Hey! Welcome back to another chapter of RWBY: Thorns of a White Rose. Just a quick thank-you to all my readers. As I speak this story has 8,717 views, 117 follows and 65 favourites. I know a lot of you hated the work at the start, so I thank all of you who stuck to it to today. And I also appreciate all the nice comments and stuff that you've left. It feels nice to hear from you guys, especially those like Ashley, Zoroark, Topaz, RedLikeRuby, KibaPT, jaden4321 (whom I haven't heard from in awhile), Rapter267, and many, many, MANY. More of you. It feels good to read your reviews and comments. Though I can't say I feel like I've been putting out 100% good work, you guys remind me that 'you want more' and 'this is awesome' and stuff like that. So sincerely, from a (apparently) good fanfiction writer,

DStone

One more thing before you read, I've been conversating some more with Topaz Smith and we've been considering doing a collab work. Details will be in the end of this chapter for those interested, but without further ado, here's chapter 9.

(Ruby's POV)

Markus exited the limousine, walking around to the other side of the vehicle as he opened the car door. Weiss left the comfort of the luxurious automobile first, doing a quick dust-off to straighten her dress. I followed the heiress out, stretching a bit as I did a few quick leg warm-ups and followed Weiss to the person awaiting at the front walkway, whom I assumed was Weiss' sister.

The woman was, what's a good word... astounding. Her figure was nicely toned. Not too much as to consider her overweight or chubby, but just enough to give her a sexy hourglass body, 'plump' if you would. It was also evident that her body was muscular as well, noting a slight bulge in her biceps as well as her thighs and calves. The woman was a pale white, similar to Weiss' complexion. Also noticing similarity in their ivory coloured hair.

"Ah, Weiss. It is good to finally see you after a whole year has passed." The woman greeted. Weiss gave her sister a content smile, embracing one-another in a warming hug. Despite their semblances and personalities, they were still warm-hearted beings who could love. And that embrace was a good example.

"It's good to see you too sister. I've missed you." Weiss greeted her eldest, breaking the hug finally as she gazed at the woman.

The older white haired lady turned her gaze towards me. "And this must be your team's leader, Rubin Rose right?"

"Um, actually it's Ruby," I corrected, offering my hand. "It's nice to meet you."

"Ah, dreadfully sorry, I've been busy with arrangements and my schedule in order to free up some time for my beloved." The eldest responded, gesturing towards Weiss. "My name is Winter Evangeline Schnee. But you can just call me Winter."

Winter grabbed my hand in a poetic manner as she lifted it towards her. "It is an honour to have such a pulchritudinous lady such as yourself here at my manor." The white haired woman greeted, kissing the back of my hand as she gazed at me. Her eyes matched those of Weiss', except for a slightly darker tinge than the latter's, giving them a rather stunning hue that seemed to leave me speechless. The older Schnee smirked at the sight of my stunned behaviour, keeping a hold on my hand as we stared at each other.

'Wait. Is Winter Schnee, the former sister of Weiss Schnee, who also is my girlfriend... hitting on me?!'

Weiss walked up and placed her hand on my shoulder, intruding on the prolonged glance as we both returned back to society.

"*Ahem* Anyway, let's get you two inside where it's more hospitable." Winter stated as she cleared her throat, giving Mark a couple lien bills as he did a salute and got back into the limousine. We strolled down the walkway to her large white mansion as the owner of said manor followed. The doors opened to the large house as we approached them, signalling us to enter the Schnee residence.

The entrance was big, as large as Beacon's classrooms. The whole place was decorated with fancy african wood walls and checkered tile floors, along with 2 royal purple banisters with the SDC logo that hung from the ceiling of the farthest wall and a stone fireplace in the middle that burned a log or two to tie it all in. The place was amazing, unlike anything I've ever seen before.

"Woooow..." I spoke in an awestruck tone, taking in every spec of the room I was in. Weiss and Winter both smirked as the latter pressed on through the house. The door closed behind us as the ivory haired woman turned around and peered at the two of us with the most content of smiles.

"This is nothing compared to the other rooms Ruby. Come now, don't be shy." Winter instructed as she pressed on. I quickened my pace to catch up with the older Schnee, with Weiss not too far behind. The eldest opened up a set of large doors from the left side of the fireplace, walking in to another large room. Inside said room was a large living space with large foreign couches and a 3D OLED TV of matching size in the majority of the room, starting at the corner beside us. To the left corner of the wall was a small wooden dining table near a window, housing a frilled white tablecloth atop as well as a few decorative wood chairs around it. The remainder of the room was simple walkspace into the next rooms beside us.

"This is the living room/small dining room. I sit here every morning and look out at the beautiful morning sky before I set off to work." Winter toured, gesturing towards the dining room like a gameshow woman showing off the prize.

"Oh yeah, I remember this place now. I used to live here for a few years before I went to Beacon," Weiss informed me, leaning against the back of the couch. "Well I already know the place, I'm gonna go freshen up. Winter, would it be alright if I used your shower?"

"Of course hun," Winter replied in a comforting manner, "you can use the ensuite in my room if you like."

"Thank you Winter, I'll see you two in an hour or so." Weiss did a small bow, going back to the entrance of the house.

I watched as my ivory haired girlfriend left our small group. Winter laid her hand on my shoulder, snapping me back to the topic at hand. "Shall we continue?" Winter advised as she grabbed my hand. "This way."

I felt a little fluttered that the woman before me was so... comfortable around me. Her touch was warm and inviting, her complexion calm and sincere. For some reason my heart felt like she was someone important to me, not in a romantic way, but in a way that could comfort me in any situation. Like a sister I've always wanted, a mother even.

Winter opened a new set of doors from the right side of the room. Beyond the door was a big gourmet kitchen with white cupboards and a large dark wood island. The kitchen housed many top-of-the-line quality appliances, beside the kitchen area were larger appliances that looked to be used in restaurants and bakeries. "This is the main kitchen, used for most of the cooking. My housekeeper's made some fresh cookies earlier today, they should be rea-"

"Cookies..." I murmured, standing in front of the large kitchen ovens as I glanced in it. Inside the oven housed 2 trays worth of white-chocolate chip cookies. My mouth started to water as I watched the cookies bake, the world around me going to a blur as I stared at the crisp disks being cooked. The white haired woman giggled a bit as she grasped my shoulders, making me return to reality.

"You like cookies too I assume?" Winter asked, curious to my fixation. I nodded excitedly.

"Like em, I love em! They're like little heartwarming gifts that you can eat. And the best part is there's a variety of cookie, from chocolate chip to shortbread to even the healthier ones with the vegetables in 'em," I exclaimed, turning to the older woman behind me. Upon remembering where I was located, I returned to a more behaved manor, looking down in embarassment. "S-sorry. I know, I'm childish."

The older Schnee laughed, cupping her mouth with her hand to contain herself. She waved the gesture away, rubbing my head. "It's alright Ruby. You don't need to feel like you need to be formal here. I may act mature and strict, but even I have a relaxed, open side. Especially for my sister and friends."

I looked up to the woman before me, surprised by her nature. Weiss was so stuck-up, so tight up the... I think you get what I mean. The heiress was harsh and self-centered before I helped her. But the heiress' older sister, whom has trained at Atlas and joined their military, later becoming a specialist for said military, was almost the complete opposite from her younger sibling. She was supposedly formal and emotionless in society, but was calm and relaxed around people she knew and trusted. It amazed me, not because I expected someone like her to be uptight and arrogant, but because I thought that she would be unforgiving and disapproving of someone like me and Weiss, lesbian. But now that the curtain has been pulled away and the true Schnee sibling has been revealed, I have a little more confidence that she will prove otherwise.

Winter coursed her hand from my head down to my cheek, cupping it gently as she smirked a bit before turning back to the baked goods. "I don't know if Weiss ever told you, but she has a sweet tooth for cookies, especially those specific kind," The older Schnee admitted, finally moving her hand from my cheek back to my shoulder as she watched the cookies. "I remember when we were little, our father used to come home with the cookie dough and a bag of white chocolate bars. He'd let us put the dough on the baking trays as he crushed up the chocolate, letting us place them in it. Weiss would watch impatiently as the cookies baked, complaining that it took too long. But after the wait was over she'd have this smile on her face that I always looked forward to."

"Wow, I didn't know, she always eats heathy and expensive foods back at Beacon." I stated.

"That's thanks to our repulsive unpleasant mistvieh mother, whose influence and harsh dicipline turned Weiss into a puppet-turned-ragdoll for her own pleasure. She was cruel to my poor sister, and that scar on her eye is a good example."

"You mean the one on Weiss' left eye?" I asked, curious as to the story behind it. "I don't want to protrude on her past behind her back, but I thought that scar was because of a training mishap."

Winter sighed, hinting she did not want to talk about the matter. "It was because of a training mistake, but it could've easily been avoided," The white haired woman turned back around, facing me as she rested her hands on my shoulder's. "I know you want to hear the truth, but I am not dignified to tell you a rather personal event about Weiss' life without her consent. Just know that the matter has been resolved and I assure you Weiss will tell you when she feels comfortable enough about it."

I nodded my head, acceptive of the situation. "Okay." I assured the woman. Said woman smiled as she took my hand again.

"Well then, we still haven't even seen upstairs yet. Let's proceed." The alabaster woman continued as she dragged me to the next room.

About an hour later.

The tour concluded upstairs, showing me the different rooms and other house utilities there was. The place was massive. The mansion had a different assortment of bedrooms, bathrooms, dining rooms, mini kitchen areas, a 'relaxation' room comprised of spas and yoga mats and shit, storage rooms, training areas, a couple libraries, a skating rink, and a giant pool in the back of the manor. After the tour was finished, we trotted down the hallways of the 2nd floor, running into Weiss as she left Winter's master bedroom (to which was the only room they didn't see). Though the heiress was a little flustered it appeared, and a strange scent permeated from her clothing, even though she was clean and showered. The two of us noticed the odd hint's as we walked up towards the heiress.

"Hey Weiss!" I greeted the ivory haired woman as we neared her, making the heiress jump as she noticed us.

"Oh, hey Ruby, Winter. You finished with the tour?" The younger Schnee asked. Winter nodded as she crossed her arms.

"It appears I'm not the only one who's 'finished' something. Found my toys I believe?" The eldest asked, earning a glow of red from the heiress.

"Winter!" Weiss shouted, gesturing to me.

"Toys... wait, you have a dog too!" I exclaimed, listening in for animal noises. "You must have like a few then right?!"

Winter laughed loudly and Weiss face palmed as I searched for the felines, soon running up to the door to try and listen in. "Ruby, THERE'S NO DOGS!" The heiress shouted.

"Oh, then you have a cat then?! There's got to be a pet!" I assumed, turning my attention to Winter. "You have a pet right?"

Winter smirked. "I do actually, but it's at my dad's house." She answered, making me smile brightly upon the mention of the pet.

Winter motioned us to follow her, to which we both complied as Weiss and I followed the eldest downstairs to the largest dining room in the building. Winter sat at the end of the table, with the white haired girl and I beside the eldest Schnee to the right. Soon waiters and waitresses brought out an assortment of different foods as they placed it on the table, along with our plates and cutlery. The feast commenced as Weiss and I dug into the food rather quick, sparks and crumbs of food flying as we scoffed down the food in an animated fast pace. Meanwhile Winter calmly placed down a small salad on her plate, along with a couple hot sandwiches and a cookie. She dug into her food elegantly as she took a bite out of the toasted sandwich, wiping off a couple crumbs from her face.

"Thrs rs MUMAZNG!" I exclaimed with my cheeks full of food, looking almost like a chipmunk in a sense.

"Hungry are we?" Winter asked as she took a sip of her drink. Weiss and I simply nodded.

"We forgot to eat breakfast because this little dolt didn't want to wake up." Weiss said after swallowing the food in her mouth, pinching my cheek.

"Ehr er!" I exclaimed, trying to eat as she continued to hold onto my face. Soon she let go and took a drink of her iced tea.

"So you didn't bother to get food either? You know your needs don't revolve around her," Winter stated, "No offense sweetheart."

"None Taken." I finally said with an empty mouth, taking a bite out of a cookie.

"W-well, Ruby doesn't like to be left alone, she has bad anxiety," Weiss responded, "the girl's a total wreck without someone with her. Even has to have someone near the door when she goes to the washroom."

"Wert, whrt?" I asked with a mouthful of cookie, washing it down with a glass of milk.

"Really? Well if it's that bad then she can stay in my bed tonight." Winter suggested.

"That's a good id-, hey wait a sec! I was gonna say she has to sleep in my room tonight," Weiss returned, clearly hinting on the eldest's motives. "I'll pull out a futon and she can sleep there."

The older Schnee sibling nodded in acceptance to the sleeping arrangement. Soon later a couple waitresses came out with a variety of hot beverages, along with a cup for each of us as they offered the drinks. Winter got a cup of tea, Weiss a coffee and I a hot chocolate. The three of us sat in the peace of the dining room as we enjoyed our drinks.

"So Weiss, Ruby," Winter said, ending the silence as she tucked in her chair and propped up her elbows, interlocking her hands together loosely as she fixated her view to us. "Is there anything you'd like to do today? Er rather, would you two like to go anywhere at all in Atlas while the day's still somewhat good?"

Weiss thought about it for a moment, thinking about the possible desires. "Not really, I've done my shopping, I'm pretty content with my wardrobe, and there isn't really much else. What about you Ruby?"

I fidgeted a bit in my seat, unsure of the answer. "W-well... there was a movie I wanted to watch that's in theatres..."

"Which one is it hun?" Winter asked, awaiting my answer. I tried to remember the name of the movie, but I just couldn't.

"I-I... can't remember..." I said in shame, feeling a sense of rudeness and guilt wave over me.

"Wait, are you talking about that new one? TMNT?" Weiss asked me, which I nodded.

"Yeah, that's it!" I exclaimed in excitement.

"You know what new movies are out? I've never seen you take much interest in televised enterainment before." Winter questioned, to which Weiss nodded.

"Well, Ruby likes to go out to the movies and other conventions. And the rest of the team goes out sometimes. It would be cold to just sit in my room and work all the time." Weiss proclaimed, much to her sisters surprise.

"Really? 'Cause if I asked you before you'd say that 'A team's just a team, whatever else they are is not of importance to me.'."

"That was before. I never liked my previous team," Weiss stated. "And I never will. The team I have now though is a team I have come to honour, more than anything else. And I stand proud and a changed woman because of it."

I sat in the middle of the conversation, contemplating whether or not I should ask yet another personal question or leave it be for another time. Feeling the first was appropriate, I finally intervened.

"Wait, you were already in a team?"

Weiss nodded. "But the people here are assholes. Rude, annoying, self-centered dicks. Including my team and a few others from Atlas. It's like no one knows how to be cooperative here. My team always got into fights with each other, often leading us to missions that involved trying to work together. Of course that never worked so the headmaster decided that those without the will to be 'team efficient' were labelled as henchmen, bootlickers, beating bags whilst the more cooperative teams rode to the top. That made me mad, not because I was merely being stepped on, but because no matter what we did we could never come to terms. So I gave up with them, I sent an application to go here, with references from my sister's company, got accepted into Beacon, and left them to deal with their own matters."

"Wow, that must've been hard on you." I answered, laying my hand on the heiress'.

"Not really. When you've come to realize that you are going nowhere with something, it gives you a lot more initiative to try something new. And I think. No, I know that team RWBY is my home, my second family, and my new life." Weiss admitted, giving me a content smirk.

Winter witnessed the whole situation before her, noting how close and how comfortable Weiss was letting me hold her hand. She simply sat back in her chair, observing how easy it was to calm the heiress than when she was younger. Curiousity peaked her when Weiss went from frustratedly mad to calm and relaxed in no-time flat, all because of one gesture from me. Soon though Weiss and I returned back to society as I fidgeted a bit in my seat, letting go of Weiss' hand. Though I could see she was slightly saddened that it had to end, she quickly turned her gaze back to Winter, who now was looking through her scroll, pretending she didn't see the event before her.

After the movie (Weiss' POV).

The credits rolled down the screen as the three of us got up and made for the exit. Ruby seemed really happy after watching the movie, a content smirk from cheekbone to cheekbone as she hummed in bliss, making me smile as well.

'That girl. She has no idea what I'd do just to see her smile, she certainly has made an impact in my life.' I thought as I watched her skip and twirl ahead of us as we walked to the exit of the theatre. "Ruby, don't go too far!"

"Okay!" The crimsonette responded contently. I also noticed a small smirk on my sister's face as she watched the little red hood be so elegant, making me wonder.

'Winter, I have a feeling you see Ruby kinda the same way I do. That can be both good and bad for me. I need to make sure she gets a hint of our relationship, but how...'

Suddenly, a sign came to me as Ruby's eyes glistened at a certain object, making said girl run towards it. It was none other than a money-sucking mini game. There was a giant white bear as the grand prize that sat on the shelf above. The game was simple; there was a projectile that you had to aim at the prizes, you had to whack the button on the bottom as hard as you could, shooting the missile towards the awards. Though some of the more easier prizes were already gone. I nodded in acceptance to the challenge and waltzed over to Ruby, who was staring at the big white teddy bear in glee.

"Oh Weiss, can I get the bear?" Ruby begged, cupping her hands as she bowed to me.

I exaggerated a thinking face, scuffing my chin. "Well, I don't know..." I pondered.

Ruby now got on her knees as she begged. "Pwweeeezzz Weiss?" She asked in her puppy-ish voice as she gave me her best begging face. Finally, I broke.

"Oh, alright. I guess I could give it a shot." I said, putting in a lien bill as the rocket lifted from it's fake silo. I picked up the wooden hammer as I stepped back a bit, loosening up a bit as I turned my body to gain momentum. I swung it around and with the built up momentum I swung down with extreme might.

THWANG!

The rocket Shot out with incredible speed, though not enough as it landed a few meters below the grand prize, rolling back down the slope as it entered a small machine near the small silo again. Ruby sighed in defeat, upon hearing this I turned around to see the little girl sulk in loss. Not wanting to see such a sad face, I went back to the machine with determination in my eyes.

"One. More. Time." I said as I put in another lien bill. This time, I had a new strategy, one that required me to cheat the cheating game. I placed a glyph on the button and the striking part of the mallet, with all my might I swung, doing a 360 as I jumped. With all the force mustered up I swung down on the button once again.

THWAAAAAANNNNNNGGGGGGG!

The sound resonated throughout the area as the rocket shot out with speed that made the previous time look like a sunday driver. This time it smacked the giant teddy bear right off the pedestal, making the large prize fall back down to us as the rocket smacked against the top part of the wall, leaving a dent in the plastic as it too slid down the slope. I grabbed the prize as it neared me, looking at the rather large plush bear.

"I win." I said as I turned around. The little redhead's eyes lit up like a bunch of fireworks, whilst Winter simply nodded to congratulate me. I handed the bear to Ruby, who jumped up and down uncontrollably as she lunged for me.

"THANK YOU WEISS!" Ruby exclaimed, not caring how loud she was as she hugged me tightly. I grinned, blessed to see her smile once again as I dropped the bear and wrapped my arms around her.

"You're welcome sweetheart."

After obtaining the prize, and the much needed hug, we entered the limousine and headed home. Ruby talked about the movie and what to call the teddy bear, Winter helping her with the naming process as we drove down the streets of Atlas. After arriving back at the mansion Ruby put the giant teddy up in my room as Winter and I walked around. Suddenly, a bark was heard as we listened to the tiny scurrying of feet.

"Wait, is that who I think it is?" I asked Winter, to which she half honestly nodded.

"I think it is." Winter replied. Ruby came running down the stairs soon after, returning to us.

"I heard a dog!" Ruby said, squealing in joy.

"Well, if Shelby is here, then that means..."

Winter opened the living room doors, to which a small, curly white-ish dog came running to us. Winter caught her first, looking to the other figures in the room. Meanwhile I just looked in shock at the people in the room

"F..father?!"

Alright. So if you are reading this now, you are probably interested in the collab work with me and Topaz Smith. So anywho, I'll explain it briefly. So me and TS have been talking about doing a story together. We haven't spoken much about it but we were thinking about doing a crossover story Sword Art Online x RWBY. Now, I know SAO isn't the best, trust me, I feel like the script was almost written by me in my earlier work. But I somewhat enjoyed it and wanted to do a little mix of the two. We haven't gotten into much detail about the chapter yet, but we've been coming up with ideas and stuff. I'll inform you all when we've posted the chapter. So please, I just wanna know from you guys what you think, your ideas and stuff. Also, leave a few story ideas if you like it and we could maybe incorporate it and do a shoutout to the person. Anywho, as always, Stay tuned.