let them think the girls pulled a fast one on you. It wouldn't be the first time."

Tai chuckled. "True. But in this case, I DO know something is going to happen. It feels like the wrong thing not to at least tell Ghira and Kali what we know."

Qrow shook his head. "They're on the other side of the world, Tai. They can't do anything from their end but worry. Better not to bring it up."

Tai grimaced, but finally nodded. "Fine. But if this goes south, I'm throwing you under the King Taijitu."

Qrow chuckled. "Fair enough. It won't be the first time some girl's parents wanted me dead."

Tai laughed at that. "You're not wrong."

Author's Notes:

Sorry about the long delay between chapters. This one took me awhile. Unfortunately, I can't blame the difficulty of the chapter so much as the existence of my new VR rig. I've been having entirely too much fun instead of writing recently, which has slowed my progress down to a crawl in recent months.

My pace should pick up a bit now that the novelty has worn off a little, but I expect I'll continue to be slower updating then I was in the past. Nevertheless, this story will continue.

Are Tai and Qrow being too cool about team RPBY's plans to deal with the White Fang? Should Tai go ahead and tell Ghira and Kali what's going on? Tell me what you think in your comments.