The air was cold and crisp around her. She shook her head in amazement, all her life she had lived in this place, and yet she never noticed the secret tunnel that led to the backyard. She gripped the suitcase in determination, she had to hurry or the guards would come back from their route.

Small thuds echoed as she ran alongside the wall of the manor. She didn't slow down at the corner, something she regretted when it felt like she had ran into a brick wall. Only the wall stumbled backwards and grunted. She felt a hand grasp at her arm, likely to regain balance, but it only served to drag her down as well.

Pain flared as she made contact with whoever she had ran into, and she hissed into the fabric that was pressed against her face. Still somewhat confused over what had happen, she dropped the suitcase and Myrtenaster to rise herself enough to see who she had struck down.

She stared into blue eyes that were wide in shock, and it took her brain a while to actually register who he was and that she was lying on top of him. Once it caught up, she shrieked and flung herself off the man.

"G-g-general! I-uh…" A fierce blush spread on her face, she couldn't believe she did that! Why did she have such a feeling of deja vu though?

Ironwood sat up and looked at her with a raised brow. Then his eyes wandered to the suitcase and her rapier.

Dread coiled in her belly as she realized that was it. Her attempt at escaping had barely started before it ended. Now he would drag her back inside and tell her father, and she would be locked up forever.

"Do you… Need a ride somewhere?"

She stared at him dumbfounded, did he really just ask that, or was it her own wishful thinking? "Sorry?" She mumbled and reached out to grasp her trusted weapon.

The general rose beside her and offered his hand to help her up. "I'm just leaving, so if you need a ride somewhere, I'd be happy to help?"

She opened and closed her mouth, trying to find her voice again. "Yes. I need to get to the train station. Thank you."

He nodded and swiftly grabbed her suitcase as he walked past her towards the parking lot. She shook her head to clear her confused thoughts and followed closely, the guards could be back any minute now. Once they reached his car, he placed her luggage in the backseat and she quickly put Myrtenaster down on the seat beside it.

It felt unreal to step into his car and fasten herself in the front seat. She felt a faint blush on her face, it was just so awkward.

Ironwood turned on the engine and pulled out of the driveway. The first minutes passed in silence, all while she pondered on why he would help her. Eventually she couldn't keep quiet anymore. "If I may ask, general. Why are you doing this? Why didn't you just tell my father that I was running away?"

He glanced at her and smiled. "Oh? All I know is that you're leaving, and I assume it's to visit your sister. I never thought to ask, and if anyone wonders, I didn't realize it was without your father knowledge."

She blinked like an owl trying to make sense of all that. So he's going to pretend and lie for her sake? That made her even more baffled. "But, why? " She stressed the word in a way that made it obvious what she was asking.

He sighed and clutched at the steering wheel tightly. "Your sister might have spoken up about Jacques's parenting every once in awhile. All this going on in the world, with the embargo and now closing the borders. It puts Jacques in a difficult position, and I have an idea of what that does to his patience… That leaves you in the crossfire. I want to help, since I'm part of why you feel the need to leave.."

"Winter… Spoke about that?" Weiss voice was dripping in disbelief.

A soft chuckle reached her ears and she blushed at the sound. She had never really talked to Ironwood in a relaxed environment, it was always polite and formal. Now he sounded so relaxed and comfortable, it was… Pleasant.

"Most of the times, it was when she'd gotten a little tipsy after work. Though most recently, it was because she interrogated me about the events at the party. She mentioned that you'd most likely would get an earful afterwards. I assume that happened?"

She turned her head away and looked out through the window. This wasn't a subject she was comfortable with. She could almost feel the stinging sensation from when her father had- She leaned her forehead against the cool glass and trailed the lights with her eyes as they passed the car in a high speed.

"Yes…" She whispered.

After that none of them talked for a while. Weiss felt a sleepiness take over her, as the heater in her seat had kicked in and warmed her back. The vibration and noise from the engine lulled her and she had almost fallen asleep when Ironwood spoke again.

"I know I'm a poor substitute for your sister or friends, but if you want to talk about it, I'd be happy to listen."

Could she really talk about it? That was kinda weird, but at the same time, the idea felt comforting. She didn't have to say everything.

"He gave me a scolding, yes. He also told me that I wasn't allowed to leave the house anymore, which is part of why I'm running away."

Ironwood hummed in response. "And the other reason?"

Damn. Why did he have to pick up on her wording like that. Though, she could tell him about not being an heiress anymore…

"I'm no longer the heiress, apparently. He gave those rights away to Whitley." She spat out her brothers name with distaste.

"Ah… That must've shaken you a lot? I knew Jacques was impulsive, but to pull a stunt like that all of a sudden…"

She involuntarily barked out a humorless laugh and froze as he flinched and glanced at her with bafflement. She met his gaze and those kind and worried eyes somehow conveyed that she could tell him anything.

Her throat constricted and she balled her hands into fists. Dared she tell him? What if he confronted her father about it?

"Did something else happen?" His voice was soft and low, it warmed her within. She stayed quiet though as the words were stuck in her throat.

After a while Ironwood let out a sigh and she blinked in surprise as the car slowed to a stop. She looked out through the window and realized they had stopped outside a gas station.

"I'm grabbing a coffee. Would you like one as well, miss Schnee?"

Hot bitter liquid was exactly what she needed right now. She gave Ironwood a warm smile and nodded, thought for some reason his expression got rigid and he didn't quite meet her eyes.

She watched him in confusion as he quickly got out of the car and replayed the scene in her mind. She must've done something wrong, but she couldn't think of anything. Maybe because she didn't really thank him for the coffee? But that didn't feel right, it wasn't something that he'd react to, was it?

She should thank him properly when he gets back, just to be sure.

He entered the gas station and headed straight for the toilet in the back. He watched himself in the mirror and groaned at the blush on his cheeks. He'd never really thought about it, but Weiss was really beautiful. For her to wear such a genuine and happy smile, how could he unsee it now?

He splashed his face in cold water and dried it off with paper towels. It was a bit better, hopefully she wouldn't see it in the dark car. Now he should get those coffees.

He pushed around on the buttons on the coffee machine and paid the man at the counter while the fluid dripped through. Carefully grabbing their cups, he headed out towards the car only to notice a silhouette leaning against it.

"Taking a break?" He called out and stepped up to her. She jumped at his sudden appearance and a snort escaped his throat. He held out her cup and she accepted it.

"Thank you. It's very kind of you to buy it for me."

His mouth went slack as he stared at her face. Why did she have to keep giving him such radiant smiles. Outside the car, her white hair was gently illuminated by the lamps above them. He didn't really notice he reached out to touch her hair until he felt the silky strands against his skin.

He came to his senses though when her face had turned into a shade of pink, and he withdrew immediately. "Sorry. I thought I saw some dirt in your hair, but it must've been the light."

He quickly turned his back to her and entered the driver seat of the car. That was only half a lie, because he did touch her hair because of the light…

She covered her eyes with her unoccupied hand and whined lowly in embarrassment. He was only removing some dirt, and here she was thinking… What? That he was caressing her or something? Why did she have to blush like a weirdo, he must think she's so silly. He was certainly quick to get away from her when she reacted like that.

Weiss slapped her cheeks once and took a deep breath before stepping into the car again. Ironwood stayed quiet as she fastened the seat belt, and she felt a heavy tension lay down around them. She sipped on her coffee and stared out of the window while the general started the car and drove off.

How does she repair this? They had still a bit to go before they'd be at the train station, and she didn't want to sit in this awful atmosphere the whole times.

"So, general, what do you do on your free time?" Oh god. Why did she ask that?! Out of all things, it had to be a personal question.

He stayed quiet. She closed her eyes in dread and bit her lip. Only to hear a choked noise from Ironwood.

She peered at him but saw no unusual expression. "Are you okay?"

"Dandy. Drink your coffee before it gets cold." She shrunk back in her seat, discouraged by his short tone.

She wrecked her brain for an answer to her predicament, the only thing that popped up was his question earlier which she didn't answer. Here goes nothing.

"Something else did happen. When father scolded me, I mean." She studied his expression carefully, but he didn't seem to react much, only a nod to show he had heard her.

She took a deep breath. "He slapped me in the face…" She didn't want it to, but her voice broke anyway when she said it.

The car swerved slightly as the man beside her flinched. He slowed down and pulled to a stop at the side of the road. His reaction alone made her eyes tear up, she had told herself over and over that it was nothing, that she was blowing it out of proportion. But Ironwood wouldn't have stopped the car like this if it wasn't something to fuss over?

"It's okay though. It only hurt a short while, and he hasn't done that in a long time." She quickly tried to gloss things over, last thing she needed was to appear as weak.

Ironwood stared at her with shock. "In a long time? Are you saying he hit you when you were just a child?!"

She froze. Could he stop reading into everything she said. Could she stop spilling secrets. She realized with a startle that tears was running down her cheeks. Ironwood unbuckled them and she complied with slight hesitation as the man pulled her into an embrace. As soon as his arms wrapped around her, she relaxed and leaned her face into the fabric of his coat. She cried silently, barely sobbing at all. Once she felt done, she noticed he smelled fresh and… Citrus? It was nice.

He let go of her and she started to lean back but halted as he still held onto her arm. He brought up his human hand to her cheek and slowly traced her face.

"How anyone could strike a woman, I will never know."

She felt her face heat up. He called her a woman. And he was still touching her face.

Why hasn't he stopped yet?

"Iro- James…" She didn't really know why she called him by his first name, perhaps it was the intimate situation, the raw feelings or maybe just because she wanted to know what his name felt like on her tongue.

It felt perfect.

She could almost feel the shudder that went through him, and she noticed with surprise that he didn't seem upset that she had used his name.

She didn't have time to think of anything else as his lips crashed against hers.

What.

What?!

She couldn't comprehend it, because not in a million years would she think that Ironwood would ever kiss her.

He started to pull away from her, but the loss left her craving more. She hadn't even kissed him back yet.

She slipped a hand around his head and gently tugged him closer again. He didn't resist, in fact, it felt like he let out a breath he'd been holding.

Their lips molded against each other and she felt his hand comb through her hair. A warmth spread through her chest, her heart fluttering wildly. He moved his lips against her in a very tender and caring way, and she didn't want it to ever end.

He gave her a final kiss and withdrew. His face was very handsome in the warm glow of the streetlight, especially with the soft smile that grazed his lips and the faint blush on his cheeks. She'd never really thought about him in a romantic way, but he certainly wasn't hard on the eyes.

Was this even real?

"Am I dreaming?" She mumbled to herself as she tried to shake off the fuzzy feelings.

Ironwood chuckled lightly and ran his finger over her hair. "I was wondering that too. If someone told me this would happen today, I'd call them crazy."

He sighed and reached out to grab his seat belt. "We better get going though. I don't want to spend the night out here, however pleasant the company is."

Weiss nodded, not quite able to speak after that magical moment. She buckled up and placed herself in a comfortable position, their kisses still on her mind while Ironwood started driving again.

"Singing."

She jumped slightly as it had been dead quiet until Ironwood spoke. "Pardon?"

"I like to sing. You asked what I do on my free time."

She stared at him in surprise, was he making fun of her? "Really? You. Singing?"

He glanced back at her and laughed. "No need to be so skeptical. I don't do it around people, only when I'm on my own. I could never be as brave as you, singing in front of a huge crowd."

A blush crept on her face. "I-I'm not brave… It's just something I'm used to doing."

"I still think it's admirable. Do you enjoy it? Or is it more because Jacques asks you to do it?"

"I love singing. And I do love performing as well, just… Maybe more on my own terms. It's less fun when I'm actually ordered to sing." She fiddled with the hem of her skirt and smiled slightly.

"So if I asked you to sing for me, you wouldn't enjoy it?"

Weiss blushed. He wants her to sing for him, here? Right now? It was a bit embarrassing, but she cleared her throat and started singing on one of her favorites, Time to say Goodbye acoustic version.

Her voice was small but steady, and the awkward feeling died down after a while. When she finished the song she looked at Ironwood and flinched as he was grinning.

"I never really asked you to sing you know." Heat rushed to her face as he was obviously making fun of her.

She whacked her hand really hard against his arm, only to groan in pain as it had been his metal one. "You jerk!"

Weiss only felt angrier as he started laughing and she tried to punch his leg instead, because she really wanted to inflict some kind of pain right now.

She cussed and held her throbbing hand as it had connected with even more metal. "Just how much of you is cyborg?!

When he didn't answer, she looked back at him to see a tense expression. "Ah. I'm sorry, that was really rude and insensitive of me…"

He shook his head. "It's okay. If you really want to now, it's about 35 percent. Although it looks like half my body, most of the organs on my left side are intact, they're only covered by the metal as my ribs are gone."

She didn't really know what to say, Yang losing an arm was horrible, but to lose almost half your body? She couldn't imagine what he'd been through. Better change the topics to something lighter.

"Do magnets stick to you?" She wanted to slap herself in the face.

Ironwood didn't seem bothered by her question thought, as he laughed and nodded. "They do. I once got one of the super strong ones stuck on my arm. I pried and tugged at it for nearly an hour before getting it off. It just kept flipping over to the other side when I tugged at it…"

She couldn't help herself from bursting out in laughter. The image of Ironwood standing there cursing and just flipping around a small magnet was hilarious.

"Hey, stop laughing at me. It's not that funny."

She dried the tears at the corners of her eyes and giggled. "It really is! Besides, you made fun of my singing."

"I never said I didn't like it though. Your voice it beautiful."

Weiss felt her face heat up and she looked out the window to hide her face. A small smile grazed her lips though, and she murmured a thank you.

She then realized they were pulling up at the train station. A part of her was disappointed that the ride had come to an end. It had been fun, who knew Ironwood could be so enjoyable to converse with. And to kiss…

"Well, this is it. I'd help you with the luggage, but I think it's best if we're not seen together. The tinted windows prevent them from seeing who's driving, let's keep it that way."

She nodded and unbuckled herself. She reached for the door when he grabbed her arm softly.

"Weiss." Her name sounded so wonderful in his voice… She turned her head back to him and gasped as his lips slowly pressed against her. She melted against his chaste kiss.

His lips parted from hers and she felt him smiling. "Good luck, and stay safe, Weiss."

She nodded and stole a last kiss before stepping out of the car. She retrieved her luggage and almost closed the car door completely. "I will hear you sing one day, James. Even if I have to sneak around your house like a paparazzi."

She slammed the door shut before he could respond and walked off with a smile. She looked around her shoulder once and swore she could see a laughing silhouette through the tinted glass. She grinned and continued on to the station.

AN: This is what happens when you discuss the most recent episodes with a fellow shipper. I really love this and kinda wish it would be canon xD The fact that Ironwood can sing is inspired by OneWeekColdCat's headcanon. You should follow her blog Ironweiss on tumblr. It's filled with Ironweiss treasures 3