Family Reunion

"How?" was the only word Yang could mutter after parting from Summer's hold, Ruby remaining tight against her mothers chest but ears perked ready to hear the answer.

Summer's head remained tilted down, a sorrowful look and weak tilt to her lips. "It's… I don't want to say a long story." She paused to catch her breath and think of what she wanted to say. The words only finding themselves locked at the back of her throat, "god, I thought I was ready for this but I can barely even think about what to say," her hand rubbed away a slick trail of tears from her cheek.

She turned her eyes down to Ruby as she found the words and said, "Ruby, come on cookie." Gently Summer attempted to pry her daughter from her. Ruby was intent on not letting go, the fear of loosing her mother again was too much, still, after a few small pushes she relented and released Summer, though moved not further than where she already was.

Summer glanced between the two, shut her eyes and trembled, "ten-ten years ago, when I left for a mission in Vacuo, as you know. I was sent to find a woman, she's…" Summer paused, mouth open and turned to Parc, only seeing him nod as he had an idea of where she was going with this. "She was someone very strong. She had this special semblance that could be gifted to other people when she died. It had gone from generation to generation and she was the most recent." Her daughters were still though Yang seemed to be holding herself back from any unnecessary remarks or questions so as to not distract Summer. "But she was old and dying. So I was sent to her to care for her and hopefully get her semblance. In the end, I got it."

An echo of surprise ran through both daughters as the question of their mother having two semblances ran to the forefront of their minds. Still not saying anything mind you, though prepping themselves to barrage their mother with question after question once she was done.

"On my way back to vale, back to you. The ship I was taking sunk, it was horrible, and I barely escaped alive, but I was able to. I remember drifting on top of a piece of debris for days on end holding this little girl before we saw land in the distance. I was frantic, I paddled for what felt like hours until we got to land. At first, I thought I was home, that I'd find somewhere I could call home, call you and just let you know I was okay.

By then Summer's hands curled into balls on her knees and a trickle of tears forced its way from her eyes. Her body trembled with every bit, "but it wasn't like that. The land I'd washed up on was just an island. An abandoned one, there were remnants of civilization but the only thing there was fog, ruins and grimm. For ten years I was trapped there, hoping every single day that someone would find me and bring me home." She turned to her daughters, eyes bloodshot and wet, lips trembling heavily, "god if I could have come back earlier, I would have. I never wished to leave you two alone for a month let alone as long as I did. I'm so, sorry." The torch light flickered for a moment casting her into shadows and she attempted to swallow a lump only to begin coughing into her palm.

The first to speak was Yang though it was obvious she was grasping at straws about what to ask, "how did you escape then?"

"Parc, he's the one who saved me," heads turned to Parc who had gone to seat himself on one of the four chairs—three of which were left unused—one leg crossed over the other and threw them a quick wave. "A few weeks ago he appeared out of the blue on the island and he saved me. He commandeered a bullhead and next thing I knew I was halfway to Vacuo. We landed on the coast and got a new ship to Vale and arrived the day before you two left for Beacon."

"Why didn't you come sooner?" Ruby's voice echoed in a solemn tone that cracked halfway through.

Summer trembled and gripped her black dress till her hands went white, "I did. I made my way to Patch the moment I left the station."

"But you didn't show up." Yang stated.

"I tried Yang. God I tried but every time I tried to knock on the door I got so scared that you all may have moved away. That you weren't there anymore. I… I was about to knock. I really was but when the door suddenly opened I got scared and ran around the corner. I was there when Ruby came barrelling in like a bat out of hell," Summer laughed. "You reminded me so much of myself when I heard I was going to Beacon." Her voice soon shook and she continued, "then, I heard Tai say he'd proposed to that woman." She didn't hate the woman, Mauve she recalled her name being. Didn't mean she couldn't feel a bit of displeasure.

An expression of realization coursed upon the two. "you could have still come in." said Yang.

Summer shook her head, "I couldn't. I couldn't break that up. You know Tai. He'd do anything to give you girls your real mom. I just-I couldn't do that to him. I can't just show up after a decade and take him back."

"But he loves you!" Ruby argued.

"I know. And that's why I can't do it. If I showed up out of nowhere, I would break them up. I can't just do that. Not after ten years."

"So what you're my mom and dad loves you!" an urgent shine took to Ruby's eyes, one filled with determination to have her family back together.

"I agree. Mauve is amazing, but she's not you. Dad loves her, just not as much as he does you mom. So what if you break them up. Mauve won't argue, she knows as much as we do how much he'd love to have you back."

Summer shook her head fervently, "that's a horrible thing to say Yang. I may not know Mauve, but I know enough about women to know that that's a lie. Of course, she'd argue and what would that achieve? Tai would just feel guilty for betraying her. Just like he would feel like he's betrayed me and cheated on me with her. It would break him."

"And he'd get over it."

Summer shut her eyes and sighed only to open them and glance helplessly to Parc, the action not going unnoticed by a squint eyed Yang who found something wrong with the look. It reminded her too much of a look Mauve would give their father whenever she was trying to deal with Ruby on a sugar high.

"He would. But still. No. I'm not ruining his happiness for my own selfishness. You know as well as I have just how broken Tai can become. After I disappeared, did he start drinking?" Yang sucked her lips into her mouth and shrunk, her action more than enough an answer for her. "Because that's exactly what happened when Raven left. It took me months of hard work to get him out of it. I have no doubts he'd go back to it to get over Mauve. I could not live with myself if I let that happen."

"But he-"

"No Ruby. I'm not doing that."

"Are you at least going to tell him your back?"

"No. Not yet. Not before his wedding." Her words came out weak and low in tone. "I know you two might not be happy that our family won't be put back together but please. Don't tell him. Not until he's married to Mauve."

Her daughters went still, they wanted to retort, to disagree, to say 'no! your our mom!' only the words never came out. They turned to each other and spoke without words.

"We… we won't. But… what you mom? What about your happiness? Wouldn't being with dad make you happy?" Ruby's spoke slowly.

"It would. God it would. But, I'm already finding new happiness now that I'm back home." In the background, Parc snorted. A noise going noticed by Yang who glared his way with suspicion.

"Is it with him?" she asked.

Summer jerked, gaining a rosey shade to her cheeks as she gazed to Parc for a second, getting a quick wink and a smirk from him that made her go redder. "Uhhh…"

Even Ruby seemed to understand what that non-answer meant. "Wait-wait-wait, you're dating my teacher!?" she exclaimed, shock, horror, and an excitement for getting an extra hours of nap without worrying about getting berated running through her mind. Until it lessened and she processed her mother was dating her teacher.

"I mean, I don't know?" summer trailed off.

"What do you mean you don't know!? Are you dating him or not!?" Yang bellowed heavily.

"We haven't gone on a date," unless you considered their nightly endeavors a 'date'.

Yang jostled to a halt gaining a blank look to her eyes as a strange assumption turned into bloody revelation, "he's barely older than me. And you've slept with him?"

Summer flinched away, "I know okay! I was offput as well! I still am!"

"But you're still doing it? Him!?"

Summer didn't answer that, instead she sucked in a squeaky breath.

"Oh yes she is," for the first time since their reuninion, Parc spoke and at the most inopertune time that is. "And let me just say, your mom is absolutely brilliant."

"Parc!" Summer screeched, hher entire body going red.

Yang went blank while Ruby tilted her eyes between the two. Stuck on the concept of them sleeping together until she remembered those weird books of naked people Yang always hid under her bed. Many with a man sticking his thingy in a ladies place-of-no-no's. Ruby wasn't dense, naïve, yes, that much she knew. But sex was something she'd long heard about. She didn't much care for it, not really finding it as interesting or arousing as a good sword forged to perfection, but she knew it was something only done between people who loved each other.

"Wait," Ruby uttered as something came to her, a thought both fearful and confusing and to a degree, exciting, "does that mean professor Evans is like, my second dad then?"

Just like that, silence took hold across the room. All heads falling to Ruby who twitched at the sudden collection of eyes all locked onto her.

"Ha, ha-ha-ha! Yeah, I guess I am!" Parc laid a hand over his eyes and threw his head back in laughter.

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The fatman hath returneth!