Looking up at the enormous wooden door was always terrifying to Weiss. It was six feet tall, but when she was a little girl who had to get on her tippy toes to reach the handle, it might as well have been a million. Even after finding herself standing here countless times and having nothing but pleasant talks with her father, she felt her pulse quicken. She'd arrived precisely fifteen minutes early with her head held high, exactly as she'd been taught, clutching the hem of her shirt and trembling, exactly as she'd been taught not to.

Her father had called this meeting out nowhere, and ever since she read the email she'd felt like was about to hurl. She hadn't eaten since yesterday, and since Klein was away she didn't have his usual intel on what her father was thinking.

Without anything to go on, her mind was flooded with ideas about what this meeting was about. Was it because of her work in the Vale deal? No way, success like that was expected and it takes a heck of a lot more than that to impress him. She also couldn't think of a mistake that would get him angry enough to meet with her. She bit her lip as her mind went into a confused frenzy

"Come in," said a slow voice from the other side of the door that made her flinch. He was early.

Weiss took a sharp breath, letting it out slowly as she took two steps and turned the brass handle, steadying her hands. The door swung open with a hissing creak, and she strolled into the room, smiling.

The office was large, with the first half of the room completely bare, designed to make people uncomfortable as they entered. It drew everyone's attention to the farther half of the room which was filled with two large leather sofas, some chairs, bookshelves along the walls packed full of well-worn textbooks and novels. In the middle of the room was a thick oak desk that had a computer in one corner and a few scattered papers around, and nothing else. Her father didn't want anything to distract his enemies from his sharp gaze. Luckily for her, his eyes were scanning the papers on his desk.

"Father," Weiss nodded as she took a seat in the chair closest to the desk, waiting for him to finish whatever he was doing. Filling out paperwork for a new rig from what she could see.

He signed a handful of papers before he stopped and rubbed his eyes, "These contracts never end, it's a miracle I don't need glasses yet," He chuckled dryly. Weiss wasn't sure if he was talking to her or himself, so she played it safe and laughed, saying nothing. "How are you today, Weiss?"

"Wonderful as always. What about you?" She answered, knowing that this is how all of their conversations started these days. It made her sad that neither of them tried changing what they said anymore.

"Fine," Jaquese sighed, pausing for a brief moment and meeting her eyes "Weiss, do you know why I called you in here?" He asked, finally starting the real conversation.

"I tried, but couldn't think of anything," she told him earnestly, sure that he already knew the answer. Jacques closed his eyes and took a breath, and Weiss felt her mouth go dry.

"I thought you'd be able to figure it out, but I suppose I was wrong, shame. Winter would've figured it out, don't you think?" Weiss felt her heart skip a beat, but kept up her smile as she grabbed onto the edge of her shirt so hard her knuckles felt like they might pop.

"Speaking of Winter, have you heard from her lately? It's been a while since we've talked," He was acting like it had been a few days since she'd left instead of two years.

"I haven't heard from her in a while," Weiss lied, hoping the vague answer would satisfy him.

"Really? That isn't what Klein told me." He said deadly seriously. Weiss giggled like it was the craziest thing she'd ever heard, forcing a painted smile on her lips and hoping she didn't sound too nervous.

"What are you talking about? Why would Klein say something like that?" Weiss was trying her best to act confused, but his eyes were unyielding.

"How dare you lie to me." He whispered, but Weiss flinched like he'd screamed.

"I don't know what you're talking about, I promise," Weiss stuttered, her tremors returning no matter how hard she fought.

"You know more than anyone that I don't like being lied to, Weiss. How many other lies have you told me? What would your mother think?" he seethed, slowly standing up, resting his hands on the desk. Weiss felt like she should run away and hide, but her body felt frozen as she watched him stand to his full, dizzying height.

"You're just like Winter, lying and using my money like you earned it. I was glad when she left, that made it easier to focus on you. But now I'm stuck with you… " he walked around his desk slowly until he stood right in front of Weiss, looking down at her like she was an insect. Honestly, it made her want to cry, realizing that in that moment, she might've preferred being an insect. "This'll be the last time you disobey me," He said as he reached out and grabbed Weiss' wrist so tightly that she cried out, clenching her eyes closed.

But then, the pain stopped. She hesitantly opened her eyes and saw that her father was gone. Not only that, but everything else was too. The room she'd been standing in moments ago was gone, replaced by an inky blackness that clung to her skin, leaving goosebumps wherever it touched. It was cold, wet, and smelled like death, Weiss gagged as she tried to take a breath. Then, she heard the voices.

All around her was a frantic whispering that was loud enough that she could hear them snicker after saying her name. All too quickly they got louder, loving how Weiss wrapped her arms around her chest, on the brink of tears. Her breathing was quick and sharp, her lungs ached, and the voices were getting louder.

"Worthless."

"Disappointing."

"Worse than her sister."

Weiss tried to ignore the lies, but they were getting louder and louder, their words cutting into her like knives. She shoved her hands over her ears and started to sob. Her eyes darted around the darkness trying to find any kind of light, but there was nothing.

She opened her mouth, trying to apologize, but her lungs were too tight. Weiss grabbed at her chest, heaving as she tried to breathe. She looked up and saw a shadow above her, its hands wrapped around her throat, and Weiss was sure she was dead.

Weiss threw herself forward, gasping as sweet air filled her lungs, bringing her back to life. Weiss grabbed at her nightgown as she frantically looked around, trying to find where her father had gone, where was the rest of the manor?

It was dark, but Weiss could make out the moonlit silhouette of the city from her window. She could make out her dresser, desk, the flowers on her nightstand, and her alarm clock which told her it was already two in the morning.

She was back in the apartment, safe. She took a deep breath, trying to relax her muscles even a little. She was safe. It was the same nightmare as always, no big deal, She thought to herself as she leaned back into her bed.

Weiss wiped her forehead and saw it was wet, she groaned, knowing it was way too late for a shower. Her heartbeat skyrocketed as she closed her eyes, focusing as hard as she could, hoping that she wouldn't hear Winters panicked footsteps. Her sister needed as much sleep as she could get.

When the halls stayed silent, Weiss breathed a sigh of relief before reaching down and grabbing her comforter off the floor, hugging it to her chest and wrapping her leg around it tightly. "I'm safe, everything's fine," Weiss whispered to herself, wanting it to feel true.

Her father and his office were gone, along with those terrible voices. Weiss felt a shudder roll down her spine as for an instant she recalled the voices. She'd left what they'd said behind in her nightmare, but the fear and terror were still fresh in her mind. She closed her eyes and tried her best to calm her breathing, wanting to get at least a little sleep tonight, but not having much hope.

Despite how late it was, the noise of the city was never quiet, and the soft echo of horns and car engines floated through the window and into Weiss' ears. It was a sweet melody that entranced her, calming her breathing and mind. At some point, Weiss managed to fall into an uneasy sleep, snoring softly as the night moved on around her.

For a few fleeting moments, Weiss found herself sitting on a park bench that looked out at the sleeping city. It was cold, with the early morning mists still heavy in the air. The air around her was calm, smelling like pine and relaxing her.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw that there was a stranger sitting next to her. Weiss thought about turning and getting a better look at whoever was with her, but for some reason, she felt that it wasn't important. So she kept her gaze on the city, anxiously waiting for… Well, she didn't know. But that was even less important than the stranger.

Birds were singing from the treetops as the sun quickly started to rise in the distance, outlining the city in a crisp, angelic glow. It was like something from a movie, and Weiss couldn't look away.

She could feel the warmth of the sun tickling her skin, and she was glad to have someone next to her, enjoying the magic. The scene brought a small smile to her lips, making her heart feel a tiny bit lighter for once. It wasn't much, but she was happy sitting there at that moment. A few years ago a smile wouldn't have been so special, but now? Well… it felt nice to smile again, even if it was in a dream.

-Authors Note-

So I wanna say this first, this is a sequel to the story Snowbird:Engine Troubles that I just finished. I love that story and I feel it adds a lot to this one, but you don't need to read it before this one. I want new people to be able pick this up without being forced to read a very long story for a ship they may not like. Everything you need to know about this story will be in this story, so feel free to read on! But if you wanna go check out the other one, please do, it's awesome and I love it!

Please let me know any early thoughts for what you guys think! Also, I upload every Saturday!