Weiss was pale, gaping at her sister and biting her tongue hoping she wouldn't say the wrong thing, "How did you know?"

"He'd been acting weird all day, and when his niece offered me tickets to the same concert we had our first date at… Sort of first date, I knew something was up,"

"What was it like?" Weiss asked, swirling her spoon around the half eaten ice cream.

"Do you want the whole night or just the proposal?" Winter asked, sitting up and crossing her legs as she took another bite.

"Everything, I guess,"

"It was straight out of a fairy tail. They'd hung up white lights that made everything look like it was magic, the floor was covered in white rose pedals, and the whole place smelled like the forests at home. It's dumb, but I kind of felt like a princess," Winter said, her eyes full of stars.

"That doesn't sound dumb, it sounds amazing and I'm not jealous at all," Weiss said, ignoring the pang of jealousy that shot through her thinking about how amazing it must've been to see. She wondered if Yang had helped set it up, maybe Blake had been there, assuming the two had been together back then.

"Amy said the same thing, but with a few more curses,"

"Sounds about right," Weiss chuckled, considering her next question. "Did he ask you to marry him?"

Winter's smile died and she shook her head, "No, he never got the chance to ask. I ended up walking out of the room and never going back,"

"Why not?" Weiss asked, and Winter looked towards the door, her eyes misty. "You said you knew he was going to propose, so why'd you leave?"

"That's not an easy question to answer, Weiss,"

"Then explain it to me. You're the one who wanted to talk, and this is what I wanna talk about," Weiss said, watching Winters eyes look for something that might help her out of this and finding nothing.

"You're more stubborn than mom sometimes, you know that?"

"I'll take that as a compliment," Weiss said, sticking her tongue out as she let her legs hang over the edge of the couch. She rubbed her foot on the carpet, the soft fabric relaxing her.

"I want you to promise me you won't leave, ok? Like, you aren't gonna storm out and never talk to me, you'll try and listen?"

Weiss wanted to laugh it off, it wasn't like she had many places to go. But Winter didn't have a hint of humor in her face, only a deep worry. "I promise I won't leave," she said as she held out her pinky finger. Winter didn't look relieved, but didn't hesitate to latch onto it.

Winter started undoing her bun, letting her hair flow freely down her shoulders as she thought back to a night she usually tried to forget. "When Qrow and I came back from the improv place, the house was all decorated, and we sat down and started talking. I'd felt the ring box in his jacket, even if I didn't think about it, I knew. He was so frazzled I could almost hear his heart pounding as we talked. The only way it could've been more obvious is if the ring had fallen out of his pocket,"

"What happened?" Weiss asked quietly, and Winter looked up at the ceiling.

"My phone rang. I took it."

"And? Who was it?" A dark feeling growing in the bottom of her stomach as she asked.

"Klein," Winter said, and Weiss felt her mouth open.

"And what did he say?" She asked while Winter closed her eyes like she was asleep.

"I hadn't heard from him in a week or two and I was starting to get worried, so when I heard his voice I had to step outside. The walls are pretty thin over there. I thought it would be quick, but when he started talking… I couldn't go back inside."

A car honked loudly outside and Weiss jumped, but Winter was still as could be, like she hadn't heard a thing, "Don't ask me what he said. I'll tell you, but I don't think I'll be able to get it out if I hear you ask," Winter said, setting her ice cream down on the ground and replacing it with a couch cushion.

She hugged it tight as Weiss swung her leg back on the couch, resting her foot on top of her sisters, giving her a dorky smile, "Take your time."

"Get your foot off me, weirdo," Winter said, kicking Weiss's foot off her. Weiss put it right back where it was, and her sister shot her a look, but leaving it be. "He told me what happened the day you got your scar. What happened with dad, finding you, the office, everything,"

"Oh… You never told me how you found out. You were there before I knew what was going on. Honestly, you helped me find which way was up," Weiss found herself saying, realizing she'd never actually thought about it before. "Winter, I don't know where I would be without you. Actually, I'd probably be dead if it wasn't for you. Thank you. Thank you so much,"

Weiss dropped her ice cream on the floor and was crawling on shaky limbs, wrapping her sister in a hug. Winter gripped the pillow harder, burying her face in it. "Don't thank me, do anything else, but don't thank me,"

"Why shouldn't I thank you? If it wasn't for you-"

"Because you should have been in my apartment! I should have never let you stay with that maniac, I should've taken you when I had the chance!" Winter cried, looking up with tears flooding down her face.

"What're you talking about? Why should I have been in your apartment?"

"Do you remember when I came home for Christmas and asked you to come and stay with me? To come here?" She said, gesturing to the room around them.

"Of course, we got into a fight after I didn't wanna go with you, then we went to visit mom's grave. You also gave me a ton of new CD's, which I loved and listened to constantly after you left,"

"I should've convinced you to come. Said anything, had Klein talk to you, I should've dragged you out of there the second I saw you," Winter said, her eyes wide and unfocused.

"I didn't wanna go, I thought we worked it out?"

"I agreed that I'd trust you to look after yourself, but I should've just taken you. I'm the older sister and I should know better, I shouldn't have let you convince me,".

"What're you saying? That you shouldn't have trusted me?" Weiss asked, feeling her heart start to creak, like it was about to break.

"That's not what I'm… I don't know, maybe it is. I should have done something though, I knew that something bad was going to happen. Every instinct in my body was telling me that something bad was coming and I should've listened,"

"What would you have done? Forced me to go with you? Then what? He would've sent people to come and find me, to bring me home. He would've done anything to get me back, and you know that,"

"Maybe I should have! Then you would've been safe, maybe I could've made some legal defence, something to get him off our backs."

"He never would've stopped and you know that. I never could've gone with you, I knew that he'd do anything to get me back from you," Weiss said, gasping when a shadow of pain shot through her scar.

"I could've done something,"

"No you couldn't have! I couldn't, Klein couldn't, and neither could Mom! We were just pawns in his games and I knew that if we didn't play things would go badly," the words exploded out of her after being pushed down for so long. Constantly in the back of her mind but never acknowledging them.

Winter looked like she was about to either scream or hit something, and it probably wouldn't be the pillow. "I could've done something…"

"Win, you managed to get away and that was enough for me. I wasn't lying when I told you I wanted to learn from him, and I did. I could probably run the whole company by myself if I wanted now. It wasn't the funnest, but I knew that sooner or later I'd be able to come and visit, when I was free," Weiss said sadly, her hand clenched around her wrist.

"You could've gotten away too, we could've figured something out,"

"Maybe, but even if you had figured something out, I probably would've been too scared to do anything. Knowing he'd be out there looming like a shadow, it scared me so bad, Win, you have no idea…"

"I think I do," Winter said, sitting up and throwing the pillow to the side, sitting side by side with her sister, looking at their reflections in the black screen of the tv.

"You're the only one who does," Weiss admitted, playing with the hem of her shirt. "You know I don't blame you for what happened, right? You were in a different country and I didn't have my phone, it's not like you could've come and checked up on me. Klein was gone and there was no way security would let you in after he lost it on them for Christmas,"

"That's my job though, Weiss. I'm supposed to make sure you're ok no matter what. When you and Klein weren't responding I should've come and made sure you were ok, even if I could only get a glance of you through a window,"

The two of them sat silently, but neither of them felt uncomfortable at this point, they were talking like they used to at the manor in the back halls where nobody else would be.

"Do you blame yourself for what happened to me?" Weiss asked, reaching out and cupping her sister's hand. Winters fingers were limp for a moment, then they were clutching her for dear life.

"How could I not? I let him hurt you," She said, reaching up and tracing her thumb down the scar over Weiss's eye and tenderly cupping her cheek.

"It wasn't your fault, Win. James says that the only one to blame is him. He hurt me and that was his choice, you couldn't have known what would happen," Weiss said, saying the words to her own distorted reflection in the tv, the words sinking into her just as much as they were Winter.

They sat there in relative silence, the only noise in the apartment aside from the traffic was their muffled sniffles. Weiss's eyes stung as the tears came, but the warmth of Winters hand brought some comfort, "What did you tell him after you found out?"

"Not much. After Klein told me what happened I wasn't even sure where I was. I remember screaming and hearing the phone break after I threw it. I felt so, so guilty, and I knew that I had to go to you."

"Win, please tell me you explained what happened,"

Winter shook her head, and Weiss felt her stomach fall as Yang's words proved true. "I've never told anyone this, but… I wanted to die when I heard what happened. I felt like I deserved worse than death for letting it happen to you, and Qrow? He was better than I deserved,"

"Winter…"

"I wasn't ever going to do anything, don't worry, but I've never wanted it more in my life. But when I realized that you needed me, that was suddenly everything…"

"So you broke up with him because of what happened to me?"

"No, I did it because I'd hurt enough people, and I didn't want him to be another. If I couldn't even take care of my own sister, what kind of a wife would I be? What kind of… mom?" Winter said, the word sounding like glass as she said it, her eyes heavy.

"Do you regret it?"

Weiss flinched when her sister barked out a laugh, before breaking down in a heap of sobs as she covered her eyes with her palms. "Of course I regret it! I was stupid, hurt, confused, I barely even knew what I was saying! I ignored his calls for weeks, I told myself it was to look after you, but I was terrified. By the time I realized how badly I'd messed up, there was no going back," She sobbed, taking a shaky breath, "If I'm sad now, it's my own fault. I can't blame anyone else for my own stupidity,"

Weiss wrapped her arm around her sister's shivering form, rubbing her sisters back. She remembered all the times her sister had done the same for her in the reverse and she felt a sense of pride flow through her despite her best effort.

"I wish I knew what to say, but Jesus… No wonder you haven't been sleeping well," Weiss said, glad when Winter gave a snotty laugh.

"Is it that easy to tell?"

"Some days are better than others, but normally your bags are a pretty big give away,"

"Well same to you, sister," Winter said, and both of them chuckled. "I really screwed myself, didn't I?"

"That's a loaded question, how is that fair?"

"Who said it was supposed to be?" Winter asked, sitting up and wiping her tears only for them to be wet again two seconds later.

"Do you wanna go back to him?"

"For awhile the answer was yes, but at this point I just don't want him to hate me anymore. Is that selfish?"

"Wanting to bury the hatchet and make peace with someone you hurt? No, that doesn't sound selfish at all, it sounds like you wanna make amends," Weiss said, sounding older than she was.

"When did you get so smart?"

"My therapist sister had me get counseling and has constantly been giving me advice since the day I was born,"

"Huh, good point," Winter said, wiping her eyes and finding they started dry for a few seconds longer now. Then, Winter was standing and pacing around the room. "Any other questions, or are we good again?"

"Hmmm… I guess we can be sisters again," Weiss smiled, standing up and wrapping her sister in a tight hug. "As long as we're actually open from now on, no more of this secret suffering garbage,"

"That sounds like a good deal," Winter said, closing her eyes and feeling more relaxed than she had in months. They clung to each other, and suddenly the sound of traffic outside didn't sound nearly as annoying.

"Hey, how about you stay home from school tomorrow? I'll say you have a headache or something and I can use one of my sick days? We can order take out, stay up late watching garbage tv, have a lazy day?"

"Can Schnee's even have lazy days?" Weiss asked, her heart skipping a beat.

"Screw being a Schnee, I wanna relax with my sister for once and a last name isn't going to stop me. How about you pick what we watch? Even reality tv would be ok,"

"Even Real Housewives? You must really wanna get on my good side, don't you?"

"No, I'm just in a good mood. Making up with my sister has that effect on me," Winter said, walking over to the television and grabbing the remote. She'd tell Winter about the boxing match tomorrow and send a text to Pyrrha so she didn't lead a search party.

"Hey, Winter? Thanks again, I know it cost you a lot to help me out, but I appreciate what you did. I don't think I'd be this much better if it wasn't for you," Weiss said before her sister came over and flicked her on the head and put the remote in her hand.

"Love you to, sis. Now pick something, I think this is the first night in forever I don't wanna sleep,"