A/N

Howdy Fanfiction dot net! This is a prequel to It Might Even Be Great, set in an AU where Beacon didn't fall. More of that's explained in the other fic, but this works as a standalone story regardless!

Thanks for reading!

Blake fidgeted, fingers twisting at the edge of her sleeve as she watched the clouds pass by the window. It was still a few hours until they landed, and half-formed anxious thoughts swirled in her head, until a voice scattered them. "Hey."

Blake looked up and found a truly lovely sight, and all but the toughest branches of anxiety were cut away.

Yang smiled down at her with two complimentary water bottles in hand and a radiant smile on her face. She passed one to Blake, who took it and twisted off the cap. As she sipped, Yang fell into the seat beside her, leaning gently on her shoulder.

Yang gave her a knowing look, and pecked Blake on the lips when she was done. Gently, she put her hand over her girlfriend's. "Someone's tense. What's on your mind?"

Blake sighed, looking down at her knees. "…I just, really don't want to mess this up."

Yang squeezed her hand. "You won't."

"I hope you're right." Blake returned to looking out the window, searching for a shred of land in the swirling white and blue. Her eyes unfocused for a moment, and she shook her head gently. "I don't know," she said, her voice weak as she let slip a vulnerability she rarely showed anyone. "I just don't know how I'll be received. I haven't spoken to my parents in years, since they…"

She hesitated, glancing furtively about the passenger compartment. The rest of the passengers were almost all faunus, but although Yang had drawn some funny looks while boarding, they seemed mostly uninterested in the current conversation. "…Left the organization," she continued, quietly. "The last time we spoke, I called my father a coward. To his face." She lowered her head into her hands. "It's been eight years."

"So?" Yang shifted again, leaning more heavily into Blake's side. "Sure, you did that, but you're trying to fix it. The past is what it is. but you're making an effort to mend things again. You're going back ." Her smile darkened slightly. "Not everybody would."

"I… yeah," Blake smiled, leaning into Yang as well. "You're right." She nuzzled into Yang's side, until Yang rolled her eyes and put an arm gently around her shoulders.

"So needy," Yang murmured, planting a gentle kiss between Blake's uncovered ears. "What would you ever do without me, Blake?"

Blake just smirked. "Excuse me? That's not the tune you were singing last night."

"H-hey," Yang hissed, abruptly going red. "No fair."

Blake giggled, planting a kiss on a flushed cheek. "You are so cute when you're embarrassed," she whispered into Yang's ear.

"S-shut up," Yang muttered, pulling away with mock offense. Blake could hear her heartbeat quickening. "Am not."

Blake—gently—lifted her hand and drew her index finger up across Yang's neck, up through curls to trace the curve of her ear. "Really?"

Yang just shuddered, looking away sharply as her eyes unfocused.

God I love this woman. Blake smirked, and kissed Yang again, softly. She lingered there just long enough to leave the two of them even more flushed than before. They glanced about for a moment, suddenly conscious of being in public.

Sighing, Blake gently returned to leaning her head on Yang's shoulder, smiling softly as the clouds continued to pass outside. "It'll be okay," she said, hoping she believed it.

They landed in the evening, at a small airfield on the outskirts of town. The airport was small, but packed, plenty of people coming in for the holidays, though it was quite surreal coming from Vale's winter to Menagerie's summer. Yang found herself glad she'd worn a tank top under her jacket, as she folded it over her arm.

She did feel a little nervous about showing so much skin though, her lack of faunus traits quite apparent. There were a couple other humans present—or at least people who passed for human—but remarkably few. And she'd never seen so many faunus in her life.

She kept catching people giving her looks, but she forced herself to ignore them. This is what Blake feels every day, she reminder herself with a sense of resolve. Except probably a million times easier. She smiled, looking on as her partner pulled her bag off the luggage cart, smiling and chatting with one of the crew as she did. She looked more at ease than Yang had ever seen her before, something cheerful and… almost carefree in her step.

Blake noticed Yang staring, and shot her a smirk. "C'mon," Blake said. "Is walking okay?"

"Sure," Yang said, hefting her own bags. For you, Blake? Anything.

Yang had been keeping a check on her expectations of Menagerie. She knew she was going to have a distorted sense of it, just from all the cultural bullshit instilled over a life of living in majority-human areas. Patch hadn't been without faunus by any means, but there had always been a lot fewer of them.

Here, it really was the reverse.

She squeezed Blake's arm gently as they walked, speaking in low tones. "So… please punch me if I fuck up."

Blake rolled her eyes. "Yang, it's okay. Nobody's gonna bite your head off."

Yang laughed, and lapsed into silence.

Blake did her best not to sigh. She'd known this was coming.

Yang was doing The Thing. She was tense—smiling, but clearly on edge, fidgeting lightly with the collapsed gauntlets on her wrists. It was a look Blake had seen before on humans who came to Menagerie. The same stiff, frantic, quietly-guilty politeness.

It had always grated on her. Seeing it in Yang was… frustrating.

She closed her eyes, letting herself relax a little.

"What in the— Belladonna? Is that you? "

Her eyes flew open as a momentary burst of anxiety quickly gave way to a rush of surprise and joy. She turned towards the voice, and spotted him, a young man sitting at a booth framed with jewelry of all kinds, grey-white owl feathers covering his head instead of hair. He was older, but she'd recognize this asshole anywhere. "Orville!"

She ran over to him, a big grin on her face, before remembering herself and glancing away, embarrassed. "It's… been a long time."

"I'll say!" Orville grinned at her, holding his arms open for a hug. After a moment's hesitation, she returned it, pressing him close. He grinned, patting her on the back. "You sure look different. Glad to see you ditched that bow since the Vytal festival."

She laughed, pulling back and taking him in. He had a few more piercings, and his face was a little rougher, with a faint— "A soul patch, really?"

"Hey, I look cool . 'Sides, gotta show off how well the T is working." Orville grinned, a curious spark in his eyes as he looked at his old friend. "What're you doing back in Menagerie? I heard you left the Fang a while back, and—"

Blake's ears flattened, and she shook her head sharply, shooting a glance at the nearby booths to see if anyone was paying attention. Orville picked up on it quickly, and winced. "Sorry!" he whispered.

"It's fine," Blake said, smiling despite herself when nobody seemed to be paying attention. "That was a long time ago, honestly."

"But then you showed up at the Vytal festival!" Orville continued. "Blake Belladonna, a huntress!"

He paused.

"It's… still Blake , right?"

Blake's shoulders tensed, but Orville's smile set her at ease again. "Yeah I decided to keep it."

He laughed, a light, chirpy sound. "Hell, that's awesome too, for the record. Always knew you were tough, but, wow, you're that tough!"

Blake shrugged. "How are you doing?" She glanced down at his booth with a light smirk. "Still selling knock-off jewelry?"

Orville's feathers puffed up. "Hey, these ain't knock-offs anymore!" He reached down and carefully held up a necklace and a set of earrings. "These here are real gold. My husband makes them."

Blake's eyebrows rose. "You got married? Who?"

"Verdie."

Blake's jaw dropped. "Verdie? Married you?"

"I am as shocked as you, believe me." Orville smirked, his eyes darting to something behind Blake. "Speaking of which, you going to introduce me?"

A rush of embarrassment took Blake. "Oh. Sorry Yang."

Yang smiled too wide. She had her hands clasped behind her back, her posture tighter under their attention. "No big, no big," she said.

Blake and Orville shared a Look. Orville cocked an eyebrow, but Blake just rolled her eyes and smiled.

"This is Yang Xiao Long," she said, gesturing unnecessarily. "My girlfriend."

Yang's ears went pink.

"Oh ho ho ho ho, " Orville grinned, leaning across the counter. "So you've moved onto big strong ladies now, eh? Never pegged you as quite so versatile."

Blake rolled her eyes and cuffed him lightly on the shoulder. "Not everyone can be as gay as you are, Mr. Six-For-One."

"Oh my gods," Orville laughed. "Oh my gods I can't believe you still remember that!"

"It was hard to forget," Blake smirked, turning back to her girlfriend. "Yang, this is Orville Tyto. We grew up together."

Orville waved, extending a fist out towards Yang. "Yo."

Yang only hesitated for a fraction of a second, but then a grin broke across her face. Quietly, Blake felt a little relief. There you go.

"Yo," Yang said, offering a matching fist. They bumped. "Nice to meet you."

"Likewise, likewise." Orville grinned. "Congrats on coming in second at the Vytal festival. I'm a big fan."

Yang smiled, a little sheepish. "Aw, thanks."

"Hey, can I ask you something?"

Yang crossed her arms, eyeing his grin warily. "Shoot."

Orville's grin turned practically evil. "Settle an old bet for me; does Blake like catching or pitching?"

Yang sputtered as her face lit up like kindling.

Blake just put a palm to her face. "Orville…"

"Hey, it's really just business," Orville said, grin widening. "There are quite a few lien riding on this answer y'know."

"How long ago was this even? And with who? "

"Like six years ago, but Coriander honors his bets." He looked at Yang expectantly. "Come on, please, I gotta know. Top or bottom?"

Yang coughed, face heating up even as her eyes lit up with mischief.

She glanced at Blake, eyebrow raised questioningly.

Blake just smiled and shrugged. Up to you.

Yang turned back to Orville. "Unfortunately," she said, with a barely hidden grin. "I'm not allowed to answer that. If I did, there would be…" she winked, "...consequences."

Orville stared for a second, then got it. He laughed, hard. "Holy shit," he wheezed. "I lose then. Blake your girlfriend's awesome."

Blake smiled, linking her arm with Yang's. "I know." She looked at her partner, making sure they made eye contact before she spoke again. "There will be consequences, though."

Yang's blush increased, as did Orville's wheezing.

"Holy shit," he said. "Hey, hey, Blake."

"Hm?"

Orville reached down behind his booth and rummaged for something. A moment later, he came back up and held up his palm, revealing a pair of simple necklaces.

A deep violet teardrop dangled from the first, carved from seashell. From the other, an oval of yellow sea-glass.

"Special, one-time-only offer," he said. "Half-off if you get the set."

"He's good," Yang said as they walked away, holding the necklace between her fingers. "I never buy jewelry."

"Orville's always been a slippery salesman," Blake said, waving fondly at her old friend. "When we were kids, he would go out to the streams and find shiny rocks. Then he'd come back and convince the other kids they were precious gems." She laughed. "He got in so much trouble when his parents found out, but, he managed to take quite a few people's lunch money that way."

Yang just grinned, letting the necklace fall to her chest. "Well, I don't feel cheated at all," she said, and planted a kiss on Blake's cheek.

"You know he offered us half-off because he was selling these for three times what they're worth."

"I did not know that," Yang said, smirking. "But, whatever."

Blake regarded her with cool eyes, taking note of her easy posture. "You're loosening up."

"Yeah." Yang scratched the back of her head sheepishly. "Sorry about that. I know I've been acting weird."

"It's alright," Blake said nudging her shoulder gently. "You're doing better than a lot of humans I've met."

"This is a thing , huh?"

"It really is." Blake sighed. "But, it means you're aware. That you're trying. There are much worse ways to be."

There was a pause, and Yang coughed gently, changing the subject. "So, anyway, which house belongs to your folks?"

Blake sighed. Here we go. Well, better get it over with before we walk up to the door.

Wordlessly, she took Yang's hand, and pointed down to the far end of the road.

Yang's mouth dropped open. "Oh."

Yang had really tried to drop all expectations, but the closer she got to Blake's family home, the less she understood about her girlfriend. "Wait," she said, putting her hand on Blake's shoulder and trying to get the facts to make sense in her head. "So you're the daughter of the chieftain of Menagerie?"

"He's also the former head of the White Fang," Blake said, ears drooping in resignation. "Yang, it's not a big deal."

"I mean… sorry, but that's obviously false." Yang sighed, shaking her head. "It's fine, it's fine. I'm just suddenly real glad Weiss isn't here."

Blake stiffened a bit. "There are a lot of reasons for that," she said, a little sadness working its way into her voice.

Yang gave her a puzzled look. "More than just, the huge obvious list of reasons?"

"Just, please don't remind them that one of my best friends happens to be the former heiress to the Schnee Dust Company?"

Yang squeezed Blake's shoulder gently. "Gotcha."

They reached the… huge stone staircase leading up to Blake's house. Yang's stomach did an unhappy little backflip as she looked up at the huge wooden doors. There were knockers on them. Who had knockers on their doors?

"Is there…" Yang started to say, swallowing as Blake looked at her. "Any, protocol I should be aware of?"

Blake regarded her for a moment. "Just be polite."

"Okay," Yang said. "But—"

Blake turned and grabbed Yang's shoulders, her tone suddenly sharp. "Be yourself , Yang. Be the person who talked me into doing this. Be the girl I fell in love with."

There was a moment of stunned silence, before Blake let go just as quickly, wrapping her arms around herself and looking away.. "I… sorry, Yang. I just, this is…"

Yang shook herself, stepping forward before Blake could say anything and pulling her into a big, warm hug.

Blake melted into it after a moment, and Yang could feel her shaking. "I'm just, really scared!" Blake continued. "I… I couldn't even bring myself to tell them I was coming because I was afraid if I did, they'd tell me not to."

Yang stroked her hair gently.

"I regret so much about my past," Blake said. "They were one of the only unquestionably good things in my life, and I threw them away. I'm… I'm not sure I even deserve to be doing this."

"Hey," Yang said, pulling away just enough to force Blake to look at her. "You do. Blake, you are one of the greatest, strongest, kindest people I know."

Blake laughed, but Yang shook her head. "I'm not joking. You saw that the world was unjust and you took action to fix it. Even if it wasn't the right way, or with the right people, you tried to change the world. And you were what, fourteen?

"…Twelve."

Yang's eyes widened. "Holy shit."

Blake smiled, blushing a little. "...Yeah."

"But that's what I'm saying ." Yang smiled, pressing a kiss to Blake's forehead. "You didn't stay with the White Fang out of spite or hatred. You did it because you still wanted to make the world a better place for the faunus. That's amazing. And, even if you aren't proud of the way you did it, you still haven't given up on it. You haven't stopped growing, or trying to be better. You haven't let yourself forget your mistakes, even if maybe you should forgive yourself for them a little more."

Blake laughed, brushing aside a strand of hair. "I was twelve."

"Yup! And your parents know that too." Yang shifted, wrapping her girlfriend in a one-armed hug and facing them both squarely towards the Belladonna household. "If they're anything like you've told me, I think they'll be happy to see you."

Blake smiled, brushing away tears. She leaned into Yang for a moment, squeezed her tight, then broke away to move forward.

She took the stairs one at a time, her footsteps quiet. Yang followed, always within arm's reach.

The doors weren't as tall as Blake remembered.

I'm not as small as I remember.

She nudged Yang with her right hand, and felt rough fingers twine with hers. The warmth steadied her, as she reached for the knocker with her left. She pulled it back, and let it go.

It fell with a single thud that seemed to shake the world.

Blake stiffened, and Yang's fingers tightened around hers.

They waited only a moment, before the left door slowly creaked open.

And there was her mom, peering at her around the door, eyes growing wide. For a moment, neither of them spoke.

Blake smiled nervously, breaking nearly eight years of silence with her quiet, shaking voice. "H-hey, mom—"

Then she was cut off, as Kali Belladonna quickly stepped forward and threw her arms around her daughter. "My baby girl," Kali whispered, tears falling a she hugged Blake close.

A tough voice called from inside. "Kali? Who is it?"

And there was her dad, standing there in the threshold, looking at her with stark astonishment which quickly melted into a the kind of smile his daughter hadn't dared to dream he'd ever give to her again.

Blake pressed her face into her mother's shoulder as a huge weight fell crashing off her shoulders.

"I'm home," she said.

Blake's mom brought them tea as they got comfortable in the living room. The place was huge, but Yang did her best not to gawk at any of the tapestries or hanging plants that decorated the house. Or palace, or whatever you'd call it. She wasn't sure whether to introduce herself, and Blake's mom seemed to pick up on that, nudging her daughter on the shoulder.

"So…?" she asked, glancing at Yang.

"Oh," Blake said, blushing a little. "Mom, dad, this is Yang Xiao Long. She's… my partner, at Beacon."

Yang smiled, glancing at Blake for an instant before nodding. "Yup, though just Yang is fine. It's nice to meet you both."

She extended a hand, and Ghira caught it in his own. Tightly.

"The pleasure is ours," he said his smile not quite reaching his eyes. "Ghira Belladonna."

Yang felt her stomach take a leap, but her mind slapped it back into place. Ahhhhh he's the type of dad who needs to test his daughter's friends to make sure they're good enough. They really do exist! With a slight grin, she easily matched his strength, visibly surprising the old man. They shook, and after a moment Ghira released her, looking thoughtful, with a slightly different smile on his face.

"And I'm Kali." Blake's mom smiled, her eyes friendly but also with a mischievous edge. If Yang had tried to imagine Blake about twenty years older than she was now, Kali would have been close. Yang smiled back, offering her hand as well. Kali took it, much more gently, but still firm.

"So you're students at Beacon," Ghira said. He gave Blake a chiding look. "It was quite a shock to tune in to the Vytal Festival and see my daughter competing in the very first match. And winning , no less." He smiled, adjusting his wiry spectacles. "You could have let us know—we would have visited."

Blake looked down, her ears flattening in shame. "I'm sorry, I… really should have called sooner."

"Ghira…" Kali said, putting a hand on her husband's arm before turning back to Blake. "We're just glad you've finally come home," she said, her smile warm and kind. "I know things were… complicated, when we last spoke."

Blake sighed, mustering her strength. "I… I wanted to say…"

She swallowed, and Yang carefully shifted her hand on the floor, putting it close to Blake's. Blake's cheeks darkened a shade, and she only touched Yang's hand with the tip of her pinky.

It seemed to help, though. "I wanted to say… I'm sorry for what I said when I left. You were right about the White Fang, and I should have listened to you when you told me not to go with them. I just…"

She trailed off, tears in her eyes as she hung her head in shame, and it was all Yang could do not to sweep her into a hug. Thankfully, Kali didn't have any such hesitations.

"Blake," she said, pulling her daughter close. "It's alright. We never held it against you. Not for a moment."

Ghira shot the two of them a soft, unguarded smile, only stopping when he noticed Yang glance his way with one of her own. "Of course," he said. "While we chose not to continue our support of the White Fang after Sienna took over, our decision was precisely that: a choice. The way we saw it, you were just as free to make your own. We're just glad you didn't get hurt."

Blake laughed, a little, hugging her mother close. Wordlessly, Ghira got up and joined them, pulling both women into his arms. Yang sipped her tea, trying not to smirk. D'aww.

They separated again in a moment, returning to their seats around the square table. There was a moment of silence, as Blake and Kali both sipped their tea, and Ghira refilled his.

Kali set her teacup down with a quiet klink. "So…" she said, turning her attention her attention to Yang suddenly enough to make her jump just a little. "How have things been at Beacon? I hope our daughter hasn't caused you any trouble."

She met Yang's eyes, and Yang paled at the smirk she found there. Oh, okay. I will live in fear of this woman for the rest of my life.

She did her best to keep smiling along. "No way!" she said. "Blake is, really really great. I wouldn't trade her for anyone in the world."

Kali's eyebrows shot up, her smile increasing.

"…We make a really good team," Yang said. "Y'know, fighting monsters."

Blake and Ghira gave her looks that said, in mildly different intonations, what are you doing?

"That's good," Kali said, picking up her teacup and hovering it near her lips. "So how long have the two of you been together?"

Ghira just sipped his tea while Blake did her best not to choke.

Yang held her face as rigid as she could. "Well, we've been partners since our first semester, so about two years now."

"Mhmm?" Kali said. Her eyes never once left Yang's.

Yeah, that wasn't gonna fly.

Yang gave up, letting her head drop. "…and we've been dating for about three months."

Ghira choked on his tea. Blake just lowered her face into her hands. "Yang…"

"Okay sorry but did you see that?" Yang said, gesturing at Kali. She sighed, smiling ruefully back at the older woman. "Nicely done ma'am."

"Why thank you," Kali said, setting her teacup down as Ghira finally managed to stop dying.

"You're what?" he said, his eyes wide with shock.

"Me and Yang have been dating for three months," Blake repeated, her ears flat in defeat. She deliberately shifted over and linked hands with Yang, shooting her a beautiful smile before fixing her family with an even stare. "That's how it is."

"Well, um." Ghira looked between the two, clearly uncertain what to think. "Congratulations, then," he said. "So it take it you and Adam are no longer—"

Kali shot him a harsh look.

Blake just dipped her head. "Yeah," she said. "I… haven't spoken to Adam since I left the White Fang. That was… three years ago. As of this Sunday, actually."

"Well," Kali said. "That aside, it's very nice to meet you, Yang. I'd heard that hunter pairs have extremely close bonds. I suppose this isn't particularly uncommon."

Yang thought about their fellow students for a moment. First Jaune and Pyrrha, then Nora and Ren, and finally the obvious, very adorable crush between Ruby and Weiss. To say nothing of the complicated stuff going on with team CFVY.

"Yeah, it's really not," she said, shrugging. She looked at Blake, her affection now unhidden. "We trust each other with our lives. We have to, but I also know that I can. Blake's saved my life half a dozen times, and I've saved hers too."

Blake blushed, running her fingers through her hair sheepishly. "That's true. And, I really wouldn't have it any other way."

"Saved each other's lives…" Ghira murmured worriedly. Kali put a hand on his shoulder.

"I'm glad you two have each other," she said, beaming. "For what it's worth, Yang, please feel welcome to stay here any time. And whenever it comes up, please do invite us to the wedding? I want pictures."

Ghira spit out his tea again, and Yang choked hard on hers. Blake just stared at her lap in outright embarrassment. "Um."

"I'm joking," Kali teased. "Well, mostly." She clapped her hands. "So! How long are you two staying? I assume you'll be returning to Vale for the spring semester."

Blake nodded. "Just for the week, although we were thinking of coming by again over the summer break."

She left unspoken the other part of the plan: assuming this visit goes well. Thankfully, it seemed they'd cleared that hurdle.

Kali beamed. "We'd be happy to host you. And you're welcome to bring the rest of your team as well, if you'd like."

Yang's smile dropped. She glanced at Blake, who was looking at her mother with… an expression which was hard to place, but definitely wasn't good.

"Kali…" Ghira said. He glanced at Yang, his eyes unreadable.

Yang decided to punch the goliath in the room. "Including Weiss?" she asked, gently as a freight train.

Kali's expression didn't change. "Certainly."

"You're inviting a Schnee… to Menagerie," Blake said. Her hand squeezed Yang's.

But Kali still didn't waver. "Yes. I know what I'm saying, but I'm saying it as the wife of the Chieftain of Menagerie. I know how fractious it could be, but I'm extending this invitation with a couple of assumptions in mind. May I confirm them briefly?"

Yang swallowed. The room suddenly seemed a lot bigger, or maybe Blake's mom did.

Blake just nodded wordlessly

"Why did you leave the White Fang, Blake? More specifically, did you leave the White Fang because you gave up on equality? On being treated as a full, respectable person?"

"Of course not!" Blake said. "It was for the same reasons you and dad left. It just… took me longer to see what we'd become."

"Right. And Weiss Schnee, she's your friend, isn't she? She's a person you respect, a person you'd trust your life to?"

Blake met her eyes. "Yes."

"Then I trust your judgement of her character." Kali sipped her tea briefly. "I'm aware she isn't her father. I'm also aware that she doesn't have any real power to right the wrongs he's wrought—not yet, at least. Any person worthy of your friendship is welcome in this house. Regardless of bloodline."

She offered an easy smile, looking to her husband briefly. After a moment of silent communication, he sighed and matched her expression. "I wholeheartedly agree. I don't doubt that having her visit Menagerie will cause a stir, but it's also a powerful statement, and one she may wish to make. Regardless, please let her know that the offer stands if she wishes to take it."

Blake nodded, taking a deep breath and squeezing Yang's hand tight. "I will," she said, smiling to match her mother. "Thank you."

Yang smiled, squeezing back. "You have really cool parents, y'know that?"

Blake's ears flattened, and she shifted to lean on Yang's side. Her eyes met her family's, the smiles on their faces melting the tension in her shoulders.

"Yeah, I do."