Chapter 67

The conversation remained lively, covering a wide range of topics from ancient Mistrali history to modern fashion. Pandora and Pyrrha were even able to coax Theus into telling some of his tall tales. It was fun, but as the sun dipped toward the horizon, the celebration had to come to an end. With evening fast approaching, it was time for the guests to depart. Nora had just about eaten herself into a coma anyway.

"Thank you all for coming." Pandora smiled, standing just outside the front door. Theus was at her side, the others on the steps before her. "It was truly wonderful. We must do this again sometime."

"Sounds like fun." Yang agreed. "Any other sweet Mistrali holidays I don't know about?"

"Nothing really." Pyrrha answered. "Just the usual stuff. Perhaps we could have Equinox here."

"I think Rubes has other plans." Yang noted.

"Why does it have to be a holiday?" Pandora asked. "We're a family now. We can get together whenever we want."

"Yeah, I like the sound of that." Yang responded.

"And the rest of you are more than welcome to come any time." Pandora offered. "You were wonderful guests."

"Thank you Mrs. Nikos." Ren bowed his head. "It was good seeing you again."

"And it was good to see you Ren." Pandora replied. "I wish you luck in marriage and fatherhood. Nora, I wish you an uneventful, easy birth."

"Thanks." Nora yawned.

"Well, Pyrrha, I suppose you won't be moving back in." Pandora said. "Just know that you and Yang will always have a place here if you need it."

"I know, and I appreciate your support." Pyrrha nodded.

"Not just support." Pandora shook her head. She jogged down the stairs to Pyrrha's side. "I love you." She wrapped Pyrrha in a firm, if awkward, embrace.

"I-I love you too mother." Pyrrha stammered.

Theus descended the steps as well, hugging Pyrrha as soon as Pandora let go. "I love you as well." He declared. "Never forget that."

"I...I won't." Pyrrha managed, tears beginning to well in her eyes.

Theus broke the embrace and took his place beside Pandora. "If only we'd hugged you more often, we could have avoided so much." Pandora sighed.

Yang smirked. "You'll just have to make up for lost hugs now."

Pyrrha, Yang, Blake, Ruby and Winter headed to the gym in a pair of cars. On arrival they split up, Ruby and Winter heading to Raven's dojo, the others to the gym proper. Walking into the dojo, they found it empty, bar Raven and one of her students, a gray haired girl with whom she was having a quiet conversation. Upon noticing the new arrivals, Raven smiled, leaning down to whisper a few last words. To everyone's surprise, the girl wrapped her in a hug. Raven was stunned briefly before returning it, patting her on the back awkwardly before she let go, bowing and taking her leave.

"Adopting a new one are we?" Winter teased with a cheshire grin.

Raven, to her credit, blushed. "My best student." She explained. "Gwen's got some issues at home...I think she's looking up to me. Not sure how I feel about that."

"You should be proud!" Ruby cheered, walking up to hug Raven. "You're a great mom."

"Thanks Rubes, I love you too." Raven murmured, hugging Ruby much more surely. "How was the trip? Where're the girlfriends?"

"It went great!" Ruby replied. "Pyrrha just needed to talk things over. It was a bit awkward, and her dad was an ass at first, but her mom was pretty nice...mostly. Weiss is sleeping in at home and Blake is with Yang and Pyrrha."

"I thought short and stiff was an early bird?" Raven noted.

"Weiss really liked the communion wine." Ruby explained.

"Oh, that stuff's no joke." Raven nodded.

"Can't be worse than Ev's brew." Winter smirked.

"Shut up." Raven glared.

Winter snickered, turning to leave. "I'll be waiting outside."

"Mng...what's up Rubes?" Raven asked.

"I need your help, to set up a date." Ruby answered.

"I'm not really a romantic Rubes." Raven chuckled.

"I know." Ruby waved her off. "Mom and Winter helped with that part. It's...you know...what comes after."

"Oooooh...well, I know I love Summer and, and I'll always love you, but I think it's a little weird to invite me for a foursome with your girlfriends." Raven teased.

"Raven!" Ruby admonished. "God!" She shoved Raven away. Raven lazily fell back onto the padded ground, laughing at Ruby's blush. "It's just gonna' be me and Weiss, and it's finding a place that I need help with."

"What?" Raven asked. "Why not Blake?"

"Tonight's just for us, because we've never really had much time alone together." Ruby explained. "Blake's hanging out with Yang and Pyrrha."

"Ah...I might come along then." Raven grinned. "You still haven't introduced me, and I'm terrible hurt by that by the way."

"I know, I'm sorry, things were hectic last time." Ruby sighed. "I missed Yang and kinda' got tunnel vision for a while. You'll like her though, she's really good to us."

"And the short and guilty one, what's she like?" Raven asked.

"Her name is Weiss, and she's put herself through a lot." Ruby replied.

"All I know is she was blaming herself for the OD and I snapped at her, and she looked scared afterward." Raven frowned.

"Weiss...puts a lot of pressure on herself, in everything." Ruby noted. "She wants to do everything right, not the best she can, but right. To her, anything less is a failure. She left a great relationship because she couldn't give her everything, and she kept her feelings secret because she didn't want to hurt me and Blake. She's a beautiful person Raven, and I've fallen for her just as hard as I did for Blake, and that's what this date's about. But we can't do that at home...thin walls and all."

"Hmm…" Raven rubbed her chin, staring off into the distance as she thought. The she grinned, focusing on something. "I've got it."

"Cookie?" Summer offered.

Weiss was shaken from a bored daze by a plate being held before her, a rather thick chocolate chip cookie upon it, it's warm scent filling her nose. Smiling, Weiss accepted it, looking to Summer as she sat beside her. "Thank you Summer. It smells delicious."

"They're Ruby's favorite, best served heated in a warm oven." Summer noted.

Picking the cookie up, Weiss took a small bite. It gave way easily, crumbling and oozing melted milk chocolate chips, and to her surprise, white chocolate, which filled the center, creating a contrasting taste that overwhelmed her tastebuds. It was overpowering, but so delicious. "Hmm! Hmm…" Weiss hummed, chewing and swallowing. "This is...the best cookie I've ever tasted...though I haven't tasted very many, but most of them came from Ruby in the first place."

"Thank you, I made them myself." Summer smiled.

"God you're good, this is good." Weiss found herself devouring the treat, surprising even herself, never a ravenous eater. It was just that delicious.

"Of course I am." Summer preened. "I've spent half my life perfecting my recipes...there's only one small issue."

"Hmm?" Weiss sucked some stray chocolate from her fingers.

"That was the last one." Summer smirked, and Weiss froze, looking down at the plate, nought but crumbs left of the once great cookie.

"Oh." Weiss sighed.

Summer chuckled, reaching over and taking the empty plate. "Which means we need to make more! Before Ruby gets back."

"Yes...that would be a good idea." Weiss agreed.

"Well, come on then, cooking lesson time!" Summer leapt to her feet.

"Uh, I'm not good in the kitchen Summer." Weiss warned.

"Hmm, and neither is Winter." Summer acknowledged. "And while her lessons have been postponed due to her training accident, yours begin right now." With that she walked off, speaking over her shoulder. "Come on, imagine the look on Ruby's face when you give her fresh baked cookies."

Sighing in defeat, Weiss pushed herself up and eyed the doorway. Kitchens were dangerous, filled with fire, knives and heat. She normally kept her distance, preferring Blake and Winter to brave its depths. But for Ruby, she would try again. Hopefully with fewer singed eyebrows this time.

Pyrrha had an appointment at the very start of the day, but Yang's only responsibility was working the desk, so she had plenty of time to chat with Blake. They inevitably started off with small talk, and eventually Yang listened as Blake described what she had learned about Faunus culture in Mistral. The focus soon shifted to Yang's continuing recovery, and how she had been doing since her overdose. Luckily, before the conversation could get too heavy, Pyrrha returned from her session.

"You didn't even break a sweat." Blake noted. "What kind of personal trainer are you?" She teased.

"One who can run circles around her clients." Yang answered for her.

"I mostly just spot for Pepper, and offer encouragement." Pyrrha explained. "I find that positive reinforcement works best for her."

"I always preferred clients who want you to work out with them." Yang noted.

"That's because you just want to work out." Blake suggested.

"Guilty." Yang shrugged. She looked down at the schedule. "Well, you're free for a while, let's go have some fun."

"Someone needs to watch the front desk." Pyrrha noted.

"I've got that covered." Yang grinned. She stood. "Ren, get out here, you're on desk duty!"

A groggy Ren emerged from the break room and walked over to the desk. Yang stood aside as he plopped down into the chair. "Hello." He greeted.

"You're even lower energy than usual." Blake observed.

"Ren's not a morning person." Pyrrha explained.

"And Nora got me up in the middle of the night to get food." Ren added.

"Why didn't she just ask Jaune?" Pyrrha asked.

"He was already out getting her something else." Ren answered.

"Shouldn't there be a point in the pregnancy when the cravings die down?" Blake asked.

"This is Nora we're talking about." Yang noted. "It's hard to know where the weird pregnancy stuff ends and the weird Nora stuff begins."

"Very true." Ren yawned. "But as long as she's happy, I'm happy."

"Well, we're gonna' go whip Blake into shape." Yang announced. "I'll be back in time for your first appointment." Ren nodded and waved as the trio walked away.

"I'm already in shape, thank you very much." Blake deadpanned. "I'm not a weightlifter."

"So run on the treadmill with me?" Pyrrha suggested.

"I'm not much of a runner." Blake responded.

"Uh huh, then how do you explain your figure?" Yang pressed. "And that butt, goddamn."

"Yang!" Pyrrha reprimanded, scandalized.

"Don't act like you haven't stared at the Bellabooty once or twice." Yang teased.

"Bellabooty?" Pyrrha groaned. "First the Schnooty and now the Bellabooty?"

"The Schnooty, oh my God!" Blake snorted, failing to stifle her giggles as Yang looked far too proud of herself.

"The Schnooty, the Rubooty and the Bellabooty, the three booties of the apocalypse." Yang counted down with her prosthetic fingers.

"Do you spend a lot of time thinking about booties, Yang Xiao-Long?" Blake teased.

"Hell yeah I do." Yang did not skip a beat. "All booty should be appreciated."

"Even Ruby's?" Blake smirked, arching her brow.

Yang barely hesitated for a second. "Especially Ruby's, the cutest of them all." She stated, as if reciting gospel.

Blake could not deny it. "Preach."

"Anyway, how do you maintain your figure?" Pyrrha refocused.

"A fast metabolism, healthy diet, supplemented by a healthy love life...a very healthy love life." Blake purred.

"Alright, alright, we get it." Yang rolled her eyes. "So what's up with the date tonight anyway? Why aren't you going?"

Blake stepped onto a treadmill and set it to a rather sedate pace. "It's a special date just for Weiss and Ruby. They're celebrating their love."

Pyrrha and Yang started jogging on the on treadmills either side of Blake. "But...you all love each other, don't you?" Pyrrha asked.

"We do, but until recently, not all equally." Blake explained. "Ruby loved Weiss, but she didn't fall in love right away. It took time. We've really done everything out of order." She laughed. "She hasn't told Weiss yet, that's what the date is for. That and...they never really get much alone time."

"Oh...oh." Pyrrha gasped.

"So what are you gonna' do in the meantime?"

"Well, I figured I'd spend some time with my sister." Blake grinned at Pyrrha. "Sisters rather."

"Ooh, we could go to the club!" Yang suggested. "Have some drinks, dance a little, let loose! It's been ages."

"Sounds good." Blake agreed.

"Wouldn't that hurt your ears?" Pyrrha asked.

"Not unless the speaker's right next to them." Blake shrugged. "Plus, I can always put on a bow if things get too loud."

"Sweet, work hard by day, play hard by night." Yang cheered. She reached over and increased the speed of Blake's treadmill. "Come on, you've got to run a mile. Then we're pumping some iron!"

"Do I really have to?" Blake groaned.

Pyrrha chuckled. "You're the one who decided to spend the day with a pair of personal trainers."

Weiss stood awkwardly in the kitchen as Summer dug through a cupboard, pulling free an automatic mixer and hefting it onto the table. "You should tie back...oh right, the haircut, forgot. It looks nice by the way, very punk. Raven'll like it."

"I didn't get the impression she liked me much at all." Weiss noted.

"She does Weiss, you just didn't meet her at the best time." Summer grinned. "She'll like you, because you make Ruby giggle and blush, which makes Raven giggle and blush, which is a sight to behold."

Weiss snorted at the image, Summer chuckling along with her. "I didn't know Ruby was so close to Raven."

"In a similar way to how Yang is my daughter, Ruby is Raven's." Summer explained. "We love them both equally, but Ruby and Raven really bonded during her...sexual awakening." Summer winced. "Now Ruby has more of Raven in her than I care to admit, and while Yang definitely got her attitude from her mother, her responsibility came from me. After Tai left she stepped up to help and...well she hasn't stepped down since. She's as much the leader of this household as I am."

"I believe the Mistrali would call you a Matron." Weiss suggested.

"Ooh, a Matron…" Summer said. "Did the Nikos' treat you well? Winter says you haven't mentioned anything."

"Pandora did give me a look when we first met, and Theus and I did have a small...discussion on history which was rather heated." Weiss admitted. "However Pandora apologized after Pyrrha interjected, and Theus...remained civil for the remainder of our time there." Weiss chuckled. "I took pleasure in the thought that yes, I am Atlesian, I am a lesbian, I'm in a three way relationship with two other women, and just made out with one of them in his bathroom, and he was completely unaware. The look on his face would have been divine."

"No one let that slip?" Summer asked.

"God no." Weiss scoffed. "Pandora was still reeling from everything. Theus would have had an aneurysm!"

"And the trick is simple, they're just two thin cookies with a white chocolate button in between." Summer demonstrated, pressing a button into the small ball of dough, before pressing another ball on top of it. She then roughly shaped it into a puck. "I still remember the look on Ruby's face when she first bit into one. I wish I had a picture of it, but Yang has all the fun pictures of Ruby. I just took a lot of pictures of her sleeping." Summer chuckled, placing the dough puck on a baking tray, line with baking paper. Together she and Weiss began rolling dough balls and assembling the cookies one by one.

"I'd love to see them." Weiss noted. "I rarely get to see Ruby sleeping. She usually stays up longer than I."

"Don't you sleep together?" Summer asked.

"Yes, but Ruby is exhausting." Weiss replied.

"Oh, is she now?" Summer smirked.

"Summer!" Weiss chastised. She would have slapped Summer on the arm, but her hands were covered in grease and bits of dough. She settled for a hip bump.

Summer merely laughed. "Ruby used to run track in high school. Don't let the Rose body fool you, she could run circles around all of us."

"The Rose body?" Weiss asked. "You mean lean muscle? Look at you, you look like Pyrrha."

"Oh stop, you and your sister are as bad as one another." Summer blushed. "The Rose body, perpetually plump. Even when I ran track people would call me jello because I just couldn't shift some of the fat."

"Better jello than Weiss Cream, or Snowcone, or Weissicle." Weiss sighed. "And those were the kinder ones. People hit low when they think you can take it."

"Children...people can be very cruel, but thankfully Raven never let me forget how beautiful I was." Summer reminisced.

"And still are." Weiss smiled. "If Ruby is what you looked like when you were younger, you've lost no beauty with age Summer."

"Gosh, you're a terrible flirt." Summer accused, grinning and blushing.

"I'm merely stating facts!" Weiss insisted, blushing equally. "You look amazing Summer. You have abs! All I have is...well...nothing...I...drew the short end of the stick genetically. Sometimes I wonder what Ruby sees in me when she says I'm beautiful."

"Your eyes, and your hair, and the way you hold your head high wherever you go." Summer responded. "You and Winter have that in common, hardly ever slouching. You were completely alone in the lounge room and you were still all poised and noble."

"I'd trade all the good posture in the world for some actual breasts." Weiss complained.

Summer scoffed. "You have breasts Weiss."

"I wear padded bras to fill out dresses barely above children's sizes." Weiss grumbled. "Damn mosquito bites. I don't know how it happened. Mother was sizable, Winter is a D cup, did I get my father's breast size by accident?"

"Oh God Weiss!" Summer could not suppress a laugh.

"Honestly, of all the things I was picked on for, my breasts were the only thing that ever truly stung." Weiss admitted. "It was stupid, it's still stupid, but everyone, literally everyone I know has bigger breasts than me. Even Ruby, and she's two years younger, and half an inch shorter, she's a B cup."

"Breast size doesn't matter Weiss." Summer encouraged. "You'll be thankful down the line when you don't have back pain. Raven hates complaining about it but you've seen hers. They got bigger with pregnancy. I don't know if you've thought that far ahead, but that's a fact."

Weiss was silent for a time, continuing to roll and form cookies before quietly responding. "I don't think I'd be a good mother, physically or mentally. I'm small, frail, have bad blood pressure, narrow hips, and a cold disposition."

"You don't need to give birth to be a mother Weiss." Summer noted.

"I know, and I've thought about that too...Ruby and Blake would make great mothers." Weiss nodded. "A child at heart, and the woman that fell in love with it. I still find myself snapping at Ruby sometimes. I don't think I'd have the patience or temper for a baby, let alone a child."

"Raven didn't think so either." Summer said. "She thought she'd be a terrible mother, careless, forgetful, angry. But when she came into Yang's life as an aunt, she was a natural. That's not to say she didn't have her faults, several glaring mistakes were made...but Raven just needed to give herself a chance. That's all it took." Scraping the last of the dough from the bowl, the final ball was only enough to make a single cookie, which barely fit onto the large tray. "There, almost done. Now, the boring part." Picking up the tray, Summer turned to the oven and opened it, hot air wafting out, filling the kitchen quite easily as Summer slid the tray onto the middle rack, and closing it again. "They'll take about twenty minutes, then we get the most rewarding experience, tasting our own fresh baked goods!"

"I can't wait." Weiss mustered a smile.

Summer joined Weiss in leaning against the counter, and together they watched the warm light of the oven, the gentle hum of the fan the only noise in the room. Summer slipped her arm behind Weiss' back and pulled her closer. Weiss leaned into her warmth willingly. "If you were going to adopt, what would you look for in a child?" Summer finally asked.

"A Faunus." Weiss answered immediately, surprising Summer. "There are always going to be human families for human children...no one thinks of the Faunus. Even today, Atlas struggles with prejudice. If I was going to adopt, they would be a Faunus for sure."

"Boy or girl?" Summer asked.

"Girl." Weiss replied without hesitation.

"Of course." Summer chuckled.

"I'd raise a lovely princess that I can pamper with pretty dresses and bows." Weiss gushed.

"And if she took after Ruby and Blake?" Summer pressed.

"The finest band t-shirts, plaid skirts and studded belts." Weiss replied. They both laughed at that.

"You've really thought this through, haven't you?" Summer asked.

"Of course I have...doesn't every girl fantasize about being a mother?" Weiss answered.

"I imagine most do at least once." Summer nodded. "I think you'd be a great mother Weiss."

"Thank you Summer, it means a lot to hear that from you." Weiss smiled. She wrapped her own arm around Summer's waist, and settled more comfortably into the warmth. It felt like home.