This actually ended up being one of the longest chapters! Shows what I know about predicting how long my scenes will actually be.

Ember woke slowly to the sounds and smells of the hospital. She remembered working Adam over. She remember riding to the hospital with her mother. She even vaguely remembered beginning the examination. The only explanation for the gap between then and now was sleep. She stretched, taking note of all her new aches, pains, and bandages. She could also feel the stitches where her piercings had been ripped out. "How the hell did I make it through all of that without collapsing?"

"Raw emotion," the answer came from beside her. "I've seen you angry before," Cinder elaborated, "but yesterday, you even scared me."

Ember nodded. "Have you seen Yang?"

"I haven't," Cinder answered, "Between you and Emerald, I'm already here more than I should be. And I wouldn't know what to do with her."

"Right..."

Cinder walked over to her daughter and while mindful of injuries, hugged her tightly. "I am so sorry I let this situation happen."

"You did the best you could, mom," Ember assured, hugging her back. "Adam started this, and I knew what I was getting into when I asked to be a part of things."

"You still got hurt under my watch," Cinder self-scolded.

"And Yang got hurt under mine," Ember pointed out, "and we both handled things the best we could."

"So," Cinder pulled away somewhat reluctantly, "I assume you still want to be 'a part of things'?"

"I do," Ember nodded, sitting up.

"Very well," Cinder took a deep breath, "Then certain things are going to change."

"So I get to finally ditch high school?" Ember asked hopefully.

"No."

"Seriously?"

"You still need decent grades to get into college," Cinder explained, "And you'll need college courses to learn how to run a business, if you're going to run The Maiden's Fire eventually."

"You're giving me Maiden's?" Ember asked.

"Not right now, obviously, and I'm not giving you anything," Cinder clarified. "As much as I would love to train you personally and give you the world, there will be those who accuse you of being handed everything if I do. They'll never listen to you if you haven't quote unquote 'earned your place'."

"But you're still placing me at Maiden's?" Ember pointed out.

"Well, you are still my daughter and I won't have you start as a common thug," Cinder crossed her arms. "And you will earn your place, if for no other reason than you have to. It takes a lot of respect to be in my position, and you won't be able to ride on my name forever. You'll have to cultivate your own."

"I understand," Ember nodded, "thank you for the opportunity."

"Another change is that I'm placing someone to be your 'Emerald', so to speak," Cinder announced, "Simply having your own firearm has been enough until now, but if you plan to partake in criminal activity, you almost certainly will make criminal enemies. You'll need someone to be bodyguard and butler."

"I guess I understand that too," Ember groaned, not looking forward to her future 'big, bald shadow'. "Who have you picked?"

"That one may surprise you, and she still has a few skills and behaviors to learn before fully taking her new position," Cinder answered while sending off a text message to the person in question, "but she seemed a good fit to me. She has already helped and protected you, and is in desperate need for new purpose in Vale. Plus, it would be easier to place someone closer to your age in your school."

Ember gave a few empty blinks. "Wait..."

The door opened and none other than Blake Belladonna stepped into the room. "You summoned me ma'am?" she asked. She suddenly noticed Ember. "Oh, Embe- I mean," ahem, "Ms. Fall. You're awake."

"Blake here is going to be your personal assistant and bodyguard," Cinder confirmed. "She is to take your orders and your orders alone."

"And yours?" Ember asked her mother.

"If I give her an order, her first duty is to inform you and give you the opportunity to agree to or counteract the command," Cinder explained. "You have already earned her respect, my own name need not apply. And you should get used to being in command, even if it's only of one person at this time."

Ember looked Blake over, trying to take measure of the woman. "Alright. Blake, would you fetch me a crutch?"

"Ember!" Cinder immediately scolded.

Blake suddenly felt trapped. She had to choose. Between Cinder Fall, the crime lord and basically queen of all Vale. Or Ember Fall, the woman she had been explicitly ordered to follow all orders and even die for if it became her duty. She took a deep breath and, thinking back on her extended conversation with Cinder the night before, decided to follow the one order Cinder ever gave her before her duties as Ember's 'personal assistant' were established. "I'll be right back, Ms. Fall," Blake bowed out of the room in search of a crutch.

Cinder frowned, but couldn't fault Blake for ultimately doing exactly what Cinder had told her to do. Instead, she had to plead with her daughter, "You need to keep resting."

"I need to talk to Yang," Ember countered. "It's long past time she knew the truth. She deserves to know."

Cinder sighed. "There, talk to her, then right back here to your own bedrest. Got it?"

"Yes, mother," Ember nodded. They still had to wait for Blake to return, so Ember broke the ensuing silence, "how's Emerald?"

"Walking around," Cinder answered with a smile, "she should avoid heavy duty for a while, but I'll be taking her home tonight."

"Oh, I bet you will," Ember smirked.

"Quiet You!" Cinder blushed. "Brat..."

"Seriously though, have you talked to her yet?" Ember asked.

"Not yet, but I will!" Cinder cut off her daughter before she could complain. "Tonight, even. Now that everything has calmed down and everyone is safe."

Blake reentered the room a moment later. "Ms. Fall," she offered out the crutch.

"Thank you, Blake," Ember nodded, taking the item and making her way to her feet. She spotted her wallet on the nightstand and took that too. There was a picture inside she would need.

"I also found out where Yang is, I assume that's where you're headed?" Blake asked, continuing at Ember's nod, "she's on this floor, just three rooms down."

"Ember, wait!" Cinder spoke hurriedly as though she just remembered something. "You should take this," she held out a folder.

Ember looked over the folder, reading the label quickly. Yang Xiao Long. "Is that what I think it is?"

"It finally came through just this morning," Cinder nodded. "I read a piece, not much. Only enough to know."

"And?" Ember asked cautiously.

Her mother's answer was a simple nod.

Ember expected to feel something. A sudden rush of emotion or understanding. Instead, she only felt like after all this time with Yang she already knew. "That's all I needed to hear," Ember pushed the folder down.

"Of course," Cinder understood, pulling the folder back.

Ember looked back to Blake, gesturing to the door. "Let's go."

Blake hesitated slightly before following, falling in step behind Ember. "I, um… don't know what all your mom told you, but I'm still kind of… in training, I guess?"

"She did say," Ember nodded, "but I'm sure right now she'd rather you stick with me. You can find time to finish your 'training' later."

"Yes Ma'am," Blake accepted.

They came to Yang's room where Ember stopped Blake just outside the door. "Could you actually stay out here for this? We are in a hospital and you can still keep watch through the viewing window."

"Of course," Blake nodded and took position.

Ember took a peek through the window herself, thankful to see Yang was already awake. She could feel her nerves rising in her heartbeat as she stepped through the door. Yang turned to see who entered her room. "Oh. It's you."

"Yeah," Ember responded awkwardly.

"I guess I should thank you for saving me?" Yang half-heartedly shrugged.

"You don't have to do that," Ember assured.

"Good," the blonde turned her head away and stared out the outside window.

Undeterred, Ember and her crutch hobbled over to a seat by Yang's bed and sat down.

"I tried telling the doctors I couldn't afford all this," Yang spoke up, "they told me not to worry. I guess I'm in debt to the mafia now?"

"No, Yang, I wouldn't do that to you," Ember answered.

"But you do do that kind of thing," Yang accused, "Money-sharking? Dealing drugs? Or do you just stick to killing people?"

Ember winced at Yang's words. "We don't kill people who don't deserve it. Believe it or not, killing innocent civilians is not good business practice."

"So what about that man?" Yang pointed out, "Adam? What happened to him?"

"To spare you the gory details, he's dead," Ember answered.

"Gory details?" Yang questioned.

"Let's just say he wasn't quite dead yet when I left him," Ember elaborated, "but he didn't have much left."

Yang grimaced. The entire time she had yet to look away from the window.

"Yang, I promised you that I would tell you everything the next time I saw you," Ember explained, "and that's what I'm here to do."

"You seriously think telling me the truth now will fix things?" Yang shook her head.

"No, I don't," Ember assured, "I don't expect us to ever talk again after today, but that doesn't change the fact you deserve to know."

Yang remained silent and staring out the window. After several moments, she shrugged, "What is there even left to say?"

"Why I befriended you in the first place, getting you caught up in all this?" Ember retrieved her wallet, pulling out an old and worn photograph from within it. "I guess I should start with… the fact that Cinder is not my birth mother."

Old ideas that Yang had long since discounted flooded the front of the blonde's mind. Her gaze broke from the outside window to look at Ember once again. "Okay..."

"She found me abandoned in the forest up north, bleeding from my head," Ember pulled back her hair, revealing her oldest scar. "My first memory is waking up in the hospital. I didn't even know my name. I still don't, not the one I was born with anyway. Mom was there, introducing herself as my mother and naming me Ember."

"So… you have no idea where you came from?" Yang's theories were starting to fall apart once again.

"There were little clues..." Ember explained, "I had nightmares. A monster would chase me, and I would run to a golden figure that felt safe. The monster would come anyway, the figure wasn't strong enough to keep him away. I always remembered the figure felt sad, guilty maybe, for not being strong enough.

"And then this," Ember gestured with the photograph. "It was all I had on me when I was found. I came across it in my mom's room when I was… seven I think? The two people next to me in it, looking at them gives me the same feelings the shadows in my dream do. I talked to her about it and that's when I learned I was 'adopted'."

Yang stared silently at the back of the photograph.

"She thinks I was abused," Ember continued, "the nightmares were only more evidence. But the gold figure always stuck with me. Someone loved me, in a life I don't remember." The Fall daughter took a deep breath to calm her nerves. "And then I ran into you. Blonde hair, violet eyes, from up north..."

Yang's eyes met Ember's for the first time since the younger girl entered the room. "Ember… am I in that picture…?"

"I wanted to be sure before I talked to you about it," Ember answered, "so I kept silent while mom had any records of you from Patch dug up. Not to learn everything about you behind your back, just enough to know. Then Adam attacked my mom, and it got put on a backburner. As things got worse, I tried distancing myself to protect you. But it was too late. And you know the rest."

Ember grabbed the crutch and stood, photograph in hand. She passed it to Yang. "I should have just talked to you from the start. If you knew what I was, we could protected you better. I put you in danger, and I'm sorry."

Yang took the picture and turned in over in her hand. Her breath froze at the sight of herself, her father, and her little sister. "Ruby..." Yang didn't notice Ember leaving her room until she heard the door opening. Her head snapped up, "Wait!"

"This doesn't change anything, Yang," Ember stated.

"Are you kidding!?" Yang argued, "This changes everything! You're… you're my sister." Yang sniffed, her first clue that she had started crying. "I-I thought you were dead..."

"I'm a criminal. Daughter to Vale's Crime Lord. And I still want to follow in my mom's footsteps. You hated me a few minutes ago because of that," Ember reminded her, "And that hasn't changed."

Ember left the room. Yang was left alone with the photograph and her own jumbled thoughts. Her eyes drifted back down to the picture. She remembered the day it was taken, one of the few days they felt like a proper family. "I always wondered where it disappeared to," Yang thought aloud. Her eyes lingered on her sister within the photograph.

My sister is alive. My sister is a criminal. My sister doesn't plan to stop being a criminal. The blonde laid back, holding the photograph to her chest. What am I going to do?

That night Emerald climbed into Cinder's car. "Be careful," Cinder warned.

"That's the third time you've said that. I'm fine," Emerald smiled lightly, "are you okay?"

"Am I not allowed to be concerned?" Cinder crossed her arms.

"I didn't say that!" Emerald immediately defended, "It's just… n-nevermind." She blushed fiercely. "Thank you for giving me a ride."

"No need to thank me," Cinder smiled.

The car ride back to the Fall Estate was pleasantly quiet. They pulled into the driveway and Cinder shut off the car. Emerald reached for the door handle, but quickly noticed Cinder was stark still. "Is everything okay?" she asked.

Cinder considered her options for a moment. "I was hoping you might join me for dinner?"

Emerald gave a small smile. "As you wish."

The house was dark and empty. Emerald had a guess as to why her boss wanted the company. It was strange to not see Ember on the couch watching TV, or hear her in her room cussing at a video game. "How much longer will be Ember be in the hospital?"

"Her individual injuries on their own weren't too severe, but together and combined with the blood loss," Cinder explained, "they did a small transfusion and want to keep her another night or two for observation."

"I'm so glad she's okay," Emerald sighed in relief.

Cinder looked briefly through the cabinets as well as the freezer. "I hope you don't mind something we can toss in the oven for twenty minutes. It's a bit late to do any real cooking."

"That's fine with me," Emerald smiled, "do you need help?"

"It's just a couple of frozen pizzas," Cinder chuckled, "I can handle it."

The pair passed the time with idle conversation, both surprised when the timer told them twenty minutes had passed already. Cinder once again turned downed Emerald's offer of aid and soon passed her a few slices on a plate. "Thank you."

"It's my pleasure," Cinder spoke honestly. "Tell me, would you be opposed to joining dinner more often?"

Emerald's brain stopped. No, she isn't asking that… is she? "Isn't dinner your time with Ember?"

"Dinner is time with family," Cinder replied with a growing smirk.

Emerald didn't quite know what to think of that comment. "Ma'am…?"

Cinder rolled her eyes and stood up. "Drop the 'ma'am'," she strutted over to Emerald and leaned over her, placing her hands on the backrest on either side of Emerald's head.

"Cinder…?" Emerald didn't trust that this wasn't her imagination somehow.

"You want this?" Cinder's last doubt came out in a soft tone.

Emerald was having trouble breathing properly. "Do you…?"

Cinder smiled at the confirmation. "Why wouldn't I?"

"You're just so much more..." Emerald gulped, "Beautiful… and powerful… and confident… and I'm-"

Cinder pressed her finger against Emerald's lips. "And you're not?" she shook her head, "You do yourself a disservice. You are gorgeous and loyal. And really, would it surprise you to learn that I like my girls a little… submissive?"

Emerald could only whimper in response, her heart going a mile a minute.

"Are you going to kiss me, or do I have to make it an order?" Cinder smirked.

"...I love you," Emerald confessed.

"I love you too," Cinder returned, "now kiss me."

One Week Later

"It's nice to finally have some help in the kitchen," Cinder mentioned off-handedly as she and Emerald prepared dinner for that night.

"Hey! I've offered to help!" Ember argued from her spot at the table.

"Oh, don't worry little flame," Cinder chuckled, "I'll let you help. I was thinking about burning this place down for insurance money anyway."

"I'm not that bad!" Ember crossed her arms.

"She can bake a mean cookie, Cin," Emerald defended the daughter Fall.

"Maybe we can make some of those tonight?" Cinder pondered, "Between the hospital, getting Blake into your school, and fixing up the mess Adam left us, we haven't yet celebrated us making it out the other side safe and alive."

"Seriously!?" Ember smiled widely

"I don't think we have the ingredients here," Emerald pointed out.

"Blake!" Ember called out to the new bodyguard, who was reading on the couch in the living room, "We're going shopping!"

"Yes, Ms. Fall," Blake bookmarked her page and followed her boss out the door.

After a moment of silence, Emerald spoke up, "So, we've bought a few minutes alone."

"Is my master plan so easily deduced?" Cinder smirked, setting down her current cookware to sweep her new lover into her arms.

Outside in the car, Blake brought it up to Ember, "Emerald and your mom are almost acting like high schoolers."

"Wha'dya mean?" Ember asked.

"They got us out of the house so they could make out, ma'am," Blake explained bluntly.

Ember froze and shuddered a little. "Gross. I mean, they're happy, and that's good, but… gross."

Ember's car pulled back into the driveway barely twenty minutes later. Ember and Blake stepped out of the vehicle with a bag each. "They better have their pants on when we go inside," Ember thought aloud.

"Do you hear that?" Blake stopped them.

Somewhere ahead, a voice that sounded like of of the home's perimeter guards could be heard, "I'm supposed to believe that?"

"It's the truth!" another familiar voice argued, "don't you have a radio or something? It would take two seconds to ask them!"

"I'm not going to disturb Ms. Fall or her daughter during dinner," the guard responded, "especially not to ask about a sister I know doesn't exist."

"Sister?" Blake asked.

Ember was already around the corner, confirming her suspicion. "Yang?"

The blonde turned away from the guard she was arguing with at the voice of the goth girl. "Ember! I, um… I was just wanting to talk to you."

"Why?" Ember asked, "I thought you hated everything I'm about."

"I never said I hated anything, that was your word," Yang pointed out. "Was I angry? Yes. But I wasn't angry that you were a criminal. I'm not happy about it, but that's not why I was angry. I was angry because you've been lying to me since day one."

"I didn't mean for it to go on for so long," Ember apologized, "I had a plan that included telling you the truth. If Adam never started his war, everything would have been a lot smoother."

Yang sighed, "I still think you never should have lied at all."

"You're right," Ember agreed, "I was just afraid of scaring you away."

Yang nodded, understanding.

"Is that all you wanted to say?" Ember asked as the silence stretched.

"No..." Yang answered, "I actually wasn't planning on bringing that up at all…"

Another silence stretched. "Okay…?" Ember bade Yang to continue.

The blonde breathed deeply. "I… don't remember having a proper family. But I do remember loving you. You were my baby sister! And technically, you still are. I know you're not going to give up the criminal stuff, but maybe… maybe I can get used to it."

"Yang..."

"I thought you were dead for twelve years," Yang continued, "now that I know you're not… I don't want to give up this chance."

"Yang..." Ember shook her head, "I don't think that's a good idea."

Yang was taken aback by the response. "Oh… I… after the effort you went through… I thought you would want this..."

"I do, but… You've seen first hand how dangerous it can be," Ember explained, "you'll probably be safer if we stay strangers. Forget about me and live your best life."

"Yeah, it's probably safer. But so what?" Yang steeled her gaze, "you don't remember when we were kids together, but I do. I can't just forget that you're my sister, even if I wanted to. And I don't want to."

Yang suddenly stepped in and pulled Ember into a deep hug. Ember was too stunned to immediately push the blonde off.

"I missed you every day," Yang confessed, "I missed having family. I know I might not like everything I see, but I want to get to know my sister."

Ember slowly conceded, eventually wrapping her arms around Yang. "Are you sure? I don't want you to just ignore everything you hate because you feel obliged to 'get to know me'. No obligation exists."

"Don't care, I'm not letting this pass me by," Yang confirmed.

Ember smiled. She would be lying if she said this wasn't exactly what she wanted, so she finally gave in. "So, um… do you want to come inside?"

Yang pulled back, hope in her teary eyes, "really?"

"Yeah," Ember nodded, "We're about to have dinner. There's always leftovers, so there should be enough for you to have a plate as well."

Yang smiled. "Thank you."

"Yeah, well," Ember rubbed the back of her head, "if any part of my life was a result of good decisions, I wouldn't be an amnesiac crime lord in waiting, would I? Why break the mold now?"

Thankfully, Yang laughed at the poor joke. Ember led her sister up the drive, followed closely by a Blake still trying to process everything she learned. They entered the kitchen to the sight of a slightly winded-looking Emerald and Cinder that actually managed to stop kissing and start cooking shortly before Ember returned. "Everything go well at the store, little flame?" Cinder asked without looking up.

"Yeah," Ember nodded, casting an eye back to Yang. "Do you think there will be enough for an extra plate?"

"Most likely, but are you really that hungry?" Cinder looked up and saw Yang. "Oh. Hello."

"Hello, Ms. Fall..." Yang spoke timidly.

"Please, Cinder," the Fall mother smiled, "so, you're staying for dinner?"

"If I may," Yang asked politely.

"Of course!" Cinder smiled.

Blake took her own dinner elsewhere, as she wasn't really part of the 'family'. When the plates were finally passed around, it was Emerald, Cinder, Ember and Yang sitting together for the meal.

The meal was unsettlingly quiet until Cinder took it upon herself to address the elephant in the room, "Are you two embracing your sisterhood?"

Ember still had a fork halfway in her mouth when she sputtered. Yang answered instead, "I think so. I hope so."

"Even knowing what we are?" Cinder asked.

"I won't lie, it does make me uncomfortable," Yang confessed, "but how often does someone's sister come back from the dead? I want to at least try a sistership with Ember."

"We'll try to make sure you don't get caught up in our 'business' in the future," Cinder promised.

"It should be easier now that you know," Ember pointed out.

"Right," Yang nodded, "Thank you."

Silence fell again. "I guess none of us really know what to talk about," Yang tried to make light of the fact.

"Actually, I was thinking," Ember cut in, "You said I don't remember what it was like when we were kids together. So, what was it like?"

Yang set down her fork, wondering where to start. "Well… I'd like to say we were happy, but I think everyone here knows that not true."

Everyone stayed quiet, waiting for her to continue.

Yang picked up on it quickly, "Dad wasn't a bad person, deep in his heart. The problem was he wasn't a nice drunk. And after your mom died, few days passed when he wasn't drunk."

"My mom?" Ember asked.

"Yeah," Yang nodded, "you and I have different moms. Mine ran off before I could remember her, and yours, Summer, she died... in childbirth."

"You mean she died having me," Ember deduced.

"Dad blamed you, or at least 'Drunk Dad' did," Yang continued, "and then he'd…. take out his frustrations..."

"You don't have to describe that," Ember sensed the emotions in her sister.

Yang nodded in appreciation.

"I look like Summer, don't I?" Ember pointed out.

"Yeah," Yang confirmed, "How'd you know?"

"You called me Summer when we met in Beacon's hall," Ember recalled.

"I did?" Yang didn't remember.

"What do you remember about her?" Ember asked next.

Yang thought for a moment. "I was only two when she died, so I don't remember much about then. I do remember being happy. Dad was happy, Summer was happy, I was happy. We only got happier when Summer learned she was pregnant." Yang chuckled as she parsed her vague memories, "I do remember they would argue over names almost every night, but a good kind of arguing, if that makes sense. 'Bout the only nice thing Dad ever did for you was give you the name Summer wanted for you."

Ember's and Cinder's gazes met, both sharing the same thought. "I can't believe I didn't think of that until now..."

"What?" Yang asked.

"You know my name… the name I was born with..." Ember realized. "What is it?"

Yang looked her sister in the eye with a soft smile. "Ruby. Your name is Ruby Rose."

"Not Xiao Long?" Cinder spoke up.

"Summer never took dad's name," Yang explained, "So Ruby is a Rose."

"Ruby Rose..." Ember mulled the name over in her head, "sounds… kinda weird."

"This raises a question," Cinder pointed out, "now that you know, what name will you go by?"

Ember thought on this for a surprising amount of time. "Everyone knows me as Ember Fall. If I tried to tell the whole city I changed my name, it would only cause confusion, and some would never use it anyway… I guess legally, I'll stay Ember Fall. But..." Ember smiled back at Yang, "I suppose if you want to call me Ruby, I wouldn't stop you."

Yang's smile grew larger. "Thank you. Ruby."

"It's certainly a nice compromise," Cinder commented with a smirk, "Call me selfish, but I still prefer the name I gave you."

The little joke succeeded in lightening the mood, and everyone chuckled at her delivery.

"I have a question, if I may?" Emerald asked Cinder, "Now that she's part of the family, is she moving in?"

"Oh, I'm sure whatever hole that school dug up for you is horrid,"Cinder spoke toward Yang, "not to mention living here would be free-of-charge."

"Wait, seriously?" Yang questioned.

"You may not be my daughter, and I would never ask you to think of me as your mother," Cinder explained, "but Ember is my daughter, and you are her sister. That makes you family, and what's the point of everything I do if I can't at least help family?"

"And we have the perfect thing to celebrate!" Ember remembered, "cookies!"

"I better clear the kitchen," Emerald stated.

"I'll gather ingredients for you to start," Cinder announced.

Ember turned to Yang, smiling, "I'm good at cookies. You wanna help, sis?"

"Of course!" Yang smiled back, "I'm no slouch at cookies myself. Sis."

As the four began baking together, Ember had an epiphany. Cinder Fall, Yang Xiao Long, Emerald Sustrai, even Blake Belladonna at a stretch. A family of misfits and crooks, but no less real than any other. They were her family, and she honestly wouldn't have them any other way.

Reached the end! I hope you all enjoyed it! I think this is the first full story (not counting the 'one bad' oneshots) that I've finished in a long time. It feels good.

I don't know what my next project will be or when, but I hope it doesn't take me too long and I hope I see you all soon!

- Vengfulfate