With each step Weiss took, her heart sank further into the empty pit that had formed within her. The choice she made was painful; more painful than anything she had experienced before.

Her decision to leave Beacon, to leave Yang, and go with her father was not made lightly.

All that time in the garage had given Weiss some much needed time to sit down and think. If her father had come to Beacon himself, she knew running would never work. She thought she would have to finish the conflict then or it would never end. She was ready to tell him exactly how she felt and exactly what she would do, whether he approved or not.

But she never expected her father to say what he did.

For the first time in her life, Jacques Schnee looked weak. She looked into his eyes and did not see the hard, callous man she had grown to know over the years. Instead, she saw something familiar. She saw a person, broken and cold, just like when she used to look in the mirror. Her instinct was to believe what he said about Whitley and about his change of heart.

Weiss was not stupid. Nothing her father ever did was as black and white as that. She would not let her guard down until she was certain her father's motives were completely benevolent.

Weiss internally sighed at that. It was ridiculous that she could not bring herself to trust her own father, but she knew that was not her fault. She could not help but doubt him. She wanted so badly to trust him, but she just could not. At least not yet.

She had only just left Yang and was already yearning to speak with her. She wanted to dump all her thoughts on her and hear her sweet, jubilant voice tell her it will all be okay.

Perhaps she was a little too hasty, leaving Beacon so suddenly. She could not do anything about that now. She could only remember her promise to Yang. She would come back to her and nothing could stop that.

Weiss turned her head and looked up at her father walking beside her. The grey sky and leafless trees passed by, reminding Weiss of the cold air that promised winter's imminent arrival. It almost looked like Jacques fit in here.

"Father, you're going to let me come back to Beacon after this is all over, right?" Weiss asked.

Jacques turned his head and smiled, "Of course."

Weiss nodded and faced forward. She would hold him to that.

Yang stood still, her eyes closed as she allowed the chilling breeze to tantalize her face and hair.

Ruby and Blake stood not far behind her with the rest of their friends.

Pyrrha quietly stepped beside Blake, "Is she going to be okay?"

Blake sighed and shook her head, "I… don't know."

"She hasn't moved for the last ten minutes," Nora whispered from behind them.

Blake bit her cheek and shared a look with Ruby.

Ruby turned and smiled weakly at Jaune, "Why don't you guys head back home. We'll take care of Yang."

Jaune examined Yang's unmoving form and nodded, "I'm… so sorry."

"It wasn't your fault. It wasn't anyone's fault," pleaded Ruby.

"Yeah… I guess you're right," Jaune frowned, "Come on, guys. Let's call it a day."

Ruby's head fell as Jaune and his team slowly trudged away.

Blake placed her hand on Ruby's shoulder, squeezing it lightly, "You should take your own advice, Ruby," she whispered as she pulled Ruby into a quick one-armed hug and walked up behind Yang.

Yang was like a statue. The only thing that gave her away was the slight swaying of her blonde locks against the grey sky. It all felt wrong.

Blake stepped beside Yang and placed her hand on her upper arm, "Yang, we should go home now. It's only going to get colder out here."

A few moments passed, and Yang's eyelids slowly raised to reveal emotionless, lilac eyes, "Yeah… okay."

Yang slowly turned and started for their dorm room.

Ruby glanced at Blake with a frown and fell in behind Yang with her.

Yang did not know what to think. She spent all this time breaking through Weiss' carefully constructed shell, only for her to be taken by the very person who built the shell in the first place. She made it her mission to stop Weiss from being taken and she failed.

But she never thought the person to make her fail would be Weiss, herself. Yang had anticipated Jacques to be an angry authoritarian who had come for what he believed was rightfully his. Instead, she saw only a man who wanted to fix a family he broke long ago.

Yang wanted to believe he was lying, but she could not tell, same as Weiss. She had no choice but to wait until her girlfriend comes back to her as promised.

As Yang lumbered to the dorm room door, she pictured how life would be without Weiss' sleeping form on her bed every night, or her soft smile whenever Yang touched her hand.

She lazily waved her scroll in front of the door and shoved it open before shuffling to the window and leaning against it with a shaky sigh.

"Yang," Blake whispered, "She said she'll come back. All you have to do is trust in her."

"I know," said Yang, her voice straining, "I just…"

Yang clenched her eyes shut and instinctively found a seat on Weiss' bed. Her face was buried in her hands as she trembled.

Blake and Ruby instantly sat on either side of Yang.

"Talk to us," said Blake, soothingly, as she and Ruby comforted her.

"I didn't get to tell her how I feel, Blake!" Yang wept, "And now I'm just sitting here with this aching feeling in my chest, not knowing how long I'll have to wait to tell her!"

Ruby's face fell, "Oh…"

Blake frowned and rubbed her hand on Yang's back, "You just have to be patient."

Yang choked out a sob and ignored Blake's advice, "I wanted to tell her so badly. I thought she might have stayed if she felt the same way. But I couldn't put that on her! She's been waiting years for her family to be happy for once, and I would hate myself for being the one who stopped that from happening."

"I'm not sure if there was anything you could have said to change her mind," said Blake, "It's like you said: Weiss has waited a long time for an opportunity like this, and she isn't one to pass up on an opportunity."

Yang looked at Blake, teary confusion in her eyes.

"What I'm trying to say is this whole situation was out of your control from the beginning. It's not your fault."

Yang continued to weep. Frankly, she did not care whether it was her fault or not. She just wanted to know how long she would have to wait until the next time she could hold Weiss close again.

Ruby slowly leaned on her older sister and began to sniffle softly.

Yang could imagine how heartbreaking it must be for Ruby to see her like this, but she could not help it. She had only experienced this feeling of loss and inconsolable dread once before when her mother died, albeit it was much worse then.

That was years ago. She could not remember what she did to recover if she even did recover. She was hopeless and lost.

Blake let out a deep breath and slowly began to rub circles on Yang's back.

They sat there like that for what felt like hours. Yang felt like she could have cried the whole day away, but is seemed like she had begun to run out of tears.

Gradually, Yang's sobs turned to sniffles and there was a knock on the door.

Blake's ears flicked under her bow at the abrupt loud noise.

Yang did not move as she already knew the person behind the door was probably Weiss' butler, here to pick up her bags. She briefly wondered why it took him so long to get here, but she did not care enough to ask questions.

Blake flashed a quick, sympathetic look at Yang and opened the door. She smiled weakly at the extraordinarily short man, "Hi. Welcome back."

The short man, Klein, bowed his head and smiled brightly, "Hello, again. May I please come inside?"

"Yeah, of course," nodded Blake as she stepped aside and allowed the man to enter. She shut the door and turned to him, "Sorry we didn't pack up Weiss' things for you. I can help you now if you'd—"

"Forgive me, but I'm afraid I don't have much time," Klein blurted.

Blake raised an eyebrow, "I beg your pardon?"

"You cannot let Mr. Schnee take Weiss back to Atlas," rushed Klein as his eyes blinked red, "the man's going to send'er off to the academy there, and she'll never be allowed to return!"

Yang looked up at Klein, her voice low and dangerous, despite the remnants of tears in her eyes, "What?"

Now both Blake's eyebrows were raised, "What are you talking about? Mr. Schnee said he wanted her back to help fix her family."

Klein's eyes returned to their brown color, "I'm unsure if he was truthful in saying that or not, but on the airship ride to Beacon, he was talking with Mr. Rainart. He has no intentions of letting her back, and he plans to cut all of you out of her life. My little snowflake will be devastated unless you warn her!"

Blake and Ruby held their breaths and silently watched Yang.

She was seething. Her teeth slowly bared and eyes flashing to a blood-red, "That fucking liar! When I get my hands on him I'll…"

Yang stopped herself and clenched her fist. With a quick deep breath, she blinked, and her eyes returned to their natural lilac, "We need to go and tell Weiss. Now."

Yang marched for the door but was stopped by Blake, "Yang, wait a—"

"No, Blake! Can't you see Jacques is manipulating her again? You can't stop me from telling her."

Blake raised her hands, "No, you're right. We are going to tell her."

Yang looked confused, "Then why are you…"

Ruby stepped in beside Blake, "We need another plan. Weiss' dad won't back down easily."

Yang stared at her two teammates. She did not even have to convince them. She briefly pulled them both into a tight hug, "I appreciate you guys wanting to help, but if Jacques retaliates, I don't want you two getting hurt. I've got to do this alone."

"Don't worry about us, we're not the ones that are about to be sent away against their will," Blake pleaded.

"You're right," said Yang, "But my choice hasn't changed. Don't worry: I'll call you first thing if I need you guys."

Ruby, Blake, and Klein watched as Yang threw the door open.

Ruby sighed and shared a quick nod of agreement with Blake, "Good luck, Sis. Now hurry!"

Yang nodded and sprinted out the door.

"I'm coming, Weiss," she whispered to herself.

Yang knew she really did not have to run. They would not leave the airdocks without Weiss' bags, yet she ran anyway. She ran because she was angry, but she was also relieved.

She was angry at Weiss' father for trying to trick them all. The bastard probably made up the sob story about Whitley just to mess with Weiss' head.

She was relieved because the long wait to see Weiss again would not be so long after all. It already felt like an eternity had passed since she last saw her, so she pumped her legs even faster to see her again.

She was outside before she knew it, ignoring the chilling air and breeze. Every step carried her closer to the airdock. Closer to Weiss.

Yang ran, faster and faster, until she saw her.

Weiss Schnee, her pristine, white hair, blowing softly in the wind, and her posture straight and perfect with her hands folded modestly in front of her.

Yang's heart skipped beats and fluttered. An overwhelming feeling of joy filled her very being. But she knew there was still a problem, and he stood not ten feet from Weiss.

"Weiss!" Yang cried as she slid to a stop behind her.

Weiss instantly turned, confusion and exuberance dancing across her features, "Yang? What are you doing here?"

"You can't go with him!" pleaded Yang as she grasped Weiss' shoulders.

Jacques turned to the pair and narrowed his eyes at Yang.

Weiss glanced at him and looked Yang in the eyes, "We already talked about this. I said I would call you, remember?"

Yang's eyes hardened, "You won't be able to, because he won't let you," she said as she pointed at Jacques, "He wants to bring you back to Atlas and force you to attend the academy there, and he's going to cut everyone from Beacon out of your life!"

Weiss furrowed her brows and looked back into her father's eyes, "What is she talking about, Father? Is what she's saying true?" she asked, already knowing the answer.

Jacques sighed and frowned, "Trust me, Weiss. When we repair our family together, you won't want to come back."

Weiss' shoulders dropped as she faced Jacques, "You still don't get it, do you?"

"The family will never be whole if you are always here, at Beacon."

Weiss slowly backed away from Jacques, "You asked me to trust you, and I did trust you! And you lied to me!"

Without letting her father get out another word, Weiss hastily grasped Yang's hand and began to run, pulling her girlfriend with her.

Jacques frowned and sighed as he watched his daughter run, "Mr. Rainart, I'd like you to follow them and tell me where they go. Do not interact with them until I get there."

Hazel grunted in understanding and took off to follow them.

Yang suppressed a grin as she followed Weiss, her hand secured in hers, "Weiss, where are we going?"

"I… don't know," Weiss admitted as she briefly looked back at Yang, "I just wanted to get away from him for a while."

Yang looked back and saw Hazel some ways behind them, "Weiss, that guy is following us!"

Weiss ignored Yang's warning and thought for a moment. She knew she could not run forever.

"I have an idea," Weiss said as she altered her course.

The paved pathways of the academy shifted to a dirt path as trees with no leaves led them to a lone building that overlooked the city of Vale.

Yang looked up at the building and back at Weiss, "The dance hall? What's your plan?"

Weiss threw the tall doors open, thankful it was unlocked, and rushed inside, slamming the doors closed behind them.

Yang took a moment to walk to the center of the dance floor and look around the hall. Memories of the dance flashed in her mind, and she smiled.

"Gosh, I forgot how empty this place looks without all the—"

Weiss threw herself into Yang's arms and hugged her as tightly as she could, "I missed you so much!"

Yang wrapped her arms around Weiss' smaller frame and rested her head on hers with a small chuckle, "We were only apart for, like, twenty-eight minutes."

"The longest twenty-eight minutes of my life…" Weiss whispered.

"Tell me about it," Yang giggled, remembering the state of mind she was in just minutes ago.

Weiss leaned back and looked up at Yang with soft, sky-blue eyes, "Yang, I am so sorry for—"

"Stop," ordered Yang, "You don't have to apologize for anything. Your dad fooled everyone, including me."

Weiss sighed and looked at the door behind them.

Yang rubbed the back of her head and cleared her throat, "So, are we just going to hide here for a while?"

"No," Weiss frowned and turned back to Yang, "My father will hunt us forever unless we end this properly. He probably already knows where we are anyway thanks to that guy he brought with him."

"This time, we'll do it together," Yang smiled with determination.

"I wouldn't have it any other way," Weiss smiled back.

Yang's scroll buzzed in her pocket. She pulled it out and answered it without hesitation.

"Yang, did you find Weiss?" asked the unforgettable voice of Ruby Rose.

"Yeah, she's right here."

"Hello, Ruby. It's so good to hear your voice," said Weiss.

"What's going on?" asked Blake, "Did Mr. Schnee let Weiss stay?"

Yang and Weiss grimaced at each other.

"Uh, not exactly," said Yang.

"We're at the dance hall right now," said Weiss, "We're going to confront him here."

"What can we do to help?" asked Ruby.

"Ruby, I don't want to have you two get involved if I don't have to. My father is ruthless and won't hesitate to ruin you."

"We don't care. We're your team, Weiss. We're here to defend you."

Weiss smiled and shared a look with Yang, "Okay, Ruby. Once my father gets here, we need a way to keep him inside the hall until we say everything we need to."

"Sounds easy enough," said Blake, "We can grab Jaune's team and hold the doors closed. Would that work?"

Weiss smiled, "Wonderfully."

"Okay! We'll see you soon! Good luck!" cheered Ruby.

With that, the scroll went silent, and so did the hall.

Yang bit her lip, "Are you nervous?"

Weiss watched the door, intently, "A little."

"Are you sure there's no other way? Something a little more in our control?"

Weiss shook her head, "This is the only way. He has the time and resources to chase us if we run."

"What if… what if he doesn't listen? What if this doesn't work?"

Weiss turned to Yang and held her hands in her own, "It will work. It has to… But if it doesn't," she said as she looked into Yang's pleading eyes, "Then I want you to know, that—"

The doors swung open, washing the dance hall with blinding natural light and the crisp outdoor air.

Weiss frowned at Yang and let go of her hands as they both faced the men that entered the hall.

Jacques strode into the room, a dark expression on his face, with Hazel just behind him who had slammed the doors shut. The tension in the room spiked, and no one said a word.

"I've had enough of this game of cat and mouse we play," said Jacques, at last, "It is time you come home."

Weiss felt Yang's presence beside her and found her confidence rising, "Why? Is it so you can lock me up again like some criminal?"

"I already told you why I need you at home. I did not lie about wanting to fix the family," Jacques growled.

"I want that too, Father, but that will never happen if you keep acting like this."

"Acting like what? A father?" Jacques ridiculed.

Weiss wanted to laugh, but her ire did not let her.

"You really think this is what fathers do? Force his children to do whatever he wants regardless of their hopes and aspirations!?"

"You are my daughter, and I am your father!" Jacques shouted, "You are my responsibility and my liability!"

"Maybe so, but I am no one's puppet!" Weiss screeched, "You can't control what I do with my life! Fathers are supposed to be guides, support! You only mold and force your will!"

Jacques let out an irritated groan, "Can't you see I'm only trying to do what's best for our family?"

"That will never happen if you force me to go with you!"

"Arrogant child! I said it's time we leave!"

"I won't go with you!" Weiss cried and took a deep breath, "Not like this."

Rage flashed in Jacques' eyes and he growled, "Mr. Rainart, I've wasted enough effort trying to convince my daughter to come home. Secure her and bring her back to the airship."

Hazel stepped around Jacques and cracked his knuckles, "As you wish."

Weiss gasped as her eyes shot open. There was no way her father could do something like this. She stepped backward.

Hazel slowly approached, his towering height, sending shivers down her spine.

She reached for her hip, feeling the soft warm fabric of her combat skirt instead of the cold hard steel of Myrtenaster.

Her blood went cold, but she was quickly filled with a pleasant warmth as a large mane of blonde hair stepped in front of her.

Yang extended Ember Celica, her eyes flashing a deadly red, "Don't you dare touch her."

Hazel halted and looked back at Jacques.

"Deal with her," said Jacques.

Hazel resumed his lumbering with a new goal in mind.

Yang raised her arm and gently pushed Weiss' away, "Get back, Weiss."

"Yang, you're going to get hurt," Weiss pleaded, refusing to leave her side.

Yang glanced at Hazel and smirked at Weiss, "He doesn't look so tough."

Yang winked as she shoved Weiss out of harm's reach and squared up to Hazel.

Hazel stood a few feet in front of Yang, "Back down, and I won't have to do anything you'll regret."

"I don't think so," Yang spat.

Hazel shook his head, "Then you leave me no choice."

With surprising speed, hazel raised his large fist and swung at Yang's head.

Yang yelped and narrowly ducked under it, landing a few quick jabs on the man's ribs. Without any sign of pain, Hazel turned and swung at Yang with the back of his hand, colliding with Yang's shoulder and sending her a few feet towards the door.

"Yang!" Weiss cried as she rushed toward her girlfriend.

"It's time to leave, Weiss," Jacques growled as he gripped Weiss' arm and began to pull her towards the door.

"Let go of me!" Weiss shouted, not taking her eyes off Yang as she quickly got back to her feet and lunged at Hazel.

Jacques continued to drag Weiss to the door and tried to push it open.

The door did not move.

He tried again, to no avail, "What is wrong with this damn door!"

Weiss internally thanked Ruby and Blake as she watched Yang fight.

Yang sprinted at Hazel, winding her gauntleted fist back to slam it into Hazel's chest, only to fake it. Instead, she slid between his legs, firing her gauntlets to propel her, and threw a right hook directly into his lower back.

Hazel swung his massive arm around behind him at Yang's head.

Yang saw it coming and braced herself, stopping the strike with a block, that sent a wave of pain through her forearm. She grunted as Hazel grabbed her arm and threw her across the dance hall.

"Mr. Rainart!" shouted Jacques, "Break these doors down! I'm sick of this place!"

Hazel turned and slowly walked towards the doors.

Yang growled as her eyes flashed red, "No!" she shouted as she climbed to her feet and rushed toward the giant man. She fired at the ground, shooting her into the air, and let out a battle cry as her first dropped down and collided with the back of Hazel's skull.

Hazel grunted and fell to one knee, shaking his head and rubbing his face.

Yang ran in between Hazel and the doors, firing an explosive shell at the downed man.

"Stay down!" she cried as Hazel's aura absorbed the damage.

Hazel quickly recovered and sprinted at Yang, throwing several punches.

Yang brought up her guard, dodging and weaving through Hazel's onslaught. She sidestepped a devastating straight punch and threw a strong uppercut into his chin.

Hazel countered by bringing his arms above his head and bringing them down together on top of Yang.

Yang barely stepped back in time and began shooting a volley of shotgun blasts at Hazel.

The giant held up his arms, blocking the rounds from hitting his face and charged at Yang, slamming into her with his shoulder.

Yang slid across the dancefloor, managing to stay on her feet.

Hazel bared his teeth and threw his dark green cloak off his shoulders, "I warned you…"

He reached into two pouched on both of his legs and revealed four lightning dust crystals. He slowly raised them into the air and plunged them deep into his biceps. In seconds, his muscles grew and made him appear even larger than before as electricity coursed through his veins and around his body.

With a loud howl, Hazel slammed his fists against the floor, cracking the wood underneath and sending shockwaves at Yang.

Yang gasped and hastily jumped to avoid the wave, launching two explosive shells at Hazel while in the air.

Hazel shielded his face from the explosion with his arms and jumped into the air, grabbing Yang and dragging her back to the ground. He raised a charged first and brought it down, aiming for Yang's stomach.

On instinct, Yang rolled backward and onto her feet as Hazel's first crushed the floor where she had just been laying, sending another shockwave around him.

Yang quickly found herself on the defensive as Hazel swiped at her relentlessly. She could feel her steps getting sloppier as Hazel continued to overwhelm her defenses.

She misstepped, and Hazel's hand smashed into her left rib.

She let out a cry of pain that echoed throughout the hall.

"Yang!" Weiss cried.

Hazel gripped Yang's arm, hoisting her over his head and throwing her into the ground. He raised his arm, letting lightning charge in his fist.

"Yang! Get up! Please!"

Hazel's fist flew at Yang, only to meet the dance hall floor.

Yang rolled out of the way and stood up. Her hair burning with an angry heat that matched the color of her eyes.

Hazel winded his fist back and threw it as Yang did the same. A wave of heat and lightning pulsed through the room as their fists collided.

Hazel was sent stumbling back as Yang screamed and pelted him with dozens of jabs and hooks. With one last punch, Yang reeled back and threw a powerful straight punch into Hazel's chest, sending him into the wall at the back of the dance hall.

The giant huffed as he stood up as if he did not feel an ounce of pain from her powerful attack, causing Yang's face to fall.

"You are strong," Hazel said as he reached into his pouches again, "But not strong enough."

He brought out a pair of fire dust crystals and howled as he impaled them into his biceps.

Yang quickly checked her scroll. Her aura was already low, but she could only assume Hazel's was too. She had to keep going. If she failed, Weiss would be taken away. She would not let that happen.

Yang steeled herself and raised her gauntleted arms. She studied Hazel's arms and the crystals that stuck out of them. All she needed to do was get those crystals.

Hazel raised his arms and let the fire and lightning charge up. He shouted as she extended his arms at Yang, sending an explosive firebolt at her.

Yang propelled herself out of the way with her gauntlets and sprinted at Hazel. She launched herself directly at him, only to fire a round at the floor, sending her in an arc over Hazel. As the left cross that was aimed at her missed completely, she reached out and tore two lightning dust crystals out of his arm.

Hazel growled angrily as Yang landed out of his reach, dropping the two bloody crystals at her feet.

"You may be stronger," Yang snarled, "But I'm smarter."

Hazel bared his teeth and swung his left arm in front of him, sending a wave of flames at Yang.

Yang slid under the heat and launched an explosive round at Hazel, who shot a beam of fire at it, detonating it in midair. Before the dust could clear up, Yang jumped through it, aiming a kick at Hazel's chest, but going for the fire dust crystal in his left arm, instead. She pulled it out of his flesh but did not make it far enough.

Hazel gripped her arm and grasped the crystal with his right hand, surging with electricity.

Yang pulled as hard as she could, and she could feel it slipping from her grasp.

Hazel roared and squeezed the crystal.

"Yang! Let go!" shouted Weiss.

Before Yang could think about why Weiss would say that, everything became clear. The fire dust crystal spontaneously combusted, causing Yang to stumble back as she coughed in the smoke.

"Look out!"

Yang opened her eyes to see a fist that slammed into her face, sending her rolling on the floor. She groaned as her aura crackled and broke, leaving her defenseless on the ground as her head spun.

Hazel quickly closed the distance and winded up his fist, ready to send it into Yang.

Yang sighed. She failed, again.

"I'm so sorry, Weiss," she whispered as she watched Hazel's fist approach her.

"Yang!" Weiss cried.

Yang's closed her eyes, accepting the pain that would soon take over her mind. But the pain never came. Everything felt… cool. Like there was a giant block of ice inches away from her face.

Yang slowly opened her eyes and her jaw dropped.

Just before her was a massive, glowing fist that had stopped Hazel's punch in its tracks. The fist was white and looked like it belonged on a suit of armor. It was sticking out of the ground through a glyph.

Hazel struggled to tear his fist out of the gauntlet's grip.

Slowly, the gauntlet began to rise as the rest of what seemed to be an arm slowly raised out of the glyph. Eventually, a helmet then full body of armor ascended out of the glyph.

Yang watched in awe as a massive, white knight stood its full height and lifted Hazel by the fist like he was a doll.

Hazel screamed as the armor hurled him into the doors, causing the wood to snap off its hinges and fall flat on the ground outside.

Jacques stared, horrified at his unconscious bodyguard that now laid on the ground with Ruby, Blake, and Team JNPR surrounding him, equally shocked. He slowly turned to the towering knight, the Arma Gigas.

The Arma Gigas stood, frozen for a moment. Its head snapped to Jacques, staring at him with its empty, black eyes, and broke into a sprint, drawing its gauntlet back to obliterate him.

Jacques let out a terrified shout and brought his arms up in an attempt to shield himself, but the pain never came. He slowly lowered his arms to find the glowing fist mere inches away from his face.

Weiss sighed as she walked over to Yang, helping her back to her feet. She turned to her father and slowly shook her head, "You still don't understand."

Like a dream, the knight faded away, floating through the air as a cloud of dust that resembled snow.

Weiss chuckled dryly, "It's ironic. You say you want to fix the family. You want us all to be happy for once, but to you, it only matters if you are happy and everyone else has to be complaisant."

For once, Jacques had nothing to add to his daughter's comment.

Weiss took her father's silence as a sign he was listening and continued, "You know, it was hard for me to find happiness when I first came here. Everything you put me through was debilitating, to say the least. Crushing anxiety, sleepless nights, incontinent temper… I was exactly what you wanted me to be." Weiss sighed and looked into her father's eyes, "I hated that person. That person didn't know happiness. But here, with all these new people and experiences, that changed. Thanks to my friends, my team, Yang… I know happiness. Where you showed me scorn, she showed me kindness. Where you showed me negligence, she showed me care. Where you made me fear…," she briefly glanced at Yang, "she made me love. Which is why I will never leave her or any of the friends I've made here."

Jacques studied Weiss, his anger spiking, "You want to stay here and not help our family?" he spat as looked at Yang, "How could you choose this girl over your own family?"

"Because I love Yang!" Weiss cried and turned to Yang, smiling at her softly, "I love her…"

Yang smiled and felt her heart flutter as she felt tears of joy forming in her eyes.

Weiss turned back to her father and stepped forward, "And Yang has been more of a family to me than you've ever been."

Jacques stood, dumbfounded, with his mouth ajar. Slowly, he blinked and looked away, "You… love her," he whispered, "Love…"

Weiss watched intently, as Jacques stood there, contemplating his next move. She hoped there was any semblance of humanity left in her father.

Jacques sighed and met his daughter's eyes, "There's nothing I can say to convince you to come home, is there?"

Weiss shook her head.

Jacques bit his lip and slowly nodded his head, "Very well. I will leave you all be," he turned to the entrance and stopped, looking back at Weiss, "Perhaps you could visit sometime whenever you are ready."

"When I know you understand what our family really needs," said Weiss.

With a nod, Jacques Schnee stepped outside.

The hall was quiet. Weiss had to wait for a moment, not believing this whole situation was over. Soon, a feeling of pure joy filled her, and she spun around to face the person that made all this possible.

"Yang, I—"

"I love you, too!" Yang laughed as she hugged Weiss, lifting her into the air and spinning her in a circle. She planted a loving kiss on her lips, "Gods, I love you…"

The two stood, laughing and loving, as Ruby, Blake, and Team JNPR rushed into the dance hall, cheering and laughing with them.

"Yay! We did it!" cheered Ruby as everyone giggled.

"I… can't believe it's over," Weiss sighed, "It's almost like I don't know what to do now," Weiss suddenly gasped and smiled, "Wait! Yang!"

Yang chuckled and grinned at her girlfriend, "What is it?"

"Project Freezerburn!"

Yang gasped, and her jaw dropped, "I completely forgot!"

Ruby and Blake shared confused looks with Team JNPR.

"Uh… what are you guys talking about?" asked Jaune.

Weiss stayed attached to Yang by the hip and grinned, "There's something in the garden that we want you all to see!"

"Well, what are we waiting for!?" cheered Nora, "I love surprises!"

Everyone laughed as they all funneled out of the dance hall. Jacques and Hazel were gone.

They talked and laughed as they followed the path back to the garden. Weiss found it hard to believe this whole day began at the garden. She looked up at the sky, the light grey clouds finally allowing the sun to peek through.

When they reached the garden, Yang and Weiss, together, stepped into the stone structure.

"Feast your eyes!" grinned Yang as she presented the collage.

"Holy crap! There are so many drawings!" gasped Ruby as she stepped closer to the board.

Weiss took a deep breath, "Everyone, could I have your attention, please?"

All heads in the garden turned and regarded Weiss.

She smiled and took a moment to look at each of her friends in their eyes.

"I want you all to know just how thankful I am for your help," Weiss began, "I didn't lie when I said you've been like a family to me. Through the rough parts and the wonderful parts, you never gave up on me…" Weiss wiped her eyes and smiled, "There is nothing I can do that would truly repay you all for your kindness and compassion, but this board, a collage of our greatest moments together, is as close as I can get. Thank you."

"Aw! Come here, you!" laughed Nora as she hugged her far too tightly.

One by one, all Weiss' friends hugged her and marveled at the project. Some sketches made them laugh, others made them cry. There was a surprising number that embarrassed Jaune and Ruby.

There was one sketch that stood out to Weiss, however. At the very center of the board was a sketch that had taken her all year to complete. The sketch of the lone, faceless dancer.

Only now, she had a face, and she was no longer alone. Weiss had always thought that beautiful dancer should be someone she loved, so she drew herself. She could finally love herself as Yang loved her. It was for that reason, she also added a second dancer: Yang.

"Yang?" asked Weiss.

"Yes?"

"I'm exhausted."

Yang chuckled and wrapped her arm around Weiss' torso, "Me too."

"Let's leave."

"Already?"

Weiss looked at her friends, all preoccupied with the board, "I don't think we'll be missed."

Yang shrugged, "Okay. Back to the dorm?"

Weiss smiled and looked into Yang's eyes, "I had somewhere else in mind."

Yang raised an eyebrow, "Alright… lead the way."

Weiss began to giggle as she gripped Yang's hand and dragged her back to the dorm building.

Yang shot a confused look at Weiss as they walked passed their dorm room, but immediately knew where they were going once they reached the stairs.

Weiss threw open the door to the roof of the dorm building and led Yang to sit beside her on the ledge that overlooked the campus. They sat together, quietly enjoying each other's company.

"I'm sorry I left," Weiss said suddenly.

"You have nothing to be sorry about," Yang smiled.

Weiss chuckled and looked down at the campus below, "I thought my father could give me something that I had been waiting for my whole life."

"So, it's understandable that you wanted to go with him, and you were justified in doing that."

Weiss shook her head, "No… I wasn't. I was so busy thinking about the happy family my father was offering that I failed to realize that I already had that all along…with you."

Weiss' heart swelled as those wonderful lilac irises gazed lovingly into her own blue ones. She scooted closer to Yang and rested her head in the crook of her neck. They sat together, at the very location where Weiss revealed her scar and began her healing, and they never wanted to let go.

And as the first snow of winter began to fall from the grey clouds, neither of them felt cold. To be honest with herself, Weiss was done being cold and broken. She was finally whole.

When she first came to Beacon, she did not know who she was. As far as she was concerned, she was a different person entirely.

Then she met Yang, a beautiful, blonde, brute who always seemed to find herself on Weiss' bad side. In time, she would find Yang to be so much more.

Yang was the person to bring a light to her dark, depressing life. She helped Weiss realize she had a choice. Weiss became the person she was always destined to be.

And now, as snowflakes fell on her body and melted away, Weiss was warm. She had Yang to keep her that way, now and forever.

Because Weiss was finally free to be what she wanted to be.

Because Weiss was no longer afraid.

Because Weiss loved Yang, and Yang loved Weiss.

And there it is! My first fanfiction finally complete! I didn't want you guys to wait too long for the finale after last chapter's cliff hanger, so I decided to just release the last two together. Also, thank you and congratulations to therandompers for being the first reviewer of the last chapter. You get a suprise shoutout! Anyway...

Thank you all so much for sticking with me through the wonderful ride of writing this story! The rest of this authors note is going to be about my thoughts while writing this story, so if you're interested, feel free to keep reading! For the rest of you, don't worry, I won't feel bad if you leave. Just remember to leave a review and look out for the epilogue/sneak peek at my next story!

That's right! There's going to be an epilogue that will introduce my next story where Weiss and Yang are parents! Hooray for freezerbabies! More on that in a second...

For now, I want to talk about the story. Basically, when I first planned out this story, I wanted it to be a nice, easy, "average" fanfiction where the girls go to Beacon, fall in love, etc. Hopefully, I did more than that and made the story more compelling than originally planned, and I think I did. I always wanted Weiss and Yang to be on the same page. They didn't like each other at the same time, they were sorta kinda friends at the same time, they felt like they loved each other at the same time and so on. I also incorporated two major central themes in this story that I will reveal in the epilogue authors note. For now, I think it would be fun if you guys wrote a review and tried to guess them. I would love to hear what you, my dearest readers, think of this story, so please leave a review!

Now, back to the freezerbabies...

The sequel to this story will be more centered on Yang this time and will be the introduction of my version of Weiss and Yang's children. I got the idea from the reaction of Weiss and Yang when they saw baby Adrian in volume 6 (so cute!). They're both going to be girls and their names are going to start with a 'W' to keep the schnee tradition rolling. I have an idea of what their names will be, but I am open to suggestions! If you have some, contact me at my Tumblr (snipersphere900) or tell me in your review! I plan to use the freezerbabies in future stories as well.

One problem I had while writing Project Freezerburn was feeling burned out of the ship, so the way I'm going to combat this is by writing a second non-freezerburn story at the same time. Fear not! I will still mainly write freezerburn, as it is my favorite ship! I have several ideas for several stories that I will summarize in the author's note of the epilogue/pre-sequel. I also plan to edit the entire story, combing out any and all typos and bad wording, and upload it to AO3, so if you're interested in reading Project Freezerburn again, look out for it there for a more refined experience!

I think that's all I wanted to say. If I forgot something... oh well.

For now, I am marking this story as complete, since it basically is. Once again, thank you so much for reading, please leave a review, and look out for the epilogue/sneak peek/pre-sequal/...somthing!