It had been two days since the fall of Beacon. Two days since his world had changed forever.

Jaune stood outside a rustic cabin in the woods. He never would have imagined that this was the place his friends had grown up, but seeing was believing. He doubled-checked the address Yang had texted to his scroll to ensure that this was indeed the correct house. Quite frankly, it was surprising that the older sister had grown up in the middle of nowhere.

Yet his mind couldn't stay on small trivialities such as this. Once upon a time it might have been conversation-worthy. Once he might have probed and prodded his friends to share their experiences growing up in a remote log cabin in the middle of Patch. Now, however, was not the time for such inquiries. Now was the time to be there for his friends. Just as he needed his friends to be there for him.

Stepping up to the entrance, Jaune raised his fist and gave the door a few hard knocks. Solid wood, if he had to wager. Not that he would know the difference between a solid wood door and one constructed of other materials, but he couldn't help his mind from wandering. It was better than focusing on the pain he had endured the past couple days.

It took only a few seconds for him to hear the faint sounds of footsteps on the other side of the door. One click later and it swung back revealing an all too familiar sight. Bright silver eyes stared out at him, and locks of red-black hair hung down to frame the beauty's face.

"Can I help you?" the familiar stranger asked.

She wore black, the tight corset and skirt's dark tones emphasizing the pure white cloak that rested over her shoulders and fell down her back. Jaune was taken aback for a moment, staring into the mirrored eyes of the woman who resembled his friend. How Ruby might look in fifteen years.

"Oh, um, hi," he hurried to say. He really should have come up with some sort of pre-thought greeting. He hated being on the spot with nothing to say. Too many ums and uhs made him sound like a total doofus. "My name's Jaune. Jaune Arc. I'm a friend of Ruby and Yang. I came by because I was wondering how they were doing."

The woman's eyes lit up, her mouth opening slightly for a moment before speaking. "Oh, my," she said with a soft nod. "Yes, of course. Yang did mention that you might be stopping by. Please, come in."

She moved back and to the side, urging Jaune to enter with a gesture of her arms. The boy smiled and nodded in turn, stepping through the entrance and passing the woman by.

Everything inside was wood. The floors were planks. The walls were paneling. The furniture was no surprise. A large pale green area rug with white zig-zag stripes gave color to the living room, as did the couch and chair which were just a little bit darker than the rug. The smell of wood wafted through his nostrils. The place felt warm. Inviting. Comforting.

"Make yourself at home," the woman said as she shut the door. "I'm Summer, Ruby and Yang's mother. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too," Jaune said, still taking in the sights around him. The large television that stood opposite the couch. An empty dog bed. Even shelves full of books. Neither Ruby nor Yang struck him as much of a reader. Maybe they all belonged to their mother?

"Speaking to a friend might do Yang some good right now," Summer said as she moved toward the staircase. "I'll go up and let her know you're here. Please, sit. Relax."

Jaune smiled and wordlessly followed his instructions, taking a seat on the couch. The news was softly playing on the TV, and it wasn't surprising that it was covering the fall of Beacon. Even now first responders and huntsmen were trying to get a handle on the situation and rescue those who were still missing.

It only took a minute for Summer to emerge from the top of the staircase and glide down. Her white cloak trailed her, and the sight reminded Jaune so much of Ruby. Like mother, like daughter, he mused.

"Unfortunately Ruby still hasn't woken up," she said solemnly. "But Yang is in her room when you're ready."

The words hit Jaune like a bullet. "What do you mean she hasn't woken up? What's wrong?"

"Her Uncle Qrow found her unconscious at Beacon and brought her home. She'd been in bed ever since."

That sounded serious. He knew that the girl's mother must have known best, but it didn't stop alarm bells from sounding in Jaune's mind. "She should be in a hospital then, right?"

To his surprise, Summer paused, and hesitated. "No, she'll be fine," she stated, sounding surprisingly confident in her tone. "Trust me. It's more of a… family condition. I'm familiar with it."

Jaune frowned, but wasn't about to argue with Ruby's own mother. Especially if it was a family thing that the woman knew about. "Oh. Okay then."

"But please, right this way," she said, beckoning him toward the stairs. "I'll show you to Yang's room."

Jaune followed after her, the long white cloak covering up the entirety of Summer's back and legs. After a left turn on the staircase Jaune found himself on the second floor, and a number of rooms with their doors closed greeted him.

"Yang's room is the furthest down on the right," Summer told him.

The boy nodded. "Right. Thanks."

Summer smiled briefly before turning and walking back down the stairs. Jaune meanwhile approached the door in question, knocking on it gently a couple times.

"It's unlocked."

Taking that as permission to enter, Jaune pushed the door in, and saw a sight that made his heart wrench in his chest.

Under the covers lay Yang, her right arm bandaged up just above the elbow. The rest of the limb was missing, yet another casualty of the Battle of Beacon.

"Hey, Yang," he smiled weakly, stepping in and moving the door to an almost closed position behind him. "How are you doing?"

The blonde girl glanced down at her right arm. "How do you think?"

Jaune winced, knowing he had messed up. "Right. Bad question. Sorry."

Yang sighed, closing her eyes and shaking her head slightly. "No, I'm sorry, Jaune. I shouldn't snap at you like that. It's not your fault."

No, maybe this wasn't his fault. However, he had his fair share of faults over what happened at Beacon. For what happened to Pyrrha…

"I'm sorry about your loss too."

The words snapped Jaune from his thoughts. Back to reality. "Yeah. Thanks."

"She was a wonderful person. A wonderful friend."

"Yeah," he agreed. "The best."

There was a momentary silence that fell over the two teens. The normally chatty pair had awkwardly little to say. Both had suffered greatly over the past few days. Her more than him. However it didn't make his own pain any less real to him.

"Have you heard anything about Blake?" Yang asked hopefully. "Or Weiss?"

Jaune frowned. He wish that he had better news for the blonde. It might have helped her feel better. Unfortunately information these days was scarce. Even when it didn't involve a CCT Tower.

"I ran into Sun while I was still at Beacon," he told her. "He said he was going after Blake, but neither of us knows for sure where she went."

Yang nodded, her eyes never once meeting Jaune's when she spoke. "Right. Sun. He'll find her. One way or another."

"I hope so. As for Weiss, nothing. Haven't heard a thing since her dad came to get her."

"Something tells me we won't hear anything for a long time," Yang mused. "Not with communication between kingdoms down."

"Probably," he agreed. "Unless we go to Atlas ourselves."

Yang gazed down at the stump of her right arm again. "I don't think that's going to happen anytime soon."

"I'm… yeah. Sorry."

"Stop apologizing," Yang ordered. There was no fire behind that order, however. She sounded tired. Mentally more so than physically. "It's not your fault. All it's doing is making me feel worse about it."

"S-" he started to say, before cutting off the reactionary word. "Right. I guess if I'm not apologizing I don't know what to say. It's just a bad situation all around."

"Yeah. Nothing much to say."

More silence fell over the two. Jaune could read the room. Yang probably wanted to be alone right now. The two of them were never super close friends the way he and Ruby were. And since he brought no good news, there probably wasn't much point to him being there. Yang needed to heal, he supposed. She would do so in her own way.

"Ruby's still unconscious. And… well, I get the feeling you don't feel much like talking. I get it, and I know it's nothing personal." He flashed her the best smile he could in a time like this. "But if you ever do need… or want to talk about anything, just gimmie a call. At least local calls are still working."

Yang smiled weakly back at him. At least he was right about knowing that the coldness from the normally fiery young woman wasn't personal. "Thanks. I'll keep that in mind."

"I hope you feel better soon. I'll be thinking about you and Ruby."

She nodded. "Yeah. And I hope you and Ren and Nora will do better soon too."

He nodded back in turn. "Yup." He turned, grabbing the doorknob and pulling it open. But before he stepped outside he turned back in the doorway. "Yang?"

"Huh?"

"You're strong. Like, one of the strongest people I know. More than just physically too. If anyone can beat this, you can. I know it."

Sad lilac eyes met his own blue ones, and she smiled softly again at him. "Yeah. Thank you, Jaune."

Jaune smiled back, offering her a nod and a wave before stepping back into the hall.

A part of him wanted to try to guess which door was Ruby's just to see if she was awake, but he thought better of it. This wasn't his home. This wasn't his family. He was a guest here. No excuse to snoop around. Instead he made his way back down the stairs, where he found Summer sitting on the couch.

The woman focused her attention on him at the sound of his footsteps. "Done already?"

Jaune nodded. "Yang wasn't in much of a talking mood."

Summer hummed, a slight frown forming on her lips. "Yes. Sadly that's been the case for the past two days."

"But like I told her, she's strong. I think she'll be able to overcome this. She has good family and friends around her. Even without Blake."

The mother of two smiled brightly at him, silver eyes gleaming with appreciation. "Thank you, Jaune."

Jaune took a quick look around, stalling for time before what he had to say next. Finally though, he spat it out. "Well, um, thanks for letting me see her. I'll get out of your hair."

He moved toward the front door, but was stopped by Summer's voice. "Jaune."

The boy spun around to see Summer standing. "Yeah?"

"You're not from Patch, right?"

"No."

"Where are you staying?"

His eyes shifted up momentarily before focusing back on Summer's. "I was going to head back to Vale. They set up a place for students and civilians who got displaced by the fall of Beacon. I've been staying there with a lot of my classmates and teachers."

"You came out all this way to see Ruby and Yang though," she said, taking a few steps toward him. "If you'd like, you can stay here until Ruby wakes up. It would be a shame to spend all that time travelling for five minutes with Yang."

"Oh, I… I couldn't intrude like that. I can come back when Ruby's awake."

"Nonsense," she said strongly. She took another step closer toward him. "You're a friend of my girls. I couldn't in good conscience let you travel for hours back and forth just for a few minutes with my girls."

When he thought about it like that, it did make a lot of sense. It was also a very kind and generous offer. "That's really nice of you, Miss Rose. Are you sure?"

She smiled brightly up at him once more. Now that she was close to him again, Jaune recognized that she was a rather short woman. Somewhere in between Ruby and Yang's height, so still dwarfed by his own height and stature. "I'm positive," she said cheerfully. At least she was able to keep a positive attitude in dark times like these. "And please, call me Summer."

"Oh. Sure thing, Summer."

"I don't have a guest room, but the couch is comfortable," she motioned over to where she had just been sitting. "If you're okay with that you're more than welcome to spend the night."

Jaune shrugged lightly, letting a soft smile crack on his own lips. "Sure. I'd love to. Maybe Yang will be feeling a little better later tonight or tomorrow."

"Maybe. Right now my babies need all the support they can get. It's just me here, and Qrow sometimes stops by to do what he can. Ruby and Yang could use a good friend right now. Especially since their teammates…"

Jaune knew that Summer knew what had happened. He nodded in agreement. "Yeah. If I can help in any way I'd be happy to."

"Wonderful." This woman just seemed to radiate positivity. Ruby and Yang were truly lucky to have a mother as strong as her. "You must be hungry after the trip to Vale. Can I make you anything to eat?"

"Oh, I couldn't bother you to do that."

"It's lunch time, Jaune," she said, pointing up to a wall-mounted clock. "I'm going to make myself something. It would be no trouble to get you something as well."

Her logic was quite sound. Jaune couldn't argue with it. "Oh, well in that case sure. I'd love something."

"Anything in particular?"

"Whatever you're having is fine."

She motioned with her head for him to follow, presumably to the kitchen. "I'm boiling some water for tea. How does a sandwich and chips sound?"

Simple, effective, and delicious. Jaune couldn't complain. "That sounds delicious Miss- Summer."

The woman turned back, a wry smile on her lips. "Miss Summer? Now that makes me sound especially old."

The smile was contagious, and Jaune cracked one of his own as he entered the kitchen. "Sorry, I didn't mean to. I started to say Miss Rose but caught myself."

Much like the living room, the kitchen was simple and sparsely decorated. There was wood everywhere once more. Only the oven, faucet and cabinet handles stood out as made of metal.

She motioned to the kitchen table. "Have a seat. I'll get started." She laughed softly to herself before continuing. "I suppose there are worse things in the world than having to drill the manners out of a teenager."

Jaune sat on one of the chairs, another area rug, this time yellow, underneath his feet. "Yeah, I guess there are some pretty bad kids out there," he chuckled. "I could have been in a gang."

"Or an underage smoker." Summer whirled around, the butter knife she was wielding pointed out at him in amusing threat. "Please tell me you're not a smoker, Jaune."

"What? Oh gods, no. Never. My parents would have killed me! And Pyrrha! If Pyrrha had found out…"

Jaune trailed off, not continuing his train of thought. He had thought of her again. And thinking about her only brought him pain.

He saw how Summer stared at him, lowering the knife which had once been pointed him in jest. "Pyrrha Nikos?"

He nodded wordlessly.

"You knew her well, I take it."

"Yeah. She's- she was my partner."

Summer nodded in understanding. The knife was set down on the countertop. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

He smiled his false smile. "Thanks. It's… it's still rough. Hard to believe. So far every day I've woken up and I still can't believe she's not there to say good morning to me."

"Oh… sweetie…" Summer whispered. Before Jaune knew it she was next to him, bent over and wrapping him in a tight embrace. She froze for a moment, and the pressure lessened as she pulled away. Summer looked him in the eyes. "I'm sorry, is this okay?"

Jaune nodded. The show of physical comfort had forced his eyes to begin to water. "Yeah."

Her arms came around to hug him once more, again pulling his head close to her. His face met her collar bone and shoulder, and in those warm arms he found it difficult to control his eyes. Tears spilled out, wetting her shoulder as he sobbed softly. A loving hand came up to his messy blond locks, gently running through his hair in a way that only a mother's touch could.

It felt warm. Safe. Home. Even though he had only met this woman today.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered into his ear. "Losing someone close to you is never easy."

He nodded wordlessly into her body.

"And never be afraid to cry," she continued. "You're a human being, not a machine. You have feelings and emotions like anyone else. Don't ever try to bottle them up by trying to look strong or macho. Okay?"

She didn't release him as she said that, and Jaune wondered if it was a way of meeting him in the middle. He would allow himself to cry, and she wouldn't see him doing it.

The two remained like that for long moments, neither saying a word as she let herself be his shoulder to cry on. As the warmth of her body and her soothing hand offered him comfort.

Only the sound of the teapot stirred the two from their embrace. She released him, and Jaune didn't look up to meet her gaze before she turned.

Turning the flame of the stove off, Summer moved to grab a pair of mugs from the cabinet and set them on the counter. Placing a tea bag in each, she began pouring the steaming hot water inside. "Something warm and sweet will do us both some good right now."

Jaune watched her move effortlessly, gliding across the floor as she set the pot back on the stove before spinning on a heel to turn toward the refrigerator. After rummaging inside for a couple seconds she produced a white and blue carton. "Do you take milk or honey with your tea?"

"Oh, um, honey is good."

"Honey is very good," she agreed, setting the milk on the counter before moving over to a different cupboard. This time a small, clear plastic container rested in her tiny hand, and Jaune could see that it was honey.

Setting it along with a spoon on the table, Summer sat down at the chair to the right of him. It would take a couple minutes before the teabag did its job, and the two each toyed with the string attached to it.

"Do you want to talk about anything?" she asked. "About the fall? Or Pyrrha? Or anything at all? My ears are yours, Jaune."

There was an earnest look of sincerity and care in the woman's eyes. Ruby and Yang really did have an amazing mother. One who would be able to nurse each of them back to health and happiness. Of that the boy had no doubt.

"I… no. Not now, at least. I've done my fair share of crying over the past couple days already." He stared down into the water of the mug which had already darkened. "I think right now I just prefer to think about happier things. Or at the very least not sad things."

Summer smiled and nodded in understanding. "There's nothing wrong with that. If it's happy you want then that's what you'll get." Silver eyes lit up. "Oh! Tell me, how did you meet my girls? Yang I can understand, the little social butterfly she is. But Ruby's never been particularly open to meeting new people."

It hadn't even been a year, but it already felt so long ago. Back when the weather had been warm. The trees had been green. The sun had shone every day. Back when he first met Ruby.

"You're not wrong," he chuckled softly, thinking back to the circumstances which led to introducing himself to Ruby. "Ruby… she kinda exploded."

Summer set her mug down and tilted her head, eyeing him curiously. "Exploded? She never mentioned anything like that in her letters home."

Little surprise there. It had been a little bit embarrassing. "She actually had a little bit of an argument with a girl who as it turned out would become her partner and best friend."

"Weiss?"

"Weiss," Jaune confirmed. "There was a little bit of a misunderstanding. Weiss was shaking some vials of dust around, making a big scene about Ruby accidentally bumping into her and how dangerous it could be. Who knew that dust- like, not actual dust, but weapons dust, could make you sneeze?"

"Ruby sneezed?"

"Yup. And somehow triggered a fire dust explosion."

Summer's eyes squeezed shut and a burst of laughter poured from her. Her shoulders heaved as she shook her head in what Jaune could only describe as disbelief. "Of course she did. That's my girl."

Jaune found himself smiling at the memory as well. Good times. Simpler times. Happier times…

"So yeah, after Weiss left Ruby seemed kinda… down. Literally too. She just kinda sank onto the ground looking really sad. I knew I had to say something. Anything."

"And you came over to cheer her up?" the woman mused.

Jaune shrugged. "I guess. Offered her a hand to help her up. We walked around for a little bit just talking. Or trying to talk. She's not the only one who's socially awkward."

Summer raised an eyebrow. "Really? You seem pretty comfortable right now."

"I guess me and Ruby have both grown a little since that day."

"I'm glad to hear that. And thank you for looking out for my baby girl. The first day of school, not knowing anyone but her sister, it had to be hard on her. Especially because she skipped ahead two years. And especially because that sister of hers threw her into the deep end of the pool and told her to sink or swim."

Jaune smirked. "She told you about that?"

"A little bird told me," she smirked cryptically.

"Well, yeah. That did happen I guess. So I guess it was a good opportunity for a couple of awkward dorks to be… awkward and dorky together. No offense to Ruby of course."

"Of course," Summer agreed. "Trust me, I know all about her interests and hobbies. I'm glad she found a kindred spirit in you to share them with."

Jaune took another sip of his tea. It was cooler now, and easier to swallow. "Yeah. One of the first things we talked about were weapons. Well, mainly her and her weapon. But she does like my sword. Called it a classic." He stopped, smiling at the memory. "I think that was a nice way of her saying it wasn't lame for not using dust or also being a gun."

"You can't go wrong with a sword. It can't jam or run out of ammunition. Too many moving parts always brings the risk of something going wrong." Her eyes widened, and she briefly stared down at her tea before speaking again. "Oh my, what am I doing? Here I promised you sandwiches and I'm chatting away like an old crone." Summer stood, her cloak whipping around as she made her way to the refrigerator. She opened it and leaned in a little, rummaging through the items inside. "Is turkey okay? I'm afraid I don't have a lot of options when it comes to lunchmeat."

"Turkey's great. And trust me, you're nowhere close to being an old crone. When you first opened the door I thought you might have been Ruby and Yang's older sister they'd just never mentioned before."

Summer turned to eye him as she set the sandwich ingredients on the counter, a small smirk on her lips. "My, quite the charmer, aren't you?"

The question made Jaune laugh. "I doubt that. It didn't work out when I tried to get Weiss' attention."

"Well Ruby's told me a lot about Weiss," the redheaded woman said as she began setting slices of bread out on a pair of plates. "And I know she wasn't the easiest girl to deal with at the beginning of the year. But in my opinion she'd be a fool to thumb her nose at you."

The compliment made Jaune feel a little better about Weiss' rejections. Not that he cared too much about them anymore, having given up trying to pursue her the night of Beacon's dance. Still, it was nice to hear that someone thought he had some good qualities.

Even so, Jaune still felt like challenging them. "Maybe, but at the same time you barely know me. Or how I used to be."

As Summer set slices of turkey, lettuce and tomato on the bread, she turned back to eye Jaune. "I think I have a decent idea of what kind of man you are."

Man. Not boy. True, Jaune had turned eighteen while he was at Beacon, but he still didn't consider himself to be an adult. He didn't consider himself to be a man. No, in his mind he was still a boy. A pathetic, helpless boy trying to play huntsman.

It made him feel a little bit warm inside that Summer disagreed.

"Thanks," he said softly.

The woman had finished fast, likely experienced from years of motherhood. Two large and delicious looking sandwiches were prepared, and she set both plates on the table in front of their respective seats. A bag of plain potato chips came next, along with bottles of mustard and mayonnaise. "I didn't know what you liked with turkey, so you have options. Or plain if you'd like."

Jaune opted for mayonnaise, flipping open the top and squeezing some onto the inside of his sandwich. "Thanks. You're the best."

"They do call me Supermom," she smiled.

"I can see why." Jaune glanced around, seeing a spotless kitchen, and remembering how clean and orderly the living room was. "You have a beautiful home. And you're a huntress too, right?"

Summer's shoulders shrugged softly as she chewed the bite she took of her sandwich. She swallowed before replying. "Sometimes. I have to put food on the table, after all."

"Then as long as I'm staying here, please let me help out around the house. It'll be the least I can do for letting me spend the night."

Summer looked horrified at the thought. Jaune thought he might have said something wrong until she spoke. "I won't hear of it," she said sternly. "You're my guest who I invited to stay. You owe me nothing, Jaune."

"Yeah but-"

"No buts," she interrupted, raising a finger for emphasis. "My home. My rules. And my rules state that guests are to be pampered and fed like one of my own. Are we clear?"

Oh Summer was a mother all right. She had gone from sweet and caring to stern in an instant. But not stern in a bad way, like Professor Goodwitch was during class. No, Summer had adopted a no-nonsense attitude about Jaune not lifting a finger to help her around the house. He was as she had said, her guest. And guests did not do chores for her in the Rose household.

She was at his service. Not the other way around.

"I'd feel bad," he still argued. Despite the fact he knew it was an argument he would lose.

"Do you want to help me, Jaune?"

"Of course!" Maybe he had managed to break through the motherly walls of the woman.

"If you really want to help me you will eat," she said, nodding down to his sandwich. "You will drink. You will lounge around and watch TV. You will sleep late, and you will be comfortable in my home. Understood?"

With terms like those, Jaune was hard-pressed to argue. He knew there was no winning this fight. He was helpless against the sweet, affectionate, domineering form of Summer Rose.

"Understood," he sighed in defeat.

In an instant the happy smile that Summer wore was back on her lips, and she looked upon him with a love that could only be described as motherly. "Perfect~" she sang. "Now, once you're finished with your lunch what would you think if I baked some cookies? When Ruby wakes up she'll want some fresh chocolate chip cookies to help get her spirits up."

"Sure, that sounds great," he said genuinely. Sweet, freshly-baked chocolate chip cookies sounded absolutely wonderful right now. "Anything I can do to h-"

"Ah!" Summer interrupted, extending a finger accusingly in his direction. "What did we just discuss?"

Jaune smiled, shaking his head in disbelief as he realized what he had just done. It was in his nature to try and help. Even when he had been told not a minute earlier not to. "Sorry. It's kind of a reflex at this point in my life."

"See? I knew I had what kind of man you are figured out."

His smile deepened, and Jaune blushed as he stared down at his sandwich. "Thanks."

"So, cookies," she reiterated. "Two batches sounds appropriate for four mouths to feed, doesn't it?"

Jaune knew that Ruby was a little cookie monster, and he himself had quite an appetite. He couldn't say how hungry Yang would be, nor could he guess as to how much Summer could eat. If she was anything like her daughter, however, then two batches just might not be enough. However, it would be a nice start.

"Yeah," he agreed. "That sounds great."

Summer smiled serenely. Somehow, that warm smile of hers seemed to chase away all of his bad thoughts and emotions like the sun banished the darkness of night.

Jaune took another bite of his sandwich. If she could make a simple turkey sandwich taste this good, he could hardly wait to taste her cookies.

Author's Note: Now I know what you might be thinking. Another new story? Where's Abominable Monster Classmates? Or any of the other old stories that need to be updated?

Well, truth be told, I've had a rough past month. Between my dog passing away and getting sick twice, I haven't felt like writing much of anything. I still don't. The only thing I felt inspired to do was a one shot about Jaune and the thirsty casserole mom, which was surprisingly a great success. So seeing how Jaune and one MILF did well...

I was inspired to do this idea because there's barely any Jaune x Summer out there. Not surprising for a dead woman, but that's what fan fiction is for. So this is an AU where Summer lived instead of Taiyang. Because why not?

This is only going to be a short story. One that's rated M for good reason. So let me know what you think about it. Do you like my Summer? Are her interactions with Jaune fun and natural? I'd love to hear your thoughts and opinions.

As always, thanks for reading.