It was Miss Goodwitch who found them, and with no small amount of confusion given Cinder was carrying Emerald over her shoulder and Jaune had a small boy at his side. Once the child was handed off to a huntsman whom Glynda had called in to assist, they were ushered onto a Bullhead and taken back to Beacon.

"Is Qrow safe?" Jaune asked.

"He's injured but will make a full recovery." Glynda kept her eyes firmly on Cinder, no doubt wondering why she wasn't antagonistic. "I am going to assume, Mr Arc, that there is a good explanation for this."

"There's definitely an explanation..."

Glynda sighed.

Honestly, that was about how he felt as well.

On landing, they were smuggled quietly into the school and out of sight – Cinder still being officially a criminal – and brought to Oswald's office. The man took one look at him, and then at a docile Cinder, and lowered his face into one hand.

"Oh, come on!" Jaune cried. "It's not my fault."

"Isn't it, Mr Arc?"

"Well... I mean, it is, but it's also not entirely."

"Then what," Oswald asked, patiently, with a gesture toward Cinder, "—is this?"

"This... This would be my adoptive daughter."

Oswald didn't even look surprised. Glynda just looked annoyed. Cinder, on the other hand, smiled and stepped up to stand beside him, proud of her title. Jaune wasn't sure how she reconciled the many differences between the dream memories and reality; he'd bombarded her with a fake childhood, but it had been made up on the spot.

Didn't she think it suspicious that he was still the same age? Didn't she think it suspicious that he was a student and not a doctor like he had been when he adopted her? Those were all things she was likely to notice and question going forward but probably hadn't had the time to do yet.

"Of course she is," Oswald said. "Of course she is. Very well. Miss Fall, can you tell me what you remember of this evening? Give me a quick report."

"Fall...?"

"Ah. Miss Arc. My apologies. I had a Miss Fall in here earlier and got my names mixed up."

"Hm. I woke up first in a place I didn't recognise and looked around to get my bearings. There was a young boy there and the girl – Emerald, I think her name is. The girl talked to me like she knew me, asking me if she should kill my father. I panicked but she seemed to be waiting on my decision, so I said no. Once she stepped away from Jaune, I attacked and subdued her." Cinder smirked, her superior attitude remaining. "That's all."

"I see." Oswald met her gaze head on. It had been no accident he asked her to recount events. He wanted to make sure he didn't provide any contrary information to her. "Well done, Miss Arc. I'm sure your father is proud of you." Jaune winced. "I need to have a meeting with him privately. Do you..." He hesitated, eyes flicking to Glynda. "Refresh my memory, Miss Arc. Which room are you staying in currently...?"

Oh hell. Jaune had given her a fake childhood, but he couldn't remember giving her any explanations for why they were in Beacon or what her circumstances were. He hadn't given her a team, a room, a story – nothing.

And Cinder realised it, looking momentarily confused. "I... I don't know. I can't... Dad," she whispered, urgently tugging on his sleeve. "Why can't I remember?"

Jaune panicked. "Amnesia."

"Amnesia!?" she cried. "Why? But when—?"

"From the coma," Oswald answered, before Jaune could dig a deeper hole. "It's to be expected, really. You ran afoul of a nasty condition and have been asleep for almost a year now, young lady. Your father came to Beacon in order to secure our aid in treating you – which I'm pleased to say was successful."

"Y—Yes." Jaune picked up the story. "And it's all okay now, Cinder, but you're probably groggy from having a big year-long gap in your memories. That's why you were so confused when you woke up and saw that girl threatening me."

"Oh. Oh..."

Cinder looked haunted. It must have been terrifying to know you had a gap in your memories you couldn't even place. And Cinder did have gaps. A whole lot of them given he'd flash-bombed her with a fake backstory.

"Am I... Am I going to be okay...?"

"You should be fine," Oswald said. "But do let your father or me know if you have any lingering issues. You may find yourself struggling to reach for old memories for a few months. It's nothing unusual. You've woken up from a deep sleep and it will take time for you to recover from that."

Cinder's feline ears drooped. Jaune couldn't help but feel sorry for her, and it wasn't like she was Cinder anymore. This woman couldn't be compared to the old her because everything that made her who she was had been replaced. And that was still a can of worms he didn't want to think about.

I just brainwashed someone. I can brainwash people. All the more reason someone like Cinder couldn't be allowed to have this power.

"Glynda," Oswald spoke up. "Can you find a room for Miss Arc to have as her own? A private room, I think. Also, get her some food and settled in while I speak with her father. I expect she will be staying here at Beacon for a few years."

Glynda obviously wanted to argue that point but thought better of it.

"Yes, of course. Please follow me Miss... Arc..."

Cinder didn't move. Instead, she looked to him. There was a desperate longing in her eyes that Jaune didn't know what to do with. His silence prompted her to act, her hand nervously taking his. "What if I fall asleep again?" she whispered. "I'm scared."

Jaune gulped.

"I... I'll come after my meeting..."

Glynda pinched her eyes shut.

"Promise...?"

"I promise. An Arc never goes back on their word."

"Hm!" Cinder smiled and let go of him. "I love you, dad."

Erk.

"I... I love you too, daughter."

Cinder's smile was beautiful. Less so was Glynda's expression as she led the woman out – a woman who was by all means older than him, and yet somehow saw him as being the elder one. The moment she was gone, Jaune slumped into a seat opposite Oswald, and finally allowed himself to think of the man as Ozpin.

"Well, this is a fine mess you've landed us in, Mr Arc," he said. "Of all the ways this could have been resolved, I hardly anticipated this."

"You think I did!? Cinder let me into her dreams with demands of making her more powerful – and a faunus of all things – and my only plan was to somehow sabotage or kill her, even if it'd mean Emerald would kill me after."

It sounded so self-sacrificing when he said it, but he'd really been more resigned and vengeful. Resigned to his fate and determined to take Cinder down with him. There were no heroics there.

"This whole adoption thing only came up because her nightmare was of her being adopted by the woman who abused her. It was Cinder who begged me to adopt her, the child-Cinder in the dream. That's when the idea hit me, and I ran with it. But it's not like I have any time to really think about it."

"And it created memories for her?"

"No. I did that. I just bombarded her with fragments of dreams. Birthday parties, school, friends. I needed her to not harm anyone, so I made her remember being friends with everyone from my team and also Team RWBY—"

"Hm. Not an unwise idea."

"You'd think that but now she thinks her dad is dating her childhood friend," Jaune groaned. "And you have no idea how weird that makes me feel. Plus, she thinks I'm older than her when I'm not. I'm going to have to pull some nonsense about pretending to be seventeen, aren't I?"

"Quite possibly."

"My team will understand and accept it but, hell, what will Cinder even think? It's bad enough she thinks I'm an adult dating a teenager. How much worse of me is she going to think if I'm an adult dating a teen but also pretending to be a teenager to get into a school full of them? I'm going to sound like a predator!"

"I'd say you have greater problems than that," Ozpin said. "Such as, for instance, explaining her presence to anyone beyond your team, hmmm? Your teammates know of your Semblance and what it can do, but Team RWBY does not."

"Oh, shit. They'll see Cinder."

"Worse, Cinder believes them to be childhood friends."

"Oh, shit."

"Indeed, Mr Arc. Indeed. Though you've done a good job neutralising one of the threats facing you, this is certainly going to make your coming days just a little difficult. You may be able to buy a little time. We can tell Cinder we want her under observation for health issues and distract her with your team – but it won't last. Sooner or later, she'll need to be seen in public and she'll introduce herself as your daughter. You had best have a good explanation for Team RWBY at that point."

That cat was pretty much coming out the bag soon anyway. He'd told Yang the truth and she'd expect him to show commitment in telling the rest of her team as soon as humanly possible. Telling her about Cinder – because he'd have to – might buy him a sympathetic delay on that front, but it'd only be a stay of execution. He couldn't keep it secret from them much longer.

"Let's try and keep her on her own for now," Jaune said. "I'll take my team to meet her, though. They need to know what to say and not say."

"Yes. It'd also be wise for us to watch her for a few days to make sure the memories stick. It'd be no good if they were slowly supplanted with her old ones again. That is why I must suggest you not stay in her room – make excuses if you must but if she's at any risk of reverting back to her old self, I don't want you near her."

Jaune nodded. "What about Emerald?"

"We'll arrest her and process her as a criminal. Cruel as it sounds to punish her and not Cinder, we can't rightfully punish someone who doesn't know what they are being punished for. Though some might disagree – General Ironwood especially. I can't expect he's going to take the news that your Semblance can essentially brainwash and mind control people well."

"Um. I don't suppose there's any chance—"

"That we not tell him? That he somehow fails to notice Miss Fall has become Miss Arc? Though she may be faunus now, the resemblance is still uncanny. No, he will know. That is a guarantee. Better we – or I, realistically – go to him first and present the information in a way we would like it to be learned, rather than leave him to make his own conclusions."

"Will he want me arrested again?"

"I expect he will want her arrested more, though he'll surely want a travel ban on you ever going to Atlas. He's a paranoid man and you're a walking risk at this point. Or a sleeping risk. You certainly redefine the concept of a sleeper agent, Mr Arc. While asleep, you could create several in a kingdom. James isn't going to like the sound of that."

"I never wanted to do this, sir."

"I know. You've had ample opportunity with your friends, and I am sure some men in your position would take the chance to prod their crushes and other young women around them into viewing them more favourably. You have not, which I am grateful for, but James is a General and is required to see things in terms of how best he can defend his kingdom. Try not to take it personally. I'll do my best to keep him away from you and your... daughter."

Daughter. Hell. "I don't know how to be a father, sir."

"No man ever does."

"But most men get nine months of prep! And a few years learning with a baby! I'm a teenage dad to a teenage daughter!" Jaune groaned into his hands. "What am I going to do? What are my parents going to say!?"

Ozpin let out a long sigh. "Allow me to give you some quick advice, then. As a father myself..."

Jaune listened.

/-/

Glynda escorted him to Cinder's room once she'd settled the former criminal and come back to Ozpin's office. Jaune gulped, hesitating outside the door with some food from the vending machines and a couple of drinks in a bag.

No need to panic. It's just parenthood. How hard can it be? People manage it all the time.

Just the life of a single parent.

"Meep..."

Glynda cleared her throat and knocked on the door, dooming him, and when Cinder opened it he forced a smile. Hers was bigger. "Dad!"

"C—Cinder, hey." It felt too strange to call her daughter and luckily that wasn't as normal as her calling him dad anyway. "I told you I'd come on by. I've got you some food and drink in case you're hungry."

"Mmm. I am hungry. You want to see my new room? It's nice. Not as good as our home—" Which didn't exist, but she remembered somehow. Joy. He'd have to make an excuse that they'd sold it if she asked. "—but it's okay."

"It's bigger than the dorm I'm staying in. Four people squashed into one room."

This one looked to be a guest quarter, likely for visiting teachers coming along with teams for the festival. It was a mirror of the one Winter had used, with a single bed, its own dining area and a sofa to lounge on. Cinder even had her own television.

He hoped there weren't reports about her. If there was, he'd have to tell her it was a lookalike with the same name, then draw attention to her ears. The human Cinder may have looked like her, but she obviously wasn't her since she wasn't a faunus. Sitting at the table, Cinder began tearing into the food; she must not have had much in that basement they were hiding out in.

That gave him time to talk.

"Cinder, I've spoken with Oswald and he thinks it's best if you stay in this room for a few days – maybe a week. You're not in trouble," he hastened to add, when her eyes locked to his with a betrayed expression. "It's so we can keep an eye on you to make sure there aren't any medical concerns. Your memory is spotty, and we don't want you getting lost or passing out and us not being able to find you."

"Will I pass out...? Am I at risk...?"

"We don't think so—" And he was a doctor in her mind, despite his age, so she ought to trust it. "There's no real risk of another coma. This is the recovery period. You know a person with an injured leg has to take it easy for a while, right?"

"Yeah..."

"This is the same thing. Just as how they'd have to use a wheelchair to take pressure off their leg, I want you to take it easy for a week to take pressure off your mind. No work, no exploring new places, no confusion." He swallowed, continuing the lie. "There's a lot that has changed in a year and I want you to get to know that slowly so it doesn't overwhelm you. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

"Hngh." Cinder pouted and looked aside. "Yes dad..."

Don't take that tone with me; I'm younger than you are.

"Thank you." Better to go with positive reinforcement. "That doesn't mean I want you to be lonely, however. I'm going to bring Pyrrha, Nora and Ren to see you tomorrow – and maybe Yang as well if she's free. It'll be good to see them again, right?"

"Yes." Her face lit up, then fell. "But, ugh, Yang. I'm still not over you and her... you know..."

"I know." Oh, but he knew. And what a mess that was. "We'll deal with it in time." He had to test her. "But you like Nora, Ren and Pyrrha. Don't you?"

"Yeah, they're okay."

"Just okay?"

"I mean, Nora is a bit much." Cinder made a so-so gesture with her hand, almost making him smile. Nora absolutely could be too much. "But Pyrrha is cool and Ren is nice." That was a relief. "He's quite cute, too."

And, suddenly, that was less relaxing. He didn't know if it was Cinder's real thoughts from when she was a criminal – some passing attraction – or if it was a result of him giving her a fake backstory with his friends and thus creating a "childhood friend" scenario with Ren.

But what he was sure of was that Nora wasn't going to be pleased.

"Maybe don't mention that in front of Nora."

"I know she's in love with him, dad. I'm not stupid."

"I know you're not—"

"But he doesn't return her feelings so he's free game."

"Let's... Let's not go there for now, sweetie." Before he developed a complex or felt the need to talk with Ren about how to behave around his daughter. "I'll bring them over tomorrow for lunch – and I'll come have eat breakfast with you before I have to go for lessons, then we'll spend the afternoon together. Sound good?"

"Hm. Yeah. As long as I'm not left on my own."

"You won't be."

Because someone was going to have to keep an eye on her at all times to make sure she didn't regress, and Qrow was injured. That somebody was going to have to be him. If she was honest, if she really had changed...

Then did she deserve a second chance?

Cinder had killed Amber.

But this Cinder hadn't been the one to do it.

And he didn't think Amber would want this Cinder to suffer.

"So, are you good for tonight? Any problems?"

"I... I..." Cinder's ears wilted. "No problems."

Faunus weren't normally so blatantly easy to read by their ears; Blake's showed her emotions a little, but not so brazenly. Cinder hadn't had a lifetime to get used to her ears no matter how many fake memories he'd implanted.

"What's the matter?" he asked. "What's wrong?"

Her eyes slid to the bed in the room. "What if I go to sleep and don't wake up again?" she asked, in a quiet voice.

It didn't make sense that it made his heart clench. This wasn't his daughter... or it shouldn't have been. He'd created the fake memories for her but, in a sense, he'd also lived through them.

Sure, he knew they weren't real, and he knew they'd been snippets only about ten or fifteen minutes in length each, but he'd still been there for them. He'd still tucked her into bed, he'd still helped her with homework, he'd still comforted her when she was upset. Fake or not, he'd been there – he'd seen her acting like a child. Being happy, being sad, being a little girl.

It didn't feel like he was compromised or a victim of his own Semblance; he could accept they were fake, and he could place each one as a figment of his imagination. But, at the same time, her reactions to them had been real. The love that Cinder had felt for her new father hadn't been a lie. The scenes had been fake, but she had not been – and her reactions, dream or otherwise, had been genuine. Her feelings had been real.

And she'd loved the father she never had in real life.

"Cinder..." Jaune moved around the table and sat next to her then, without hesitation, pulled her into his chest. The woman older than him – who had more than once tried to kill him – pressed her face into his collarbone in search of warmth. He stroked a hand over the back of her head, tickling her ears. "You don't need to worry about that anymore. The condition that put you in a coma is gone. It's fixed. I can understand why you're afraid, but you don't need to be. You trust me. Don't you?"

"Mm. Yes, daddy..."

"Then trust me to know what's best for your health. You'll be fine." Still, her hands clung to his back. Her fingers dug into his suit, tightening and pulling at the material. "Would you like me to read you a story before bed?"

Cinder giggled. "Dad, I'm eighteen!"

And I'm seventeen. Talk about awkward.

"You're still that little girl from the orphanage in my eyes, and you never complained before." He slowly stood, pulling her to her feet. "Get changed into your pyjamas and I'll tuck you in."

Thankfully, Cinder didn't undress in front of him and went into the bathroom for it. She came out in a set of pyjamas Glynda must have provided along with the room, a pale blue set of cotton pants and a top. Jaune pulled the sheets on the bed back and she wormed her way into them.

Pulling the blankets up to her chin was a surreal experience. A girl her age wouldn't have wanted or needed it, but she was an orphan so he could understand her liking the reminder she was no longer alone, especially after a hypothetically traumatic coma. Not to mention she'd almost seen Emerald kill him and might have been thinking he could be taken away at any moment.

As if it weren't bad enough I suddenly have a daughter, but she's potentially traumatised as well. I am so not ready for this.

But he pulled out his scroll and opened up a book on it.

His father had read him bedtime stories in much the same way, and he'd turned out... well, he'd turned out as he was now. An idiot who somehow coined a daughter older than he was. But that probably wasn't the fault of Nicholas or those bedtime stories.

"Once upon a time..."

/-/

Cinder fell asleep three chapters in with a smile on her face. It raised a complex set of emotions within him; this was a murderer, someone who had killed Amber, and yet she fell asleep holding his hand as he read her a bedtime story.

What would you say about this, Amber? Honestly, you'd probably say she looked cute. Or you'd laugh at me for getting myself in this situation.

His journeys with Amber had been as fake as Cinder's childhood with him, and yet both had changed them. He liked to think it was for the better. And if he accepted that Amber had been a friend, then didn't he also have to accept that Cinder had been his daughter? To deny one was to deny the other.

This is all too confusing. I still need to tell my team too.

Pyrrha, Nora and Ren needed to be told tonight, immediately no less, and he had to do it in a calm, collected and confident manner—

/-/

Jaune burst through the door and into his dorm.

"HELP! I BECAME A DAD! HELP ME! I DON'T KNOW WHAT I'M DOING!"