64

Chapter 64: Roman's Remembrance

Tense, awkward silence filled the room. Roman stood there, frozen, his wide green eyes darting between Yang and Ruby while the two looked at him expectantly, one fearful, one angry. Just behind them, Raven leaned up against the far wall with her arms crossed, watching the exchange with a blank expression.

Just as the silence was getting unbearable, Roman swallowed thickly. He sucked in a deep breath. "So…" he started flippantly, his eyes focusing on Ruby. "How's the leg?"

Wham!

The next second, all Roman could see was yellow, and all he felt was pain.

Ilia jumped at the loud thud as something hit the closed door hard. She stared dumbly at the now locked door, her thoughts a complete jumble. In the last five minutes, she'd learned just how crazy Adam had become, found out that the snarky, sarcastic criminal Adam was allied with was actually a double agent just like she was, been teleported who the hell knew where, then saw said criminal get shoved through a doorway against his will like some kind of schoolyard prank.

Needless to say, she was a hair's breadth from freaking out.

Her eyes darted quickly around her, trying to assess the situation. She was in a large circular room with gray walls and marble flooring. There was a large oak desk at the center of the room, topped with a very expensive looking computer system. Part of the room was taken up by a large flat wall just behind the desk, while all the remaining wall space was-

Ilia blinked, trying to make sense of what she was seeing.

Windows. Aside from the one wall, it seemed like every available space was a window. And every way she looked, she could see for miles. One way was an endless sea of trees, the other was the entire city of Vale, every single corner of it laid out before her, a few mighty Atlassian battleships hovering above the skyscrapers, the ocean glittering in the sun just behind the skyline.

It was only then when she realized just how high she had to be to see such a sight. Her mind raced as she tried to think of where in the city she could be to see… everything like this. A chill went down her spine as she realized the only possible location. The gleaming spires she'd seen far off in the distance when she first arrived with the Belladonnas.

Beacon Academy, she thought numbly. I'm at Beacon Academy.

"Ilia?"

A soft, disbelieving voice sounded just behind her, making her whirl around in fright. In her distracted state, she'd somehow missed that she was surrounded by people. An old grey-haired man sat behind the desk, a younger pale-haired blonde standing next to him with a scroll in her arms. The muscled man and smirking warrior who had shoved Roman through the doorway stayed standing next to it, watching her. Her tenseness abated slightly when she recognized Chief Ghira and Kali standing by the windows, apparently having been gazing at the skyline before she arrived. And...

A teenage girl dressed in all white, a scar under one of her blue eyes and her white hair tied in a side-ponytail, watching her warily with her hand resting on her rapier's hilt.

Her eyes narrowed at the sight of Weiss Schnee, her heart giving a painful thud as she clenched her fists. But before she could … well, do anything, she had to suck in a silent gasp, her eyes widening in disbelief.

She could feel it. A weight that settled on her shoulders. Not heavy, but noticeable. Just enough to make her aware it was there.

It was a feeling she'd had all her life, anytime she was around Faunus who were married or in a deep relationship. An instinctual sixth sense all Faunus had, to let them know that the person they were looking at was...taken. Mated.

In her head, Ilia knew… should have known… that she would feel this when she saw the Schnee girl. While the Belladonna's had avoided the subject for her benefit, they had made no uncertainties about Blake having Mated the heiress. But there had apparently been a part of her, a rather large part, that had chosen not to believe it. Not until it was shoved right in front of her face.

It only got worse when someone else stepped between her and the Schnee girl. The feeling doubled as Blake now stood in front of her.

Ilia's heart splintered.

"Ilia?" Blake asked again, her amber eyes now wary.

Ilia blinked rapidly, trying to clear the tears before they fell. She swallowed thickly at Blake's hesitant tone, momentarily confused why her old friend sounded so unsure. Then she realized: she still had her mask on.

Ignoring the sharp pain in her chest, like breathing glass, she reached up and gently pulled her mask away, letting it hang in her grip at her side. She mustered up as much of a smile as she could manage, breathing shallowly. "H-hi, Blake. It's been a while."

Blake's wariness turned to shock, her cat ears dipping. Then a wide, pure smile spread across her lips. "Ilia! It's really you!"

Ilia blinked dumbly at Blake's joyful tone, then felt her body seize as the cat Faunus suddenly wrapped her arms around her in a tight hug. "Y-yeah," she tried to reply. "It's me."

On the other side of the room, she could see Kali and Ghira giving her sad, regretful smiles. She met their eyes, understanding at once. Through all the pain it caused her, she acknowledged the small appreciation in the back of her mind. They were sorry, not for anything in their control, but just for the simple fact that she was hurting.

Slowly, and completely aware of the icy blue eyes watching her, Ilia returned Blake's embrace. She allowed herself this one moment, the feel of holding Blake… and tried not to think about what would happen as soon as she let her go.

Roman groaned as he held his stinging eye, his head fuzzy from both the hit and colliding with the door. He slowly pulled himself into a sitting position, blinking the stars from his uninjured eye. He looked up and internally cringed.

Yang stood over him, fists clenched, with a look that would have screamed 'murder' if it had come from Raven.

He stared up at her for a moment, then tilted his head to look around her. He spotted Ruby watching with wide eyes, her hands coming up to cover her mouth in shock. Just behind her, and to his utter annoyance, Raven just stood there smirking. If he thought he could get away with it, he'd flip her off.

Instead, Roman just turned back to Yang, looking bored. He stayed silent as he pulled his hand away from his eye, looking at it for a moment. He looked back up at the blond, seemingly unimpressed. "Tai hits harder."

Yang blinked, her eyes flickering from red to lavender. Roman smirked internally at her confusion. He took her momentary surprise to pull himself back to his feet, annoyed to find out he was just barely taller than her, just like her mother.

He reached up to adjust his bowler hat, only to feel nothing but air. Confused, he looked down and around, finding it just at his feet. With a slight grunt, he bent over to pick it up, dusting it off. Before he put it back on his head, he flippantly asked Yang, "You going to hit me again, or am I safe to put this back on?"

Fighting off her surprise, Yang snarled at him. "You tried to kill us!"

Roman just raised a brow at her. "So, that's a no then?" When she didn't say anything more, her eyes just narrowing in anger, he shrugged. Without another thought towards her, he walked right past the enraged brawler. A thought struck him, and he carelessly tossed his hat towards Ruby. "Hold on to this, will you, Red?"

Completely blindsided, Ruby barely caught the thrown hat.

Allowing a small smirk, Roman added, "This too."

Ruby, holding the hat awkwardly in both hands, yelped when she found Roman's cane sailing towards her too. She lunged forward to grab it, fumbling. In her haste, she accidentally hit a button at the top of it, causing a small set of crosshairs the pop up at the other end.

Roman breathed out a laugh at both girls' dumbfounded expressions.

Okay, I'm disarmed and they're confused. How perfectly moronic.

Sparing Raven a glance (and taking a little pride at how her smirk had widened, about as close to laughter if she'd ever get), he looked around the room, taking it all in. To his mild surprise, he didn't recognize the location. It looked like a decent-sized apartment, with a large living room/dining room, and from what he could tell from the only open door, a separate kitchen. One thing that did stand out to him was the rather ornate furniture, along with more than a few bookshelves filled with either weathered texts or various artifacts.

"So, where exactly are we?" he asked aloud. "I thought I'd been all over Beacon back in the day, but this… this is new."

He turned when he heard Raven scoff. "It's Ozpin's living quarters."

At that, Roman gave the room another once over, his expression screaming 'are you kidding me?' "Really? Well, I guess it does give off that 'condescending know-it-all' feel." He nearly laughed at the aghast looks the girls gave him. "So, where exactly is Old Man Superior?"

He watched as Raven took a deep, calming breath, before bobbing her head towards the door he been shoved through. "Right outside the door, in his office. He generously allowed us to use the place to talk."

Roman's eyes locked on the door instantly, the first bits of trepidation finally hitting him. "He is?" He swallowed slightly, then looked back to Raven out the corner of his eye. "You, uh… you're going to warp me out of here once we're done… right?"

Raven raised a brow at him, looking much too amused for his tastes. "Roman, Ruby and Yang are in here with us, and Tai and Qrow are out there with Ozpin. There's no one I can send you to."

Roman blinked. "Oh," he said weakly. "Fantastic." Then a thought struck him, and he nearly jumped out of his skin. "Wait, you left Neo out there!"

"Tai and Qrow will watch her," Raven assured him. "She'll be fine."

Roman felt a bead of sweat trickled down his neck. "I wouldn't be so sure of that."

Neo looked around at all the unfamiliar people surrounding her, clutching the case of Lien to her chest like a teddy bear. She awkwardly watched as the cat Faunus Roman had been trying to take down hugged the White Fang girl she and Roman were apparently allied with, the Schnee girl watching on with a curious expression. There was a pair of feline Faunus by the windows, talking animatedly with Taiyang. Zwei was running around the room, sniffing and panting at all the new people. But they were all rather low on her priorities.

At the forefront of her fear was the grey-haired man sitting behind an oak desk, along with a serious-looking woman with her blonde hair tied in a bun. She recognized them easily as being the top-tiered professors at Beacon Academy.

The same school she had broken into and stolen sensitive information from two weeks ago.

The same school she had a sinking feeling she was now once more inside, with absolutely no means of escape. Her shatter Semblance wasn't worth crap in a sealed room, especially one as high up as she figured she was in.

Neo jumped about a foot when a hand suddenly clasped her on the shoulder. Her head snapped towards its owner, finding the Smoky red eyes of Qrow Branwen looking back.

"Relax, kid," he drawled, his voice as relaxed as the lazy smile on his lips. "Oz knew Roman was going to show up, and already agreed not to do anything drastic. You get a free pass today."

Neo swallowed thickly, nowhere near assured, but feeling slightly better. Normally she would take his words as lies, but Roman had told her she could trust Raven, Qrow, and Taiyang. And given Roman made a point not to trust, well, anyone, the fact he did with these three meant a lot. She gave Qrow a small, nervous smile.

Unfortunately, any sense of calm she gained was promptly shattered once she heard an almost amused voice speak aloud.

"Glynda, doesn't that girl match the description that Port gave us after the break-in two weeks ago?"

Neo's head snapped towards the desk, all color draining from her face. She met the eyes of the blonde professor first, the woman's sharp gaze scrutinizing her.

"I believe so, sir. Even down to the parasol."

Neo turned a pleading look towards Qrow, who blinked a few times in surprise. "I'm… sure we can blow this over," he assured her.

"Young lady," Ozpin's commanding voice called-out, somehow sounding both amused and stern. "Could you please step over here?"

"...maybe.," Qrow added sheepishly.

In her head, Neo started screaming every creative curse she'd ever heard Roman say.

Roman looked up at the ceiling for a moment in thought, then shrugged. "Eh, I'll worry about that later." He instead turned his attention to the three females in the room. His eyes darted over Ruby and Yang briefly, both of them watching him warily in return, before focusing on Raven. "Well, seeing's how we're all here and the most I've gotten is a black eye from Tai-Rae Jr. here, I'm assuming you told them already." He ignored the indignant glare Yang shot his way.

Raven met his gaze with a careless shrug. "More or less."

Roman crosses arms, instantly suspicious. "More than less?"

"Less than that."

Roman's eyes narrowed. "How much less?"

Oh, great. She's smirking. "I told them you were their uncle."

Roman waited a moment for her to keep talking. His shoulders slumped in dejected disbelief when she didn't. "That's it?"

Raven's expression remained unchanged. "That's it," she confirmed.

...oh my Gods, it is like we're back in Academy!

Roman felt his eye twitch. "I hate you."

Raven's smirk widened. "I know."

"Could you both please stop ignoring us?"

Both quote-unquote adults turned towards the soft, hesitant voice. Somehow, without their noticing, Ruby had snuck up until she was almost between the two, her painfully familiar silver eyes darting between them.

Ravens face softened to what Roman knew to be an almost embarrassing degree. In a just world, he'd be able to annoy her about that later. "Sorry, Ruby," Raven apologized. (Raven. Apologizing. Damn, when did the world get turned this upside down?). "We haven't seen each other in quite a while. I guess we're just making up for lost time."

Roman grinned. "Let's not and say we did, 'kay?"

Raven sent him an annoyed glare. "Roman," she lightly warned.

Tempted as he was to hold her gaze out of sheer stubbornness, Roman felt his shoulders slump in defeat. He turned his eyes to the girls. Yang was still giving him a threatening stare, though he could see it warring with her curiosity. And Ruby… she just looked scared and confused and God's dammit, Little Red, the eyes! Why do you have to look at me with those big sad eyes!?

Roman groaned, running a hand down his face. He looked up at the ceiling as if for an answer, knowing full well that whoever was looking back down at him was laughing. "Okay. Fine. Let's do this." He looked at each girl full in the face, meeting their emotional gazes head-on. "Either ask what you want or keep throwing punches. I'm a big man, I can take either." He threw his arms out that emphasized his words, even giving them a mocking little bow.

Yang just scowled further at him, but Ruby… after a moment's hesitation, her face scrunched up in determination. She gave herself a small nod, straightened her back, held her head high and…

...dammit, if that doesn't look familiar. Roman had to fight not to grimace. Crap.

He watched as Ruby's throat bobbed, likely swallowing down the last of her nerves. "Mr. Torchwick?" Roman had to give her credit; her voice was hesitant, but it never wavered. "Are you really our uncle?"

At least a dozen snarky responses popped into Roman's head, any one of them perfect for gaining control of the conversation. But, for the first time in a long time… he couldn't bring himself to joke. Not with those eyes staring him down like that.

Roman heaved a sigh and felt his lips curl into the smallest smile. "Yeah, kiddo," he said, his voice quieter than he was used to. "Sorry to break it to you, but… I'm Summer's brother, your uncle… and Brainy-Bird over there's unofficial brother-in-law."

Okay, he could joke a little.

In response, Raven showed him an unimpressed, rather dignified middle finger.

Ruby's face fell, and Roman refused to acknowledge the pinpoint pain that went through his chest. "But… that's not possible!"

Roman couldn't help the small scoff that passed his lips. "Oh, it's very possible, Little Red. Now, probable, that you might have an argument for."

"How?" Roman turned his attention to Yang, and he could nearly feel the heat in her blazing gaze. Her fists clenched as she growled. "How the hell could you be Summer's brother?"

Roman met her stare evenly, wiping away his brief smile.

"Tell me something, Rosebuds." Before he knew it, he was pacing back and forth as he spoke, his eyes never leaving his two nieces. "What do you know about Summer? Like, really know?"

"More than you," was Yang's blunt answer, the blond ignoring Ruby's quiet scolding of, "Yang!"

Roman barked a laugh, too amused to be insulted. "Really? I think you'd be surprised, Sunshine." He paused his pacing for a moment just to point at them both. "See, I have a little hunch about you two. I'm betting that you both know about how great Summer was in school. You know how much butt she kicked as a Huntress. You know how awesome of a mother she was, and seeing how you're all in the same room, you know how good she was at taming unwieldy she-demons."

"Roman, don't make me stab you."

"But," he went on, ignoring Raven's comment. "I'll bet every Lien I've ever gotten my manicured fingers on that neither of you can answer me one question." He fixed them both with a hard stare, not unkind, but commanding. "Who was Summer before she went to Beacon?"

After a moment of confused silence, Ruby and Yang shared a look. "She was from Vale," Ruby offered quietly. "The city, not just the kingdom. She moved around a lot." Yang nodded at her words in agreement.

When neither girl went on, Roman let out a huff. "Well… that's all technically accurate… " He looked over their heads to Raven, cocking a brow. "Is that all you guys left them with?"

Raven answered back with a hard stare. "Don't even try it, Roman. We both know Summer didn't like talking about her past. Or yours."

Roman rolled his eyes. "And I still think that's bullshit. It happened. It sucked. It was also over and done with long before these two showed up." He threw up his hands, pointing to Yang and Ruby.

Raven shrugged. "Well, not everyone can roll with the punches like you, Roman."

"More's the pity. Would make the world a lot more fun," Roman said, resuming his pacing. He turned his attention back to the girls. "Well, Rosebuds, I'm afraid things aren't as clear-cut as all that. Yeah, me and Summer lived in Vale before Sis got into Beacon. But I'm guessing that neither of you know how we lived here in Vale?"

Ruby and Yang shared another look. Roman would have found it cute how they kept looking to each other for answers… if he wasn't fully aware of the minefield he was about to start tap-dancing through.

When all the sisters could give him were lost shrugs, Roman put on his best smarmy smile. "Well then, allow me to tell you the dark, depressing truth. Summer and I? We were street kids."

Blank stares answered him. "W-what?" Yang stuttered, all her anger drained in place of numb confusion.

Roman's lips pulled up in a humorless smirk. "Yep. Sorry if it ain't too exciting. Truth is, Summer and I were just two dumb, homeless ragamuffins, doing what we could to stay fed… and usually failing, I hate to admit," he added, almost like an afterthought.

Ruby shook her head slightly, disbelief in her eyes. "That… that can't be true! Mom… Mom was awesome! She couldn't have been…"

"What?" Roman asked her when she trailed off. "Homeless? Dumb? Weak?"

Ruby's brow scrunched up in distaste at the very thought. "Well… yeah!"

Roman looked at her for a moment. Then he grinned, giving a light chuckle. "Well, I'm glad you think so highly of her. Honestly!" he affirmed at their wary looks. "Summer was… about as perfect a person as you could find. In a better world, I've got no doubt she would have been exactly what you think of her, and then some!" His eyes then darkened, his smile fading. "Unfortunately, we live in this world, which, if I may be crass, blows. And to survive it, Summer and I, both, sometimes had to do things that were, let's say, less than the law allowed."

"I don't believe that," Yang growled, her fists clenched. "There's no way Summer was like that, like you." Roman's eyes narrowed at her tone, but Yang missed it as she turned to look at Raven. Her angry retort faltered when she met Raven's harsh red eyes.

"Yang." Raven's voice was rough and firm, but still calm. "I wouldn't have brought him here if I thought he'd lie to you."

Yang shook her head in disbelief. "But this is… he can't… then how!?" She whipped her head back towards Roman, red sparking in her lavender eyes. "Tell me how the hell Summer, our mother, could be a criminal?"

Roman met her glare evenly. He took a deep breath through his nose, then gave them both a sarcastic smile. "Okay, fine. Just… tell me something first, okay, Sunshine." He plowed ahead before Yang could form a retort. "Do you consider yourself a good person? Law-abiding, straight and narrow, good morals; all that stuff they pounded into your head in grade school?"

Yang scowl softened just enough to make her confusion visible. "Y-yeah?"

Roman nodded, as if expecting her answer. "Okay… second question: do you love your little sister?"

Yang's head jolted at the unexpected question, her eyes blown wide. Ruby was just as stunned, staring at Roman, baffled. "O-Of course I do! What kind of stupid question is-?"

"A valid one, believe you me," Roman cut her off. He started gesturing with his every word, a hard glint in his green eyes that set the teenagers on edge. "Now let's play a little game of what-if. What if… you were all she had?" He paid no mind to their befuddled looks, barely acknowledging the wide-eyed comprehension on Raven's face when she realized where he was going.

He went on as if talking to himself. "What if it was just you and her? No muscle-bound dad, no drunk uncle, no feathered demoness protecting from the treetops. What if you didn't have a nice big house on the friendly island of Patch to protect you, instead having to hunker down in the dirty alleyways and abandoned buildings of Vale for shelter? What if you didn't have a Lien to your name? And I don't just mean for toys and frivolous crap. I'm talking about clothes, medicine, food. You've got nothing but the tattered rags on your back, and whatever smile you can plaster on your face to just keep her moving."

Roman stopped his pacing, meeting Yang's eyes. He took some satisfaction in the disbelieving horror in them, but no pleasure. He didn't dare look to Ruby, knowing if he did he'd see something even more drastic in those silver eyes. He moved so he was right in front of Yang, leaning in close as he glowered. "Now add on to all of this that you're just Ten. Years. Old."

He leaned back, taking a calming breath, absently wondering when he'd started breathing so hard. When his heart rate was back to normal, he continued calmly, staring dead into his nieces' wide eyes. "Now, you tell me: if you're stuck in all that, and the only thing keeping the one person you care about from keeling over is you… you tell me how long you'll keep up the goody-two-shoes act? And how far you'll go just to keep her alive?"

There it was. That look in their eyes, that dawning comprehension. It was the reaction he'd been trying to get out of them since he started his little 'hypothetical.'

So why do I feel like the biggest bastard for putting that look on their faces?

"What did Mom do?" Roman tried not to flinch at Ruby's almost broken tone, looking to all the world like a kicked puppy.

Roman held her gaze, then gave a slight sigh. No real way to sugar coat anything. Might as well be blunt and honest. "Summer kept us both alive. And, when necessary, she would lie, cheat and steal to do it."

"Liar!" Yang yelled, her eyes flashing red. "Summer would never-!"

"No-" Roman stepped into the blonde's personal space, cutting her off by poking her in the forehead. The sudden action startled Yang enough to make her flinch back in surprise. "The Summer you knew would never do that." He looked between the two, hoping to get across how serious he was being. "When Summer got to Beacon, she got to become the straight-laced superhero she always dreamed of being. But before that? She didn't have the luxury of being the sweetheart she was. She did whatever she had to to keep the two of us safe. And most of the time, that involved bending the laws into a pretzel."

Yang slapped his hand away, her teeth bared in a snarl. Roman tensed for another punch, bracing himself for a beatdown. But right when Yang cocked her arm back, there was a loud clattering sound, and a small hand caught her by the elbow.

Roman's eyes immediately fell to the source of the noise, seeing his hat and cane now laying at their feet. He looked up, him and Yang turning to look at Ruby… and Roman wasn't going to even try to pretend like his chest didn't hurt seeing how much her bright eyes had dulled in the last few minutes.

"Ruby?" Yang asked, her entire demeanor switching from enraged to concerned in an instant.

Ruby stayed silent, biting her bottom lip as she kept her eyes to the floor.

"How?" Her voice was barely a whisper as she took a shuddering breath. She slowly met Roman's eyes, and the conman cringed when he saw the moisture building in the corners of her own. "Mom… she was Supermom! She… she was nice! She hugged us, and loved us, and made awesome cookies! She…" A single tear escaped, trailing down her cheek. "She was Mom."

Yang instantly pulled her into a one-armed hug, holding her tightly against herself. From the corner of his eye, Roman saw Raven pull away from the wall, her arm halfway raised before she stopped herself. He went from her conflicted look to Ruby's broken expression, not missing the death glare Yang was leveling his way. He dimly noted that their fancy Mate's Marks were glowing, the red and yellow flowers shining brightly.

Roman visibly grimaced. Well, congrats Roman, old boy. You made the kid cry. Why does this feel worse than when I broke her leg?

He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, sending a helpless look towards Raven. She grimaced slightly in answer, then looked about the room. Her eyes lingered on the small circular dining room table at the side of the living room, bobbing her head towards it when she looked back to Roman.

Roman caught on, nodding. "Hey, kiddos. Oh, save the glares for later, Sunshine. Want to sit down?" He jabbed his thumb towards the table.

Yang scowled at him, but her face softened when she felt Ruby tug on her shoulder. After a silent conversation passed between them, Yang let herself get led to the table. She and Ruby sat down at one side, and Roman wisely chose the seat across from them.

Roman rubbed at his forehead as he tried to think. Crap, I have to try and act like an uncle again. A normal one. How the hell do I pull that off?

They sat in awkward silence for a few minutes, before Yang grumbled. "Well?"

Roman groaned. "Just… I'm trying to think how to do this without being snarky," he admitted with a sheepish laugh. He looked through his fingers to meet their eyes. "Which is next to impossible for me, believe it or not."

"No kidding…" Raven muttered, startling her daughters as she went to stand behind them.

Roman sent a mocking sneer her way, then sighed deeply. Might as well be quick and blunt. "You called Summer Supermom? It's fitting. After all the crap me and her went through, she wanted to make damn sure you two never were unhappy. I know," He cut off their protests, already knowing what they were going to say. "Raven took off, Summer's A.W.O.L., and you two were in the dark for twelve stupidly long years. But I want you both to look me in the eye and tell me honestly: in all that time, did you ever feel anything less than safe?"

For a moment, Yang held her defiant glare. Then her eyes fell to the table, a harsh hiss passing through her teeth. Ruby chewed on her lower lip, giving a small shake of her head.

Roman me a small noise of an acknowledgment. "Well, that's something me and Summer never got. Yeah, this whole mess sucks for you both. Believe me, I get it. But considering the myriad of bullshit this crapsack we call Remnant can throw at you, the fact we're sitting here even having this conversation is a freaking miracle."

"But what happened?" Ruby asked, almost desperately. "How did you and Mom… just… how?"

Roman propped his elbows on the table, holding his head up on his closed hands. He shared a brief look with Raven, and was only mildly miffed when she only offered a nod to go on. Focusing on the girls, he started. "If you're hoping for some big, epic reveal, I'm afraid you're going to be a tad disappointed. Truth is, Summer and I started out with a pretty normal life when we were kids. We grew up in this little country town about, oh, a hundred miles north of here? Not sure, I only ever went back there once. Nice view of the ocean, though.

"Life was okay, but money was a bit tight. So, our pop nosed around and figured he and Mom could make more money if we move to the big city. Great idea… right up until the little village we stopped at on our way to Vale got hit hard by Grimm." He paused briefly, his lips twisting into an odd grimace. "I'll spare you the oh-so gory details. All I'll say is, once the dust settled, Mom and Pop were gone, and me and Summer were left in the middle of nowhere with no money and no idea where to go."

The look of stunned horror he saw would have been hilarious on anyone else's face. But on Ruby and Yang's?

Roman tried not to cringe.

Ruby's throat bobbed as she tried to form words. "W-what did you do?"

Roman sighed. "Some Hunters showed up to mop up the Grimm and help out survivors. Summer gave them our sob story, and they worked out some safe passage to get us to the city… then to an orphanage."

He paused briefly, looking down at the table. "It wasn't that bad, honestly," he admitted. "Place was warm, clean. Folks in charge were about as nice as you could hope for. We were there for a couple of months… until Summer overheard some of the older kids talking about how the system could end up separating us. She… didn't take kindly to that. So, a few nights later, she swiped a couple bags, stuffed 'em full of food from the kitchens… and then dragged us both out into the streets of Vale."

Roman tried not to roll his eyes as Ruby's lips pulled into a pathetic pout, what he thought was her attempt at a scowl. "Mom wouldn't be that irresponsible," she mumbled.

To her and Yang's surprise, that coaxed a genuine smile out of Roman. "In her twenties? Hell no. At ten?" Roman chuckled lightly. "Red, we were kids. Dumb ones. Summer caught wind that we might get split up, maybe never see each other again, so her first thought was to get us the hell out of there. And me, well… I was just a dumbass seven-year-old doing whatever my big sister told me to.

"Summer tried to keep us on the straight-and-narrow as much as possible, bouncing us from shelter to shelter. We'd stick around as long as we could, right up until the people in charge started mentioning child services. Then Summer would decide that we needed to leave again.

"It was when we were between shelters that things got, uh, less than legal. Summer never did anything… major, let's say." He ignored Ruby's confused look, but met Yang's worried eyes, noting the sudden relief in them. "But if it got us some chump change… purse-snatching, pickpocketing, shoplifting; the kind of stuff a preteen could pull off and probably not get caught at, long as you were smart. Her only rule was that we aimed for people who looked like they wouldn't miss the money. 'Take from the rich, give to the poor' kind of deal, except, well… didn't get much poorer than us."

The whole time Roman talked, Ruby's face was pinched in a disturbed frown. "Why would she do that? She always said stealing was wrong..."

"Because to her, it was," he assured her, only compounding her confusion. "We just didn't have any other option, at least none that a couple overconfident kids could think of." When neither she nor Yang looked convinced, Roman sighed, looking up to the ceiling briefly. "Well, if you want someone to blame for Summer busting her moral compass, he's right in front of you." He missed their curious looks, instead leaning back in his chair and giving a despondent smile at the oak table. "She was my big sister. It was her job to keep my pathetic ass safe… and stealing was the only way she could think to do it.

He was silent for a moment, then shook his head, coming back to the conversation. "So, Supermom? Yeah, not surprised you see her that way. After all the crap the two of us went through, she said she was going to make sure you two didn't want for anything. If I remember right, you two were pretty well behaved when you were little. Looking back, I, uh…" He chuckled awkwardly, rubbing the back of his head. "I was a little madman even back then. If she was a great mom, it's only because she got the world's longest crash course keeping me in line."

"Your still a madman, Roman," Raven interjected with a smirk. "You just dress nicer now."

Roman flipped her off, much to the girls' wide-eyed disbelief. "Zip it, Brainy Bird. I'm being nice right now. Enjoy it while you can.

While the adults continued to trade harmless barbs, Ruby stared down at the table in front of her, her hands clenching and unclenching as she tried to process everything. Yang watched her worryingly, pushing her confusing thoughts aside as she placed her hand over her little sister's, sending out a pulse of Concern.

Ruby blinked. Looking up to meet her, she tried to smile, but it faded quickly as she responded. Confusion. Worry. Denial.

…

Hope.

Yang let out of startled breath, then formed an exasperated smile. Even after everything, Ruby refused to let go of that spark of Hope, that belief that, no matter what, everything would turn out okay.

Yang gave Ruby's hand a tiny squeeze, letting her know that she was right there with her. Disbelief. Frustration. Concern. Love.

Ruby blinked when she felt that last one. She gave Yang a confused look, one that the blonde understood perfectly and nearly made her laugh: Why'd you bother sending that? I already know that!

Yang rolled her eyes. Because I'm trying to cheer you up, you big goof! She made sure Ruby could feel the emotions that matched her thoughts. She felt a bit of pride when Ruby's lips pulled up into a small smile.

The smile faded when Ruby faced forward again, but to Yang's relief, her emotions didn't dip again. Instead, her eyes gained a determined glint as she focused back on Torchwick.

"Mr. To-... um… Roman?"

Roman turned away from his 'discussion' with Raven (which he refused to admit he been losing, given her a solid smirk), looking back towards Ruby. His head perked up a bit when she called his name. First name basis! Progress, I think. "What's up, Little Red?"

Ruby opened her mouth to speak but instead groaned in exasperation. "Well, first… why do you keep calling me that?"

Yang cocked a brow at her, but then crossed her arms, fixing Roman with a hard stare. "Yeah, and how did I end up being 'Sunshine'?"

Roman blinked, not quite expecting the question. "Uh… trade secret?"

"Roman…" Raven reprimanded, sounding exasperated herself. "If they want to know, just tell them."

Roman growled, putting a hand over his eyes. Oh, this is just freaking fantastic. "Okay, kids, if you must know… I suck at remembering names. Always have. I can remember faces no problem, but names? Takes me a while to remember those. So, it's easier if I just name people myself. And even after I do remember someone's name, the one I give them just kind of... sticks." He opened his eyes, giving them an unamused look. "That it, or you got another question?"

Ruby pouted at the brush-off but was at least happy to have gotten some kind of answer. She pushed on, asking her original question. "If Mom was… homeless…" she almost choked having to refer to her mother as such. "Then how did she get into Beacon?"

Roman leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms. "Oh, that was a day." He shook his head, smiling slightly as he thought back. "It happened when Summer was sixteen, and I was thirteen. We were low on cash and food, so we split up. I'd shoplift some groceries from some nearby stores, while Summer headed uptown to find some rich moron to pickpocket. And she found one." He leaned forward a bit, smirking. "Summer pulled the wallet off of some gray-haired guy with a cane and funny little glasses."

He paused to let his words sink in. He could see the exact moment in each of their eyes as the description hit home.

"Professor Ozpin?" Yang said incredulously. "Mom pickpocketed Professor Ozpin?"

Roman's smirk widened, and he went on without answering. "Me and her met back up at our latest hidey-hole, some condemned ruin in the slums. I'm dumping out all the canned food and crap I'd snagged from a nearby store, and Summer's all excited because she grabbed that damned wallet and could feel just how stuffed it was." He let out a bark of disbelieving laughter, shaking his head at the memory. "I still don't know how the old bastard did it. Summer opened that wallet, and to our utter horror, it was empty. Then, in the complete dead silence of the night, we hear, 'Are you looking for this?'" Roman chuckled again. "We jumped about two feet, whirl around… and there's Ozpin, standing right behind us, smiling like he'd just come home from his Sunday walk, and holding up a freaking stack of Lien in his hand."

Yang cocked her head to the side. "He followed Summer?"

Roman barked a laugh. "Yeah, the freaking creeper! So Summer pushes me back, put herself between me and the old man, and pulls out this little pocket knife. Then…" Roman shook his head, grinning. "Then Ozpin made what, I got to say, is the only blatant mistake I've ever seen him do."

"What'd he do?" Ruby asked, a little weirded out by how Raven had started smirking.

"I guess Old Oz wanted to show off or something, because the second Summer pulled the knife, he'd raised his cane, made all of two hand motions, and sent the knife flying out of Summer's hand. Thing is though, we're street kids. You don't live to be sixteen on the streets if you can end up defenseless that easily. And Summer, she didn't know the meaning of 'give up.' So, the second the knife is out of her hand? I guess Oz really underestimated her, because he never saw that left hook coming."

Ruby and Yang's mouths fell open, their eyes bugging out. "Mom… punched Professor Ozpin?" Ruby asked faintly.

Behind them, Raven started quietly cackling to herself.

Roman smirked, chuckling as he threw his hands out. "Not just that! She clocks him right across the jaw, snatches the Lien right out of his hand, then grabs me by the wrist and yanks us both out of there. We were gone before the old man even said 'ow'."

"Y-you got away?" Yang stuttered incredulously, her lips curving up in disbelief.

At that, Roman sighed, though his smirk stayed in place. "Unfortunately, Ozpin is forever the man with a plan. We bust out the back door, only to find a handful of Hunters waiting for us. Guess Ozpin figured we'd make a break for it."

Ruby and Yang pouted, Roman laughing internally as he wondered if they even realized they'd been pulled into the story. "So, then what?" Ruby asked.

"Well, while we're both standing there crapping ourselves, the old man comes walking out behind us, rubbing his jaw. Words were exchanged, Summer made a few threats to leave us alone… then Ozpin blindsides us by asking Summer if she wanted to be a Huntress."

Yang blinked. "What, just… like that?"

Roman nodded. "Yeah, just like that. No pomp, no fanfare; just out of the blue he's offering her training, a scholarship, a place for me and her to live on campus. We went from nothing to everything so fast, we both got whiplash."

"But…" Ruby's face screwed up in confusion. "Why would he do that if Mom just stole from him?"

"He knew about the Silver Eyes." The sisters twisted in their seats when Raven spoke, flinching under her hardened gaze. Raven's eyes softened at their cowed looks, her tone calming despite her clear agitation. "The man makes a point to know everything, even when he should keep his nose out of it, and has a tendency to think of things no one else would. He probably saw Summer's eyes, made the connection, and figured he had to keep the power away from anyone he didn't control."

Roman grimaced. "Wish I could disagree, but it makes the most sense. Otherwise, he was just impressed some kid managed to get away with his wallet. Which, admittedly, I prefer to believe. Sis was badass enough to rob the most powerful man in the kingdom. She deserved some kind of reward." He shook his head to rid himself of the thoughts. "Anyway, Summer thought this was all too good to be true, and told Ozpin as much. The old man just gave her that superior smile of his, handed her a damn business card, told her to think it over and walked off with his confused Hunters in tow." He chuckled. "Didn't even bother to take the Lien back from Summer.

"We ran off, thoroughly freaked out as we tried to find a new place to crash. We talked on and off about the offer for about a week, mostly trying to figure out if it was legit or not. Honestly, both of us thought it was some kind of trap, though for the life of us we couldn't figure out what for. But, we burned through the Lien quickly, and… well, let me put it this way," He folded his hands on the table, leaning forward to look both of the sisters in the eye. "When you start waking up hungrier than when you went to sleep, your sense of caution kind of goes out the window.

"So, we found a payphone, Summer called the number… and the next thing we knew, Ozpin was showing us one of Beacon's guest quarters, our new home while Summer got remedial lessons."

"Lessons?" Ruby asked. "For what?"

Roman snorted. "For fighting, Red. Not a lot of time for combat school when you're fighting to keep your belly full. Ozpin set Summer up with some tutors, to try and get her up to snuff by the time she turned seventeen and could enter Beacon as a student. From there, well… I think you both know the rest."

The room fell silent as the sisters tried to process. Roman watched as they caught each other's gazes, their Mate's Marks flaring up as they held their silent conversation. He looked over their heads to Raven, giving her a curious shrug as if to ask, Well, how'd I handle it?

She only offered a shrug of her own in return, her lips pulling up in amusement as she turned back to her daughters. As if feeling her eyes on them, Ruby and Yang looked back to her.

"Well… Mom?" Yang started, the hesitant words coming out as more of a question. Raven's smile grew a little wider, which made Roman smirk. "Is this all for real?"

Raven gave her a slow nod. "It matches up with what Summer told me. She got a lot of respect from me for going through all that and still being able to smile."

Ruby's lips pulled down, but not so much in a frown as just a look of thought. "So…" She looked back at Roman. "You just lived at Beacon while Mom went to school?"

Roman nodded with a shrug. "Mostly. I tried to stay out of trouble, make things easier on Sis. Failed miserably. I tried to balance it out by chipping in every now and then as a kind of a teaching assistant if they needed an extra set of hands. Made a few bucks, even learned a couple things. Though, in hindsight," He then chuckled. "Maybe they regret letting me sit in on the business education and combat classes, all things considered. Eh, hindsight can be a bitch like that." He paused for a moment, mulling over something before deciding to say, "And when I turned seventeen… I took a crack at being a Hunter myself."

Ruby's eyes went wide in disbelief, Yang's mouth falling open. "You're a Hunter!?"

Roman snorted. "Was. Was a Hunter… for a hot minute. I graduated, but… heroics aren't really my thing. Don't get me wrong, the pay was amazing! But taking orders, being at the mercy of my employers… more times than not, I just tagged along with Summer and her band of misfits. I took enough missions to keep my Hunter's license, but… that was about it."

"But…" Ruby shook her head in complete confusion. "If you both got taken in and both trained to be Hunters… why are you a criminal now? Why are you helping the White Fang?"

Roman had to think for a minute. "That's… a short but complicated answer." He rubbed his jaw in thought. "Well, it wasn't my goal in life to become a criminal mastermind, I'll admit that. Though I am pretty good at it if I do say so myself."

"Someone has to," Raven commented.

"Hey," Roman pointing a finger at her, frowning. "I didn't hear you complaining when I outfitted your merry band of misfits with the best weapons and armor money could have bought."

Raven's eyes narrowed. "You ran off with a fourth of our treasury, and I didn't see you again till last Wednesday."

Roman threw his arms out in a mocking gesture. "Hey, I told you what my rate was before we even started!"

"I thought you were joking!"

"Well, that's on you. Besides, it still cost you less than if you'd bought the stuff outright."

Raven growled under her breath, and Roman figured he'd better answer his now thoroughly lost nieces before he ended up on the business end of her katana. "Anyway… hmm…" He looked between Ruby and Yang, a little hesitant to ask. "I'm assuming Raven told you all about her and Summer?"

The girls look down, visibly conflicted. It was Yang who softly answered. "Yeah… we know."

Roman shot an accusing glare over their heads at Raven. See what you idiots did!

Raven at least had the decency to look away, the closest thing to shame he was going to get out of her.

Roman rolled his eyes. "Yeah… well, then you already know everything leading up to when Summer disappeared. What do you two know about that?"

The girls blinked at him, confused. "Just that she went on a mission and… didn't come back. Um…" Ruby hesitantly looked up and Raven. "Uncle Qrow said you think Professor Ozpin knows about it?"

For a moment, fire burned in Raven's eyes. She closed them instantly, taking a long calming breath. She opened them slowly, and her voice was tight as she spoke. "It only makes sense. The man makes a point to know everything, and Summer trusted him to a stupid degree for giving her a chance at Beacon. If he told her to jump, she'd ask how high." She scoffed with little scorn. "Then again, she'd do that for anyone she cared about."

Roman chuckled with little humor. "That she would. Bleeding heart, all around." He sighed, then went back to the topic at hand. "I've never been able to prove he did, but if Oz did ask her, it would answer the one thing that makes no sense about her disappearance."

"What's that?" Ruby asked quickly, all her worries and hesitation pushed aside in favor of learning about her mother. Yang leaned forward against the table, just as invested.

"Why she would take a mission in the first place," Roman explained. "She'd been a stay-at-home mom ever since you were born, Little Red. So why would she just take one out of the blue? Better yet, why not tell anyone first? She didn't tell Tai. She didn't tell Qrow. Rae was on another continent, so she was out. She didn't even tell me, and that's what makes the least amount of sense!"

Ruby cocked her head to the side. "It does?"

Roman gave her an 'are-you-stupid' look. "How many secrets do you two keep from each other?"

The sisters blinked at him, then shared a sheepish look.

Roman nodded. "Yeah, my point exactly. Summer and I were all each other had for years. There was a trust there. She told me everything." He looked down, scowling at the table. "So there had to be a good godsdamned reason why she didn't this time."

He sighed, then look back up at them. "So, how did I become a criminal? I went after her." He ignored their shocked looks in favor of continuing on. "I started searching around, blew off my Hunter duties in the process. I asked around to everyone I thought would be useful, 'did Summer Rose pass through here?' And by some miracle, I found a trail. I snooped around long enough, I would find one person who could point me in a direction to go. Weirdest thing was, she kept bouncing around the continents like crazy. From Vale to Mistral, to Atlas, back to Vale, then Vacuo; like she was looking for something. I followed her trail as best I could." He then scowled. "For all the good it did me."

Ruby slumped in her seat. "So… you don't know what happened to her?"

Roman met her eyes… and felt something twisted in his gut at the hope still shining in them. He let out a sigh, unable to muster a smile. "Sorry, Re… Ruby." He shook his head to himself. "Yeah… to this day, I have no idea what the hell Summer was thinking or where she went. Last I found was a stopover she had in Vacuo, but then the trail went cold."

Ruby's face crumbled. For a brief moment, against her will, she thought she'd finally get some kind of answer. Not that her mother was alive, even she wasn't so naive for that. But to at least know what happened to her. To just know… why?

Feeling her sister's torment, Yang put her hand on Ruby's shoulder, giving her a little shake. It got Ruby to meet her eyes, but the brittle smile she gave her was almost worse than if Ruby started crying. Keeping her hand in place, to steady herself along with Ruby, she asked Roman the question that'd been bugging her. "Tell me this, Uncle Roman." Even if she was starting to believe it was the truth, she couldn't help but have a mocking tone at the sheer ridiculousness of it all. Though, judging from how his smirk increased, Roman just found it funny. "If you were a Hunter like Mom, how do you end up working for the White Fang?"

At that, Roman frowned. "Okay, first off I don't work for them, I work with them. Me and Taurus have the same employer. I'm missing a few appendages that would have them let me in their special club anyway." When Yang seemed unamused, he went on. "And I kind of already told you; I shirked my duties as a Hunter in favor of looking for Summer. They yanked my Hunter's license after my first year of 'inactivity'. As for the White Fang… oh, how do I put this?" He drummed his fingers on the table in thought. "While I was looking for Summer, I learned pretty quickly that the official authorities- cops, other Hunters, and the like- weren't all that much help for finding a single person. So I started looking for… people with connections. Less than legal connections. And to get their information, people would ask for… favors. Mostly of the smash-and-grab variety. I'll let your imaginations fill in the blanks and just say that pretty soon, I had a reputation with pretty much every criminal underbelly there is.

"After five years, I had completely blacklisted myself as a Hunter, had made a major splash either with or against every criminal element throughout the kingdoms, pissed off just about every government in existence…" He growled under his breath. "And I was no closer to finding Summer than when I first started. Thought about going back to Patch to help raise you two, but I nixed that almost instantly. The whole reason Raven left was to keep you two safe, and with all the bridges I'd burned, the thought of having you kids in the middle of some criminal crossfire wasn't too appealing. So, I stayed away, kept doing what I was doing to try and find Summer… and found out I was pretty good at this whole criminal thing."

He then chuckled to himself, giving them a toothy smile. "Seven years later, I'm known as the one guy who can get whatever you need done, no matter how difficult, no questions asked… for the right price. So when the little Matchstick calling Taurus's shots came to me and offered triple my usual standard for every single thing she wanted me to do… well, the rest was history."

Yang stared at him, then scoffed. "So you are just a criminal."

To that, Roman look positively appalled. "How dare you! I am not just a criminal…" He smirked. "I am a career criminal. There's a difference." He chuckled when Yang scowled at him. "Hey, it's not like I'm all bad. I still got my own kind-of-sort-of moral values. I don't randomly murder. I don't run drugs. Hell, I'm the reason human trafficking is pretty much extinct in this Kingdom. Anytime I catch wind of it, the cops get an anonymous tip."

"Don't murd- You tried to kill us!" Yang screeched, going back to her original point.

Roman rolled his eyes. "Sunshine, if I wanted to kill you, you'd be dead." He laughed at the stunned looks his blunt statement got. "That thing was just a test to see if you two really were Summer and Raven's kids. Way I figured it, there was no way two kids raised by The Invincible Team STRQ could get taken down by that hunk of metal."

Even Ruby couldn't help but give him a 'what-the-hell' look. "What would have happened if we lost?"

Roman's frown was completely unapologetic. "It would have been a major point towards proving you two were imposters using my nieces' faces to screw with me. And before you say that couldn't happen… after I started making enemies, do you have any idea how many times I got a 'lead' on Summer's location, just to end up staring down the barrel of some would-be rival's gun? Let me tell you, it's in double digits. I've earned the right to be a bit paranoid when family just suddenly appears out of the blue. Especially with this trainwreck of a family."

"Love you too, Roman."

"Piss off, Rae." He looked back to Ruby, looking slightly apologetic. "Though, Raven and Qrow told me I may have gone a little overboard."

"You broke my leg!" Ruby squawked, indignant.

Okay, now Roman did look apologetic. "Yeah… wasn't exactly aiming for that. Sorry." He then gave Ruby a look that she almost thought was concerned. "How is that, by the way? You heal up okay?"

Ruby frowned, disconcerted by the genuine care in the master criminal's voice. "It's… fine. I can run again."

Roman let out a small breath through his nose. "Good. Didn't need that on my conscience. Though…" He looked up at Raven. "What are the chances Tai's just going to let this go?" Raven's evil grin was all the answer he needed. Roman slumped in his seat. "Spectacular."

Yang shook her head, slumping back in her seat. She put a hand to her head in a futile attempt to ward off her coming headache. "This… I don't know what to think anymore. This is almost too much."

Roman smiled at her. "Look on the bright side, Sunshine: at least there's nothing else."

"There's not?" Ruby piped up, drawing their attention to her almost desperate look. "There's no more secrets? You're sure?"

Roman went to answer, but had to pause. "Uh… well, let's run down the list." He started counting off on his fingers. "There's me. Just did that. Summer's history, same. You know about Summer and Raven." He looked up at Raven in question. "You tell Little Red about how you're…?"

"She knows," Raven said softly, her answer emphasized by Ruby's odd frown and small blush.

"Then that's all I know. You two got any more questions?"

"Actually, yeah, I do." Yang fixed Roman with a fierce look. "Why are you even telling us all this? You're a wanted man, and I doubt you're getting anything from talking to us. So why even bother? Why are you being so… nice to us?"

Roman stared back at her silently. His lips were turned in a small frown. His eyes fell to the table surface, drifting back and forth as he thought. With a resigned look, he looked from Yang to Ruby, then back again. Letting out a deep breath, he said. "...honestly? It's because… Summer was my big sister." He smiled faintly, and for just a moment, the girls could see the smarm and smugness fall away, allowing them to see the sadness in his eyes. "I loved her. And... you're her kids. You two are the only pieces of her I've got left."

Yang pulled back a bit, looking both confused and conflicted. "But… then I get Ruby, but… I'm…"

"If you're about to say you're not Summer's daughter, I'll either give you a black eye or die tryin'." Yang and Ruby both flinched away at the sudden intensity in Roman's eyes. He pointed a finger right at Yang, an almost angry frown etching his face. "I watched her fawn all over Raven during her pregnancy, and turn into a sobbing mess when she first held you the day you were born. Summer loved you more than life itself, and if you start thinking of her as anything less than your mother, then you and I are going to have problems."

Yang's mouth worked soundlessly as she struggled to respond. It was now Ruby's turn to support Yang, putting a comforting hand on her forearm. When Roman saw neither of them we're going to speak, he leaned back in his chair, relaxing his shoulders. He laughed a little to himself. "Besides, kid, you're proof positive that genetics are bullshit." At their baffled looks, he explained, "You ain't got her blood, but you've got more in common with Summer than you might think. Ruby may have ended up with her looks and her heart, but you? Gods help us, you've got her spirit… and her stubbornness."

Behind them, Raven laughed softly and agreement, putting a hand to her still tender cheek. "Truer than you know, Roman," she murmured quietly.

Yang's mouth slowly closed as Roman spoke, her eyes starting to sting. She became aware of Ruby rubbing soothing circles on her arm with her thumb. She moved her arm to hold her sister's hand, looking down at the table.

When Yang didn't say anything, Ruby turned her attention back to Roman, her voice still small. "So... what now?"

Roman took a deep breath, meeting Raven's eyes. At her small nod, he stood up from the table. "Now… I'm guessing we go out there, and I deal with whatever is waiting for me on the other side. Then we get to the fun stuff regarding your little girlfriends."

In an instant, both girls were back on edge, standing up with him. "What about them?" Yang asked dangerously.

Roman put his hands up to stop them. "Oh, I'm not saying this crap more than once. Give me five minutes of patience, then you'll know." He then paused, fixing Raven with a hard look. "That being said… happy as I am to have finally cleared the air here, Rae, mind telling me why in the everloving hell you brought me back to Beacon to do this? Exactly when did Oz become part of the equation here?"

Raven huffed. "The situation changed. We've gained some unexpected allies, and Ozpin kind of invited himself along."

Roman raised a brow. "What? Who?"

With an almost humorous grimace, Raven pointed between Yang and Ruby. "Their in-laws," she stated, making them both blush.

Roman's blinked, pausing as he bent over to pick up his cane and hat from where Ruby had dropped them. "Okay, that's never going to not sound weird." Then his eyes bugged out. "Wait… Jacque Schnee? That bastard's here?"

Raven heaved a deep, exasperated sigh, her own cheeks pinking as Ruby and Yang blushed deeper. "No, their other in-laws."

Roman seemed confused, but then his face relaxed in comprehension. "Oh… King and Queen Kitty-cat. Right, because Taurus… yeah, makes sense they'd show up eventually." He then shrugged. "All right, we can work with that. Come on, Rae. Let's go meet our new family."

Raven rolled her eyes as she followed him to the door, Ruby and Yang trailing after her, still holding hands.

"This is weird," Ruby muttered to her sister, an odd look on her face as her eyes darted between Roman and Raven.

Yang managed to smile at her, a disbelieving laugh escaping her. "I'm right there with you, Ruby." Before they reach the door, she turned to Raven. "Is this really a good idea?" Yang asked her mother.

"No," Raven responded bluntly. "But we don't have much choice."

Roman chuckled, opening the door. He looked back as he stepped into Ozpin's office, smiling at Yang. "Got to admit myself, Sunshine, I'm a little curious how this is going to go-"

Before he could say any more, he was abruptly cut off when the tip of a rapier pressed itself under his chin. He stiffened as he stared down its length, right into the fierce, commanding blue eyes of Winter Schnee.

"Roman Torchwick! You're under arrest for grand theft and attempted murder!"

There was a brief moment of stunned silence as Ruby and Yang looked on, open-mouthed, while Raven reflexively grabbed the hilt of her katana.

Roman, however, just closed his eyes. He shook his head slightly, an exasperated chuckled passing his lips.

"Yeah," he laughed. "This fits."

Betaed by Covert Weapon

Old A/n: Didn't really realize it until this chapter, but… I'm kind of putting poor Ruby through the wringer, ain't I? Her sister's mom is her dad, her uncle is a master criminal, her mom isn't the perfect being she'd always thought she was… Still, I think I'm treating her a bit better than the show did. At least everyone she cares about is still alive.

Except for Summer.

Maybe.

Still working on that one.

I figure that some people may not be happy with my version of Summer's history. That's cool, you're allowed. I just like the idea that, while Summer seems to be the only perfect person in all of RWBY, she had to work her way up to that point from nothing. It really bugs me that we know next to nothing about her in the actual show, considering how important she is to Ruby and Yang.