Pearls on a String

Volume 3

Chapter 31: Family

Downtown Mistral

Arc Residence

Lustre was feeling uncharacteristically anxious for her team leader. Pip was still all smiles, chatting away happily with her newfound cousin, Merri, but it was a brittle thing that covered up the blonde's nervousness. From the shared glances between her other teammates, she knew it was just as obvious to Beryl and Evie as well. They were a family unit, the four of them, and knew each other well enough by now to spot such things.

It wasn't terribly difficult to track down the reason for such apprehension. Besides the fact that Pip had just learned she had an extended family right there in Mistral, she finally came across someone who knew her mother. Someone who could tell her what happened to her when she was a baby, and how she ended up in an orphanage.

How it was that she ended up alone all those many years ago.

But over all that was the certain fear that this new family wouldn't accept her, either because she'd not been part of it for so long or because of who she was, somehow not matching the expectations for membership, so to speak. Lustre knew none of it was valid, not if this family produced someone as vibrant and cheerful as Merri, but such thoughts were sure to be plaguing her friend anyway.

She'd been considering pulling the blonde aside, but then they were walking down the street where Merri's home was situated. It was near the docks in the more expensive district, the cool breeze coming off of the ocean dispelling much of the heat and humidity they'd been enduring ever since they'd arrived in Mistral. Berl gave a soft, contented sigh, her small frame relaxing somewhat now that it wasn't constantly sweating.

"I know, right?" Merri laughed over her shoulder. She turned and began to walk backwards, giving them all a wide, energetic grin. "Dust, I'm so glad mom and dad have this place now! And then they complain about me not wanting to get a place of my own!"

She shared another laugh with the others before she turned once more, slinging her arm around her cousin's waist. "So, Pip… not nervous, right? I mean, it's totally gonna be fine, I swear it."

"Nah, not at all," the blonde replied in a boldfaced lie. "Completely relaxed." She shot a glare over her shoulder at the coughed "Grimmshit!" that came from her three teammates.

The tall redheaded Huntress giggled, squeezing Pip's side before halting in front of a wide, four-story townhouse. It was situated on the end and facing the ocean, ensuring both a lovely view and a constant breeze.

"Wow," Evie breathed, her Faunus ears twitching. "Um, what is it your parents do to afford something like this?"

L:ustre nodded in agreement. The housing costs are prohibitive enough in this district, but for such a prime spot I cannot imagine what the price tag might be…

"Well, dad's the captain of the police force in Mistral," Merri replied nonchalantly. "Oh, and mom is the Headmistress of Haven."

"Oh," Pip gulped. "Um, cool…"

"Relax," Merri giggled, opening the door and dragging the blonde in by the hand. Once the five of them were inside the foyer and the door closed, the redhead cupped her hands around her mouth. "Mom! Dad! We have company!"

"Everyone is in here, Merri!" an unfamiliar woman's voice called out. When she heard it, though, Merri's face lit up with joy.

"Aunt Jilly!"

She tore around the corner, leaving the other bemused quartet to follow in her trail. They ended up in a nice-sized living room with plenty of couches and chairs, obviously meant for entertaining people as there was no vid player or screen in sight. Merri was hugging another older woman who had chin-length blonde hair and both the stature and garb of another Huntress.

"So who is it you brought home, Merri?" the other woman was asking. The redheaded girl separated and swept her hand out with a flourish to wordlessly indicate the others, Pip right out in front.

The blonde Huntress stared at the lanky girl with an open mouth, her eyes wide and unbelieving.

"Merri, is it really necessary to come in… like… a…"

A tall and broad shouldered man entered the room, wiping his hands off on a dishtowel that suddenly fell to the floor. The blond man, wearing sweatpants and a baggy tee shirt, gaped as well.

"Dad, Aunt Jilly," Merri began with a twinkle in her eyes. "This is Pippin Cerise."

"That's not… This can't be possible," Jilly breathed, sinking to the couch behind her.

"I think this is pretty damn conclusive otherwise, Jilly-bean," the man murmured, now gripping the back of a chair for support.

Jilly shot back to her feet and quickly walked over to stop within a foot of the fidgeting blonde girl.

"Um, hi?" Pip said hesitantly.

"Oh my Oum," the other woman sighed. "You truly are her… After all this time, thinking you were dead… Oh, where are my manners? My name is Jillian, Jillian Arc. I'm… I'm your Aunt Jilly."

"It's a pleasure," she murmured tearfully. "I'm Pip."

"Yes, yes you are," the woman sobbed, pulling her into a tight hug.

The man was still standing there, stunned, before he turned his head slightly. "Dear, you should really get in here."

"What is it Jaune, I've got-" And then there was a statuesque woman standing there with long red hair, tied back into a ponytail. Her crimson locks were silvered somewhat from age, but there was no denying exactly who this person was, and seeing her standing in shock next to her husband left little doubt in the Beacon student's mind.

"Holy hairy Grimm balls, Pip!" Beryl suddenly squealed. "Your Aunt and Uncle are Pyrrha Nikos and Jaune Arc!?"

"Pyrrha Nikos-Arc," the older redhead murmured absentmindedly. "Merri, what… Who…?"

"This is Pippin Cerise, mom," Merri replied, still grinning like a loon. "Aunt Jewel's daughter."

"But how is this possible?" Pyrrha asked.

"I think…" Jaune began, shifting around the chair he'd been holding onto like a lifeline. "Perhaps we should all sit down and talk some, yeah?"

"Not yet," the tall redheaded woman stated firmly. She strode over towards Pip while Jilly moved back to resume her seat on the couch. Pyrrha rested her hands on Pip's shoulders, peering intently into her face. "You are so much like your mother," she whispered before enfolding the blonde into a hug. "Welcome to the family, Pippin."

"Um, thanks… uh… Aunt Pyrrha," she murmured. "And it's just Pip, really."

"Very well, Pip," Pyrrha sniffled as she withdrew. "This is just so very grand. Come, please sit, and introduce us to your friends as well… We have so much to discuss."

o o o

Pip introduced her teammates first, and filled in what little she knew about her origins and her search for the mother she never knew she still had up until a couple of weeks ago. Lustre settled back in the couch where Beryl was nestled in between her and Evie, all of them holding sweetened iced teas. Pip had been dragged down by Merri to sit in the middle, with Jilly on the other side. Jaune and Pyrrha were ensconced in chairs across from the blonde, listening intently to her recitation.

"Well, then," Jaune murmured, scratching at his rough blond beard. His other hand was clasped within his wife's, and they gave each other a squeeze before he let go and levered himself up. "I suppose, Pip, it'd be best to start from the beginning, let you know some about your mother… and what little we know about the circumstances surrounding, well… your disappearance."

The blond retired Hunter pulled a framed photo off of the shelf and held it momentarily before giving it to Pip. The blonde gratefully accepted it from her uncle, rubbing her finger over it before passing it along to the others.

"Jewel was one of the younger of my sisters. I have seven of them, by the way." He shot the surprised Pip a wide grin. "Believe me, family reunions are quite the event. I can't wait to see you at the next one."

Pyrrha cleared her throat gently. "Jaune, dear, you're rambling."

Her husband chuckled self-consciously, rubbing the back of his neck. "Yeah, I tend to do that…"

Lustre took a look at the framed photo as it went by. It showed the familiar face of Jewel Cerise, but somewhat older than the copy that Pip had, perhaps from when she was around thirty or so. The silver-haired girl frowned momentarily, doing the math of what Jaune had mentioned earlier regarding the age differences… That should put Jewel at about forty-four now, and both Jaune and Pyrrha at fifty-eight.

The primary change with this photo was the addition of a single long scar that ran from her right temple all the way down to the base of her jaw. It looked to be fairly well healed in the picture.

The other change Lustre noted was Jewel's expression which was even more devoid of any joy.

"Our family was originally from Mistral," Jaune was saying. "We moved to Vale before I started school."

"Not Signal, though," Evie spoke up somewhat mischievously.

"No, not Signal," Jaune replied with a quick bark of laughter. "I see they left that in the histories, eh? Well, in any case, when it came time for Jewel to attend a combat academy, as was her intention, she chose to return to Mistral and go to Haven."

"And there she met Allen," Pyrrha murmured with a reminiscent smile.

Pip sat up a little straighter. "Allen?" she breathed.

The redhead nodded warmly. "Allen Cerise, your father, was a good man. Also in training to be a Hunter but on another team, if I recall correctly. They fell in love and married right after they graduated… Jaune, where is the album from their wedding?"

"Not quite sure," the blond man sighed as he perused the bookshelf. "We might have put it away…"

"Well, now that circumstances have… changed…" Pyrrha gave her niece a brilliant smile, emerald green eyes shining with emotion. "We shall have to find them. In any case, they remained here in Mistral for when she became pregnant the first time, just after they became official Hunters."

"Pardon me," Lustre broke in, leaning forward. "That would have made Jewel twenty-two, correct? Which would have been another twenty-two years ago?"

"Yes, that's correct," Pyrrha replied, smiling at the sight of Pip's eyes widening at the revelation. "Jaune and I had moved back to Mistral by that point, and we were pregnant together, myself with Merri…" She gave her oldest daughter a warm look. "...And Jewel with your older sister, Glory."

"Oh…" Pip breathed. "So… I have a sister?"

"Perhaps," Jaune cautioned. "Jewel left Mistral with Allen and Glory shortly after she was born to return to Vale, and that's where things become… a bit murkier."

Lustre glanced between the Arc relatives, the shared blonde hair and features of Jilly, Jaune, Pip, and in the picture of Jewel. Truly the major difference was the light coral of her team leader's eyes, which might just be attributable to Allen Cerise, her father. It was interesting how the sapphire blue eyes were dominant otherwise, even with Merri.

Jaune took a long drink from his tea, setting it back and savoring the taste. "We lost touch with Jewel when she got to Vale, things going on with both of our families… I'm not even sure where in Vale they were, only that it was an outlying village. You were born, Pippin, and we were all making a point of coming out… to visit over the summer, when Pyr wouldn't be teaching…" He sighed morosely. "And then it all went to hell."

His blue eyes were riveted on the floor, and it seemed to be a monumental effort for him to continue, but his wife was willing to pick up the tale for him.

"It was only a couple months after your birth, Pip," Pyrrha resumed softly, her emerald eyes warm and caring. "Allen convinced your mother to take a quick job, get back out into the field since she'd been caring for the both you and your sister while he brought in the lien for the family…" She swallowed at the memory. Lustre winced in sympathy, knowing the pain of some events didn't lose their strength significantly over time.

"While she was gone, your village was overrun by Grimm," the older redheaded woman whispered. "Allen… Your father's body was found, but there were so many others that couldn't be… identified… Especially the children…"

Jilly spoke up in a somber voice. "Jewel… All of us, we thought her entire family was killed. She was never the same after that, blaming herself for your deaths, alternating between thinking she should have died in your steads, to wondering if she could have made a difference and saved even one of you."

"She's been overly reckless ever since," Jaune said, his voice hoarse. "Oum, how she's been beating herself up all these years…"

"Um… can I ask…?" Pip spoke up, her own voice raw with emotion. "Where's my mom now?"

Jaune sighed and exchanged a look with his sister. "We don't know," he shrugged. "It's been a few years, but that's typical. She goes off into the wilderness, tries to kill as many Grimm as she can and, in her head, hopefully get herself killed as well. But she keeps popping back up, if only briefly. I just don't know where she's gotten to now…"

The blonde Beacon student nodded slowly, her coral eyes distant. "Well, this is… It's definitely more than I had before…" She cleared her throat, resting a hand on both Merri and Jilly's knees, giving them a squeeze. "Thank you all for letting me know… Um, and for accepting me…"

"Oh, sweetie," Pyrrha smiled widely. "Whyever would we not? You're family."

Pip could only nod with a wide, happy grin of her own on her face before she broke down into tears finally, the emotions of the day finally getting to her.

o o o

Lustre stood on the back deck, gazing out at the brilliant sunset as it created a kaleidoscope of scintillating colors against the calm sea. Evie and Beryl stood next to her, the smaller girl nestled against the Cat Faunus' front with her arms and tail wrapped around her. They were giving Pip some time with her newfound family alone.

"Quite the day," the silver-haired girl murmured softly.

"Yep," Beryl sighed. "That it has been."

The three of them glanced to the side to see Jaune walk through the sliding glass door, a wide smile on his face. "Hey there," he greeted them amicably. "It's getting a little, well… uncomfortable in there. The other kids have come home, you'll get to meet Joy and Marty soon enough."

The broad-shouldered man sauntered forward, leaning up against the bannister and gazing out much as they had been. "Evie, was it?" he murmured.

"Um, yes, sir?" the raven-haired woman replied hesitantly.

"I'm sure you're heard this before, miss, but you quite closely resemble a very old friend of mine."

"Yes, I have heard that before," Evie murmured somberly. "Blake Belladonna."

Jaune just nodded, seemingly looking as if he was feeling the weight of his years.

Lustre cleared her throat gently. "We heard that from Ruby herself, actually."

The blond Hunter's bright blue eyes shot over to regard them intently. Lustre actually had to restrain herself from taking a step back.

"You… knew Ruby?"

"Yes, sir," Lustre continued, knowing how difficult it was, even now, for either Beryl or Evie to discuss it. "In fact, she was the chaperone for us on her last mission when she died."

The wooden railing where Jaune's hands now gripped creaked under the pressure. "Oh. I… didn't realize that." He visibly relaxed his hands, turning to look out once more, though this time the sadness in his expression was hard to miss.

"She was my very first friend at Beacon," Jaune whispered. "I'd like to think we were always best friends, outside of our teams, of course. Always there for me, lifting me up to be the best team leader I could be… Dust, if it wasn't for her, I'd never have gotten together with Pyrrha…"

The blond man sighed heavily, closing his eyes and bowing his head. "She was in so much pain," he breathed. "So much… Losing Weiss was bad enough, her partner, but then after Blake died… felt like a little bit of her died too. Kept becoming more and more reckless…" He let out a small, bitter laugh. "Kinda like my sister, actually, and I couldn't help Jewel any more than I could Ruby… Even tried to drag her back for Yang's funeral, her last family member, but she wouldn't have anything to do with it, just kept saying she wasn't 'fit' to be around people anymore…"

Chuckling wryly, Jaune wiped his hand across his eyes. "I apologize for rambling, obviously it affects me still, Pyrrha even more so. We've been putting off going back to Vale to pay our respects… But you were there for her at the end?"

"We were, sir," Lustre murmured past the tightness in her throat. "She… She died a Huntress, protecting Evie. And she did open up to us a bit the night before, talking with us about… About Beacon, and her team… and Blake…"

"Good, that's good…" Jaune nodded wearily, turning without looking them in the eyes. "Um, I'd… appreciate it if you didn't mention any of this to Pyrrha, I'll… talk with her about it later, when we're alone. She hates for people to see her break down, and I know this will… Well, anyways. Dinner's just about ready, so the three of you can head inside." His back was to them as he gazed sightlessly out into the night, making no move to leave his spot.

"Thank you, sir, we shall do that," Lustre nodded, gesturing for the couple to proceed her.

"Thank you," Jaune whispered, barely audible.

Dinner was a happy affair, enough to pull Lustre, Beryl, and Evie out from their earlier funk. Though Jaune's chair remained vacant, Pyrrha seemed unworried and elegantly carried out her duties as hostess for the extra company that night.

They also got to meet Merri's siblings. Joy was their age, with long blond hair down to her waist and the same sapphire blue eyes as the majority of the Arc clan. She lived there with her parents still, working contentedly in a nearby flower shop. The teen had an easy, earthly vibe about her as she serenely conversed with Pip about various fashionable and trendy topics which the lanky coral-eyed girl was ecstatic to reciprocate.

Marty was the youngest at sixteen. The blue-eyed boy, sporting a bright shock of red hair kept shorn closely at the sides, currently attended Sanctum, and was confident in his chances at attending Haven Academy the following year, even if he quietly admitted to Lustre he was a bit nervous about going where his legendary mother was the Headmistress.

"So, I have a quick question, one that's kinda been bugging me," Evie spoke up after swallowing a bit of her seafood linguini. "You were all quite shocked to see Pip, but we fought in the Vytal Tournament this year. How was it you hadn't seen her before?"

Pyrrha smiled softly. "Quite likely because we missed your early fight. Even though Jaune and I graduated from Beacon, this year we attended a viewing party for the Haven entrants, and so only watched those initial bouts. I do recall seeing the both of you, Evie and Lustre, in your doubles round. And also the finals, we were all quite impressed with your performance, dear."

"Thank you," Lustre murmured modestly.

"Huh," Pip mused. "That's actually pretty funny, never even occurred to me with the similarities and all…"

Jilly nodded amicably. "And knowing the rest of the family, Vytal just doesn't hold that much interest for them. Jolene and Jemma are living out in Vale still, actually, but neither are Huntresses." The blonde woman shot them a rueful grin. "I didn't get to see any of the tourney this year, actually. Was out and about in the wilderness at the time."

"Jilly-bean always was a restless one," Jaune chimed in as he walked into the dining room, scroll in hand. "Always looking for the next adventure."

His sister rolled her eyes. "Gods, how I detest that nickname."

"And yet you keep visiting us anyway," he replied mildly, but with an affectionate smirk. As he plopped himself down in his chair next to Pyrrha, he gave his wife a quick kiss on the cheek before regarding the rest of the table. "So, Pip, I have some news for you."

The blonde team leader sat upright attentively. "Yes, sir?"

"Just Uncle Jaune is fine, I told you that," he admonished gently with a wave of his hand. "Anyway, it never occurred for me to use what resources I had, especially since I only had them available to me when I made captain a couple of years ago…"

"Rambling again, dear," Pyrrha murmured affectionately.

"Right, right… Anyway, I did a search on the Valesian police database, using both name and visual cues, though I shouldn't have bothered with the last bit. Here's what I found." He turned his scroll around towards Pip with an excited grin on his face. "This… is your sister Glory."

"Oh my Oum," Pip squeaked, dumbfounded. "So… she's alive too?"

Lustre peered at the image of another blonde woman, obviously several years older than her, more Merri's age. She had a thinner face than Pip, and her blonde hair was spiked up, but the family resemblance was unmistakable. She also had the same color eyes as the Arcs, a brilliant sapphire blue. The silver-haired girl also noted several ear piercings and the hint of a tattoo that crept up the side of her neck.

"Er… is it bad that she's in a police database?" Beryl asked hesitantly.

"Well…" Jaune hedged. "It's not… good, at least. Only minor trouble to date, at least what she's been arrested for. Glory Cerise, arrested four times, only did eight months' time for one of the infractions.. A few breaking and entering, burglary… Oh, and one pickpocketing. Apparently she's living within the fringe criminal elements of Vale, no known address… But I do have an associate of hers, Tim Gray, and an address for him. I'll forward that info to your scroll, Pip."

"Is that legal?" Evie whispered to Merri next to her.

The redheaded Huntress smirked. "Dad's the captain. It's legal if he does it."

"Nice," the Cat Faunus snickered.

"So…" Pip was staring at her scroll and the picture of a sister she just found out about that night. "I guess… Vale is our next stop?"

"Correct," Lustre stated firmly. "Back to Vale."

"After dessert," Pyrrha stated, her tone that of a mother not to be repudiated.

"Yes, ma'am," several voices chorused, not at all upset with the notion.

A/N: So I need to make a few notes on the identity of Jaune's wife here. When I started writing Pearls, Season 3 hadn't ended yet for RWBY, and my intention from the beginning was to have Pip be the daughter of one of Jaune's sisters. And Pyrrha was always pegged to be Jaune's wife. I tried very hard to keep things nebulous enough that the story, set 40 years into the future, wouldn't veer too far off from canon.

And then the season ended. I was fairly well heartbroken, but shrugged and figured I would revise the plan. So Jaune's wife became Velvet, and Merri was a brunette half-Faunus. Left it that way right up until I finished with Volume 2 of Pearls and started to work out the details of Volume 3. And that's when it really struck me that I couldn't do it, I just couldn't write a fic where Pyrrha was no more. So I reverted it all back to the original intent, hence Merri now being a redhead. 'Cause I just can't bring myself to accept Pyrrha's death. If that now takes this fanfic off-canon, so be it.

So, thanks very much for following my story so far, many heartfelt apologies for how long it's taken me to update once again. I was hoping to type out more than just the one chapter while on vacation, but hey, at least I got this one done! And much love for my reviewers, from the last chapter: Nicodemus Cain, Commando2341, allie300093, Heil96, TacoKing23. Thanks all!

Stay shiny!