A New Chapter

EARLY RELEASE FOR HIGHER-PLEDGING PATRONS! THANK YOU!

Reward for antonslavik020! They asked for some modern-day Elderburn, with a couple other ships on the side! Inspired by dashingicecream and her ships~

Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY.

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														   A New Chapter

It had been seven years since Yang and Winter had first started seeing one another.

The romance had been almost accidental in a way. They'd met through their younger sisters, and had started to bond with one another while talking about Ruby and Weiss.

Their sisters were close friends with one another, but were dating other people. Yang always had plenty to talk about in terms of Ruby and her relationship with Pyrrha. Winter kept her comments about Weiss and Blake to a minimum when possible, but at times, she'd be eager to share a few tidbits with Yang as well.

They'd met and become good friends that way, but it hadn't taken long before they'd started to develop feelings toward one another.

Of course it was a bit odd for them at first. After all, both of their younger sisters had had more experience in dating seriously than either Yang or Winter had at the time.

Yang had gone through a few flings here and there over the years, and Winter had always envisioned herself as an independent person.

But after they'd gotten to know one another rather than the other's sister's love life, Yang and Winter had gradually initiated a relationship of their own.

Breaking the news to Ruby, Weiss, and their girlfriends had been a delicate and stressful endeavor. But aside from a few minor misgivings on Weiss' part, everyone had accepted their newfound relationship wholeheartedly.

Over time, Weiss had eventually softened up to the idea as well. She'd always thought that no one would ever be good enough for her elder sister, but if Winter was happy with Yang, than Weiss was more than willing to support them with everything she had.

They'd been through a lot over the years, all six of them. Changes in careers and getting new houses or apartments away from their parents in order to live with each other.

And of course there was the incident when Yang had lost her right arm. She'd never thought she'd be the same again.

But all of the love and support of her friends, family, and especially her girlfriend, had helped see her back on her feet and training at the gym within a few months. She'd grown accustomed to her new prosthetic limb, just as they'd all grown accustomed to their new relationships.

For seven years, Yang and Winter had been together, which meant their younger sisters had been involved in their relationships for even longer. Weiss and Blake had their own apartment now and were secretly saving up for one another's rings. Ruby and Pyrrha weren't thinking about marriage just yet, but were enjoying themselves in their own humble apartment nearby.

Being the older sisters involved, Yang and Winter had decided to get married before either of their younger sisters.

They'd been married for just over a year now, and had settled into a fine new house, where they very often entertained their sisters and company for dinner or other small events and gatherings. They'd gotten used to living this way, as a very powerful, very influential married couple.

Winter's business and work brought in a good salary, and Yang had also found a job at a local restaurant as a waitress.

They were very well off, but lately Yang couldn't help but feel some things could be different. Not to say that her life wasn't already perfect now that she was married to the woman of her dreams, and not to say that anything was "missing."

But she just felt... there could be something else. Potentially.

She thought long and hard about it, particularly at night when Winter had already fallen asleep beside her.

She thought about it until the day came when she decided to speak up about it.

She got home from work first that afternoon, and started boiling water on the stove to prepare dinner. Yang was jittery and nervous all the while as she paced the room, waiting for Winter to come home.

It felt like days before she heard movement at the front door. Yang scurried over just as her wife pushed in.

"Sorry I'm a bit late." Winter put down her briefcase and greeted her wife with a kiss. Yang pulled her in by the waist and kissed her back.

"It's no biggy. Welcome home."

Yang helped Winter remove her coat, then hung it up for her as Winter removed her high-heeled shoes. Yang put her briefcase away, then excitedly took her wife's hand.

"Here, come sit down for a sec. There's... something I wanna talk to you about."

Winter raised an eyebrow as she followed her to the couch to sit.

"Is everything all right?"

"Yeah! Don't worry, nothing's bad and nothing's wrong!" Yang shifted on the cushion, keeping ahold of both of Winter's hands in hers. Her prosthetic couldn't feel her wife's warmth as well as her natural hand could, but it could still register the way Winter curled her fingers through Yang's.

"Of course. Anything, Yang."

Winter sat with her posture erect and her eyes focused, showing Yang she was entirely attentive, but patient enough to wait as long as Yang needed her to. Yang swallowed, and had Winter's hands not been on hers now, she knew she probably would've started fussing with her hair.

"Well... we've been together for a while now. A long while. And I love what we have, Winter. Believe me, I've never been happier in my life. I love this. I love you." She couldn't stop herself from leaning in to press another kiss to Winter's cheek. Winter smiled and nuzzled her briefly.

"I love our life as well, Yang."

A pause, and they both waited for Yang to compose herself before she went on.

"It's just... I was thinking... and only if you're okay with it. How would you feel about maybe... some day... eventually... having a baby...?"

That word had never come up in all their seven years together. Until now, neither of them had verbally expressed any interest in a child. But it was something Yang wanted to consider now.

She watched for her wife's reaction, recoiling a little bit initially. Yang couldn't help but fill up the ensuing silence.

"N-Not right away, of course! And we don't have to! Our life is perfect already, and it's not like we need to-"

"Yang." Winter squeezed her hands and leaned in just a little. "If you've been thinking about something like this for so long, it's clearly important to you. And if it's important to you, then it's important to me." She lifted both of Yang's arms up to kiss the backs of her hands in turn, one cool and one warm.

"Actually, I'd been thinking about it as well. I'd been meaning to ask you your thoughts on it, but just couldn't figure out a good time or way to do it. Thank you for doing the hardest part for me." Winter lifted her arms and pulled her wife into a hug. Yang didn't hesitate to reciprocate.

"So... you wanna think about it?" Yang wondered. "Like I said, we don't have to decide anything right away."

"Of course. We have plenty of time to think it through together. There's no rush."

Winter stroked calmly through Yang's long, thick hair. In return, Yang gently loosened the tight, professional bun that had constricted her wife's hair all day. She let Winter's long, silver tresses fall freely down her back. A similar sense of relief flooded through her now that her mind had been unburdened by expressing her thoughts to her wife.

They shared a soft, quiet moment there on the couch, holding each other, breathing together, relishing this feeling of potentially beginning a new chapter in their life together. Yang cried just a little, and she could feel Winter's arms trembling just a bit.

When they eventually parted, it was because the pot on the stove was boiling over.

Both women shared a smile, then a brief kiss, before hurrying into the kitchen to prepare dinner together.

They thought about it and they talked about it for a long time.

It took several months' worth of weighing their options and considering circumstances, but eventually, Yang and Winter came to a mutual decision.

They were going to have a baby.

They'd already found doctors in town nearby who were willing to help them with the process, and they were ready to begin as early as next week.

But Winter and Yang couldn't wait that long. They needed to share the news.

As such, they invited their younger sisters and their girlfriends over for supper that night.

Yang moved the couches and furniture in the living room, rearranging things a bit so it would better accommodate six people instead of just two. Winter prepare appetizers and little snacks in the kitchen.

Weiss and Blake arrived first. The sisters greeted one another with a much-needed embrace, while Yang pulled her long-time friend into a bear hug. As Blake was un-ruffling her clothes, Pyrrha's car pulled into the driveway. She and Ruby were at the door minutes later, and Yang was all but tackled by her baby sister before she got a chance to say hello to Pyrrha.

They all greeted one another merrily, sharing hugs and cheek kisses all around before Yang and Winter invited them all in.

With six busy people in one living room, there were countless topics to discuss for an extended period of time. They shared stories and chatted for hours, eating little snacks here and there.

At one point, Weiss and Blake offered to prepare coffee and tea for the others, and Winter appreciatively accepted. The six of them were all very familiar and comfortable with each others' living arrangements; it wasn't at all uncommon for any of them to serve any of the others, no matter whose home they were in.

Once they'd all finished their coffee or tea, and were beginning to run out of things to talk about, Yang and Winter shared a quick glance.

They were seated together at one end of the couch, with Ruby snuggled up into Pyrrha's side at the other end. Blake was sitting in one of the loveseats nearby, and Weiss was perched on the arm as her girlfriend held her around the waist. Winter briefly feared her little sister might fall when she heard the news, but she trusted Blake to catch her.

With a nod, she and Yang decided to get everyone's attention.

"While it is always very pleasant to have everyone together," Winter began. "There is indeed another reason Yang and I invited you all over this evening."

"Oh?" Pyrrha perked up, clearly interested. Yang could see it in her eyes that she already had an inkling of what it might be, but she said nothing. Ruby squeezed her girlfriend's arm excitedly.

"Oooh! Oooh! What is it?"

Pyrrha soothed her with a quick kiss.

"Now, now, let them talk at their own pace, dear!"

Blake's ears swiveled as she focused on Yang and Winter now, though her hold on Weiss' stomach became a little tighter. Weiss straightened her back and looked curiously over at her sister, but said nothing.

Everyone was waiting patiently. Yang looked to her wife, and Winter squeezed her hand. Yang drew in a deep breath, then puffed out her chest proudly.

"Winter and I have decided to have a baby."

The house fell silent.

Yang clung eagerly to Winter's hands now as they watched their friends and sisters for a reaction.

Pyrrha couldn't keep down a small "Oh!" as her hands flew to her mouth, and tears filled in her eyes. Ruby's jaw dropped, but she was too emotional and happy to speak, so she just settled for hugging Pyrrha and burying her face into her shoulder.

Next to them, Blake couldn't wipe the smile off her face no matter how hard she tried.

Weiss, on the other hand, went all but limp from the shock. She swayed, but Blake carefully pulled her down into her lap now so she wouldn't fall off. She hugged Weiss tightly from behind and let out a breath.

"Congratulations, you two," she murmured. "That's... such wonderful news..."

"Yes!" Pyrrha agreed. "Oh my goodness, congratulations!" She and Ruby hurriedly moved over so Ruby could throw her arms around her sister, laughing and crying.

"I'm gonna be an auntie!" she squealed.

Yang chuckled and hugged her back.

Somehow, Blake managed to stand and bring Weiss with her to the couch. Winter reached up and caught her little sister as Weiss all but melted.

"Winter... I'm... I'm so happy for you..."

"Thank you, Weiss." Winter kissed her temple as Weiss began to cry as well. Blake hugged both of them, sharing an emotional look with Yang.

After that, it was about an hour of hugging and kissing and crying each other in turn. Words of congratulations filled the air whenever someone managed to stop crying.

Pyrrha ended up crying more than Ruby did, and both she and Yang took turns in wiping her tears. Likewise, Winter found herself dabbing tissues across Blake's face just as often as Weiss'.

The six girls shared a warm, happy evening together from then on, with Pyrrha and Weiss already beginning to make plans for a baby shower.

At the end of it all, Yang and Winter shared a long, joyful kiss.

The next chapter of their life would soon begin.

And they'd be sure to bring their baby into a world full of comfort, warmth, and love.

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A/N: And Dash has created an Elderburn baby as well! She is adorable!