Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Lie Ren didn't really happen to be one for long talks about himself, or about anything, for that matter. It was good, then, that he was a part of the tribe that knew better than to bug somebody who was practically treated as the leaders son. Add to that a girl who was Ravens right hand and acted as his sister constantly prepared to a shove a fist down anybody and everybodies throat if they said a bad word about him, and he had been given a recipe for success in the ribe.

It had been six years since Nora had passed away and just a little elss time since the tribe took him in. He still missed her every day, but it had gotten easier. He still kept her hammer with him, a reminder of the friend he had lost. He had been told that it was a better option to let go of the past, that was what Raven did, but he stood his ground on the matter. To his surprise, she agreed.

"It's good that you've got that strength in you, kid," she had said to him. He caught sadness in her tone. "You're probably pretty strong, huh? How about it introduce you to some strong people? A family." He had accepted her offer, he was scared of what might happen if he didn't, but by the time he was eleven, he had forgotten what it felt like to feel fear.

By the time he had turned twelve, he was training to be feared.

By the time he was thirteen, nobody in the tribe even looked at him the wrong way out of fear for Raven's actions against them.

When he was fourteen, they learned to fear him too.

By the time he had reached sixteen, every single person in the tribe, Raven including, considered him a spitting image of their leader, and that meant that Ren himself was fear. 

He didn't much care for the title, though.

"Hey, mom." He said softly as he entered the tent.

"Little Lie," she smiled warmly at him, "How was your chat with Shay?"

"He seems to have a rather intricate understanding of the concept of space. He'll never touch a woman again, I'm sure." He set his guns down on the table gently, making sure that they didn't try to expand the blades and impale a cup of tea.

"Good. If there's one thing I can't stand, it's my tribe acting like animals." She said to herself. Ren found irony in the statement, but he didn't bother stating that aloud. He knew what she meant; the tribe didn't stand for harrassing some defenseless girls in a village they weren't meant to shake down. "You've become rather efficient in terrorizing them, though. Sure you aren't on the way to take my place?"

"Only once you've died, I imagine." Vernal chuckled as she entered the tent. "Ren's good, but he'd be lost without mom, don't you think? He still lets you call him 'little Loe' after all."

"For good reason."

"Vernal, be nice to him. It takes true strength to hold onto the past while pushing towards the future." She always defended him like this. Vernal had joked that he was the only one she thought Raven ever had a sofy spot for. Of course, the older woman had shot back with plenty of stories of her old love, but those stories always ended with Raven nearly in tears.

"I'm just teasing. You know I love you, right?" She embaraced him, giving him a tight squeeze that made him gasp for air. "I just love my little brother so much!" 

"Don't kill him, or I might have to say I don't believe that."

"I liked my lungs where they were, thanks." He wheezed out, caughing hard. Vernal laughed loudly at him, and Raven sent a warm smile at the two of them. Their antics always msde her wish she had stayed with Tai, but the tribe needed her.

"You two remind me so much of Qrow and I when we were about your age." She may have considered her brother a fool, but she was still fond of them, evident in her voice. She missed him, she could only lie outwardly and say she didn't but she knew she did.

"Didn't you guys try and kill each other? Like, a lot?" Vernal asked.

"Uh, yeah, duh! Tribe was more brutal back then, after all. We still bickered like siblings though, especially when we went to Beacon."

"Not to pry, but... you still miss him, don't you?"

She was silent for a moment, choosing her words, but she gave up before long. "Yeah, I do. That doesn't leave this tent." She lacked reason to lie around the two of them, but if anybody else heard that, they might be strung up as to avoid the information spreading further. As for Ren and Vernal, they'd get the same slap on the wrist they usually did now. "I miss everybody in that life. Hell, sometimes, I even miss that old shit Ozpin. That feels weird to say." She grimaced, as if tasting something sour for the first time in a long time. Once upon a time, she thought saying those words might kill her.

"Huh. Never thought I might hear those words come out of your mouth."

"I held hope."

"My children, the perfect yin and yang of expecting nothing from me and expecting a lot of me. How do you manage to hold hope that I still care?"

"Because you still talk about them in your sleep. Also, I've seen you open portals to some of them." He said, a smirk forming on his face.

"I forget that just because you're such a good kid, that doesn't mean you've never been a bad one." She put a hand over her face and sighed loudly.

"I was raised by bandits, mainly you and Vernal." He noted. "Are we ever going to be meeting any of them?" 

Raven didn't respond, instead taking an interest in her teacup.  Vernal did the same, and Ren took that as his cue to keep the silence as well. They sat like that for a while, long after they had finished their cups of tea. Eventually, though, one of them had to speak.

"I don't know. I don't think they'd appreciate that meeting, nor would it end happily." Raven said solemnly. "Well, maybe not with Qrow, at least. Tai, Yang.. I don't know. And Summer.. that sweet girl would accept me back in a heart beat. I didn't ever deserve her. I don't deserve a second chance." 

"And you'll alway refuse to leave the tribe for good, I imagine."

"I don't know. Maybe once Vernal is old enough, I can finally go home." She smiled, shaking her head. "No, I don't think so. They wouldn't accept me, and I don't blame them. I was a shitty girlfriend, an even worse wife, and the worst mother I can think of."

"You do well for us. Maybe Yang would accept you, too." 

"She has Summer." She said, slamming her palm on the table. "They don't... they don't need me. They have somebody better. I just wish I could have left you there too. Maybe you'd be a good hunter, just so long as you didn't get locked into Ozpins schemes."

"That isn't the life that I want, though. I'm a bandit, not some hunter. I like it here." Ren defended, not liking the idea being thrown at him. "I belong with the tribe, and you. This is my family." And I won't lose another one of those, he thought to himself.

"Hm. You always were a stubborn little shit, weren't you?"

"I get it from my mom." He smiled, and she smiled back.

"Hmph. I wouldn't get rid of either of you. Couldn't stand it." She pulled Ren towards her, wrapping her arms around him and hugging him tightly. "You belong with me."

"Damn right. Don't try and shove us off to the normal people, that damn sure isn't where we belong." Vernal mumbled, then yelped as she got pulled by Ren into the hug as well. "Asshole!" She yelped, but wrapped her arms around the two nonetheless.

"This place wouldn't be the same without either of you."

"Yeah, well," Vernal said, "this place wouldn't be shit if you weren't here."

"Oh, it'd be shit alright, just not a good kind." She responded.

"Like a village without any good fighters type of shit." Ren murmured.

"Speaking of which..." Raven said, letting go of both of them and backing up a little. "We'll be going on another raid soon."

"So soon? It's only been two weeks." Ren said, concerned. The tribe didn't raid villages more than once a month, and even that was pushing it.

"We didn't get as much as expected, though." Vernal said. "We got a lot of new members, too, recently. Fifteen new kids came in to the tribe, and we got a lot of work to do if we want to help them out, plus keep the tribe alive." 

"Right. I guess I've been paying less attention than I should have." Ren said, his hand rubbing the back of his neck guiltily. Raven patted his shoulder to comfort him

"Do not worry, little Lie. Your place in this tribe is not one of leadership, that was never my hope for you. You may have the ability to be scary, to rally the gang, but that isn't your heart. I know." She smiled softly at him, and he smiled back, though he wished he could say something in turn, he knew he couldn't.

"Vernal, gather up the tribe, tell them the news. We'll be going for an old village with few people, as to avoid any risk. We'll bring some newbies, teach them the ropes." Vernal nodded at Ravens request, stepping outside the tent.

"Will I be going as well?" Ren asked, though he assumed he knew the answer. 

"No, I don't think so. I doubt I'll even be going this time around, as much as I may love the action. This will be nothing, and besides, I still don't think you would enjoy it." Raven said, to which Ren sighed.

"How will we ever know if I like it if you never allow me the opportunity to try?" Ren mumbled, trying not to allow Raven to hear. Her keen ears picked up on his quiet voice, and she closed her eyes solemnly.

"I don't want you to end up hurt. I always say you have to be strong to survive, but..." she put her hands to her side and sighed. "I don't want you to be so strong that somebody will try to hunt you down. Somebody like Qrow."

"If I'm strong enough to survive, then I'll be strong enough to stop them."

"And what if you aren't?!" Ren took a step back at the intensity of her yell. "What if you die? What if somebody stronger than you finishes you off before I get the chance to say goodbye to my son?" She finished, her voice catching in her throat.

"Raven..."

"I'm not going to lose you after I left my daughter. I regret that every single day, and I can't take it back, but I can help you. I can save you."

"I..." he was silent for a moment. "What am I going to do in a tribe full of bandits if I can't be one of you?"

"You won't be here forever."

"What?"

Raven sighed, running a finger through her tangled hair. She winced a bit each time she pulled through a knot. "I don't want you to just be a bandit. I want you to do something more than just survive."

"I'm not leaving this tribe." Ren clenched his fist. "This is my home, my family, and I refuse."

The flap rustled as Vernal burst into the tent, panting. Raven's hand went for her sword right away. "What is it?"

"Your brother is here." She wheezed out.

 "Hm. Qrow found us, huh? Better have a good reason for that." She grabbed her mask and walked outside, leaving Vernal and Ren in the tent. "Hello, little brother," she said, her voiced muffled from outside the tent.

"Ren, get your guns. We may have a fight on our hands." Ren nodded, heeding Vernals demand and picking up stormflower from the table. 

"Let's go." The green blades extended, and Ren grinned. Maybe he'd finally get a shot at showing Raven he was worth making use out of.

The two of them stepped out of the tent to see an unusual sight. It was Qrow, certainly, but he was a lot older than in the one picture Raven had of them. They were both standing, staring at each other, a large crowd of bandits surrounding Qrow from behind. His eyes flickered occasionally to his right and left, but he made no moves to attack them.

"Qrow. Why are you here?" Ravens hand reached for her sword, but he raised his hands calmly.

"Raven. I'm not here for a fight. It's, uh, it's Summer. She's... she got hurt."

Raven didn't say anything. Her grip on her weapon had tightened greatly, but she made no moves to attack him. 

"It was on a mission. She's hurt, bad. She'll live, but... we don't know if she'll be able to work again."

"Why tell me?"

"What?" Qrow looked confused.

"I said, why did you come here? To tell me? I left, I left fifteen years ago and all of a sudden you come out here to find me, just to tell me the fuckin' princess got herself hurt? Why the fuck would I care!?" Ravens voice was raised, practically a scream by the time she finished speaking, but Qrow didn't back off.

"Summer, she, uh, she asked for you. I know you still care. I know my sister, I know who you are, and I know you would have wanted to know."

"You don't know shit about me!"

"Raven, please. Can we just, for once in our lives, talk? Instead of being at each others throats? I clearly didn't come here for a fight, or I'd have a hundred other huntsmen behind me!"

Raven looked over him, noting his point. "You still have your weapon." She tried to argue, but Qrow shot her down.

"Was I supposed to trek across an entire continent with my bare hands? Yeah, I can do some cool shit, but that's not something I'm interested in, not with her on our asses." He shot back.

"Fuck you for having a point." She grumbled. "Get in the tent. Vernal, get a group together, Ren, in the tent." Ren raised an eyebrow, but Vernal nodded, walking towards the bandits and surveying them all.

Qrow walked past Ren, hands shoved in his pockets, Raven not far behind. "Come on, kid." Qrow said. Ren didn't exactly feel interested in listening to him, but Raven already told him to, so he listened.

Once they were inside, Raven removed her mask and looked Qrow up and down. "Well?"

He didn't say a word, his hands clenched in fists and his eyes shut tight. 

"Qrow, what the hell-"

Before anybody could make a move, Qrow had Raven wrapped in a tight hug, his face dug into the mass of her hair. Though his voice was muffled, it felt clearer than earlier. "You're a terrible sister."

Ren moved for his weapons, but Raven put a hand up, before placing her arms on her brothers back. "I know."

"Uh.. What?" Ren asked, the question directed to nobody in particular. 

"I told you earlier, I still miss my brother, you know? I have a persona to keep up, but... we've kept in touch, when we get the chance." Raven said, rubbing her brothers back softly. "I figured Vernal already knows, perhaps you can too. I can trust you won't go blabbering."

"We're supposed to keep in touch," Qrow said angrily, taking a swig from his flask. "You haven't given much chance for that."

"Unfortunately, I have a tribe to run, and several personal relations to take care of."

"Raven." Qrow grumbled. "Summer."

Raven looked at the floor. "Yeah. What is it?"

"Her arm is gone. She cut it off, when that bitch tried to infect her." Ren raised an eyebrow.

"That bitch being Salem?"

Qrow's eyes widened in surprise, but quickly went back to normal. "No surprise she'd have told you about that. Yeah, Salem. Summer took her arm off so she couldn't be turned into some freak like Salem, and she paid for it. She was bleeding all the way to the next town, somehow she managed to get away. Right now, she's home, with Tai and the kids."

Ravens eyes softened at the mention of them. "Right, how are they?"

"Well, I was last on Patch about two weeks ago. Yang was scared, so was Ruby, but they wouldn't leave her side. Tai, well, he's Tai, so what do you expect? He won't stop begging and pleading with her to stay in bed, but Summer is Summer, so she refuses to."

"So they still haven't changed, and neither have you, hm?"

"You haven't either." Qrow chuckled. "You're still a hardass, and have been for forty some odd years."

Raven groaned. "Don't remind me how old I'm getting."

"Reminding you is reminding me, but unlike you, I'm still just as attractive as when I was at Beacon. Maybe even more than back then."

"Don't flatter yourself."

"If I may?" Ren caught both of their attention, clearing his throat. "I'm very, very lost."

"You need a map, maybe a compass?" Raven slapped the back of her brothers head at his joke.

"You asked earlier if you were were going to meet any of them. Well, here's your chance. You've met Qrow, so why not meet the others?" 

"You mean, Yang, Tai, all of them?"

Qrow chuckled. "Fast to catch on, huh?" He joked, earning a glare from Ren. "Yeah, all them."

"I would be pleased."

Raven pulled out her sword, slashing it through the air and creating a portal. "Vernal will handle everything until we're home. We'll be back soon, anyways." 

"Right." Ren watched as Qrow stepped through the portal, then Raven, and he followed just behind her, stepping into a room full of eyes staring back at him.

An injured woman on a bed spoke to them all first. "You're home..."

Raven smiled. "Yeah, Summer. I'm here."

Chapter Text

"Yeah, Summer. I'm here." Raven said softly, staring back at the woman lying in the bed. Both of them had tears welling up in their eyes, just watching each other.

Qrow hummed to himself, taking a step back from the two. Ren followed his lead, moving back from Raven, who didn't make a move. 

Summer smiled from the bed, sliding her legs off the side. Slowly, she stood, using her one arm to support herself momentarily as she caught her balance. Once she had, she reached Raven, reaching up to her face to touch her cheek. "Y-you're real..."

"Yeah, Summ," Raven choked out, "I'm real."

Summer wrapped her arm around Raven gently, pulling her close. Raven did the same, holding onto her for dear life. Qrow tapped Ren on the shoulder, keeping his voice at a whisper. "I'm going to grab Tai, stay here." Ren nodded, and Qrow left the room quickly.

"Oh, and you," Summer said softly to him. "I don't know your name, I'm sorry, dear." She smiled through her tears, her face a beacon of joy that filled Ren with hope he hadn't felt in many years. 

"Lie Ren, ma'am."

"Oh, don't ma'am me," she waved him off. "Just Summer to you. I can't say I expected Raven to bring along a bandit, especially not a kid, but you're welcome here none the less. It's just Summer to you."

"He, uh," Raven started, "he isn't quite a bandit, honestly. Although he unfortunately takes after me in being a stubborn little shit who doesn't listen to anybody who tells him he isn't." She narrowed her eyes at him playfully.

"Oh, good, we have another Yang on our hands then, don't we?" Summer chuckled. Raven tensed up a bit at that, and the other woman took notice. "She's been searching for a long time, dear. It's time you two met, and she doesn't hate you, though I don't know if she'll consider you a mother right away. It can take time."

"Summer, what'd I tell you about being out of bed?" A man's voice came from the hall, not actually angry but full of concern. "Seriously, I don't even realize when Qrow gets in and now you aren't.. listening to.. oh." He stopped as he looked into the doorway, the sight sending a shock to his system. "Ray?"

Raven looked back at him, her face uncharacteristically overjoyed, guilty, and fearful all at once. "Tai."

He took a step forward, nearly tripping over himself. He didn't take his eyes off her as he rebalanced himself, taking slow steps towards her. "He didn't say you were here..."

"He didn't... my little brother always has been a pain in the ass." She took a step towards him.

"I've missed you."

"Me too."

"Every day."

"Every moment."

They reached each other, standing an inch apart face to face. "Fifteen years."

"I'm so sorry."

Tai place a hand gently on Ravens cheek. "I missed you so much, darling."

Summer walked to join the two, leaning into Tai and bringing Raven closed with her arm. "We've all missed you." 

Raven choked out a sob. "I don't deserve that! Why do you miss me!? I left, I-I, I just-" Summer and Tai wrapped her in a hug as cries shut off the voice that she was trying so hard to hold on to. They both ran their hands over her hair gently, trying to comfort her.

"It's ok. Please, no more of this, alright? You're back. That's all that matters," Summer whispered gently, kissing Raven on the cheek.

"Maybe we should sit down." Tai said softly, rubbing her cheek. Raven nodded, sniffling as she allowed the other two to get her to the bed.

"L-leave it to you idiots to let me come back." She grumbled through her sniffling. 

"We were always waiting. We didn't know if you would, but we waited."

Tai didn't say anything, just ran his fingers through her hair happily. His own tears of joy spilled from his face onto her shoulder, but they ignored it. Tears didn't matter, the only thing that did was that they were together.

There was another patter of feet, and Qrows voice rang through the hallway into the room. "Hey, would you two slow down!"

"Not our fault your old!" A young girls voice shot back.

"Yeah, old man!" This voice was even younger than the last. The two girls came into view in the doorway. This must have been Yang, Ren thought, and another he hadn't know about. Perhaps Summers child? Either way, they had both stopped speaking, staring at the three on the bed.

"Hey, kids." Tai wiped tears off his face with his thumb, pushing himself up off the bed and smiling. "This is Raven." Yang gasped and covered her mouth with her hands. Tai turned to actually acknowledge Ren for the first time. "And this is..?"

"Ren." 

Nobody had really paid attention to his greeting. Yang and Raven were staring at each other, neither knowing what to say, and Ruby had been eyeing the older woman as well.

Qrow peaked his head around the corner of the doorway, an eyebrow raised in silence. He looked between his sister and nieces, shook his head, and stepped back out of view. He wasn't drunk enough to be hearing a possible yelling match.

A yelling match never came, though. Raven managed her voice once more, trying her best to put on a tough act again. "Yang. You've grown, so much..."

"I had fifteen years to grow." She replied, her voice not holding malice.

"I imagine you probably hate me."

"Nope."

"Huh?"

Yang put a hand on her neck and sighed. "Look, I... I know I should probably be crying and all that, or yelling at the top of my lungs about how you were never there for me, but..." She shrugged. "I'm not mad."

"Not... mad?" 

"Nah. I mean, sure, I wished I had met you before, I'd be lying if I said it didn't hurt to know you walked out on me." Raven winced. "But, well... Dad and Qrow talk about you a lot. Your whole family before Beacon was dying, and you had to go home."

Raven sat for a moment, thinking over what she was hearing. "Thank you, for understanding. I know I should have been a better mother. Every day, I wish I hadn't left you."

"We can't change the past, Ray." Tai put a hand on her shoulder. 

"That doesn't mean the past didn't happen, though."

"You're right." Yang said. "The past still happened. You did leave, and Summer had to pick up what you didn't. If I'm being honest, I didn't really have a life where I could consider you my real mom."

Ravens eyes fell at that, but she nodded. Summer and Tai frowned at each other, knowing this might happen, and expecting it.

"That doesn't mean you can't try though." She finished, putting her hands to her side.  "You may not be more of a mom than summer, but.. that doesn't mean you can't try to be one." She looked at Ren, regarding him as he stood quietly. "Clearly, you already tried for somebody else."

"Speaking of whom." Summer stood up and dusted off her skirt. "You look hungry, dear, would you like something to eat?"

"Summer, get back in bed."

"Not happening. Unless I'm mistaken, I only lost an arm, not my legs."

The tension in the room dissolved pretty quickly after that. The adults had managed to get over their tears, and before long, they had all migrated to the kitchen, including Summer much to Tai's fretting dismay.

"You'd think I was an ice sculpture, rather than a trained huntress with the way he's been acting recently." Summer giggled to Tai's chagrin.

"You lost an arm, hon."

"And that's all I lost. That doesn't stop me from operating an oven, it just makes it a little bit harder." 

"I'd be happy to help." Qrow said, making Summer whil around and put a hand up. 

"You do not take another step near that oven! I remember the last time I let you help with cookies, the whole house could have burnt down!" Qrow raised his hands innocently, his mouth turned up in a grin.

"Can't help it if I'm a bit hot to handle." Yang and Ruby groaned loudly at their uncle's joke.

"You might be about as cold as that Schnee girl you were complaining about last time we met." Raven said, to which Qrow rolled his eyes.

"I had good reason to be mad about her. Didn't expect James to shove me with a new partner." 

"I don't think that was her point, prince charming." Summer giggled again. "Sit down and be a good little heater, why don't you?"

"I didn't need flirting in the kitchen today." Yang mumbled, to which the other two teens hummed in agreement.

"And I didn't need to see you kissing your girlfriend when I came into your room because you gave no warning, but here we are." Qrow teased her, to which her cheeks lit up red.

"I get the feeling there's a story there that I've missed." Raven said, and Tai laughed.

"Oh, there's more than just that story! My little dragon here has had more than a few good moments. Ruby, too." He laughed even harder when he saw the glares the two girls were sending his way.

"I can't wait to hear them. Ren has had his share of interesting times, as well, no doubt they'd embarrass him." Raven smiled, her lighthearted tone not enough to dissuade the annoyance it gave him.

"I think I'd prefer perishing."

"I second that notion."

"Me three!" 

Qrow chuckled at the three of them. "Hey, look at that, hardly an hour together and they can already agree on something. What'd it take us, Raven, fifteen, sixteen years?" 

"You exaggerate too much, brother."

"Does he? I seriously can't remember a time you guys agreed in Beacon other than how we were going to celebrate our mission when we got home." Tai jabbed at her, receiving an icy glare in response.

"Oh, Tai, don't be so generous. They could only agree once or twice a year on even that." Summer laughed at the exasperated sigh she received from Raven. 

"Lie, for the love of all that is holy, marry somebody quiet like yourself. It gets so much better if you just have somebody who keeps their mouth shut." Raven joked, receiving mock gasps from Tai and Summer.

"You jest, but I remember your words being something along the lines of begging me to keep making jokes and talking because you couldn't get enough of my voice!" Tai shot back.

"Hey, while we're on the subject of Lie," Summer started, "what exactly is the story with you two? He's practically old enough to be preparing to go into Beacon with Yang." Raven looked at Ren, an eyebrow raised as if to question whether he wished to tell the story. He did, keeping it short and simple.

"I was orphaned in a grimm attack. For a few years, I was with a friend who also survived, but she was killed shortly before I was rescued by Raven and the tribe. Ever since, I've been training with them."

"Training, huh?" Qrow looked over at Raven, who shrugged.

"You remember how that life is, brother. If it's any solace, he never got to participate in any raids, or anything of that sort."

"Have you thought of Huntsmen academies?" Tai asked. Ren shook his head.

"The thought has hardly crossed my mind."

"Really? Crossed mine a lot." Raven said. He looked up at her, and she looked back. "Something like Beacon would be good for you."

"Hey, if you get in, maybe you'll even be on a team with me!" Yang grinned, crossing her arms. "I really gotta see how you fight though! You got weapons?" Ren nodded, his pistols firing out of his sleeves.

"Woah!" Ruby gasped excitedly. "Oh, those look so cool!"

"They are rather dear to me."

"He made them himself. Crafted them just the way he wanted."

"Why green and orange, though?" Yang asked. "I mean, I guess it isn't the worst thing ever, but green seems to be your color, and orange? Not so much."

"In memorium of that old friend." He said solemnly, retracting the guns. 

"Oh. Sorry."

"Don't be. It's been quite a long time. You said you wished to spar?"

"Huh? Yeah, for sure! I should warn you though, I'm pretty strong!" She said arrogantly. "We can spar in the yard!" She nearly ran face first into the door with how quickly she moved.

Raven sighed and shook her head. "She's really a lot like me, huh? I wonder how she's gonna feel when she learns that Ren's been doing this for ten years now."

"We'll find out." Ren said, following the direction Yang had ran. Ruby was closed behind, excited to watch the fight.

"Geez. Finally, just the adults in the room." Qrow mumbled.

"Qrow, you're still in the room, dear." Summer responded, searching through the cabinets to find her ingredients for cookies. Behind her, Qrow scowled and mumbled something to himself. "Oh, you know I'm just playing. However, please, do go make sure the kids don't kill each other." 

"Hmph. Yeah, sure thing, princess." Qrow grumbled, shoving his hands in his pockets and walking away. Raven looked between the retreating Qrow and the other two in the kitchen, confused.

"He never called you princess since Beacon, right?"

Summer and Tai looked at each other, sharing a knowing grin. "Hon," Tai said, "you've missed a lot."

"What the hell is that supposed to... oh no." Raven grimaced, putting her face in her hands. "Please do not tell me you slept with my brother!"

"Don't ask, don't tell."

Yang sat with her arms crossed on the couch, brooding silently with a glare stuck on her face. Ruby and Qrow were looking at each other worried, and Ren was sat cross legged on the floor, his eyes closed and hands in his lap.

Raven had been right in expecting Ren to win, though Yang had fought quite well, Ren had been training for years against human opponents. It was that which made her so angry, sitting in the living room glaring at the boy who was silent and calm after just having put her in the face with the handle of his gun just twenty minutes before. Not even the smell of Summers cookies had managed to calm her.

"Well?" Tai said, breaking the silence of the living room. He leaned against a wall, an eyebrow raised expectantly. "How did it go?"

Qrow's eyes widened and he looked at Tai with caution. "Now might not be, uh, might not be the best time to ask that."

"Ah. That bad, huh?" He teased, making Yang growl in anger.

"Bite it. He got lucky."

"With those eyes, no way I'll argue right now." Tai chuckled, approaching the couch and flopping down beside her. She gasped as she nearly bounced out of her place, the couch jumping when he landed.

"Hmph." He put an arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer. 

"You aren't gonna get anywhere brooding, you know."

"I'm aware. Doesn't mean it isn't making me feel better right now."

"You really are as stubborn as me." Raven muttered, entering the room with Summer by her side.

Hm, you've seen nothing yet." Summer giggled beside her.

"Well, hey, how about before we let our little firecracker turn the house inside out," Qrow raised his hands at her glare, "we try and decide on something that might not end up with injuries."

"Ironic, considering who's speaking."

"Thanks, sis, love you too." He grumbled.

"How about we put on a movie?" Summer asked. "It's getting dark, and I imagine we've all had long days." She looked over at Qrow, Raven, and Ren, who had been in Anima in a different time zone just a few hours ago. 

"Yes, please!" Ruby yelled out excitedly. 

"Cookies and a movie, huh? Been a long time since I got that." Raven said. "I imagine we can keep out of the tribe for just one night, huh?" She looked at Ren, who nodded in agreement.

"I suppose it may be nice."

"The couches are only gonna fit six of us, and if I can count right, which I'm pretty confident in, we have seven people here. How're we gonna do this?"

"I will remain on the floor." Ren said. Summer looked like she was going to argue, but Raven stopped her.

"You aren't gonna make him change his mind, he's stubborn too."

Qrow scoffed. "Jeez, how many are you gonna infect?"

"You say 'infect' as if it were a disease." Raven shot back, to which Tai chuckled.

"Spreading like a pandemic, it feels like." He directed his attention to Summer and glared playfully. She stuck her tongue out at him. "Point proven."

After a bit of deliberation, they managed to pick out a movie and, with a plate of cookies on the table in front of them, they sat down to enjoy it together, as a rather hastily thrown together family. Raven patted Rens head, who was sitting in front of her. She found herself sandwiched between Tai and Summer, and Qrow beside Summer as well. On the other couch, Ruby and Yang had quickly fallen asleep.

'I'll have to give Qrow a gift as thanks. It's good to be back.' She thought to herself, nibbling on a cookie quietly. She had missed everything about this.