#beaconship

Raven retreated to a cabin on Patch to have her child. Summer had been the first person she’d told in school, even before Tai. What she’d had with him had been as explosive as a firework, but extinguished just as quickly.

It was fitting that Raven told Summer about her daughter first. Summer was part of the reason that she had a daughter now. Her breakup with the redhead had left Raven feeling hurt and angry, and she’d sought comfort in the arms of the man she’d known Summer had left her for.

Tai just didn’t know that yet, and for the week she had him instead of Summer, she hoped it hurt her friend.

But eventually the anger burnt out like a dying fire, and being with Tai made her feel hollow. He deserved someone whole and good, like Summer. Someone who made him smile like she could.

She took her claws out of him, and the school year came to an end. Graduation came and went.

Qrow broke at the end of the summer after a close encounter with Salem left him an inch from death. She followed him back to their old home after his recovery, but by now she knew he was right to leave Ozpin’s troops.

A bandit camp was no place to raise a child, and she couldn’t heft her daughter onto Summer’s budding relationship with a man she was fairly certain Summer was falling in love with.

She took less than 10 men from the camp with her, but her brother wasn’t among them. All she left him with was a promise to never hunt him for Ozpin, or to bring him back because he knew too much.

The band of them made the cabin on Patch their headquarters until Raven gave birth. It rained that day, and all night. She thought about Summer when Vernal handed her her newborn daughter.

When she woke up, Summer and Tai were there. She glanced at Vernal, who shrugged.

“They said they knew you.”

“You’d let anyone in.”

Her partner smirked, gesturing to their guests. “I’ve got an eye on them, boss.”

Raven spent the day entertaining guests, and working out custody with Tai. Raven wanted Yang to know her father; both she and Qrow had felt the effects of not having a full family.

Besides. None of them believed Raven could raise the girl alone.

She often used her daughter as an excuse to not continue spying for Ozpin. She wanted no part in his war, but every time Summer or Tai went out on one of his missions, she found herself praying to gods she knew didn’t exist.

Eventually, a few months before Yang’s fifth birthday, the news arrived home that Tai had passed.

Raven rubbed her eyes, hunched on her bed. Vernal glanced worriedly at her.

“…bring her to me.”

She nodded, turning on her heel. Downstairs, some men with large guns and women with large swords had a pile of money on the kitchen table, and Yang grinned as she watched them flick through cards so fast that their hands became blurs. They had her sitting on the counter by the sink so she could see over the crowd.

The shuffling stopped for a moment when Vernal entered the kitchen, and everyone’s eyes shifted from her to Yang.

Yang grinned when she saw her, climbing down the counter, each of the mercenaries making a path for her to get to their boss’s second.

Yang reached up for Vernal’s hand, and the older woman took it. “Hey, kid.” As they walked, the quiet murmur of the card game picked up behind them.

“Is mom okay?”

Vernal frowned. “I’m sure she’ll tell you. She trusts you. Sometimes more than me.”

Yang giggled, shaking her head. “Not that much.”

They continued up the stairs, Vernal masking an exhausted sigh. She knocked once, and then opened the door.

Raven peered up, glanced at Yang’s smile. Then at Vernal. “Leave us for a moment.”

She sounded tired, and the mood finally appeared to affect her daughter, who stepped forward, letting Vernal’s hand go. “Mom?”

Vernal quietly shut the door behind her, standing guard outside. She finally let her shoulders slump.

Raven glanced towards her daughter, sighing and lifting her up onto the bed. “I need to tell you something, Yang.”

“Is everything okay?”

Raven shook her head, stroking Yang’s hair. “No. It’s not. Something happened. Your father…Tai is dead.”

Yang blinked, processing that for a moment, her face finally crumpling on a frown.

“You remember we’ve talked about this, right?”

She nodded quietly, her face scrunched up. “Y-Yeah. It means he’s gone. Forever.”

“It does. Tomorrow morning, we’re going to go see Summer and her daughter. They’re going to need friends right now. Can I count on you?”

Yang swallowed, rubbed her throat. Her voice sounded small when she replied. “Y-Yeah.”

“…thank you, sunshine.” The words fell as soft as the first snow of winter, and Yang finally threw her arms around Raven and hugged her.

Raven didn’t chastise her or stop her, instead clutching her close to her chest, and thinking of all the ways she would like to go about dismembering Salem and Ozpin.

Eventually she sighed, rubbing Yang’s back. “Bed time, Yang. We have to get up early.”

She sniffled, nodding, her head drooping as she wandered out of her mother’s room.

Vernal entered after Yang was gone.

“We’re moving on Torchwick tomorrow. Everything is ready. I’ll make certain it goes as smoothly as if you were there.”

“Thank you, Vernal.” For her partner to have no bite or wit to sharpen the information with suggested that Raven looked more pathetic than she imagined.

She sent her home with a flourish of her wrist, and eventually the small crowd gathered in her living room also disappeared, dwindling as the night went on.

In the morning, she took Yang to Summer’s house.

Summer’s silver eyes flashed, a constant reminder of the destiny Ozpin had burdened her with. They looked haunted, now.

Raven shooed Yang to go entertain Ruby, and then pulled Summer into a tight hug.

“P-Please don’t give me the ‘I told you so’ speech, Raven.” The words came through between broken sobs that chipped away at what was left of Raven’s heart.

“Wouldn’t dream of it. Saving all my tasteless lectures for after his funeral.”

The laugh that bubbled up in Summer’s chest could’ve choked her, tears dribbling down her cheek as she pressed herself into Raven’s shoulder.

“Hey, let me make you some tea. You just sit and rest.” She helped Summer to the couch, and the woman tugged a throw blanket up over her legs, clutching it like a life preserver.

Raven poured them each a mug, delivering it to her old teammate.

Summer’s hands shook around it, but she didn’t appear to notice.

“I told Yang.”

A numb, exhausted nod. “Ruby’s too young to understand.”

Raven sat on the coffee table, setting her mug aside. Her eyes pierced Summer, making her feel something through the fog of grief and guilt.

“You can’t raise her alone. You’re gone too much.”

This bitter laugh shakily escaped before Summer nearly choked over it. “God, Raven, I haven’t had the chance to breathe since coming home, let alone think about what to do with Ruby.”

Raven peeked over her shoulder at their children toddling around the kitchen together. Ruby had finally outgrown the stage of being wobbly on her feet, chasing Yang like a small, excited puppy.

“We could move in with you.” Raven waited for Summer to react, but all she did was look up from her shaking hands and mug of tea to stare at Raven. Those silver eyes looked dead. “Tai is gone, Summer. You can’t stay in this big, empty house all alone. And my men and I can watch Ruby for you when you’re off spying for Ozpin.”

Summer’s eyes narrowed dangerously, but then she looked away. Raven wasn’t being disdainful enough to start a fight just yet.

“You’re offering to allow your mercenaries to watch my daughter while I’m gone?”

Raven crossed her arms. “Do you have a problem with that?”

“They’re bandits, Raven. You may be comfortable with them watching your daughter, but I’m not comfortable with them watching mine.”

“They aren’t bandits,” she replied flatly. “I trust Vernal with my life. And I trust them with Yang.”

Summer’s head snapped up out of a spiral of guilt-ridden jealousy, her eyes slits of silver now. “You’re their boss. Of course they take care of Yang for you. I’m no one to them.”

Raven tilted her head. “You’re someone to me. And they’re family. You’ve met Vernal, you like Vernal. Besides, I’d be here, too. And I know you trust me.”

That brought Summer up short, and her whole body loosened up, slumped down.

“Think it over, Summer.” She stood up to call Yang, but then noticed her teammate’s body shaking uncontrollably.

“…yes, alright. I accept.”

Raven frowned. “You’re certain you want to decide this right now?”

“I-I can’t do this, I-I certainly can’t do this alone. Ruby needs something stable, and you’re a good mother. Better than me.”

Raven raised an eyebrow. “You’re delusional.”

Summer carried on, ignoring the interruption. “We have a-an extra guest bedroom that can be yours, a-and Ruby’s room already has a bed for Yang from when she visits.”

Raven slowly sat back down, and behind her she could hear Yang return to playing with her half-sister.

“Okay, Summer. We’ll move after the funeral. Will Ozpin be there?”

Summer nodded defeatedly.

There wasn’t a body to bury, but they put the gravestone up anyway. Raven quietly slipped away one evening to let Qrow know about his teammate’s fate, leaving Yang in Vernal’s care. She arrived home early in the morning, both girls asleep on the couch in front of the TV.

Raven kept the cabin as headquarters for awhile; Summer was still distrustful of her men in her home, near her daughter, so they did most of their work at the old lodge. Summer eventually agreed that Vernal could watch her daughter, too, as long as she minded her mouth.

But the funeral had come and gone, and Raven began to be reminded why they’d butted heads so often in Beacon. Not three weeks after the funeral, they’d purchased a hotel room to argue away from their children.

The argument started nearly the same way every time, hurling accusations at one another. Raven about Ozpin, Summer about Raven and her “mercenaries”.

“You trust the man who manipulated a team of children for his own benefit, but not the people who help me hunt criminals for Vale? That’s rich, Summer. How deeply does he have you brainwashed?”

Summer’s nails dug into her palms, any measure of control she’d managed to maintain over the volume of her voice slowly slipping away. “Ozpin gave me a chance, Raven. To do something useful, to save more lives with my gifts than I could had I never been told. I don’t agree with everything he’s done, I’m not blind. But I’ve worked hard to get where I am for a reason.”

Raven scoffed. “And my brother ran away for a reason. Your husband is dead for a reason. We both know it.” She nearly spat the name. “Ozpin.”

Summer swallowed. “…he was on a hunt with me. His blood is on my hands.”

“I don’t care what Ozpin has tricked you into believing.” Raven’s red eyes flashed with spite. “Tai died over something that was too big for him. Ozpin used our team, for your eyes, and the skills of my brother and I. Tai never should have been a part of any of this. And now he’s dead.”

Summer shakily sat down on the hotel bed, lip trembling.

When it finally became clear that Summer would say no more, Raven rubbed her eyes, walked past her teammate towards the window. “I’m going to get some fresh air.”

Without waiting for a response, she pushed it open, and then disappeared. To everyone in the streets, it simply appeared that a lone black raven had taken off from the window sill.

Eventually Summer left, too, wandering through the streets of her town where the news of her husband’s passing made everyone far too gentle with her, reminding her with each step she took that he was gone.

She ordered food to bring back to the room, not sure when to expect Raven back. But the woman was sitting cross-legged on the bed when Summer came in, and glanced up from her scroll at her.

“Vernal says the girls are asleep.”

Summer nodded tiredly, putting the food down on the desk and grabbing her things to shower.

It gave Raven some time to think about what to say as she unpacked the food, began eating. Outside, storm clouds gathered, the distant rumbling of thunder feeling like a second heartbeat in Raven’s head.

Summer came out of the bathroom dressed in loose clothes, scars up her arms from a lifetime of putting the lives of others before her own. She quietly made herself a plate of food, then sat on the other side of the bed and began eating.

Raven glanced at her. “Your girl has silver eyes.”

“She does.”

“Ozpin is going to ask the same thing of her as he has of you.”

Summer’s head and shoulders collapsed under the weight of exhaustion. “I don’t know what you want me to say, Raven.”

“Do you want her to go through what you’ve been through? Are still going through?”

“She won’t have a choice. You can’t run away from being what we are.”

“That wasn’t the question I asked.”

Summer’s hands went up to her hair, tearing through the damp strands. “God, do you really think I’m that heartless?”

“No. Just that dedicated to Ozpin’s impossible war.”

“It’s not dedication when you don’t have a choice.”

Raven’s eyes narrowed, and she went back to her food, stabbing at the little pieces of meat among the noodles on her plate.

“…my parents tried to hide what I was. And it almost worked,” she said, her voice lilting with a sad, broken laugh. “And then I saw them slaughtered right in front of me in a bandit raid that attracted grimm. When I woke up, all the grimm were dead. But so were all the people, Raven.”

Raven kept chewing her food, and then eventually set her empty plate aside on the bedside table. Defeated by the lack of response, Summer put her food aside, too.

“And then Ozpin convinced you you were special, convinced all of us that we were special, and now one of us is dead, and my family is broken. So is yours.”

“Then why are you even here, Raven? Just–just take your men, and your daughter, and leave me alone.”

She rubbed her face, sighed finally. “Because I can’t lose anyone else. I won’t lose another one of us.” She smiled wryly. “Besides, who gets Ruby when Ozpin gets you killed?”

Summer glared at her. “You’ll find out when they read my will.”

Raven shrugged. “I’m not leaving. You may not enjoy admitting it, but you need help.”

It got quiet after that as Summer gathered their trash and threw it away. She closed the window as a bolt of lightning cracked the sky apart, and then curled up under the covers on her side of the bed, her back to Raven.

Raven lay on top of the blanket, staring at the ceiling.

“I don’t want your help,” Summer muttered, too tired for her own good.

“I don’t care.”

“God, you’re such a jerk. I swear I don’t know why I didn’t break up with you sooner in school.”

“Great sex,” Raven hummed, shutting her eyes.

“Jerk.”

Raven sighed. “Hey, you broke up with me. So careful who you’re calling a jerk, jerk.”

“And you never argued, for once in your damn life.”

“You were clearly head over heels for Tai. Pardon me if I don’t like coming in at second-best.”

Summer quiets down again, clutching the blanket. She didn’t know how to explain to Raven that she’d never stopped wanting her, even after she’d married Tai. All the nights she’d felt her whole body riddled with guilt imagining herself between Tai and Raven, being loved by them both.

“…it’s probably good that it ended, considering things now.”

“Considering we only fight anymore, sure.”

Summer curled further in on herself, giving up on any further conversation and praying for sleep.

When it came, it was restless and left her feeling more tired than before. She was up before Raven, packing her things, but with Raven’s portals, she was home much, much after her.

Vernal was already home when Summer got back, and Ruby ran as fast as her little legs would carry her to greet her mom at the door.

She gives her a kiss, promising she’d come back down after she unpacked. In the living room, Raven sat with Yang on the couch, a pile of manila folders next to her as they went through the different bounty contracts. Summer didn’t even say anything when she heard Ruby climb up next to them asking to see as Raven quizzed her own daughter on who looked the toughest, meanest, baddest of the bunch.

When she came downstairs, she paused just outside of the living room, watching Ruby try and crawl into Raven’s lap to offer her opinion to the duo. Despite herself, she smiled, relaxing subtly as Raven silenced Yang’s giggling with a look, then finally lifted Ruby and plopped her next to her on the couch.

“If you sit still, you can help. Okay?”

Ruby nodded, frowning in concentration as Raven passed Yang a folder to hold, and then held one in each of her hands, in front of herself and in front of Ruby.

“Opinions?”

Ruby tapped on one of the folders multiple times with enthusiasm, then peered over at Yang for confirmation. Raven looked at her daughter with a small head tilt and amused smile. “Thoughts, Yang?”

Yang frowned, staring at whatever picture was on the inside of that manila folder. “Haven’t–haven’t you caught that guy before? He must be extra bad if you caught him before.”

Raven leaned down, kissed her hair. “I think you girls are probably right.”

Summer’s brow creased, ears perking at that information. “Someone you turned in got out again?”

Raven acknowledged her for the first time, nodded her direction. “Roman Torchwick. Seems General Ironwood’s sky prison wasn’t enough to hold him.”

Summer tugged out her scroll, flicking through it as Raven gathered the other folders, setting Torchwick’s file on top.

“Girls,” Summer murmured distractedly, “can you go and play somewhere for a bit? Raven and I need to talk.”

Raven spared a glance at Summer, then helped Ruby off the couch. “Good job, kid.” Ruffled Yang’s hair as she took Ruby’s hand. “And you. Go have some fun.”

Their faces lit up as they ran off giggling together, probably to talk about Ruby’s first time helping with one of Raven’s big cases.

“Funny you should mention Torchwick.” Summer tosses Raven her scroll. “I’ve just received a kill order on a rogue maiden. Guess who she’s hiding with.”

Raven peered up at her, then scanned the file on Summer’s scroll. “You know I hate guessing games,” she murmured, rubbing her eyes. “What’d this girl do?”

“She tried to kill Winter and Summer. Is currently hunting down Spring.”

Raven stared at Summer for a moment, then returned to reading.

“Has it in her head that she could absorb all their power.”

Raven rolled her eyes. “And who do you think put that bright idea in her head?”

Summer’s voice came out dry, framed with a smug smile. “You said you hate guessing games.” She pushed her hair back out of her eyes. “Either she either thought of it herself, or it’s Salem.”

“She’s a child,” Raven said, the words dripping with disdain. “She didn’t come up with this herself. Besides, maidens can’t inherit more than one set of powers. Unless, y’know, an evil entity bent on destroying all of humanity found a way to outsmart Ozpin again.”

“Either way,” Summer’s voice got tight, “I need to kill her.”

“Luring her out of hiding won’t be easy, Summer. And you have to assume that Salem is helping her.”

Summer got quiet for a moment, and when Raven looked up, she was smirking. “See, that’s where you come in. Spring.”

Raven frowned. “Don’t call me that.”

“I knew it.”

Raven rubbed her brow, slumping into an exhausted position on the couch. “How?”

“Tai may not have noticed it, but I did. The day Yang was born, we had unprecedented plant growth and a massive thunderstorm that shook the whole island. And you didn’t go to the hospital.”

She narrowed her eyes. “Tai was a fool. You’re even more of one if you think I’m going to reveal myself.”

“I’m not asking you to. I’m sure Cinder already knows. She wasn’t told the identities of Summer or Winter, but somehow, she found them. Which means someone has probably told her about you.”

Raven bolted up from the couch, her hands forming fists. “Vernal.”

“She’s young,” Summer says gently. “I imagine it didn’t take much attention from a pretty girl to get her talking. She was probably trying to show off.”

“God Summer, that’s not what I’m talking about. Are you dense? I meant it when I said I trust her with my life. If she admitted anything to anyone, it’s that she’s the Spring maiden. We’ve been faking it since the damn thing happened to me.”

Summer’s eyes slowly go wide, her whole body getting impossibly still. “…where is she?”

“I’m calling my men to come watch the girls, and then we’re going.” She already cast a portal that Summer dove through, Raven seconds behind her.

Vernal was screaming, a large, mangled grimm hand clawing at her stomach before Raven saw a flash of white light.

The blackened hand went limp, and Raven sliced at it until it was out of Vernal. Now two women were screaming, but Raven didn’t care as she clutched Vernal to her lap.

“Go,” Summer growled, and Raven opened a portal to the first person she thought of, ending up in the kitchen of the house and throwing everything off the table to lay Vernal down.

Two of her men were just arriving to watch the kids, but when they heard screaming, they ran, and she hissed at them to get the girls out of the house.

The screams went ragged and whimpering as the blood poured out onto the table, and then eventually stopped altogether. A doctor arrived as soon as he could, and Raven watched stone-faced as he worked to keep Vernal alive.

She only lasted a few minutes before opening a portal back to Summer, grateful that she still could.

Cinder Fall’s body lay at Summer’s feet in the woods, her throat slashed open, her eyes frozen in fear.

Summer had dragged a shovel from Vernal’s home out into the trees and began digging. She didn’t turn around when she heard Raven.

Raven stared at the damage; Vernal’s home looked like an old ruin from a fire long ago, and entire trees were crunched or toppled, like a giant had stormed through the area and then disappeared.

“You’ll have to find the new Fall maiden.”

Summer didn’t stop digging. “We already have one.” She tossed the shovel aside, and lifted Cinder’s body, dropping it into the shallow grave.

“That isn’t how this works. You don’t get to choose.”

Summer pauses from dumping dirt over the girl’s body to give Raven a look, then returns to her task.

“Or not,” she muttered. “Guess a lot’s changed since I worked for him.”

Summer sighs quietly, brushes her bangs back. “I’ll…spare you the details. But she’s safe. And she’s stable.”

Raven crosses her arms. “Will you be telling Ozpin about my…situation?”

“No.” It was tight.

Raven allowed herself a small sigh of relief anyway. “Good.”

“I’m not doing it for you,” Summer said quietly, an undercurrent of heat and anger in the words. “I’m doing it for the girl you made a target today.”

Raven rolled her eyes, slashing a portal beside her. “Do it for whoever you’d like. I need to get back to Vernal anyway.”