Okay, confession time.

I have literally no idea where this story is heading. I haven't got a clue who sent STRQ into the future-present. I don't even know if there's a "big bad" out there involved somehow. I don't know for how many chapters more I can keep BS-ing up a coherent plot. All I know is that this fic has somehow become my most popular work, despite being a total "chapter-by-chapter" story.

"Now imagine my surprise when I get notified of four student ID's that hasn't been active for decades suddenly popping up on my screen…" Ozpin smiled softly as he regarded each member of the gathered Team STRQ in his office. Summer's hand shot in the air.

"Yes, Miss Rose - I've known of your team's presence since you first materialized in team RWBY's dormitory." Summer lowered her hand again. Ozpin leaned forward, clasping his hands in front of his face.

"Now what I don't know, is how you got here. I have checked your ID's, which are the genuine article, so you're not clones. Alternate dimension? One possibility. Another…" he looks away, deep in thought for a moment.

"Actually it was tim-" Qrow never finishes as Raven gives him a swift smack to the back of his head. She then realises she did this in full view of the headmaster and gains a most unusual expression of abject horror on her face as she mentally calculates just how much trouble she's in.

"… Time travel." Ozpin finishes Qrow's sentence, ignoring Raven's infraction.

"Very well. Do you happen to know an approximate timeframe? Yes, Miss Rose?"

"20 years, professor. Give or take a few days." Summer answers dutifully as she once again lowers her hand. Without missing a beat, Professor Ozpin pulls out a drawer in his desk, retrieves paper and pen, writes something down and hands the folded-up note to Qrow.

"Mr. Branwen. If and when you and your team return to your own time, please make sure to deliver this note personally to me. Keep it on you at all times until then." Ozpin rose to his feet.

"I would suggest you keep laying low for the moment, lest we accidentally unravel time itself by inducing paradoxes." He followed them to the door and saw them off.

"We will most likely meet again soon. Farewell for now." When he once again was alone in his office, he pulled out another note from the drawer, identical to the one he had just written.

HE WILL SPY FOR YOU, OZPIN.

It all made sense now.

When team STRQ returned to dormitory room 202, they were met by team RWBY and an unknown team of two boys and two girls. One of the girls noticed the new arrivals and dashed over to greet them.

"OH! OH! YANG! Is this your mother? She looks just like you so I'm just gonna assume it is so! Hello Raven, I'm Nora Valkyrie and we are going to have so much fun together!"

Raven just stared blankly at the girl shouting in her face.

"Uhh… nice to meet you too?" Yang stepped up and gently guided Nora back to her team.

"… Riight. I suppose introductions are in order. Team STRQ, meet our friends in team JNPR: Jaune Arc, the team leader…"

"Hey guys. Nice to meet you." A tall, lanky, blonde boy waved a hello.

"… Nora Valkyrie, the pancake enthusiast…"

"H'llo!" Nora flailed enthusiastically, a pancake hanging halfway out her mouth. Where'd she get that, anyways…?

"… Pyrrha Nikos, famous athlete and Jaune's official girlfriend…"

"Hello! Pleasure to be acquainted!" the other girl of team JNPR cheerily introduced herself.

"… And lastly, Lie Ren, Nora's BFF and handler." The black-haired boy bowed politely.

"So much for laying low…" Summer sighed.

For a while, all Taiyang saw was stars. Stars and darkness. He groaned as he blinked his eyes back in working order.

"You okay, dad?" a voice above him asked as he rose to a sitting position on the floor.

"Ugh… Ruby? Just… just give your old man a minute, will you?"

"As long as you need, dad." Tai stood up, hobbled over to the chair on the right side of Ruby's bed and sat down.

"Must've hit my head pretty hard on my way down. Could've sworn I saw Summer sitting in that chair a moment ago." Ruby chuckled nervously.

"Ah-heh… You did see her actually. But you've been out cold for the past 20 minutes, so technically that 'moment' has passed." Taiyang frowned.

"You and I both know your mother died years ago. It couldn't have been her."

"Would you believe… time travel?"

"Time travel's not real, Ruby. That's fairy tales."

"Oh? Explain the 're-election' protocol then. 'Clipped wings, further flight' and all that."

"… Okay, fine. So we assume you're right – why now? Why Summer?" Another nervous half choke, half chuckle from Ruby.

"Actually, she didn't come alone…"

Taiyang walked with a hurried pace towards his daughters' dorm room – in an odd twist of fate mere metres away from team STRQ's old room – leaving Ruby in his wake, desperately trying to keep up with her father on her crutches. Taiyang doesn't hesitate once he arrives at his destination as he pulls the door open and strides into room 202. When Ruby had reached the door, Taiyang had already strolled up to the three teams inside with a serious expression on his face. He quickly locates his younger counterpart and focus his gaze upon him.

"All right. Let's chat."

AN: Holy hell, Ozpin knows the Gendo pose.

Dammit Sum, you're not in scho-… well, I guess you are, technically.

"Don't create any paradoxes, okay?" – Immediately partakes in a predestination paradox.

I wanted to toss in an allusion to the time travel protocol established by Remnant's Reclaimer. Turns out it happened a few paragraphs later than intended. xD

I do not own RWBY, that's RoosterTeeth and Monty Oum.