They had finally done it. Salem was vanquished, and the Grimm were no more. Ruby looked back at her exhausted friends.

"Good work everyone." Jaune was the first to speak.

Ren gave a weak thumbs up, supported by an equally bushed Nora. Yang chuckled, resting on the ground while Blake tended to her wounds.

"Easier than we thought, right guys?" Ruby said in her cheery voice.

Weiss promptly punched her.

"Dolt, making jokes at a time like this…that's my forte."

The pair giggled and the group slowly assembled at the foot of Salem's throne.

"Well, should we head home?" Jaune asked.

"Yup!" sang Ruby

"I'm not getting out of bed for a week," moaned Yang.

"You big whiner," chided Blake.

"I want pancakes," whined Nora.

"You always want pancakes Nora," said a resigned Ren.

As the seven heroes turned for home, snow began gently falling from the heavens.


The snow had been falling for a good time now as Qrow gazed out of the window of his new office, sipping his whisky from a mug this time.

"I still can't believe that old coot left me in charge of this place. Do I really look like a good role model?" he mused to himself.

"Well, could be worse, I suppose. At least they rebuilt the school. I'm never gonna get used to being called headmaster though…"


"I'm home."

"Hey uncle Qrow, how was work today?" Yang said warmly.

"Oh, pretty good. Got the thirty-first floor finished, so I'm off tomorrow. Is Tai around?" said Qrow, taking off his high-visibility jacket.

"He's off doing errands, and mom is still at work."

"How's Ruby doing?"

"She doing good as usual."

Ruby sat on the floor looking down at the ground.

"I'll never understand this autism thing. Can she hear what we say…or is she off in her own world? All she does is stare into that snow globe all day. Well, I'm getting a beer."

Qrow headed off to the kitchen, and Yang helped Ruby to her feet.

"Come on Ruby, let's get ready for dinner. If you're good, maybe uncle Qrow can read you a story. Maybe Goldilocks, or Little Red Riding Hood, or if you eat all of your food, The Four Maidens."

Yang took Ruby's snow globe and placed it on the mantle. They turned for the kitchen, and as they did little snowflakes fell on a small school, with a tower standing like a beacon of hope in the world.


Qrow woke with a start.

"Holy crap! What was that?!"

He lay reposed in a tree in another endless forest.

"That was like that weird ending of St. Elsewhere. Well, no more booze and stories right before bed. Well, at least not the stories."

He settled back down to sleep once more, and as he did, a single snowflake fell from the sky.