Weiss sat quietly on her bed as her finger anxiously tapped away on her leg. She and the dorm room's other occupants awaited the arrival of Winter Schnee.

"So, she just showed up? No heads up in advance or anything?" asked Blake, looking up from an assignment she was helping Ruby complete.

All heads turned to Weiss, but the girl stayed quiet as she stared at nothing in particular.

"Yeah, pretty much," answered Yang, instead, as she leisurely paced around the room, "I'm not even sure she had a way of telling us she was coming, really."

"That's… weird," said Ruby.

"It was definitely unexpected," agreed Blake as she turned back to her task at hand, "What is she like? Should I cover up?"

Yang examined Blake's ears that were currently out where anyone could see them, "She was… nice? She's like Weiss but more… stoic I guess? I don't know how she feels about faunus though," she said as she looked at Weiss for any input.

"I should just play it safe and put on the bow," sighed Blake as Weiss continued to be aloof.

"That would probably be a good idea," frowned Yang as she went to sit next to Weiss on the bed.

Weiss' mind was swirling with thoughts and questions. Why would Winter choose now of all times to contact her? After nearly a decade of being gone from her life, did she even have a right to come back to her and act like everything was fine? Is everything fine?

"Hey," said Yang as she softly nudged the heiress out of her stupor, "What are you thinking about?"

Weiss blinked at Yang, "What am I not thinking about would be the better question to ask," she sighed.

Yang tilted her head as she placed her hand on Weiss' leg, "Do you want to talk about it?" she asked.

Weiss placed her hand on top of Yang's and smiled at her, "No. I think I need to get through this myself."

"Okay," smiled Yang, "Just keep in mind that, at the end of the day, Winter is still your sister, and that bond is never broken, no matter how much you both go through."

Weiss nodded as she broke eye contact with Yang, "Thanks for saying that, Yang. I really needed to hear it."

Yang pressed a soft kiss to Weiss' cheek and stood up. She sat down at Weiss' desk and began working on some of her assignments as they waited.

As the minutes ticked by in the now silent dorm, Weiss began to feel better about her afternoon with Winter. Surely the specialist had an adequate reason for failing to contact her after leaving to join the military.

Weiss jumped at the crisp knock on the door, "I've got it," she called, softly as she stood and opened the door to reveal Winter. Her hair was still in its tight bun and covering the right side of her face, and she was still dressed in her specialist uniform.

"Hello again, Sister," said Winter with a small nod of her head.

"Hello, Winter. Please, come inside," said Weiss with an almost forced smile as she stood aside.

Winter confidently entered the room, allowing the door to shut behind her. The first thing she noticed was the haphazardly stacked beds.

"Crude… but effective, I suppose," mumbled Winter as she plucked at the rope that kept Ruby's bed suspended in the air, "I hope you don't sleep under this one."

Weiss shrugged and let out a guilty chuckle, causing Winter to raise an eyebrow.

"Anyway," said Weiss as she clasped her hands together and dashed in front of Winter, "Winter, I would like to introduce you to my teammates. You already met Yang Xiao Long. This is Ruby Rose and this is Blake Belladonna," she said as she gestured towards Ruby and Blake, respectively, just behind herself, "Together we form Team RWBY."

Winter hummed in amusement, "I'm certain that causes much confusion for you and your team, Miss Rose," she said without so much as a curl of her lip.

"You would be right," chirped Ruby with a nervous chuckle, "a-and you can just call me Ruby."

"Very well, Ruby," said the specialist as she offered her hand to Ruby and Blake, "I am Winter Schnee. I am pleased to meet you both."

"Likewise," smiled Blake as she shook Winter's hand after Ruby.

"I would love to stay and chat, but I wish to spend the afternoon reconnecting with my sister if you wouldn't mind," said Winter as she placed her hand on Weiss' back, "Perhaps another time?"

"Yeah! We totally understand," said Yang with a reassuring smile.

"Wonderful," said Winter as she looked at Weiss, expectantly.

"We'll be in the garden if you need me," sighed Weiss, "We should hurry, Winter. I have some tea being delivered there as we speak," she added as she turned back to Winter with the same nearly forced smile as earlier.

Winter gestured for Weiss to exit ahead of her and closed the door as she followed her out.

The room was quiet again.

"Is it just me… or did you guys think Weiss would be a little more excited to see her sister again for the first time in, like, what, eight years? I mean, especially with how much she talks about her," said Ruby, effectively shattering the silence.

"No, I definitely noticed that too," said Blake, "care to explain, Yang?"

Yang sighed and sat down on Weiss' bed, "I might have caused that."

"What are you talking about?" asked Ruby as she shared a glance at Blake.

"Weiss was really excited when Winter arrived. Excessively so. She was practically bouncing where she stood," Yang explained, "It was like Weiss forgot all her problems and started acting like they were gone."

"So, what did you do to make her feel differently?"

"I was getting to that, Rubes," frowned Yang, "Weiss didn't tell Winter that we were dating, and I got pretty annoyed with her. It's like Winter is the only person we haven't told besides her dad, and I thought that was kind of dumb considering complete strangers in Vale know at this point, you know? Anyway, I figured out that Weiss didn't say anything about us to Winter because she wasn't sure if she approved. Weiss really looks up to her; almost to an obsessive degree."

"So, she panicked and casually left out that crucial information when introducing you?" finished Blake.

"More or less," Yang sighed, "I told her that she shouldn't let Winter's judgment control what she does, and I think I might have accidentally pushed her too far. Judging by how she was acting right now, she might be having some trust issues with her."

"Oh," winced Ruby as she grimaced at Blake.

"Yeah, I know," groaned Yang as she flopped down onto her bed, "Hopefully I'm just being paranoid, and she's just nervous about talking to her again."

"She probably is. It's been ten years after all," said Blake.

Yang stared at the bottom of Ruby's bunk and sighed.


"I must say: Beacon does look quite stunning at this time of the year," said Winter as she raised her hand and ran it through the dark leaves of a tree that passed by.

Weiss hummed in agreement as they neared the garden.

Winter opened her mouth to scold Weiss for not using her words, but upon reading her sullen expression, she closed her mouth and faced forward again.

Before, Winter was unsure about Weiss' behavior, but now she knew her suspicions were correct. Weiss was upset about something, and she had no idea what it was. Although, she could make a few educated guesses.

As they approached the garden, Weiss walked ahead and held the gate open for her sister, "After you," she said.

"Thank you," said Winter with a nod of her head as she stepped into the garden.

The garden was autumn colored and the stone structure had red, brown, and orange leaves scattered on the floor. Inside the structure was a piping hot teapot with enough teacups and saucers for two.

Weiss walked past Winter and stepped under the roof of the stone structure, "I thought we could sit here so leaves won't fall on us," she said as she took a seat at the only table there.

Winter followed suit and sat across from Weiss, thanking her as she poured a cup of tea for her.

The two girls sat in silence at first just sipping their tea and enjoying the scalding hot liquid as it sent waves of warmth through them in the cold autumn air. Despite Weiss' obvious lack of enthusiasm, the silence was welcome and almost comforting. But they did not come here to sit and do nothing together.

"So, Weiss," Winter began as she set her teacup down, "how have you been?"

Weiss looked up to meet Winter's eyes for the first time since they left the dorm, "I am well, for the most part. Stress is minimal, and I am very much enjoying my time here," she half lied.

There was no doubt she was enjoying her stay and studies at Beacon Academy, but the stress was still there, not because of the school, but because of the very situation she was in right now.

"That's good," Winter said, "It seems like you get along with your team well."

"I do. They're probably my favorite part of this place," said Weiss, smiling fondly.

Winter took another sip of her tea as she relaxed into her chair a little more, "Your team… tell me about them," she said.

Weiss raised an eyebrow, "What do you want to know?" she asked, "Ruby's always energetic and a great leader, Blake is a cunning fighter who loves to read and write, and Yang is loyal to the end. Oh! And she never gives up. Sometimes that can be quite irritating though," Weiss chuckled.

Winter hummed and let a small smirk grace her lips, "I know what it's like to deal with someone like that."

"Yeah," Weiss smiled as she looked at the falling leaves, "I actually couldn't stand her when we first met. It got pretty bad," she frowned, "Just recently, we had the Autumn Dance, here at Beacon, and Yang and I were chosen to design it from the ground up. We butted heads almost constantly at first and ended up physically fighting over who would get to plan the dance alone. Eventually, we made up, though, and now we're the best we ever have been."

Winter leaned forward in her chair, "Sounds like quite the feud. And what about this dance? Did you go with anyone?"

Weiss bit her cheek and reluctantly made eye contact with her sister, "Yes, I went with Yang," she said as she took a quick deep breath, "We are actually… dating."

Weiss expected Winter to stand from her seat right there because of her overwhelming distaste for the situation, but, to her surprise, Winter simply hummed.

"I had a suspicion there was something more transpiring between the both of you," said Winter as she casually sipped her tea.

Weiss furrowed her brows and tilted her head, "What? How did you know?"

"It wasn't hard to tell Miss Xiao Long was upset when you introduced her as simply your teammate," said Winter, "It's my job to be able to pick up on these types of things after all."

Weiss looked out of the stone structure, thinking hard for a moment. She looked back at Winter cautiously, "You're taking this rather well…"

"Did you expect me to scold you for dating someone?" smirked Winter, nearly letting out a chuckle.

"N-no," stuttered Weiss, "It's just that… Yang's a girl too, obviously, and I wasn't sure if you would approve."

Winter rolled her eyes and scoffed, "I'm insulted, Sister. I can't imagine why you would expect such a reaction from me. I'm not Father."

The heiress threw her hands out in front of her, "Wait, I didn't mean to allude that…"

"Relax, Weiss," Winter smiled as Weiss lowered her arms, "I'm only teasing you."

"Right," Weiss whispered as she cupped her hands around her teacup, staring into the dark liquid.

Winter raised an eyebrow as she examined Weiss' conflicted expression, "So, I'm curious: How did Ruby gain entry to Beacon at such a young age? She must be exceptionally skilled."

Weiss looked up at her sister with newfound interest, "Believe me, she is. She stopped a dust raid in Vale. Professor Goodwitch caught her fighting off a dozen or so White Fang thugs. She was granted entry to Beacon because of her skill with a scythe."

Now both of Winter's eyebrows were raised, "A scythe? Interesting. I've only ever heard of two other people who used scythes in combat. Those overgrown gardening tools are even more dangerous to the wielder than their opponents without the proper training."

Weiss nodded in agreement, "Yes, but her skills were not the only thing that got her into Beacon. Professor Ozpin knew from the beginning that she was a natural leader. I would follow her into battle any day."

Winter hummed respectfully, "It seems I have underestimated her. I thought she was just a naïve child, but it would seem she is much more," she said, "What about your other teammate, Miss Belladonna? Is she more than she seems as well?"

"You could say that," Weiss smiled as she watched the leaves fall around them, picturing the cat faunus in her head, "She started dating Ruby a few weeks after Yang and I started. I feel like if anyone else dated Ruby, Yang would have killed them," she chuckled.

"Why?" asked Winter.

"Oh, you know how big sisters can be. You are one, after all."

"Big sister? Are you implying Ruby and Yang are sisters?" asked Winter as she narrowed her eyes, "They look nothing alike."

"Yeah… their family situation is… complicated. They have the same Father, but different mothers," Weiss explained.

"I see," said Winter as she sipped her tea.

Weiss watched her sister intently. Almost everything she had told Winter today was information she had already explained in detail in each of her letters. Granted, those letters were sent weeks ago. Winter probably just forgot.

"What about you? Have you made any friends while you were away?" asked Weiss.

Winter looked almost surprised but did not miss a beat when answering, "Because I was trained as a specialist ever since I joined the military, I was never assigned to a team. The few friends I've made were from the places I was stationed."

"So… you would make friends with the locals and then just leave?" asked Weiss.

Winter frowned, "I had duties elsewhere. I was constantly moving from place to place."

Weiss matched Winter's frown and looked into her teacup that was now empty.

"Would you like some more tea, Weiss?" asked Winter as she lifted the teapot.

Weiss locked her eyes onto Winter. The specialist was waiting for Weiss to answer her, but she could not. It seemed like Winter did not have an issue with leaving friends and family behind, or at least she did not show any quarrels she harbored.

The heiress knew what she had been doing this whole time. She was going along with Winter's mundane topics of conversation so she could avoid asking the important questions. She believed that maybe she could forget about her doubts and go with the flow like Yang would do.

She was wrong.

"I'm sorry, Winter," sighed Weiss as she shook her head, "I can't do this anymore."

Winter set the teapot down on the table as she furrowed her brows, "Forgive me, but I don't understa—"

"Why did you leave? And more importantly, why didn't you contact me at all for the last eight years?" frowned Weiss.

Winter was taken aback by the sudden question. She sat up straight, looking at Weiss' downcast face, before pursing her lips and tearing her gaze away from her, "I thought you would give me a little more time before you would ask those questions," she chuckled, humorlessly, "You know why I had to leave, Weiss. General Ironwood offered me an opportunity to become a specialist in his military, and I accepted it."

"That's not good enough!" shouted Weiss as she gripped the edge of the table. She stared at Winter briefly and took a deep breath, relaxing into her seat, "Why did you accept it? You weren't going to become a specialist originally. What changed your mind? And what in Remnant made you disappear from my life this whole time?"

"It's more complicated than you think," said Winter, shaking her head.

Weiss scoffed and rested her arms on the table, "Do you know how hard it was living with Father without you around? Every condescending, bitter, resentful remark he would make whenever I did anything he didn't think was right just built on me like I was being buried alive."

"You were strong. I knew you would be able to handle him," said Winter.

"You're wrong!" growled Weiss, "Every night, I would lie awake in bed and think. Think about what I could do to feel something besides inconsolable loneliness in that… that prison! It only got worse with time! So much so, I would lie awake regardless of how cluttered my mind was! I had to take medication every night just so I could sleep."

"Weiss, I—"

"I was locked away in my room for weeks when I got this scar," Weiss continued as she poked a finger at her face, "Father wouldn't let me leave unless I took some makeup and covered it up as if it was never there! He would always tell me it was a mark of shame for the Schnee family, and that a true Schnee should always be perfect in every way to the public eye!"

"I had n—"

"I felt like I was worthless when I first came here!" cried Weiss as she took a few deep breaths and realized she was now standing up. She sat down and rested her head in her hands, "I struggled so much," she whimpered, "I would hide my scar every morning before going to classes, and I would feel even more useless. It made me bitter and gave me delusions that I should act like I was superior to everyone else. I would talk down on and disparage people who were only trying to be my friend. Loneliness became the only thing I was familiar with, so in a strange way, I found comfort in it. But I hated every second of it."

Winter frowned as she mulled over everything Weiss had told her. Their father had really done all this to Weiss? Was he really that ruthless and uncaring for his daughter? It's a miracle Weiss has held out here this long.

"I didn't know, Weiss…" murmured Winter.

"I would have stayed like that for my entire stay at Beacon if it weren't for my friends," Weiss continued, "They set me on the right path again. Especially Yang. It is because Yang felt the need to care for me and feel for me that I no longer feel the need to hide my scar or push people away. She even helped me relax enough to stop needing medication to sleep."

Winter looked into her empty teacup, "It would seem I owe Miss Xiao Long a great deal of gratitude," she whispered.

"Yeah…," said Weiss bitterly, "She was there for me. A complete stranger! Admittedly, after a rocky start, she was there for me, and my sister, my own flesh and blood was none the wiser of my distress!"

"I know…" whispered Winter, not able to look into her sister's eyes.

"You didn't answer my question," said Weiss, dispassionately, "This time, do not insult me by telling me something you know I already know."

Winter thought for a moment and looked into her younger sister's eyes, "Do you know why it seemed like Father's treatment of you suddenly grew worse after I left?" she asked.

Weiss scrunched up her nose in disgust, "It's because you weren't there to protect me anymore!"

"Precisely," stated Winter, "All those, 'condescending, bitter, resentful remarks' you mentioned? They were always there, but they never reached your ears because I always took them upon myself instead. Whenever Father was frustrated with you for being too tired for a concert or making an error during a music lesson, I didn't let him scold you. I always stepped in the way and always made myself subject to his wrath because I never wanted you to become like him!"

Weiss flinched at Winter's loud voice, "What are you talking about?"

"It's all about the way he influences us, Weiss. He uses his words to plant something in you. Something you never want to see the light of day," sighed Winter as she looked at the ground, "The day the White Fang attacked our home… I've never felt more furious. How dare they. The audacity," she scowled as she looked into Weiss' eyes again, "I killed so many of them, trying to protect you. I would have died before I let a single one of them touch you. But while I was fighting them, I never saw them as the White Fang. Even as the last of them tore off their Grimm masks and showed me their remarkably humanoid faces, I just saw a cluster of animals waiting to be slaughtered. You had already been dazed by a flash grenade, so you didn't see it, but right there, standing in the middle of dozens of bodies, I was mortified. I ruthlessly murdered a group of faunus that were trying to surrender, and it was because I hated them. The message Father had been trying to indoctrinate us with was suddenly a part of me, and I would not stand for that," Winter punctuated by slamming her fist on the table, "I was turning into Father, Weiss. I had to get away from him."

Weiss stared at Winter, her mouth ajar, "…Winter?"

"I see now that I was a coward for doing that… I left you and Whitley to the very fate I was trying to escape… Your anger towards me is understandable."

A pang of guilt washed over her body as she was reminded of the last thing Winter asked her to do before she left. Winter had asked her to protect Whitley from her father, but instead, she fled just like Winter did. Now Whitley was a near carbon copy of his father.

"Maybe…" Weiss frowned, "But I understand why you left now. I shouldn't have raised my voice at you."

"It's… alright," whispered Winter as she looked down at the table.

"But, why didn't you ever contact me while you were away? Father would never know if you had just called Klein," offered Weiss.

Winter sighed, "At first, it was because I thought you no longer needed me. You seemed to be doing fine without me considering the lack of any calls or letters from you. But, later, as the years passed by, I was afraid you had… changed. Fallen subject to Father's ideology. I could not bring myself to face that version of you… like the coward I am."

Weiss looked confused, "Winter… I sent you a letter every day for a month after you left. Even then, I still send you a letter every week."

Winter snapped her head to face Weiss, "You did?" she asked, "I never received any of them. Are you certain you have the correct address?"

"Yes, General Ironwood gave Father the address the day you left," said Weiss.

"Show me," ordered Winter as Weiss pulled out her scroll and showed Winter the address.

Winter's jaw clenched tightly as her eyes scanned the address over and over again. Her eyes narrowed ever so slightly as her jaw trembled. As soon as the anger flooded her, it left her as her features returned to their normal, stoic look.

"This address is incorrect, Weiss," stated Winter as she took Weiss' scroll and entered in the correct mailing address.

Weiss looked baffled, "That's impossible! It's the one General Ironwood gave Father!"

"A mistake on the General's part I presume," said Winter as her eye twitched ever so slightly.

Weiss shook her head, "Whatever. At least you're here now," she said with a small smile, "So, what made you change your mind and come visit me? Did you just want to see if I really did turn out like Father?"

Winter flinched at the question and looked away with a pained expression on her face, "Not exactly. I came here to… to say I'm sorry for leaving you."

Weiss sighed and chuckled, "Well, I accept your apology, and I forgive you."

Weiss expected Winter to at least smile at her, but instead, she frowned and looked down.

"Thank you, Sister. I really don't deserve your forgiveness," said Winter.

"You've got it anyway," smirked Weiss.

Winter looked up and smiled sadly at Weiss, "I am so glad you didn't turn out to be like Father."

"Again, you can thank Yang for that."

"I would like a chance to get to know Miss Xiao Long a little more in the future," said Winter as she stood up, "But for now, I need to return to my quarters and rest. I am exhausted from the long flight from Atlas."

"I think that's a wonderful idea," Weiss smiled widely as she threw her arms around Winter's torso and hugged her tightly, "Winter?"

Winter's mouth hung slightly open at the unexpected show of affection and she nearly failed to answer her sister, "Yes, Weiss?"

"Thank you for coming back," she hummed as she squeezed Winter tighter.

Winter nodded her head and hugged Weiss, patting her back.

Weiss backed away from Winter and clasped her hands in front of her with a smile, "I'm glad we talked about all this. I'll see you tomorrow?"

Winter forced a smile, "Certainly. Good night, Sister."

She watched as Weiss left the garden, shaking her head and clenching her eyes shut, "You shouldn't have forgiven me…" she whimpered as she pulled her scroll out of her pocket.

She tapped at it for a moment and put it to her ear, letting it ring for a moment before…

"Good Morning, Winter. Or is it Evening in Vale at the moment," said a cold, hard voice.

"How many…?" asked Winter, her voice trembling.

"I'm afraid you'll have to be more specific, dear," said the man.

"Tell me how many letters Weiss sent me! I want the exact number!" Winter shouted.

The man was silent for a moment, "… Four hundred thirteen."

Winter nearly dropped the scroll as she gripped her torso with her free hand, "You gave her the wrong address! You monster! What kind of Father would do this!"

Jacques Schnee was silent once again, "Just do what I asked of you."

Winter opened her mouth to say something, but it was too late. Her Father had hung up and would not answer her for a few hours.

She dropped her scroll on the ground, ignoring the crack that followed its slamming into the cold cement, and fell to her knees.

"She shouldn't have forgiven me…" Winter wept.


Hi everyone! I'm super sorry I missed last week's chapter. This one gave me a lot of trouble with writer's block. I think I did well, though. Please leave a review!