Disclaimer: All characters belong to Rooster Teeth Productions

Edited by ToxicExotic

Chapter 81 - Reality Check

"Hello. Jacques Schnee's office. This is Weiss Schnee speaking."

Despite the smile on her face and the friendliness of her voice, Weiss couldn't help but be a little bitter. It had been over a week since she had been forced into being her father's assistant, and so far she had hated pretty much every moment of it.

"Hello. This is Dopp Le'Fect from Scarlatina Design. I'm calling on behalf of Mr Scarlatina."

"Oh, yes. I've been expecting your call." For over an hour, Weiss grumbled in her head. "How can I be of help?"

"Mr Scarlatina was hoping to arrange a meeting with your father to discuss an urgent matter. Would you be able to pencil us in for two o'clock tomorrow?"

"One moment." Bringing up the schedule, Weiss groaned internally and shook her head as she knew what was going to come. "I'm afraid his schedule is full for the next week. I can find space for him to call you instead if you would like?"

"Mr Scarlatina would much prefer to discuss this in person."

"The earliest we would be able to do is next friday at 11am." She offered.

Once again, Weiss sighed as the woman rejected the offer and countered with her own. It wasn't that she blamed the woman for doing her job, she was simply tired of doing it herself. It felt unproductive compared to what she could be doing and every single phone call to arrange a dinner was slowly chipping away at her soul. But she knew she couldn't let onto that.

"Saturday at 3pm?" Weiss repeated, quickly checking the schedule to see it was an open spot. "That works perfectly."

"Brilliant. Please tell your father that Mr Scarlatina looks forward to seeing him."

"I will." Weiss lied. "Have a nice day."

"You too."

Hanging up the phone, Weiss finally let out the long groan she had been holding in and let her head fall into her arms. Peering sideways to the clock in the corner of her computer, she saw that there was still another forty minutes until her lunch break and quickly shut her eyes. Opening then again in hopes that reality might have changed, she was sad to see that the clock remained the same.

To her surprise however, as she was looking at the clock, she saw her Scroll light up with an email notification. Despite figuring it was most likely spam, as most had been for the past two weeks, Weiss tiredly lifted her head and logged into her email address to make sure it wasn't important. Thankfully she did, as the second she saw who it was from her eyes shot open and her heart immediately picked up its pace, which only quickened after reading the subject line.

'Regarding your offer.'

After so long, Aweburn had finally made his decision. And without wasting a second, Weiss opened it to find a short message inside.

'Dear, Weiss,

My apologies for taking so long with my reply. I'm sure that you understand my hesitancy given both our pasts and what happened the last time I attempted such a project. However, after much reflection and thought, I have finally come to a decision.

You are right. Time is running short and soon my patent will end up in the hands of the highest bidder. Someone who will do with it what I have spent my life trying to prevent. I cannot allow this to happen. So despite my fear and trepidation, I would like to accept your offer to work on this project my own way.

I do however have some concerns, especially regarding recent news, that need discussing, so I shall be travelling to Vale in two weeks. In the meantime, feel free to have your lawyers contact mine and we can begin negotiations.

Sincerely yours,

Aweburn Fletch'

Even after reading it through five times, Weiss couldn't believe her eyes. It had been nearly three weeks since her meeting with Fletch and with no word from him she had believed her pitch to have failed. However, the message before her not only confirmed she had not failed, but it also happened to be one of the most respectful messages that Fletch had ever sent her. That politeness in, and of, itself was a courtesy she knew most people were not given.

After a sixth read through however, she soon found her shock began to fade, and quickly be replaced by excitement. This was what she needed. Finally, after years of being under Jacques' thumb, years of being beholden to him in hopes to inherit the company and change the world, she finally had a chance at her own company. Her own chance to prove herself and make an impact. So with a smile slowly growing on her face and her fingers beginning to shake, she typed out her response.

'Dear, Aweburn,

Your hesitancy was expected, and for good reason. I understand that there is a lot of personal history tied up in this patent, and know how important it is to you that it is used right; but I am delighted to hear that you are willing to make another attempt. Trust me when I say that I am entirely committed to making the project everything you dreamed it would be, and in the way you wanted it to be. Our goals are aligned in this, and together I believe that we can create something incredible that will help everybody.

As for your concerns, I will be glad to hear them. Please let me know when your visit to Vale is finalised and I will free my schedule. I shall also speak with my attorney as soon as I have a moment to spare and have them reach out to yours.

Yours sincerely,

Weiss Schnee'

As she hit the send button, Weiss couldn't believe it. After months of chasing the patent, months spent talking to Fletch and gaining his trust, she finally almost had it. All she had to do was assuage his concerns and get the contract sorted. And since she knew what his concerns likely were due to the email, she knew that would be absolutely no problem. And once everything was resolved, there would be no end to the things they could accomplish together. With a smile at that fact as she felt her heart begin to race, she checked the clock again to see there was only twenty minutes left until her break so sent a message for Hazel to meet her downstairs and returned to jealously watching the meeting Jacques was having in his office.

However, even twenty minutes, and three messages, later as she entered the elevator and began to descend to the lower floor, the man had yet to message her back. It was quite unusual as Hazel's replies were almost always sent within a minute; but since the man had never once let her down since Klein's recommendation, she exited the elevator and walked toward the entrance. Not believing the man would be late, she stepped out of the building and scanned the area for her car. Though she didn't see it, she did see a familiar car with an equally familiar persona standing beside it.

Standing beside Hazel's personal vehicle was not the eight feet tall gargantuan man that she had become accustomed to, but instead a much smaller girl with dark skin and short green hair. A white cropped jacket covered her upper half with a green crop top just managing to peak out from below, both leaving the girl's stomach entirely exposed. From the waist down she wore white jeans and brown chaps over her long legs, and black shoes. As Weiss drew closer, she saw that the girl's eyes were a deep red that stood out strikingly against her skin tone and attire.

In truth, the girl was gorgeous. The outfit that proudly accentuated the curves of her body, the confident way she held herself, the intensity of her eyes; all of it was captivating. Not as captivating as Yang, but definitely enough that Weiss had to stop her eyes from wandering.

"Emerald, right?" She asked with a friendly smile, coming to a stop in front of the girl she recognised from the picture Hazel kept on the dashboard. "Where's your uncle?"

"He's sick." The girl said cautiously, her voice lighter than Weiss expected. "So I figured I could drive instead." She paused momentarily, but quickly shook her head and continued. "I know the answer is probably no, but we really need the money right now."

Taking a second to survey the girl, though not too closely, Weiss thought on the offer. If Hazel really was sick, which she was more than willing to believe given the frequency of his coughing over the last few days, then that meant Weiss would be forced to go back to using other drivers picked out by her father. And while that wasn't as big of a deal as it would have been a few weeks ago due to her visits to Yang no longer being a secret, she was really not keen on the idea. The man had already taken control of her work life, and by extension her social life by keeping her too busy to see Yang, but she would not willingly give him another way to control her.

So, deeming Emerald a better option than the alternative, she gave the girl a soft hum. "You have a driving license?"

"Yeah."

"You're on this vehicle's insurance?"

"It's a family plan."

"And you know your way around Vale?"

"Most places, yeah."

"Then I am willing to give this arrangement a try." Weiss said with a firm nod.

"You are?"

"Trial basis only, of course." Weiss said with a smile. "And only until your uncle is feeling better."

"Of course." The girl said with a sigh of relief, her face breaking into a happy smile that only made her even more beautiful. "Thank you for this."

"Not at all." Weiss said with a shake of her head, pulling the car door open herself. "Your uncle has always been good to me, so I am happy to help where I can."

"Thanks." Emerald nodded, her smile disappearing and returning to her more cool expression. "He actually likes driving you around though. Last douchebag he worked for always had him coming home pissed."

"That's good to know." Weiss smiled at the girl's language and more talkative nature, slipping inside the car as Emerald got into the driver's seat. "So what is wrong with him?"

"Flu. Doctor said he'll be fine soon. Where we going?"

"Black Cat Coffee, please."

"That's near Scarlatina Design, isn't it?" Weiss gave a nod and the girl started the car. "Alright then."

The drive over to Blake's store had actually been quite enjoyable. While it definitely wasn't the quiet journey she was used to with Hazel, nor the excited ramblings that usually took place with Yang or Ruby, instead conversation with Emerald tended to flow quite nicely. Just like her uncle, she tended to favour shorter answers over long ones, but unlike Hazel, she actually seemed willing to talk and ask some questions herself.

Weiss was happy to learn a little more about Hazel's life though. With the man never being much for conversation, all she had really known was that he had a niece. However, thanks to Emerald she now knew a little more about him such as his interest in gemstones, that he was an incredibly good fighter, and that his tendency to wake up early was apparently exceptionally annoying since his heavy footsteps tended to wake Emerald up. Most shocking to her though was the fact that both Hazel and Emerald were actually from Mantle.

She didn't know why, but she had always assumed that the man was from Vacuo. With his tanned skin, muscular frame, and general gruff demeanor he would definitely fit in with the desert dwellers; but apparently that wasn't the case. She had also learned that Hazel's sister Gretchen, Emerald's mother, had passed away during childbirth, and that he had fought like hell to keep Emerald in his custody. The more she listened to the girl talk, the more grateful she became towards her usual driver.

Eventually though, they arrived at the store and stepped out of the car. As they did, Weiss spotted her girlfriend in the window, her bright blonde hair drawing the eye as the sunlight glinted off of it. As if nature needed to balance out the light however, Raven sat beside her; the woman's hair so dark that it seemed to actively repel the sunlight. Before she could even approach, she saw Yang's eyes flick to her and a bright smile pulled at her lips, one that Weiss happily mimicked as she walked towards the door and held it open for Emerald.

"Feel free to get whatever you want while you're waiting for me." Weiss smiled at her.

"Thanks."

As Emerald took off towards the counter, Weiss gave Blake a quick wave, that the girl understood as wanting her usual, and pointing to Emerald to show she was with her. After getting a nod in return, she turned and made her way over to the table where Yang and Raven sat. Even as she walked forward, she could already feel her heart beating faster as the excitement to tell Yang the good news began to pulse through her body.

"Good afternoon, Miss Branwen." She said, trying to keep her composure despite the huge smile remaining on her face.

"Afternoon."

"Hey." Yang said, leaning over to give her a quick kiss. As Yang pulled away though, she gave her a mischievous look. "Who's the girl? And should I be worried about you smiling like that after walking in with her?"

"That is Hazel's niece." Weiss grinned at her and sat down. "He's sick so she is covering."

"Ahhh."

"And you know full well that you will never have to worry about such a thing."

"I do." Yang smirked and kissed her again. "She is a snack though."

Seeing Yang's eyes glance over at Emerald, Weiss followed her gaze and saw that the girl's back profile was also rather alluring. Not wanting to give Yang the satisfaction however, she simply turned away.

"Really?" Weiss responded with a playful shrug. "I hadn't noticed."

"Mhm. I'm sure you didn't." The blonde chuckled.

"So what is the smile about?" Raven asked.

"Well…"

She paused for a second and both Yang and Raven gave her an interested look. She really didn't want to pull away from the time Yang was spending with her birth mother, especially since Yang had been spending a little more time with her father lately due to the therapy session and Ruby insisting on dinners. However, she was so excited that she knew she wouldn't be able to wait any longer.

"Fletch finally got back to me." She said, unable to keep the happiness out of her voice.

"And?"

"He said yes!" She blurted out, Yang eyes widening a little. "He's coming to Vale in a few weeks to discuss the contract."

"Honey, that's amazing!" The boxer said, pulling her into a hug. "I told you he'd accept."

"I know, I know." Weiss took a deep breath. "It's just… I finally have what I always wanted. A company that can actually do some good."

"Congratulations." Raven offered kindly. "So what exactly is this company?"

"Nothing…" Weiss replied, pulling away from her girlfriend and looking at the older woman, the smile still plastered on her face. "Not at the minute anyway. But once the contract is signed, it will be a start-up that focuses on making cleaner and cheaper travel."

"A nice goal." The woman acknowledged and drank the last of her tea. "But I hope you stay away from our bikes."

Yang gave a playful gasp and turned to her. "You wouldn't?"

"Don't worry." Weiss chuckled and tapped her girlfriend's hand. "I won't be going anywhere near your bikes. Once was enough for me, thank you very much."

Weiss was only half serious. While the bike ride had not been anywhere near as bad as she'd expected, it had definitely not been the calmest experience of her life. As such, she was quite content with using her car to get around unless there was no other choice available.

"Some people are just born to live in a box." Raven remarked playfully and turned to Yang. "Speaking of bikes though, I should get back to mine and leave you two to enjoy your lunch. This was fun though."

"It was." Yang said with a smile, standing up to give the woman a quick hug. "Just think about what I said."

"I'll give it some thought, I promise." The woman said in a reluctant voice, though she returned the hug with a smile.

"Good." The blonde nodded. "Have fun at work."

"Very funny."

"I try my best."

With an amused chuckle and a shake of her head, Raven pulled away. "It was nice seeing you again, Weiss."

"You too, Miss Branwen."

With a soft look at her daughter that lightened the black-haired woman's features by a considerable amount, Raven gave them both a small wave and left the store. As a loud roar rattled the table, Yang held out her hand and Weiss happily accepted it. Pulling to her feet, she let herself be guided over to the free couch near the bookshelves and dropped into it, immediately cuddling into her girlfriend.

"So what's going on with Raven?" She asked, curious what Yang was asking the woman to think about.

"Just Raven being Raven." Yang breathed and wrapped her arm around Weiss' shoulder. "My grandparents, Summer's parents, have been trying to reach out to her all week, but she keeps ignoring them."

"Oh…" She hummed awkwardly. "Why do they want to talk to her?"

"Dunno. I think they just wanna make sure she's okay. Dad said they were pretty pissed at him and Summer for a while about what they did to her."

"So why is she avoiding them?"

"I don't know." Yang grunted and shifted to a more comfortable position with her back against the arm and Weiss sat between her legs. "Like I said. Raven being Raven. Enough about that though. You gotta be pretty excited about Fletch, huh?"

Excitement was definitely an understatement. Even as she dug into her pocket and pulled out her Scroll, she could still feel the euphoria rushing through her veins. With a proud smile, she pulled up the email and handed it to Yang.

"Absolutely." She grinned and leaned back into her girlfriend. "Once this contract is sorted, I will finally have my own business. And if this project is successful, think of all the other things we could do with it. It won't just be planes, but cars, trains, maybe even houses."

"Really aiming high, huh?" Yang chuckled.

"I told you this patent was revolutionary. It could change how we approach renewable energy entirely."

"Mhm." The sundrop hummed, her face falling a little. "All you gotta do is sort out some of these recent concerns. Which I'm guessing means me?"

Turning around slightly, Weiss looked her girlfriend in the eye. In her happiness, she had forgotten that part was in there; and though she wanted to deny it, she had made a promise to be honest and not keep things from Yang anymore.

"Some of them are likely about your past." Weiss said quietly, but reached up and rested a hand against the girl's jaw. "But he also has his own share of personal reasons to be concerned. All of which I can ease his mind of, okay?"

"I know…" Yang mumbled and handed the Scroll back. "Just this is your dream and my pa-"

"Hey," Weiss cut her off softly. "We knew this was going to happen, and I still don't care. So put it out of your mind."

"Okay."

Hearing the rather uncertain tone in Yang's voice, Weiss leaned up and gently pressed their lips together. Pulling away, she saw the brooding look remained, though there was something different about it.

"Still sad here."

Rolling her eyes with a grin, Weiss leaned up again and continued the kiss, this time letting her hand slip into the girl's hair to pull her forward a little. The kiss that followed was probably the most heated one they'd shared in a while due to the goings on of their lives, but as she felt Yang bite at her lower lip her body began to react and she let a soft hum reverberate through her body. Knowing that a couch in the middle of a cafe facing a window that looked out over the street was definitely not the place to do what she wanted to do though, Weiss slowly pulled away and gave her girlfriend a wild grin.

"I love you. Nothing is going to change that."

"I love you too." Yang smiled, her eyes once again free of doubt. "Now go get the book I know you wanna get."

Loving just how much the woman knew her, Weiss pressed another kiss onto the blonde's lips and pushed herself up from the chair towards the bookshelves. However, just as she began to run her finger along their spines in search of the one she had been reading last time, a small commotion across the street caught her eye and she turned just in time to see Ruby running toward the store.

"What the…" Yang asked, clearly as confused as Weiss as she sat up in her chair.

She didn't have to wait long for the confusion to be resolved however, as a second after Ruby crossed the road with complete disregard for the traffic, a man with a camera and microphone appeared from the crowd and made after her.

"Son of a bitch!"

Almost instantly, Yang was off the couch and storming towards the door, arriving at the center isle as Ruby barrelled into the store. Fear and panic were etched into the girl's eyes and she immediately hid behind her sister as the man entered the store. However, a shiver of concern ran through her as Yang took a step towards him.

"Yang, don't." Weiss heard Blake call as she dropped the cup she was holding and quickly worked to unlock the hatch.

"Yang, would you like t... GAH!"

Without hesitation, Yang grabbed the reporter by the jacket and slammed him against one of the load bearing pillars, sending his camera and microphone crashing to the floor. Letting out a gasp as every eye turned to look at them, Weiss rushed forward and tried to loosen one of the hands around the man's jacket but it refused to budge.

"Yan-"

"What! Are! You! Doing!" The woman growled into the man's face, her voice low and dangerous.

"Yang, stop!" Weiss pleaded, but she was once again ignored.

Before her was not the Yang she knew. She wasn't the kind and compassionate soul that was always trying to make people laugh, the girl who was gentler than anyone she had known despite her appearance. No, the girl holding the man against the wall was angry, and that anger seemed to roll off of her. Her knuckles were white against her skin, the muscles in her arms twisted with their true strength, and her normally peaceful lilac eyes had darkened so much that they almost looked red.

No, this way the Yang that Yang tried so hard to hide. The Yang she had heard about, but had only seen a glimpse of during their argument in Argus. Unlike that glimpse however, this time Weiss really did feel a slight hint of concern at what the girl could do. At what she kept buried.

"I… j-just had q-questions." The man stuttered, his eyes also sharing Weiss' concern.

"SO YOU CHASED HER?" Yang shouted, shaking the man roughly.

Remembering an earlier conversation where Yang had revealed why Ruby hated being chased, Weiss immediately understood why the woman was so angry. However, even though Weiss was certainly not happy with the man herself, that didn't change the fact that Yang needed to to calm down.

"DO YOU THINK YOU C-"

"Yang!"

Though she hadn't yelled at all, Blake's voice cracked through the room like a whip, and despite anger still burning in her eyes, Yang faltered. Looking up, Weiss saw the faunus striding over, her amber eyes unflinching as she approached her best friend and laid a hand on her shoulder.

"You're scaring Ruby."

Sure enough, as they all glanced over to the redhead, they saw that the girl was trying to make herself appear as small as possible as she pressed into a corner. Her arms were crossed and an extremely uncomfortable look was on her face as it remained fixed on the ground. In her hand was her Scroll, its screen unlocked with a map loaded up that showed a marker that Weiss figured was likely Yang's location.

Upon seeing it, the anger immediately faded from Yang's eyes and she let the man go, quickly rushing over to pull the girl into a hug and whispering comforting words that Weiss couldn't hear.

"I could have her arrested for that." The man said and brushed off his jacket, his confidence clearly returning now that Yang was gone.

"Shut up." Blake spat at him. While she definitely wasn't as physical as Yang, there was no mistaking the venom in her voice. "Ruby is a minor, you shouldn't even be asking her questions without parental supervision."

"She's sixteen. Freedom of the press says I can, love."

"Not when they have a mental disability!"

That clearly took the man by surprise, and his brow raised with realisation. Though he was right that sixteen was the lower age range of when people in Vale began to be subject to adult law instead of child laws, that was not the case for children with disabilities. For people with disabilities, especially mental disabilities, that age range started at eighteen instead; that included the freedom of the press laws that prohibited reporters from interviewing children without either a parent present or their express permission, something the vulturous man was clearly remembering.

"I… I didn't know."

"Well now you do." Weiss glared at him. "So if you print a single word of what happened here today, I promise you that my lawyers will be filing a reckless endangerment and harassment of a minor lawsuit against both you and whatever company you work for."

For a second the man's eyes flickered between them both, but the reality of the situation finally settled in and caused him to let out an accepting sigh. "Fine." He muttered bitterly.

"Good." Blake growled and bent down to pick up his camera and microphone, thrusting them into his arms. "Now get the fuck out of my shop."

Scowling at them both, he squeezed past them and mumbled something that Weiss didn't quite hear. It wasn't hard to guess what it was though as Blake's ears immediately flattened against her head. However, as Weiss went to call him back, she felt a hand clasp around her wrist and saw Blake shake her head.

"He's not worth it." She said, taking a quick glance at Yang and Ruby before turning back. "First time seeing her like that?"

Weiss gave a small nod, not knowing what else to say. Though she knew the girl had that inside of her, and that it had likely come out during her argument with Winter, it definitely wasn't easy to actually see the woman she loved become so consumed with rage.

"It can be rough." Blake nodded. "But never try to pull her off. Take control of the situation and remind her of the consequences. That's how Arslan always got her to calm down at least."

"Thanks, I'll keep that in mind." Weiss said gratefully, hoping she would never have to use that advice.

Letting out a frustrated sigh, Blake ran her hand through her short hair and shook her head before turning and walking over to Ruby and Yang.

"My apologies guys." She said loudly to the guests who were still watching. "Just a little disagreement, but it's all sorted now. Your next drinks will be on us."

As a happy murmuring ran through the crowd and everyone returned to their food, Blake placed a hand on the girls' shoulders and gave the younger girl a soft smile.

"You okay?" She said gently, receiving a nod from the redhead. "What d'ya say we help ourselves to the cookie tray?"

Ruby gave the girl a reluctant smile in return and after giving Yang a swift hug the two of them walked off towards the counter. Once they were gone, Weiss made her way over to her girlfriend and saw that there was indeed some anger still in her eyes.

"Fucking asshole." She swore, dropping into a nearby bench. "Who the fuck chases a scared teenager like that?"

"They do." Weiss sighed sadly, sitting down opposite her. "But…"

Weiss paused for a second, not knowing how to say what she needed to without sounding like she was telling her off. However, as Yang raised an eyebrow, she knew that was no way to do that and continued on instead.

"You can't respond to them like that." She said with a shake of her head. "I get you care about Ruby, I do too, but you are a public figure now. What you do reflects on me too, and reacting like that only gives validation to what the media is trying to paint you as right now."

Yang didn't reply, instead her eyebrows fell into a scowl. Weiss hated that she was having to criticize the blonde for protecting her sister, but she knew if something like that happened again then there would be trouble. With eyes everywhere, it would likely be seen and reported, and not only would that cause the media to harass Yang even more in order to make her look like a violent psychopath, but it would also cause Weiss to lose favour with business associates by being associated with her. And though that definitely wouldn't change how she felt or cause her to leave the blonde, potential business partners were something that were also important to her.

Thankfully, despite Weiss' worry that the girl might not take too kindly to being scolded, Yang's scowl eventually softened and she slumped against the back of her chair.

"You're right." She grumbled, her eyes falling to her lap. "I know I shouldn't've lost my cool, it's just… seeing Ruby like that. I dunno… my instincts kicked in I guess."

"I understand that." Weiss said softly, standing up and walking over to sit on the woman's lap. "Trust me, I do. I would do anything to protect Ruby too."

"I know." Yang muttered, her arms wrapping around Weiss' waist. "Sorry I got angry."

"Yes. That… wasn't exactly enjoyable to see either." Feeling Yang nuzzle into her neck, Weiss reached out and wrapped an arm around her shoulder. "But I suppose I was going to see it eventually."

"Does it change anything?" Yang asked, a little concern in her voice now.

Weiss' reply was immediate and without need for thought.

"Nope."

"Good. Good."

Sensing a little doubt in her voice, Weiss tapped her shoulder to get her attention. As the woman looked up and lilac eyes met hers, she let her hand slip into the girl's hair again and gently massaged her scalp with her thumb.

"I already knew you had a temper, remember?" She said in a soothing voice. "Seeing it doesn't change how much I love you."

Maintaining eye contact until the last remaining shred of doubt left her girlfriend's eyes, Weiss leaned in and pressed a delicate kiss against her lips. Pulling away, she rested their foreheads together and gave her a smile.

"Thank you." The girl breathed with relief, though Weiss shook her head to show it wasn't needed. "And I love you too."

"I know." Weiss replied smugly. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Blake approaching with some food and drinks so let herself slip off Yang's hips and onto the bench beside her. "Now, lets just enjoy the rest of our lunch. I have to go back to work soon and I do want to have some fun."

"That I can definitely do." The woman smiled and took her hand.

Waving goodbye to her girlfriend as she left for a job she hated, Yang slumped back into the bench and closed her eyes, letting out a long groan. Losing her cool twice in the same month was not something Yang was happy about. But not only had she lost her cool, both times she had hurt someone and potentially caused problems for Weiss, and though the woman had been understanding and only lightly scolded her for it, Yang knew it was something that shouldn't be happening in the first place.

Weiss was right. She was a public figure now and what she did also reflected on the heiress. She couldn't afford to react like that anymore, not only because Weiss was already risking so much by being with her, but should Jacques find out then he would absolutely make life more difficult for them. He already considered her a threat as it was, and though she hadn't heard anything from him since the dinner, she knew from the fact Sun was fired that he was definitely making moves to drive a wedge between them.

"Yang?" Opening an eye at the sound of her sister's meek voice, she saw the young redhead standing there awkwardly fiddling with a cookie wrapper. "Y-You okay?"

"I'm good, Rubes." Yang smiled, still feeling bad for having scared her. "You?"

The girl gave a small nod and sat down in the chair, taking a small bite of her cookie. Yang hated to think how many the girl had probably eaten in the last twenty minutes, but given what had happened, she let it slide.

"I…" Ruby paused and looked down at her lap. "I'm sorry I panicked. He just…"

"You have nothing to apologise for." Yang interrupted her.

"But I'm sixteen now." The girl mumbled. "I should be over this."

Letting out a frustrated sigh, Yang leaned forward and rested her hand on Ruby's, stopping the fingers from wrinkling the wrapper anymore than it already was. The girl's recent tendency to apologise for things that were not her fault was something Yang definitely wasn't happy about.

"We all have things we're not good with, Rubes." She said with a shake of her head. "You have nothing to be ashamed of."

The girl pouted and took another bite of her cookie. "I'm just… I'm tired of being… like this. I wish I was normal like everyone else."

"Hey." Yang firmly and gripped the girl's hand tighter. It wasn't the first time Ruby had felt such a way. "You're perfect, okay. Sure you're a little dorky, but everything about you is why I'm so proud to call you my sister, and there is not a single thing I would change. Neither would Dad, or Blake, or Ilia, or Weiss, or anybody else that matters. You understand?"

It was half-hearted at best, but Ruby gave a small nod. Standing up, Yang pulled the girl into a crushing hug and pressed a kiss against the top of her head. She knew that despite the happy and joyful front Ruby put on a lot of the time, the girl did actually struggle more than she let on; and though it hadn't happened in some time, there were even occasional days when the girl would completely shut down and lock herself away.

"Good." She said, stroking the girl's hair and smoothing it out how she liked it. "Now what do you say w-"

Yang was cut off as her Scroll began to ring in her pocket. While it had been a bit annoying to have to call up the company and register all the approved numbers to the new secure chip, Yang definitely couldn't deny that having her Scroll back felt great. Just being able to spend the night texting Weiss and her friends again had been amazing for taking the edge off. However, seeing her dad's name written on her screen, Yang was more than a little confused.

Despite having had dinner a few times since their session, at Ruby's behest, which had actually gone rather well despite Yang feeling like she was putting on an act in her attempt to not be hostile, they still hadn't resumed normal communication. In fact, they seemed to be rather agreed on the fact that they should probably maintain some distance until their next appointment so that they didn't accidentally mess anything up and make things worse. So, curious as to why he would be calling, Yang's pressed the answer button.

"Hey?"

"Hey, Fireball. I kinda need you to come home."

There was nervousness in her dad's tired voice, and Yang felt a pulse of worry run through her.

"What? Why? Is everything okay?"

"Everything's fine. It's just… Weiss' dad is here."

"Wha-" Not bothering to finish her question as she knew exactly what he was doing there, Yang shook her head and let out an annoyed sigh. The day had started off pretty well. "I'll be right there."

Ending the call and shoving the device back into her pocket, Yang downed the rest of her hot chocolate and zipped up her jacket. While she had definitely expected Jacques to try something soon, a visit to her house had definitely not been near the top of her list. Given how frequently the media talked about her connection to the White Fang, she had expected him to use his connections there to amplify it and further ruin her public perception; though Yang supposed she didn't really know for sure that he wasn't. After all, their coverage really had been rather extensive.

"Who was that?" Ruby asked curiously.

"Dad." She said hurriedly. "I need to go and take care of something at home."

"Is..."

"I'll explain later, okay?" Yang interrupted. "Just meet me by the Omala in two hours and we'll catch a film together."

"O-Okay."

After giving the girl a quick hug, Yang rushed towards the door and pulled it open. Ignoring a reporter that rushed forward to greet her with yet more questions, she straddled her bike and pulled the helmet onto her head, starting the engine and pulling out into the throng of traffic to make her way home.

Thankfully it didn't take too long to get there. One thing she had always loved about motorcycles is that she was never forced to wait in traffic. Had she been in a car, she could absolutely see herself getting annoyed at constantly being stuck behind other cars and getting more and more agitated. Thankfully though, she didn't and it was only ten minutes later that she pulled into the driveway of her house and pushed open the front door.

Stood in the entryway looking rather uncomfortable with a coffee in his hand was her dad, his shaggy blonde hair looking more disheveled than usual. Since it was his day off, she knew he had probably just woken up.

"Hey." She greeted him, earning a tired smile from him. "Where is he?"

"Living room." He grumbled, suppressing a yawn.

Peaking around the corner wall, she saw Jacques standing near one of the walls and inspecting the family photos. Just like every time she'd seen him, he was wearing his usual crisp white suit. Clearly he knew she was there too as less than a second later his eyes turned away from a picture of Summer and locked onto her own. Just as they had been for most of the dinner, they were practically unreadable.

"Can you give us a minute?" She sighed.

"Sure." He nodded and wiped his eyes clear of sleep. "Remind me to turn the heating on when he leaves though."

Snorting slightly at the man's insult, she watched her dad return to his room and shut the door. Taking a deep breath, she stepped into the living room and crossed her arms. If the last two times they had met was any indication, she did not expect the conversation to be a fun one, so didn't bother to hold her contempt back when she addressed him.

"What do you want?" She said tersely.

If he was insulted, the man gave no indication. Instead he simply picked up a picture of Yang, Ruby, and Summer and inspected it closely.

"You know, it is standard etiquette for people to offer their guests a drink when they enter their household."

"Sorry," She said facetiously. "We only offer drinks to people who're welcome."

The man chuckled and put the picture back, his arms raising behind his back until his hands clasped together. Surveying her with interest, his chuckles faded but the smile remained on his face.

"Such fire." He remarked. "I wonder how many it has burned?"

One line. That was all it took for the wind to be taken out of Yang's sails. While there was no way he could know, that fire had indeed burned a lot of people in her life. Not only people she hated, but people she loved.

"I thought so." She glared at him, annoyed that he had been able to see through her so easily. "But I believe we are both aware as to why I am here, do we not?"

She did. "You want me to leave Weiss."

"Correct."

"Not gunna happen." Yang laughed bitterly. "And don't even bother pulling out your cheque book. I'm not interested in money."

"I assumed that would be your reply." The man said with a thoughtful hum. "Fortunately, I have never expected life to be that simple. But tell me, Miss Xiao Long, how simple do you believe your life with my daughter will be?"

Yang knew that was a trick question. If she said that she thought it would be easy, then she would be lying and he would see right through it. But if she said that she thought it would be difficult, then she'd be giving him ammunition to attack her with. In the end though, she decided on the truth. The man already had plenty to attack them with anyway.

"It'll be a lot easier when you leave us alone."

"I wish I could." He said in an extremely unconvincing tone. "But you are not the right person for her."

Yang scoffed. "Because I'm a woman?"

To her surprise, her retort was instantly met with an amused chuckle as he turned away and walked toward the window. When he reached it, he turned back to face her with a knowing grin and leaned back against it.

"I do not care about my daughter's sexuality, Miss Xiao Long." He said with a shrug. "I did not care when she was nine and developed a crush on the daughter of a family who owned a respectable restaurant, nor when she was twelve and requested to see the same musical time and time again because the lead actress caught her eye. No, what I care about is who you are, and what you will do to her future."

Still reeling from the fact that Jacques knew about Ourania, Yang didn't quite know how to respond. Weiss had been certain that the man would have been disapproving of her sexuality, and had been so sure that would be the thing he hated the most; but she was wrong. While Yang hated him and would never willingly believe any positive thing that came out of his mouth, the look in his eyes forced her to believe that his words were true. There was no bitterness, no anger, no reluctance… there wasn't even acceptance. For him, it was something that just was.

That at least finally answered one question she'd had for a long time. Unlike he had with Winter, the man had apparently never tried to send Weiss on dates with potential suitors. And this had to be the reason why. She supposed there weren't a lot of rich people with lesbian daughters, or not many that were open at least.

"You and your friends' connection to the White Fang, your father's addiction, your criminal records, a parent who has served time in prison and is still on parole."

He pushed himself into a standing position.

"You and your family's lives are a treasure trove of reasons for potential investors and business partners to find doubt in her actions. Every move she takes in the business world, every contract she seeks and every decision she makes will be met with skepticism and hesitation. Her mere association with you will hold her back from what she can, and should, be."

Yang's eyes fell to the floor a little as she knew those words to be true too. Even today the past had caused Fletch to express doubt and caution in working with Weiss, and that was a man who didn't have any reputation to uphold. How would it be for companies that were already established, for people and business' who feared that any kind of association would bring trouble to them? If Beacon was any example, then surely not well.

"Weiss doesn't care about that." Yang said, her voice lower than it was before.

"Maybe not right now." She heard him say. "But how will she feel in five years? In ten years? In however long it takes her to realise how much she has given up for you, a woman who claims to want her own business yet has taken none of the necessary courses to build anything of the sort?"

She felt her back slump a little. Business was a very important thing to Weiss. She wanted to achieve greatness and change the world, and a part of Yang had always feared how much the heiress would resent her if she was forced to give up the company for them to be together; but the reality that she would also be holding the woman back with everything she tried hurt even more. Even more so when she had to acknowledge that Jacques was also right in saying she had never really made a proper step towards achieving her own dream.

"I have spent my entire life working to give my children a future they deserve." The man said and began to walk toward the entrance of the room. "And we both know what future Weiss deserves after everything she has done to achieve it, but I cannot allow the STC to fall into the hands of someone who will lead it to ruin. So I guess the choice is yours now, Yang."

He stopped at the entryway and looked back at her.

"Will you let her achieve everything she has dreamed of, or will you allow her to throw her life away on somebody who will give her nothing but regrets?"

Without waiting for an answer, the man left the room. Upon hearing the door open and shut, she dropped into the couch and buried her face in her hands.

Everything the man has said was true, and more importantly it was everything she feared. As much as she despised the man, he did know how businesses and businessmen worked. She never wanted to be the one to hold the people she loved back, and she definitely didn't want Weiss' dream to become impossible to reach. But she also knew she wasn't going to leave her. She couldn't leave her. Even the thought of doing so was too painful.

So what do I do? She thought to herself.

A/N

Hello everyone.

So, this chapter officially brings the end point within sight ;-; With only ten chapters left, admittedly each of them will be rather long, it is time for all the plot threads to start coming together. As I've always said, everything in this fic is here for a reason, even if that reason isn't obvious at first, and now it is time for it all to come to a head.

I will say though, the reporter scene feels a little rushed in hindsight :/ maybe it is, or maybe I am just too close to it, but please tell me how you found it. Any feedback, even criticism, is more than welcome here :)

Anyway, that's it for me. I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and please let me know what you thought.

Next chapter - The White Fang will be up on the 15th

Reviews

timrocks99, The Keeper Of Worlds, Shadows Twilight, jm4reader, and Zoro50. Thank you so much foe the kind words. I'm glad you all liked Darq :)