A/N: Surprise! New chapter posted just for you guys :) The last chapter was a bit lighthearted so naturally I now have to counter that with some angst and heavy stuff but I hope you will enjoy the update anyway. Thank you again to all who have commented/reviewed - I can't stress this enough guys, your comments and reviews are important to me - they help me to keep going, they let me know what I'm doing well (or not) and they make me happy...I like being happy so please do comment and review. Thank you and enjoy!

Chapter 10: When All Is Said And Done

It has often been speculated that a Weiss Schnee death glare could stop a fully-grown Nevermore in its track and give it pause to fully consider if it should make the much wiser choice of escaping in the opposite direction or to make the inadvisable poor life-ending decision of going up against the heiress.

The ice-cold glare Weiss speared at Blake Belladonna made her wish she had wings so she could immediately hightail the hell away from the furious heiress. In fact, Blake subtly glanced at the slightly open window and wondered if she would be quick enough to throw up a shadow clone to distract Weiss whilst she sneaked away and ran. Yeah, Blake, you're all about making great life choices! Always running when things get bad! Even her inner voice sounded tired and bitter in its admonition.

"Don't you even think about it!" Weiss snapped angrily and strode to slam the window shut, cutting off Blake's only escape route as her amber eyes stared in dismay at the brightly glowing Schnee glyph spinning against their front door.

Blake swung her eyes back to where the heiress was standing, her body tensed and ready for fight or flight. Amber eyes flinched away at the animosity, rage and betrayal blazing from Weiss' terrifyingly cold azure eyes. The heiress stood rooted to her spot in front of the window, her entire body taut and her left hand clenching Myrtenaster in a death grip. Gone was the softness and intimacy they had shared only a few moments ago. There was absolutely nothing gentle or tender about the heiress now. In its place was the armored Weiss Schnee, her face carefully impassive and inscrutable making it impossible for Blake to guess what she was thinking or feeling. Only her eyes gave her away and Blake suspected that was only because the heiress allowed it.

The last few months of being teammates and living together combined with her own astute observations of Weiss had at least taught Blake to detect the fine nuance of attempting to decipher the heiress' thoughts and actions and while she admitted it was at most, an imprecise and minuscule advantage owing to Weiss' complete mastery in keeping her emotions hidden, Blake could use all the help she could get at the moment.

"Just what the hell are you playing at Blake? Is this some sick twisted joke? Or are you really a murderer come to assassinate me after all?" Weiss' rage was evident in her razor sharp tone and in the hatred smoldering in her eyes although she did not completely succeed in masking the betrayal and hurt lurking behind those furious azure eyes.

Even now, Blake could not help but admire the iron self-control the heiress possessed. A part of her had to be afraid of Blake considering she did not have the advantage of knowing who Blake really was or her reason for being at Beacon but the heiress refused to display even a single iota of fear.

"Start talking, Blake," Weiss snarled as she savagely pinned her ice blue eyes on her…teammate? Almost friend? Hugging buddy? She snorted mockingly, furious at herself. Just what the hell was Blake to her? She bit down hard on her lip because it really didn't matter. Blake was obviously not who she pretended to be all this time. She was at best, a liar and an enemy and at worst, a murderer and a terrorist. This! This is what happens when you let your guard down, you idiot! Why the hell did you open yourself to that…that…argh! You pathetic, stupid fool! To feel is to be weak! SO STOP FEELING AND STOP BEING WEAK!

"Weiss…please…your lip…," Blake did not even realise she had moved until she suddenly found herself standing in front of the heiress as she lifted her right thumb towards Weiss' mouth when the heiress grabbed her hand and they both froze at the contact.

"I…I'm sorry, Weiss…your…your lip's bleeding," Blake whispered as her eyes automatically wandered to the heiress' mouth. This close to Weiss, she could breathe in her scent…and the feel of the heiress' hand on her own was completely clouding her mind and preventing her from thinking clearly. Like...like Weiss could just plunge Myrtenaster right into her heart right now and skewer her and she would not have seen that coming. She should not have been so careless and presented herself on a silver platter by waltzing right into the heiress' line of fire. What were you thinking? Why the hell are you not leaping away from Weiss? Her pulse raced and her heart pounded so thunderously surely the heiress could hear it. What is the matter with me!?

Weiss shot another icy death glare at Blake who promptly decided then and there that she would indeed corroborate the persistent rumour that Weiss' death glare could most definitely stop a horde of Grimm in their tracks. Perhaps Ruby could even devise a way to use that glare as a weapon during combat.

"No! You don't get to do this, Blake! You don't get to pretend you care!"

"Prete…I wasn't pretending! I do care!"

"Oh please, spare me the indignation and offended look!"

"What, you can read minds now? I said, I wasn't pretending!"

"Stop acting Blake! And stop lying! Please just stop!"

"For Dust's sake Weiss, I am not pretending anything!"

"Are you serious!? Hmmm, let me think…here, look at yourself! Forgot to mention something?"

"I…I…yes, I'm a Faunus! The damn ears are real! Happy now!?"

They both gasped, desperately trying to draw in air after the angry exchange. Weiss furiously snatched her hand away from Blake before taking a step backwards. She did not even bother trying to conceal her emotions now, the hurt and betrayal plain as day on her face for all to see. The pain blazing in Weiss' azure eyes stabbed Blake in her heart and she felt sick to her stomach.

"Weiss…"

"Stop! Don't come any closer!"

"Weiss, please listen, I – "

"You know…despite his best efforts, I could never quite agree with my Father on most of the things he said…but…but...he was right about you Faunus! You lie, cheat and steal!" Azure eyes burned with fury as Blake flinched at the vicious vehemence of Weiss' accusation. That however, succeeded in snapping Blake out of her…whatever ridiculous trance she was in when Weiss held her hand earlier.

"Oh yes, of course the Schnee heiress thinks we're all liars, cheaters and thieves! Ironic considering the inhumane ways your precious SDC treats the Faunus just to save a few lien and we're the thieves!?"

"You understand nothing, Blake! Don't speak about what you don't know!"

"You're wrong, Princess, I know more than you think! The White Fang - "

"Do not talk to me about the White Fang! Do you really want to know why I despise them so much? Why I don't particularly trust the Faunus? It's because they've been at war with my family for years! War, as in actual bloodshed. My Grandfather's company has had a target painted across its back for as long as I can remember and ever since I was a child, I've watched family and friends disappear…board members executed…an entire train cart full of Dust stolen." Weiss' voice became impossibly soft and vulnerable, her azure eyes hazy and all but lost in her painful memories. "And every day, my Father would come home furious…and that made for a very…difficult childhood!" Weiss absently rubbed the scar across her left eye. "Did you know I used to have three Uncles, four Aunts and sixteen cousins? Today, all that is left of the Schnees are my Grandfather, my parents, my siblings and myself." Weiss' voice stopped shaking and her tone hardened, her eyes flashing with pain, sadness and mostly anger. "So stop defending the White Fang! They're nothing but liars, thieves and murderers!"

"Well maybe we were just tired of being pushed around!" Blake shouted, her own eyes blazing with rage now. It took her a few seconds to realise what she had just yelled out and she started backing away from Weiss as the heiress' azure eyes darkened to a stormy blue-gray, hardening to blue ice.

"What did you just say?" Weiss' voice was tight but controlled, her gaze never wavering as she coldly advanced towards Blake. Weiss halted a couple of steps away from Blake as she glared at her trembling teammate. "Are you telling me not only are you a Faunus but also White Fang? The White Fang, Blake!?"

Blake glared back defiantly at the heiress. No more hiding. No more running!

"Yes, Weiss! I'm a Faunus and I was in the White Fang but not anymore! I left them when they became violent and lost sight of justice and equality and became terrorists and murderers!"

"Stop lying, Blake! You've been found out and there's nowhere left for you to hide!"

"I am not lying! For once, can't you just listen rather than let your Schnee pride get in the way!?"

"Leave my Schnee pride out of this! I mean, how is that even a thing!?"

"Weiss! I am not a terrorist or a murderer! I left the White Fang before things got that bad….I…I just couldn't anymore and I…I refuse to trade violence for more violence!"

"Why are you really at Beacon, Blake? Are you here to assassinate me?" Weiss' tone was calm but her stance was battle-ready and her eyes sharp and alert. Despite that, Blake had never seen the heiress looking so hurt in all the time they had known each other and it gnawed at her incessantly to know she was once again the source of the heiress' pain.

"No, Weiss…I won't hurt you…I…you…we're teammates and…and…I…I think I…," Blake swallowed hard, unable to finish her sentence as her eyes blurred with unshed tears. Weiss really believed she was there to harm her and the fact that Weiss thought that of her really hurt and made her heart ache. Her mind made up, she slowly raised both arms, her right hand reaching behind her to grab Gambol Shroud. Weiss' azure eyes gleamed only with sadness and resignation now even as the fingers on her right hand flicked out to ready a glyph to defend herself and fight. She spared Blake a quick glance full of bewilderment as Blake threw Gambol Shroud clear across the room.

"What are you doing?" Weiss' voice was sharp. "I won't fight someone who isn't armed, Blake. Pick up Gambol Shroud!"

"No."

"What do you mean no?" She glowered at Blake suspiciously. "Is this some kind of White Fa – …uh, Faunus trick?"

"No trick, Princess." Blake rolled her eyes at the heiress who immediately scowled back, her cheeks flushing.

"Then pick up your blade and defend yourself!"

"I said, no."

Weiss glared at Blake angrily, her eyebrows furrowed in intense concentration as she bit her lip and her mind raced through a myriad of possibilities to try and decipher what trick Blake was angling at. Weiss could feel the beginning of a vicious headache and she impatiently pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration.

"For the last time, Blake, pick up your weapon!"

"I won't, so stop ordering me around!"

"Stop being so stubborn!"

Blake sputtered in indignation. "I'm the stubborn one?"

Weiss growled in annoyance. "Ugh! You irritating…vexing…Faunus hiding…ingrate!"

"Faunus hiding? Really?" Blake smirked, fighting the urge to grin out of respect for the gravity of the situation but she couldn't help it. Weiss Schnee was adorable when she was annoyed and trying not to self-combust.

"Oh no you don't! Don't do that! Don't smile at me!"

"You are going to explode if you go any redder, Princess," Blake teased, her amber eyes dancing with mirth.

"Blake! This isn't funny! You hid the fact that you're a Faunus from your teammates, from everyone for months and you're…were…a member of the White Fang! How do you think you're going to get away with all this?"

Well, that sobered her up immediately. Something tickled the back of her mind though and she quickly ran through what the heiress said.

"Were? So you do believe me, Weiss? That I'm not with the White Fang anymore?" Hope was such a dangerous and immensely fragile thing. Blake slowly walked towards the heiress, her amber eyes intense as she kept eye contact with Weiss who stood unmoving as she lifted her head high and stared right back at Blake. Her azure eyes had softened although there was definitely still fire in there even as the fury from earlier seemed to have abated somewhat.

Blake stood right in front of the heiress whose eyes were immediately drawn towards Blake's cat ears. Weiss said nothing as she watched the cat ears flicked and twitched with every little sound. She looked intently at Blake who stood with both arms loosely by her sides, Gambol Shroud on the other side of the room. Her mind raced furiously as she considered facts and memories and analysed every interaction, every altercation and fight and she argued and debated with herself over the events and flashbacks from the last couple of weeks when things shifted and tilted from them hating and despising each other to a gradual...what? What were they now? If she were completely honest with herself, Weiss could admit she no longer hated Blake, nor did she consider her an enemy anymore. They seemed to have somewhat miraculously found a tentative and delicate balance even though they still get into bitter rows and explosive arguments but that seemed inevitable given their vastly different opinions and views on various contentious subjects. The situation seemed even more fragile now when you add their literal opposing upbringing and background. Schnees and Faunus and White Fang. How in Remnant were they supposed to get around that?

"You know…so much made sense now," Weiss said quietly. "I never understood before why you were so adamant in defending the Faunus or why you detested my family and the SDC so much when it didn't concern you in any discernible way…in hindsight, I should have figured it out…no wonder you hate me so much," Weiss' voice cracked softly as she averted her eyes from Blake.

"No, Weiss! I don't hate you. Hey, look at me…please," Blake gently clasped one of Weiss' hands as the heiress shyly looked back at her, her azure eyes brimming with doubt and hope in equal measure. "I know it isn't fair of me, but you're right…I did hate you in the beginning…but that was only because I didn't really know you and I judged you for your family name rather than who you really are."

"But Blake…it doesn't change that I am a Schnee. I will always be a Schnee," Weiss whispered scathingly, the burden of carrying that name, of being the Schnee heiress trembled agonizingly out of her in that simple irrefutable truth.

"No one can choose which family to be bornt to but we all have the power to choose our own path and become who we want to be."

"Unless you're a Schnee," Weiss smiled bitterly. "From the moment I was born, my life, my path, everything has been dictated for me. My life has never been my own to live and I will never be free to make my own choice or to be who I want to be."

"I don't know what to say, Weiss…but I can say this much…you are absolutely not who I thought you would be and there is most definitely a lot more to you than just being the Schnee heiress," Blake declared firmly.

"Oh? I'm not who you thought I would be? How about you, huh?" Weiss raised her eyes playfully in the direction of Blake's cat ears which flicked down shyly.

"Hey! You may not just be the Schnee heiress but there's plenty of Schnee-ness about you!" Blake grinned mischievously.

"Schnee-ness!? What, pray tell is that?"

"Where to begin? For starters, how about that imperious Atlesian accent?"

"I've been told I sound very dignified!"

"What about your daily incessant bossiness about completing our homework?"

"Every assignment counts towards our grades!"

"And what about your multi-million lien Princess ball gown?"

"It's a combat skirt!"

Weiss glared at Blake in outrage. Blake smirked at her cheekily and Weiss felt her pulse race. What is it about Blake that made her feel she as if she no longer had any control of herself? Weiss sighed heavily.

"Blake…you know we can't just keep this a secret. Ruby and Yang deserve to know the truth."

"I know, Weiss. I will tell them when they come back."

Weiss hesitated. She really loathed having to ask considering they've just came to this tentative truce…but this was far bigger than just the two of them. "Blake? I do believe you when you said you've left the White Fang…but to be honest, they don't strike me as the type of organization one can just walk away from…are you…are you in any danger?" Weiss asked carefully.

Blake's silence was all the answer Weiss needed. Distressed, exhausted and emotionally drained, Weiss decided they could figure all this out tomorrow. Right now, Blake needed her and if she were honest, she needed Blake too so she closed the gap between them and hugged Blake tightly. She felt Blake collapsed into her arms as she held her close. Another romantic hug so soon, Weiss? Oh, shut up!

End Notes: Also, I'm not sure if it comes across as clearly in my writing as it does in my head, but I try to depict our favourite Monochrome duo only as nervous and somewhat klutzy only with each other because they are on their way to "all the feels" but because they are sooooo bad at deciphering their own feelings, they aren't aware of why they're reacting like this but hey, physiology don't lie right? In all other instances and with everyone else, these two are totally cool, calm, collected and did I mention cool? Ah, they're such dorks!