This was based off of a dream I'd had a few nights ago, which if anything means I need to watch less RWBY. There was an earlier, goofier bit that I left out, (involving Adam and an inflatable raft) but other than that, the exact course of the discussion with Adam, and some details about Rudolph, this was actually pretty much completely accurate to the dream.

Idunno, imagine this as a dark future, a few years later than where we currently are in the show. I intentionally left some details about how they got to this point vague, but I have a sort of loose idea of what could have happened. Idunno, I'll leave it up to interpretation. This will most definitely be a one-shot, though; between The Curse And The Blessing and Through The Darkened Mirror, I have enough on my plate without adding another story. Still, I hope you like this!

"I think it had been owned by another company, that was bought by the SDC. There hasn't been any use for it since, and I honestly doubt that Father even knows it exists. We should be… safe here." Weiss was truly amazing sometimes, retaining her familiar haughty demeanor even as she darted across the road like a frightened rabbit. It was almost enough to distract from her lie, but her two companions were all-too-aware that safety was an illusion these days. The disgraced Heiress wouldn't even have bothered to tell it, if not for their "guest," Mister Rudolph.

The portly official who accompanied the trio had been a pain since day one, displaying an embarrassingly childish attitude for his age, and apparently incapable of understanding the weight of circumstances working against them. Still, he was one of their last shots at escape from the nightmare of the past several months, so any frustration was worth enduring if it meant he could lead them through the darkness. No, the hard part was keeping him alive long enough for it to make a difference.

"Well, shall we go? It is getting rather damp out here." Rudolph rubbed at his always-raw nose with a dingy handkerchief, shifting his weight impatiently. Ruby glanced at Jaune questioningly, and the blonde knight shrugged with a disgruntled frown. "I'll cover your backs." Ruby nodded wordlessly, and with a gentle hand at Rudolph's back, led him quickly across the street. The huntress really would have preferred to use her semblance, but the trail of rose petals that had once been an iconic sign of her presence was now a liability that would get them all killed. Every time she had to hold herself back from the familiar rush, Ruby was grimly reminded of their situation.

Once she and Rudolph were huddled with Weiss under the warehouse's overhanging roof, Jaune did a final sweep of their surroundings before jogging across to join them. "The coast is clear." He said calmly, and Weiss and Ruby each gave a single nod of understanding. They were being followed.

Rudolph slumped in relief, the coded words passing over his head as intended. "So, shall we go in, then? I don't suppose you would happen to have a key?" He asked Weiss hopefully.

"Well," The heiress responded, allowing a slight smirk despite the situation. "as I said, this place is hardly important as far as the SDC is concerned… but that doesn't mean we can't get in. Ruby, would you care to do the honors?" After a pause, she quickly added "Quietly, this time?"

Ruby smiled back, stepping past Rudolph to the door. "Sure thing, boss." She quipped in a hushed tone, already pulling a small silver device from her pocket. A gift from an old friend, the universal key slotted into the lock easily, emitting small beeps as it communicated with the door. Within seconds, the lock clicked, and the door swung open. "Thanks, Penny," Ruby whispered as she removed the key once more. "Though breaking the windows again still would have been more fun," she added more loudly, just to ruffle her partner's proverbial feathers.

Weiss gritted her teeth and rolled her eyes, but the motion was a warm and familiar one. "Just get inside quick."

The interior of the warehouse was dark and spacious, with the occasional pile of crates of hanging hook that brought to mind the rock formations of a deep cave. Only the moonlit windows along the rightward wall broke the illusion, reminding them of their industrial surroundings.

"C'mon. There are some backrooms we can rest in, and get moving again tomorrow night." Weiss was already leading the way, striding fearlessly into the darkness. She halted suddenly as a bad memory intruded, and whirled around to face her companions. "I shouldn't have to tell you by now, but do not turn on any lights. You know what happened last time." Her glare was directed at Rudolph, who obliviously nodded alongside Ruby and Jaune. The huntress had to forcibly keep in mind that he was their ticket to freedom, else she could have snapped right then and there. That last incident had been… bad.

True to her word, the rear half of the building was filled with a complex of offices, largely bare save for desks and spiderwebs. However, they managed to locate a windowless room in the far back that was adorned with a few chairs and the broken remains of a copy machine, and decided to hunker down there until evening came again. With luck, their witness was harmless and would have long since moved on; if not, the room had multiple exits, and they could lead their pursuer out into the main warehouse for battle. Weiss just hoped it wouldn't come to that.

"I'm afraid I need to relieve myself." Rudolph began, his nose twitching as he fiddled uncertainly with his brown suit. "Do you happen to know where I can do so?"

Weiss frowned at him again, racking her brain. "Not really. I don't even know if the water's still on, but there should be a bathroom somewhere around here. Do you need any of us to go with you?"

Rudolph gave a small harrumph. "I'm a grown man, I'll have you all know. I can find the bathrooms on my own." With a dismissal wave of his handkerchief, the man waddled out of the room with the indignant pompousness of a rebellious toddler.

Ruby turned to Weiss with a worried expression. "Should I go after him anyway? You know how... how he can be." She was clearly biting back the urge to call him stupid, but Weiss couldn't help but silently agree.

"It's just a bathroom trip; he should be fine." I hope, she added mentally. Unable to repress a nervous tap of her foot, the heiress sat down unceremoniously between her companions. She wasn't one much for personal contact, but she laid a comforting hand on Jaune's shoulder and pulled Ruby in closer until their sides touched. "We'll all be fine, soon." Please.

It took several minutes and a great deal of crossing his own tracks, but Rudolph was finally able to locate a restroom. It was just as dismal as the rest of the building, with moldy stalls and a rack of decaying paper towels, but to his surprise, the sink actually had working water. There had really only been one problem; the grimy window blocked out all but a tiny fraction of the moonlight, rendering it almost pitch-black inside. Figuring the shroud of darkness would work both ways, he risked flipping the lightswitch. The coast was clear, after all, right?

After relieving himself and washing his hands (drying them on his tattered suit rather than the unsanitary paper towels) he had just turned off the lights and exited when something made him freeze.

The darkened hall was empty, right? Then why had he felt a sudden rush of wind just then? Peering into the shadows, he saw nothing. As he slowly crept forward, though, something soft brushed up against his leg. Rudolph leapt back in fright, letting out a mangled squeak of fright as he was pursued by a lightly dancing… rose petal?

Oh. He seemed to deflate as he sighed in relief; it must have been that rose girl, taking advantage of a rare opportunity to exercise her semblance. And he could hardly blame her, too, why-

Why…

Why was there something sticking from his chest?

The man slumped forward onto the floor, blood pooling outward across the concrete as his attacker withdrew their blade. For the first time in forever, Rudolph's poor abused nose turned pale as the blood pumped out, pumping away his life with a steady rhythm…

Jaune grunted under his breath as he struck another match, only for it to flicker away immediately, like the past several tries. It had grown cold in the few minutes since Rudolph's departure, and despite her earlier warning, Weiss had reluctantly agreed to let him try to repurpose the ruined copy machine as a fire pit. As long as they kept a door open just enough for ventilation, and kept an eye on it to make sure the fire didn't spread, it should be fine, right? If his luck with getting it started in the first place was any indication, those concerns wouldn't even be an issue.

Ruby was already half-asleep with exhaustion, lulled by the rhythmic patterns of Jaune's failures and the warm figure of Weiss beside her. If they ever got out of this alive, she had something she wanted to ask the girl, ask her partner. She had no shame, not anymore, but she still hesitated simply because now was a bad time. And besides, that was what had been sustaining her more than anything else over these past months; the thought of the day they could finally live properly again, and then she could finally ask. Visions of a happy future together with Weiss were what motivated her, and why she wanted to wait; no need to weigh down such a happy thing by associating it with their current desperate misery. So, warmed by these thoughts, that goal, she was content.

Weiss, for her part, was still tense. Worries clouded her mind, doubts and fears and not a small portion of guilt. Nobody could have predicted this, the long winding path of events that had led to their current predicament, but the ex-heiress couldn't help but feel ashamed that her own actions and responses had led to Ruby and Jaune being dragged down with her.

She hadn't much liked the knight before, but he had proven himself again and again throughout this crisis – he still wasn't the best fighter, but he was a reliable friend, and surprisingly cunning when he really wanted to be. Ruby was, well, Ruby. Her partner, her closest friend, her… something. Even in the face of their misery, the hooded girl had somehow pushed not only herself, but both of her companions, onward, even when Weiss herself had been ready to give in to despair. She was the one who had broken through Weiss's barriers even before this began, and even now, pressed against her and half asleep, had taken up a permanent residence somewhere inside her heart. She was the one who, without any words, had somehow assured Weiss there was still hope for a brighter future.

And there was another reason to feel guilty – part of her couldn't help but be glad they had come with, thankful for their help even though it meant they had to endure the punishment reserved for her alone.

Still, a more practical part of her knew, there was no point worrying about that now. She owed them more than just an apology once this was over, but for now, she needed to focus on making sure their torment would come to an end. She couldn't change the past, but the future was still hers to shape.

So lost in her thoughts was she that she didn't notice the squeak of rusty hinges until she caught sight of who stood in the frame. Weiss leaped to her feet and drew Myrtenaster, paying no mind as Ruby yelped behind her. Pointing her sword at the lean man who was most certainly not Rudolph, she tried to conceal the terrified trembling in her hands. "Who are you?" She demanded. Faintly, she noticed that Jaune had Crocea Mors out, backing her up, while Ruby scrambled to her feet.

The man before them was absurdly tall and thin, though not without some muscle beneath his outfit. He was dressed neatly, with black pants and a domino belt, a black coat with rose patterns over a red shirt, and black gloves with some sort of symbol on them – Weiss couldn't see it clearly at this angle. His hair, a slicked-back mess of red and brown, almost concealed two dark, back-swept bull horns. But most notable, of course, was his mask – white with red patterns in imitation of the Grimm, and four narrow slits where his eyes should have been. It resembled the masks the White Fang used, but this one was far more ornate. Last, and the part that bothered Weiss the most, was his sword, sheathed at his side. Despite his casual pose, he seemed to make a show of keeping his hand well away from his weapon. Weiss didn't trust him.

"Ouch," He said, holding a hand to his chest in mock hurt, "Did Blake never tell you about her oldest friend?" He pulled up a chair and sat down, unmindful of the swords and scythe now pointed at him threateningly. "I'm wounded, really."

"Okay, so you're White Fang. Now, why are you here?" Weiss demanded, mind rushing furiously as she tried to consider the situation. He had clearly at least known of Blake, though Weiss was hesitant to believe that they had been as close as he claimed. He certainly seemed to know who she was, yet he wasn't making a move to attack her. Weiss wasn't so arrogant as to believe that Myrtenaster deterred him; the fact of the matter was that if he wanted her dead, she would likely already by lying in a pool of her own blood. Either he was the sort to play with his prey, or he genuinely wasn't going to take this opportunity to kill her. If it was the second option, then what was his purpose here? Despite this knowledge, though, she couldn't get herself to lower Myrtenaster.

The man, thankfully, seemed willing to talk, leaning forward as his tone grew more serious. "Listen. I doubt you'll make the mistake of assuming I'm on your side, but I still want to point out that I'm not. But for the moment, I'm not here to kill you; your fat friend was my target instead. I guess I'm sorry for the inconvenience I caused you, but it had to be done."

Rudolph was dead? Weiss's arm wavered slightly. She had honestly hated the man, but he didn't deserve such a fate. And he and his stupid red nose had been the light at the end of the tunnel for them. They still had options, but they were less certain, and would require them to start all over again, enduring many more months of grueling pain and exhaustion. They had been not even a week away from success, from regaining their old lives!

Seeing the heiress' expression harden, the man put up his hands in a placating gesture. "I'll just get to the point, then. I appreciated your little stunt with the SDC, and because of that, I think it's worth giving you at least a small bit of help. I don't know how much you've been able to watch the news lately, but after that freighter sunk, the rest of the world – except for those like me who are in the know – thinks you're dead. If I were you, I'd take advantage of that."

Weiss lowered Myrtenaster ever so slightly. "You said you're still our enemy. Why are you helping us?" Part of her was inclined to disregard his advice, as it could very well be some sort of trap; convince them to go about things a certain way, and use that knowledge of their movements to act against them later. But all the same, there had been something in his tone that made her think again.

The man sighed suddenly, his shoulders slumping uncharacteristically. It was a small motion, but one all the same. "What I said about being Blake's oldest friend? I meant it. I am Adam Taurus, and Blake and I were partners in the White Fang before she des- before she broke away. And you're now her friends too. Don't get me wrong; we are. Still. Enemies. But if there's even a chance you can get your old lives back, to be there for her in a way I cannot, then that's fine by me. I'm not helping you because of you. I'm trying to help you help her."

A quiet minute passed as three faced one, all weapons lowered. There was a gulf between them, but as he slipped off his mask just enough to let the sincerity in his dark brown eyes shine through, there was an understanding.

Then, without any further words, Adam put the mask back on and stood up. Taking a lighter from his coat pocket, he lit a corner of the pile of papers within the copy machine. He then unscrewed the lid, pouring the small bit of fluid all over the empty white pages. Once it had run dry, he returned the lighter to his pocket, spun on his heel, and left.

Weiss wasn't sure when the world began moving again, but when it did, it did so all at once. Jaune moved to tend the fire, while Weiss dropped Myrtenaster and all but collapsed against Ruby, too numb to care about her personal space. There was no need to voice what they were all thinking – what just happened? There was no real shock, or fear; just plain confusion. It wasn't even confusion at Adam's revelation or the fact that they were still alive. Truthfully, they were struggling to wrap their minds around the incident as a whole; considering the implications of it were well beyond them at the moment.

But slowly, another thought wormed its way into Weiss' mind, repeating over and over until it drowned out all her usual doubts. This was a setback, but we still have a chance. This isn't over. This isn't over. This. Is. Not. Over.

Eight people sat on a lawn, watching the fireworks overhead. There was a certain melancholy to the group, a melancholy that had hung over them for months now. But they could still enjoy this display, huddled close around a small bonfire, take comfort in the knowledge that they still had one another, and remember their absent friends who would never get to see these fireworks.

Yang held Blake close, her girlfriend curled up beside her like a cat, coincidentally enough. To their right was Coco, the sharpshooter relaxed as she enjoyed the display. Ren and Nora were to Yang's left, sharing a rare moment of quiet, save for the distant booms of the lights overhead. Velvet was the only one not watching the fireworks, her nervous eyes tracing Coco's figure across the fire, far more obvious than she probably thought she was being. Pyrrha had taken the last spot, and Yang was glad to see the Amazon having fun again, after the news of Jaune's fate had left her so distraught. And last of all was Penny, who had decided to stay a bit further back from the fire for fear of overheating, the lonely robot girl grinning ear-to-ear in childlike wonder.

They were all alive right now, and Yang felt her eyes prick with tears. They were so, so very alive.

Sometime after Adam had left, a distant boom made its way to three figures huddled around a fire. They knew that fireworks were going off somewhere; today was a holiday, after all. Yet Ruby still led them out to a backdoor, where they could sit on the cool concrete at the very edge of the city, watching the bright lights bursting forth over Beacon academy. It was colder out here, but Jaune and Weiss had carefully lugged the copy machine with. They watched those fireworks, huddled around the warm fire, and wondered if their friends were doing the same. They didn't have to wonder if they missed them, though; they knew so.

But we will come back, Weiss promised. Blake and Yang, Ren and Nora, Pyrrha and Penny, and even Team CFVY. We will come back to you. For even if the world thought them dead, the three of them knew that wasn't the case. They were all alive right now, and Weiss felt her eyes prick with tears. They were so, so very alive.

This is not over. Not yet.