Chapter 1: Paradise

The Forever Fall Forest is always in the process of change, the uniformly drifting leaves float shortly after birth, right passed the black bark of their parents. Snow did not build up on the lightly colored surface, the woods kept warm by coastal winds mixing with the cold of mountain drifts. It is fall forever, the forest never changed. Raven saw the beauty in something like that, something temporally divorced. It is, as far as I know anymore, her favorite place in Remnant. That forest saw mankind come, it will see them go, if we ever do.

So permanent, always changing.

"I can walk, you know," Raven complained, never taking the assistance of others well. Self-reliance was what she learned from her former faunus teacher, and she would often preach its importance. "The griffin bit my side, not my damn leg. Let me go."

"No can do, princess," Qrow quipped, pulling his sister up from the right side, a human crutch. His sword stuck to his back with the help of magnetics, allowing a free hand to carry the most cliché of woven picnic baskets.

"Doctor's orders are for you to relax and not lift a thing, and that includes yourself!" Summer Rose took the left, skipping in her shorter strides, carrying only Raven's weapon with her for defense. Summer wasn't a cautious girl. Shorter than Qrow, the whole affair was off angled, Raven slumped against the tiniest member of team STRQ. It must have been terribly painful, but she enjoyed it. If there was ever someone for her to be slumped down on, Raven would have picked Summer.

"Doctor's orders were for me to stay in a hospital bed, strapped down preferably," the older twin countered, no doubt considering that the worst possible outcome of the day. Fluttering through Forever Falls, well, her complaints lacked certain sincerity.

"So where are we dropping grim, dark, and whiny?" Qrow asked, ignoring his sister entirely. Raven didn't care for it. To know Raven is to know her temper burns famously.

"Do not ignore me, I will break you!" Her legs still worked. Raven tested them, trying to kick in her brother's knees. On the first successful knock and Qrow released her, stepping off toward the protection of a tree. Raven nearly tumbled with the sudden drop in support, taking the fastest route into a face full of red stained dirt. "Shit!"

"I got you!" Summer shouted, long before actually getting her, clutching her teammate and taking a knee. It felt more like a hug than hostage taking now, and even if the uncalled for pressure on Raven's side made her wince, this was better. "I think this spot's good, Qrow!"

"Got it," the brother noted from where he hid, sauntering in with the supplies, a white and grey blur in an otherwise colorful world. "Where do you want the blanket?" Summer pointed to a tree with roots cutting out small seats, their back the trunk. Hoisting Raven up with small but powerful hands, she brought the girl over to where the cover was tossed haphazardly. Styles different, Raven liked the way their black skirts always matched, mixing together as their hips touched.

"Can you please inform me as to what exactly is going on here?" The question was likely a formality. Raven gathered enough from the cloth cover and woven basket. She smiled, thinking her partner silly. Didn't she know not to stray off the path in the wood, wolves could turn her perfect white cloak red. Shame Raven wasn't a faunus, she was already hungry for her. "I wanted out of the hospital, I figured you'd drive us home."

"We have about two and a half hours before our meeting with Ozpin," Summer noted like her secretary, lowering the injured girl to the forest floor. More comfortable for her to put knees down on wool instead of dirt, being propped against the trunk the aching wound in her side was relieved of the pressure and drained of the pain. Raven could finally appreciate the moment. Sun breaking apart into a comfortable scatter through the red, a slow wind dragged the dropping leaves with it. Summer was above her, white cloak spilling out on either side, face so close Raven could almost pull her down, get all mixed together. "And I thought, perfect time for a date to show the most important person in my life exactly how awesome she is."

Summer, Summer was such a wonderful human being. You have to understand this, if you understand nothing else. The key to paradise, Raven's personal heaven.

"And what is my brother, the perpetual third wheel, gonna do? Watch?" Raven joked to politely request his departure. To his credit, Qrow had historically taken well to those suggestions. This time too, lips pulling apart for a lopsided grin, almost letting loose a chuckle, he nodded.

"Nah, I'm going to go off and, you know, hit things with my sword. I'll be in earshot of a scream, so you know, if ursa start looking at Summer like finger food, call me." Raven tossed him an approving nod, seeing his classic cape whip around so he could walk away dramatically. Nerd, Raven thought loudly.

"Wait, do you want a sandwich first? We got some wine, too! I feel bad sending you off without anything to show for all the help," Summer whined, pulling away, painfully, from Raven. Silently ache as she might, the Branwen's favorite thing about her love was that kind thoughtfulness. Even if it did ruin everything.

"Nope, it's bad to drink and fly." Back then, Qrow barely touched alcohol. It was poison to him long before it became medicine.

"Happy hunting, brother," Raven muttered to her twin. Like a signal he vanished, a crow flapping out of the forest, beyond the crimson canopy. Summer's favorite parlor trick out of all the Branwen's combined talents.

"It's crazy he can do that," Summer mumbled, watching the last vestige of the male Branwen. It irked Raven, to watch her watch Qrow so intently. The cloak was easy enough for her to snag, the injured girl pulling her lover to the floor. Summer didn't fight it, or even seem surprised by the drop, accepting her fate and plopping down onto the blanket with just a touch of bounce.

"How do you know I can't do that?" Jealousy pumped into Raven's veins on more than one occasion, though she was skilled at laughing it off, keeping a smirk on over the pain. Summer never seemed to notice, blind of Raven's imperfections.

"You cut holes in space," Summer noted, edging herself close to Raven, eyes open and curious, taking everything into those silver gems.

"And maybe I can turn into a bird, too," Raven played, facing her head on, noses almost touching, red against grey. "I have many tricks up my sleeve."

"Ohh, really now? Why didn't you ever tell me you could turn into a majestic…"

"Raven?" the darker girl cut in. Summer laughed, head snapping back in a full voiced cackle. This spurred Raven on, wanting to see that smile widen till it burst at the seams. "Well, you see, in that form I could follow you around and swoon like a little school girl all through Beacon." Wasn't until after graduation that Raven confessed. Summer's answer then was a predictable 'well ,of course I like you, too.' Four years they had wasted pining and inactive.

"So you used it to peek?" Summer's brow peaked with her interest. Turning over, Summer comfortably straddled her partner, arms pushing against the tree like support pillars. With every word, she edged a little closer.

"Theoretically," Raven responded, resisting closing the gap. The stitches on her side might have stained her another fresher red if she let her wants take control.

"Well, maybe," Summer licked her chapped lips, peeling away the tense air between them. Leaning in, Raven could feel her breath, hot like a maiden's fire as their noses brushed each other. "I would have wanted you to watch." The crimson color, matching Raven's armor, torched their cheeks a uniform shade. Summer couldn't even handle herself. "Oh god, that's so embarrassing to even joke about, why do we do this!?" The girl flopped to the side, hiding her face in fallen leaves, a mess of white and black.

"You can't play chicken with me, Summer," Raven muttered, flat out ignoring the tightening throughout her body, "I'm simply too cool for you." Raven stuttered soundlessly between the words, a master of hiding her imperfections.

"Shut up, nerd!" Summer punctuated with a fist full of leaves right to Raven's face. The young huntress ducked away to shield her eyes from the hailstorm of red.

"Stop it, you're—" Raven's lips caught on Summer's, twisting her head back and right into a kiss. Summer's kiss. Sweet lips that preferred sweet words and a sweeter world. It sucked the breath from Raven's lungs and the pain from her side. Like Forever Fall, she was temporarily locked, tomorrow and yesterday fell away, only then.

"How do you like that then, chicken?" Summer broke the lock, separating the lips and promoting the clock to start again. Wind picked up, the forest continued to shed, and all was changing again.

"I didn't back away, so I win," Raven whispered, dumbstruck, her defense a natural reaction to protect her pride, the default. Summer scoffed, unwilling to accept something so boring.

"You just ruin everything." Blowing a stray red hair from her face, Summer returned to her usual goofy state, seated between her own roots, legs curled up on the blanket. "Alright," she started, popping open the casket of goods, some assortment of pre-made sandwiches and that bottle of wine pledged earlier, "what would you like? We've got only a little bit of time before Ozpin needs us back at Beacon." If ever a name spoiled Raven's appetite and turned sour a perfect world of sweet sugar and red syrup, it was Headmaster Ozpin.

"Why," Raven muttered, biting her lip to hold back the venom building in her throat, "should he be allowed to ruin a lovely afternoon? We're not students at his school anymore." The rage had burned up her blood for years, building with the headmaster's every misstep, but she tried to swallow it, even as it cooked her throat. The world respected him, most importantly, Summer respected him.

"Yeah, but you are the Summer Maiden," Summer retorted without any of the Branwen family flame, "I'm probably going to be the next Spring Maiden, unfortunately, and Ozpin's the head of the Brotherhood, so our boss." The cheap five lien white wine bottle had promised at least a little soothing, the popping sound enticing Raven, another family proficiency.

"If the Brotherhood is suppose to protect the maiden, why does it feel like we're the servants?" Raven asked, reaching for a glass to wash away some of the despairing ink that discolored her mind. Summer, of course, seized up, mouth twitching to a frown. The discussion of politics never did well for their relationship. "I'm not saying I shouldn't serve the people, I just mean," Raven sucked in the cold of Vale through her nose, hoping to catch her breath and worlds, "I swore my Odachi toward the protection of the people when I gained these powers, not my body and soul, and not to him. If it's not helping real people, why does Ozpin need us at his beck and call? I need to heal, don't I have a right to this time with you?"

Summer had her turn to breath as a falling red leaf danced passed her. "Experience, Raven." Plenty of old fools in the world, Raven wasn't the first to think so. "Ozpin was old when we were young. Guy kind of knows, like, everything. Think of how lost you would have been when you took on the Maiden's power without him. Maybe the Brotherhood's a little archaic, but it works the way it does for a reason."

Then tell me it! That's all you have to do is tell me it! Internal screams died down, and the fire got snuffed out, just by the way Summer smiled, tilting her head as if a new angle might reveal some more of Raven's struggles. It didn't help her understand the maiden better, but it did quiet the storm. Negative feelings couldn't survive the silver gaze. "I know, I just, I feel like all my freedom is gone. I wasted all the good years of my life chasing you." Raven reached out her hand to brush her lover's face. The cloaked girl closed the gap before she could hurt herself again.

"I did too, like dogs running after eachother's tail."

"Please," Raven whispered, too tired for anything louder, "chasing my fine ass if never a waste."

"You are so dumb," Summer laughed, the sound ripping through their frozen perfect place, a signal for the times to change, "I love you."

"I love you, too." What would be the first crack in paradise rumbled. "Now hand me the glass! I'm injured, baby me!"

"The hell are you doing here, Ironwood?" More machines than men awaited the pair's arrival in Ozpin's office. The place was a swirling clockwork nightmare, as far as Raven was concerned, its shifting gears emitting a terrible ticking that burrowed into the skin and shook the bone. The green above spawned from a toxic looking light, everything seemed so fake, so artificial to her. This place had a magic alien to nature.

Then there was, as she would say, James fucking Ironwood.

"Branwen, it's been a long time. Do you need help?" James Ironwood had never done anything specific to Raven or her team, but the Beacon rivalry between teams had always been deep. His perfectly sculpted form, the way his clothing clutched to him for warmth, the pitch hair cut to a perfect polygon, an opposition to Raven's wild ponytail. That Atlas attitude marred by such ignorance of faunus culture it bordered racism. Mantle's best. Perfect, divorced from the disorder of life. Unnatural. That didn't even touch on the Atlas Knights, grey unpleasant machines of war that lacked even the grimm's connection with the organic world.

"No, I have my living crutch, thank you," Raven spat back in spite. Even if she had to look weak, Qrow and Summer balancing her steps and leading her forward, she refused his kind of help. Just talking to him felt like slapping her old master in the face. "Why are you in Vale?" A high ranking officer in Beacon with a battalion of bots didn't leave her comfortable.

"Raven!" Soft voiced Amber came running to the rescue, probably didn't even know it. A little girl then, just a seventeen year old cursed already with the Autumn Maiden's power. Her mother died of a heart attack, the previous Fall Maiden. This should have been her first year at Beacon, more worried about grades than the fate of the world. The sweet girl had no one to relate to, no one to share the troubles only they knew, but Raven. Spring, Summer's grandmother, was sickly in a hospital bed, and Winter lived freer than the rest, playing politics in Atlas. Ozpin's favorite pet maiden, she was fond of calling her.

"Hey kid. How has the Vytal festival been? I haven't been watching since Mistral's time zone is so weird." Raven wasn't good with kids, she didn't hate them so much as they just… Raven's natural habitat was in monster slaying. Children require a... gentler approach, but with Amber, she had always tried.

"I don't care. I heard you got hurt?!" It was a mistake to send Raven alone after a pack of roaming griffins. Qrow followed at a distance, as Ozpin ordered, but a distance wasn't enough to prevent a little misstep.

"I'm good, kid," Raven laughed, pounding the fabric of her robe. It hurt like hell, but so long as she kept a smile, the younger Maiden relaxed. "I'm the better bird."

"That you are." Ozpin. He interrupted with confidence one might expect from a headmaster. He carried himself like a father to all, walking with that special cane, hand hugging a mug fresh for another day. He liked to fancy himself a happy sage, prone to statements of optimism that hid his growingly utilitarian actions. "I'm very happy to see you standing," his brown eyes shifted over to Summer, the next in line for maidenhood, "with a little help."

"I hope you don't mind me barging in on the meeting!" Summer was already a member of the Brotherhood, she had a right to be there, but her nature was courteous. Qrow was less so.

"Me too, you know I love sitting around talking shop, especially with your new death robots." The twins shared much in personality, but nothing in opinion. Qrow had absolute trust in Ozpin, though he liked to throw punches, if just to reassure his sister. They entered this world together and no matter what, Qrow was convinced they were a team till death. Raven loved him for it.

"The Atlas Knights are state of the art combat drones, capable of adapting targets on the fly, addressing a variety of security threats, and most importantly, incapable of betrayal. You can't bribe hardware,"James cut in, his voice full of pride, the hints of a grin at the edge of his lips. The display of advanced toys meant to gain approval from the graying father. Of course, Ozpin nodded brown soft eyes shining with pride.

"More importantly, they are discrete when it comes to what they hear," the headmaster always preferred a hand in subtlety, a purveyor in secrets. Even within the Brotherhood what one was allowed to hear was segmented, grouped by necessity. "As much as I think we'd all prefer a more human touch, the complications would make it quite a pricey comfort. Please, all of you come into my office. There is some unfortunate news." Raven spotted the future between the lines, curbed freedoms.

"It's not about Spring, is it?" Summer asked, letting go of Raven and skipping after the headmaster. Fear for her grandmother was reasonable, and though the sudden lack of support stung, Qrow quick to take the weight without a flinch, it ached less than missing her.

"No, none of the Maidens are hurt. At least, not more than they usually are," Ozpin joked, peering at Raven from above the shrunken rims of his glasses. His way of chiding others. "Though," the headmaster added, stepping into his god awful metal monster of a chair, right at home amongst the shifting gears above and below, "not for lack of trying, a woman at a party put Winter to a poison knife. Atlas Military dispatched the attacker and the knife never made it past her aura." Summer put a palm to her lips to push back her gasp. Amber wasn't as prepared, the girl jumped as if the knife was pointed at her neck.

"Woah there," Raven's hand snapped to her shoulder, quick to anchor her back to reality, "It's okay Amber, breathe with me, okay?" Being a maiden has always meant three truths. Everyone wanted to protect you, own you, or kill you.

"Miss, you do not need to be afraid," Ironwood cut in, getting on a knee to match stature to their station in this Brotherhood. The sharp strength of his jaw, the sturdy gaze of his eyes, all whispered authority. "I'm here to make sure you and the other Maidens are safe while our best investigate. The greatest military power in the world stands between you and them." Amber's breath steadied, back to normal after one big gulp of air. She was a brave child, born to be a huntress.

"We aren't sure if the one who ordered the assassination is even aware of the maiden's power." More than one nefarious reason in Remnant for murder. "Winter has her hands in Atlas politics, and with the General getting older, it's a dangerous time there. So let's not rush to conclusions."

"The General is only fifty years old. The other commanders are getting way too ahead of themselves trying to supplant her." In less than ten years, Ironwood succeeded her.

"With that in mind, please do not fret. We are in a time of unparalleled peace. Sleep easy. With a touch more security in place, just to be cautious." Ozpin crossed his legs and leaned back, a habit usually meant to signal the end of meetings. "James, please escort Amber back to her team. I'm sure she would appreciate the stories of a former Beacon graduate." Summer snaked her arm back around Raven, the trifecta turning her around. "Raven and Summer, would you mind waiting a second? They'll catch up to you, Qrow." Clever way to say get the hell out.

"I think I'm good right here, Oz—"

"I'm good, Qrow. You go find Taiyang, he's probably freaking out I'm not in bed." Raven cut him loose. Too often she felt like the cause of friction between them. Qrow's expression twisted, annoyed, but he let it go. Hand's going to the back of his head, he twirled, and walked off after Ironwood. "Don't be stupid, sis."

"I'm only ever brilliant, brother." He made Raven laugh, a rare trait. Ozpin watched, though she could not confirm it, behind the shades, waiting for the elevator to close on him. "Look, if it's about the incident with the griffin, I was just trying not to use the power like you said. I don't need the tin men or the lock in hospital."

Ozpin took in a fresh dose of air, likely formulating the best choice of words, plan of attack. His usual methods had always been mixed with Raven. She preferred simpler, smaller souls, so a simpler smaller method would do. "Miss Branwen, I apologize for this invasive question, but are you seeing a romantic partner, or have any interest in such things?" Raven laughed so hard, her wound nearly popped. She could be flirty, but getting hit on by an old man she low key distrusted was not the plan.

"Raven and I are lovers, sir," Summer ended with a bullet. Calm, direct, dispassionate. It was an extremely rare response from such a cheery woman. She was quite pissed.

"That's wonderful," Ozpin replied with a smile, either unaware or unconcerned with how they took such a brazen approach, "Love is such a hard thing to find, even if it complicates this next part. I can't begin to explain how good that is to hear," Ozpin punctuated with a sip of black coffee, adding an uncomfortable silence to an uncomfortable situation. "We are," the headmaster began again, "in a time of unheard of peace. Not since the Great War—"

"And the Rights Rebellion," Raven interjected like a snake bite. She was ashamed her race so quickly liked to brush that war under the rug, unsure if it was either shame of defeat or racism that left it so quickly forgotten.

"Yes, I consider that more a painful step toward the future than a senseless bloody conflict," Ozpin sidestepped, trying to return to the point without ruffling the raven's feathers, "This path towards a perpetual peace and brighter future is in no small part due to the power of the maidens. Not since the Great War has there been a rogue Maiden. This power has for the last eighty years been used solely for the benefit of both humanity and the faunus. Without it, much of our world could be lost.

"Which is why, with much hesitation, I'm considering resurrecting an old practice. I need to ask if you would consider, in whichever way you choose, becoming a parent, Raven." The top office could never truly be silent, ticking clockwork and all that, but in that moment, between the stilling of Ozpin's lips and the next chime, a shift founded like a hurricane.

"You're asking me to get pregnant?" Raven vomited her question, unable to rationalize it in any other specific way.

"Artificially or naturally. We could insure your baby would be a girl. The most successful way to ensure the maiden powers not fall into criminal hands is for the maidens to be mothers. Autumn is too young for us to even consider such a thing, I won't have it, and I've already spoken to Winter. Leaving yourself, Raven, and Summer, who is likely to be the next Spring," Ozpin sighed, lungs pushed on by the pressure of his position, or at least he liked to seem that way, "I had hoped perhaps you might would be thinking of such a thing anyways, but I have a feeling, all things considered, it is not being actively pursued."

"No," Raven replied. No to pursuing, no to the whole idea. She wasn't even thirty yet, if at any age it was a real consideration. Raven did not want childre—

"I always kind of wanted to be a mom," Summer announced, near a whisper into a choked room. She looked almost ashamed, eyes downcast and shadowed by her hood.

"You never mentioned that!" Raven felt angry, Ozpin manipulating them, and embarrassed, not knowing Summer even wanted a future like that. Too much time spent in Forever Fall frozen in the now.

"I mean," Summer's voice cracked, "I figured it'd be a bit later in my life, but I pictured you know, in our future maybe." Ozpin smiled, and Raven wanted to rip it off his face.

"I won't force this," not directly, "but I am not suggesting this like it's a Sunday picnic. We were lucky that the former Autumn Maiden had Amber. We were lucky the knife didn't dig into Winter, and lucky that griffon bit down on you instead of swallowing whole. We are three for three in luck. Think on this, Raven, please, and come back to me." Ozpin's legs recrossed, the subtly ended by the opening of elevator doors, "Thank you for your time, I'm sorry to push this on you." Raven's blood burned as Summer obeyed. All the weight on this one small Rose, she hefted her teammate out of the hall. Hiding behind the cloak. Raven knew what that meant.

Once the elevator door closed, the silence became unbearable. Outwitting Raven was simple. "Are you seriously considering this?" Raven's red eyes looked for Summer's face, but her cloak obscured it. Their leader had more courage against monsters than her lover.

"It's your body, I'll respect your decision," Summer started. Raven knew it was true, but the cracks of premature pain were already forming on her heart. "I do think Ozpin's right. We've been together for six years now, the best time ever. I want you to know I'd be ready for it." Summer didn't have to say it, Raven knew, knew for a while actually, she wanted more from them. Maybe marriage would have been the preferred, but this division had grown over the last year or so. Time never stopped, change always happened. Raven wanted Forever Fall again.

"I'd make a terrible mother," Raven hid behind ineptitude. A feeble defense.

"You'd be super mom," Summer laughed, picturing a domestic scene that would never come to pass, "You're great with Amber."

"Amber doesn't shit in diapers," shit was always a desperate response. Raven was scared, choked, pretending to not care, always in control. Summer would drop it if she just told her that. Little hubris, not big ones, caused calamity. "It wouldn't be yours, you know."

"She doesn't need to grow in my belly to grow in my heart," Summer's words were rock solid, tossed like bricks back at Raven. She had taken it as an insult, so it seemed to the one in red and black. "I would love her, I don't care if we're not related. If she's our child, she's our child."

"So you wouldn't care if I had to fuck some other guy, huh? You'd love the kid?" Raven's hand balled into a fist and had to resist every fiber in her body not to eat that first. Why the fuck would you say that? Raven screamed internally. Anger at Ozpin, at this situation, turned like a blade on the people she loved. It was easier to be sarcastic, to be funny, but with pain Raven was like fire, burnt what she touched.

"You wouldn't have to—" Summer stopped, knowing damn well that wasn't the point. "Even if you left me," Raven could hear her choke. She had made Summer cry. "I would love her, she'd be our baby. Stop making this about me when you know it's not."

I'm sorry, Summer, Raven wanted to cry, but the elevator beeped, first floor was here now. "Alright, Summer." The fissure was growing. Raven knew it was a mistake then, but acts of faith can be like that. Sometimes jumping means hitting the concrete. Sometimes it means a well intended collapse. Trust it would work itself out. It will. Poorly. "Find a donor."

"Taiyang?" Summer muttered as the doors opened, biting her lip. "He's your best friend."

"Okay," Raven muttered, fear of rejection overpowering her fear of the future. For Summer, she would do anything. "You won't hate me after?" Raven cracked just a little, a second of truth seeping out. Summer looked at her for the first time since Ozpin planted the seed of first sin.

"Raven," Summer's eyes were clear silver, lined with red and dripping emotions, but she smiled. She was hopeful for a future together, no matter which way the winds went. It was not her fault. "I will love you always, no matter what you decide."

Raven should have believed her.

*** Hello all! I decided out of interest (and a lot because of RavenXSummer Fanart) to write an little 4 and a half part series about them, their relationship, and why everything went to hell. This will probably finish over the course of spring and early summer and yeah, hope you enjoy!

Thanks to Lazykatz for editing and doing the image edit if you're looking at this from tumblr or on FF. Next week is Summer's Vale Chapter 2 and after that SWK chapter 3!