:TRIGGER WARNING:
!Panic Attack!

-
All of these seemingly useless flashbacks you're seeing, just keep an eye on my stories. . . You'll see where they come from some time or another.

[Weiss]

This was not where she wanted to be today. . .

The day after Liam arrived, Weiss had been dragged out to dinner with him and his family, her father was accompanying her simply for the attention he would receive. Probably to make sure she didn't ruin his plans, too, whatever they were, all she knew was that they involved her being married off to a complete stranger. Thankfully Liam seemed nice enough, perhaps she could tolerate a life with him. She'd much rather prefer a life with someone else, though.

Having zoned out from the conversation, her icy blue eyes trailed towards a woman and her husband seating themselves across from them. Her heart tightened in her chest and her hand instinctively moved to her stomach, watching as a young child climbed into the chair in front of the unnamed woman. The man gave his wife a kiss on the head before sitting beside her, they met eyes and Weiss glanced away. Those people were happy, they were married and they had a child together. They'd built a life together. . .

She and Ruby were wanting to build a life together, they had already purchased their first house, and. . . They would've had a child on the way, they would've been married.

"I like Celeste."

No. Stop. Weiss remained calm, trying to tune herself back into the conversation. Liam was watching her, she could feel it, and so was her father.

"Where did that come from?"

She could feel her chest tightening and her world became blurred, everything around her began to spin. Despite the tightness in her chest, her heart was pounding and she could feel it. It was not a pleasant feeling at all. . . What was happening?

Weiss closed her eyes and attempted to get herself together before her father noticed, if he hadn't already. Images of her team, friends, and Ruby flashed through her mind. I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! This was all her fault, she'd let her die!

Calm down. Calm down. Calm-

"Don't. Touch. Me!" She roared when a hand was placed on her shoulder. The young woman spun around in her chair and stood to her feet all in one move, her sight was unfocused and disoriented, but blazed with hostility. Who was she snapping at. . .? She couldn't tell, everything was just a mix of colors and shapes. She was gonna die. Everything hurt, she couldn't see, it felt like her heart and lungs were being crushed, and why the hell was she so lightheaded?!

"Weiss," her attention snapped towards the voice, just barely recognizing her name, "sit down. Now." She was trembling, and she could feel her body heating up from the adrenaline. Weiss didn't take the time to try and register the stern voice, her first instinct was to run, to get as far away as she could. She allowed her feet to carry her away from the scene, she didn't stop to respond to the incoherent sounds clearly being directed towards her.

Her world was still spinning, causing her to briefly lose her balance and latch onto a railing. She was outside. . . When did she get outside, and where was she? It didn't matter, she had to leave. Wait, what was she fleeing from again. . .? Weiss opened her eyes again, only to feel another surge of panic wash over her when she seen the shapes of people walking by, some stopping to stare at her.

Weiss' breathing was quick and labored now, her body was trembling and her heart was racing, she couldn't tell whether or not her throat was dry, but it did feel that way. Everything started to sink and lower to the ground, was she falling?! On instinct, she jerked as an attempt to catch herself. The world stopped, save for the shapes and figures moving about, she pulled her knees to her chest and buried her face between them.

She heard somebody yelling, but stayed rooted where she was. She kept her eyes closed, hoping that when she opened them again everything would be back to normal. But the noise. . . Was it getting louder-

"Get. Up." Somebody grabbed her arm, making no move to pull her up. She could feel the tension, though. They were ready to snatch her to her feet if she didn't comply. She was being attacked. . . Weiss ripped her arm away from the person and scrambled to stand up, putting distance between her and her attacker. Should she run, or should she fight?

Run.

Why she chose that option, she would never know, but she turned away and ran as quickly as she could. Why was there so many people?! She needed to get out of there, she needed to escape and find a quiet place. By now, she was hoping she would die. It felt like her body was failing her, trying to shut down on her.

HOONK!

Weiss whirled around, finding herself standing in front of what she made out to be a vehicle. Her feet moved again, carrying her away from the scene. What was a car doing in the middle of the street?! The noise had made her heart pound faster and her world began to spin once more, the shapes and figures turning into colors again. Instinctively, she reached out for anything to hold onto, but there was nothing there. She shook her head, clearing her vision just enough to realize she was in the middle of what looked to be an alleyway.

It was dark. Quiet. . . She had to hide. After a few seconds, she slid down against a wall and returned to her fetal position, trying to block out the world.

A few minutes passed and she lifted her head up, thankful that her vision had somewhat cleared and her head was no longer spinning. Her heart still thudded in her chest, making it difficult for her to breath. She was still trembling and shaking, she felt cold despite her body being coated in a layer of sweat and the excess adrenaline pumping through her veins.

Shaking her head, she glanced around to examine her surroundings and she found herself in the alleyway between two apartment buildings. The smell was horrid and burning her senses,

Wait a moment, she'd been with her father, she was having dinner with Liam and his family. . . Oh Gods, what have I done?

She shakily rose to her feet and dusted herself off, hesitantly making her way out of the alley and into the street. One glance down the road caused her heart to jump to her throat and she drew in a deep breath to compose herself; there was a familiar white vehicle parked and waiting for her.

The door opened as Weiss began to approach the car, she prepared herself to come face to face with her father's disappointed and annoyed scowl. After all, she'd disrupted the dinner and caused a scene, embarrassed him in the public eye.

Though, the person stepping out of the car was not her father. . .

"Winter?" She whispered, letting herself relax as she came to her sister's side, glancing up to meet the taller woman's gaze, "What are you doing here?" She asked quietly when her sister offered her no response, instead gesturing for her to get inside the vehicle.

The ride back to the mansion was completely silent, Winter didn't even spare a glance towards her younger sister and instead kept her attention focused outside. Irritation practically radiated off of the woman, but her expression remained calm and collected. Winter must have seen everything. . . Of course she was disappointed, all of her lessons about teaching Weiss how to keep her cool had been thrown out the window.

Her body suddenly felt heavy, as though her heart was weighing her down. Weiss' shoulders slumped and she leaned against the window, drawing her attention away from her sister to allow her mind to wander and carry her away from reality. The exhaustion from the adrenaline that had been pumping through her veins having finally caught up with her, she closed her eyes.

Within moments, the humming of the vehicle had lulled her to sleep.

"Ruby Rose! Just where in the world are you taking me?"

She was being lead down behind the school and into the training grounds, her world was going by in blurs of colors and shapes, she could just barely make out her location. They were leaving school property. She recognized this path, it was the same one she and her girlfriend would take whenever they ditched classes! They hadn't been down here in months. . . The brush had grown so much more taller in their absence, making it difficult for them to run through with little to no noise.

"You'll see!"

Ruby's voice. . . Weiss glanced up just as Ruby released her hand, her light blue eyes met with Ruby's wide, joyous pair that shone just as bright as the smile Ruby was wearing; one would have to be blind not to see the affection in the younger girl's gaze. Love. Love for her.

Butterflies swarmed inside of Weiss' stomach, her whole world slowing down and fading to black. All she could see was Ruby. . . Until the brat decided to disappear into a flurry of rose petals and ruin everything. Weiss blinked herself back to reality, glancing around for her girlfriend. She would have been just fine staring into those beautiful silver eyes, but no, now she was alone. Weiss sighed and nonchalantly reached out to catch a few of the floating petals, she watched as they faded away in her palms and allowed the smile she'd been suppressing to come to her lips.

The smell of roses lead her down further into the forest, following the trail of petals dissolving into the air. They seemed to be leading her somewhere, or rather Ruby was leading her somewhere, with the way they were flowing back in her direction. The moment she stepped out into the clearing, the scenery changed and she opened her eyes again.

She heard Ruby's voice whispering to her, but she couldn't make out the words. . .

She was being touched. . .

The touch was familiar, causing electricity to roll through her as calloused fingers caressed her skin as gently as possible. There was a dull throbbing inside of her head, but the sensation soothed her and she relaxed, her eyes glancing around as color came into view. She found herself gazing back into Ruby's eyes again, this time her expression was soft and affectionate.

Weiss opened her mouth to whisper something to her, she wanted to reach up and touch her, but her body was completely immobile. "Don't move," the girl whispered and Weiss felt quiet as one of Ruby's hands moved up to her face, her finger briefly ran over the jagged scar across her eye, "close your eyes."

She didn't want to.

You'll leave me. You won't be here in anymore. . . Weiss only continued to watch her, now fully aware that this was not reality. She forced her arm up, feeling as though she were lifting dead weight, and cupped the girl's cheek. Don't leave me, please don't leave me. Ruby said nothing, instead sliding her hand back down again, and this time a cold, hollow feeling was left inside of Weiss instead of warmth.

"Close your eyes," Ruby repeated, "I've got you, you're safe. . ." The world was fading. Ruby was fading. . . She was awaking up, she didn't want to wake up. "I love you, my Princess." Ruby wasn't there. . .

"We're here." Her eyes opened again, but this time she was back inside of the car and parked outside her father's mansion. She blinked the sleep from her eyes as the door was opened and she stepped out, trying to reel herself back into full consciousness. Weiss followed her sister inside quietly, avoiding eye contact with her.

Ruby's voice and touch was still playing inside of her mind, she longed to close her eyes again and return to that world. If it meant having that again, she didn't want to ever wake up.

Winter stopped, "I'll inform Father that I've picked you up, I'll meet you in your bedroom. . . We need to talk." Without another word, Winter disappeared down the hall. She still didn't tell me why she's here. Judging by her sister's voice, Winter already knew what had happened. . . Word got out quick. Weiss hesitated for a brief moment before quietly making her way to her bedroom, keeping her eyes glued to the floor for a reason she couldn't explain. Her body still felt cold and hollow, as though there was nothing left inside of her.

Might as well be, though. . . Her life had changed in a blink of an eye, one moment she was preparing for a wedding with somebody dear to her heart, and the next she's right back where she started. There was just no use in even attempting to break free again. . . She would always come back, he would always drag her back under her control no matter how far away she ran.

Honestly, what had she been expecting? Her life had been planned out from the moment she was born; hell, they were probably even planning when she was conceived! She'd been a fool to think she could gain control over her own life. . .

"There you are, sister. I've been searching everywhere for you."

Irritation pricked inside of her chest and her brows narrowed, she slowly turned around to face none other than her little brother approaching her. Why did they only meet in the hallway? Actually, a better question: Why was he looking for her? "I heard what happened at the restaurant with Father, that must've been so embarrassing." Well that explains it. . .

Not really.

"It was more humiliating for Father than me" Weiss replied bluntly, "what do you want?"

Whitley shrugged, "Oh nothing, it's just that we haven't spoken since you returned home." She could live with never speaking to him again, it wouldn't hurt her one bit. "I was trying to find you earlier, but you were not home." Her brother's expression became one of a familiar practiced look of sympathy, one that she despised. "Father informed me of the miscarriage you suffered, I've come to offer my condolences."

His voice lacked warmth and consolation, his words were completely empty. He couldn't care less, and it was clear on his face. Weiss rolled her eyes, turning away from Whitley, "Thanks," she whispered underneath her breath.

"Father said you were in mourning. . ." Although her back was turned, she could see the sneer he was wearing, "The girl I understand, such a pity, too. She seemed quite strong. The baby, however. . . I am just curious; how could you possibly mourn for a child you didn't even know you were expecting?"

Red clouded her vision and she slowly turned back to face him, narrowing her eyes as pent up rage boiled to the surface. "You little. . ." The glare in her brother's eyes was challenging, daring her to come towards him, practically begging her to attack. She couldn't physically harm him, it would get her into more trouble than she was already in. Though, what did she have to lose?

She still couldn't injure him. . . Scare him? Sure.

"You know," oh there he goes again, "I think you should give this Liam guy a chance." As he spoke, a glyph appeared behind him and the form of a Beowulf rose from as quietly as possible. The summoned Grimm stood watching her, and waiting for her command. "Besides, you don't really have much of a choice, do you?" Okay, that was uncalled for. Biting back a comment, Weiss glanced up and gave a brief nod.

The wolf released a low growl and confusion and fear crossed through Whitley's eyes, as though trying to comprehend what he'd just heard. He turned around just as the wolf opened its jaws, baring its fangs at him as its lips pulled back into a snarl.

"Okay," Whitley muttered, stepping away from the Beowulf, only for it to come closer, "you can call it off now, Weiss. . ." Oh he was trying so hard to remain calm and collected, as though he was still in charge. It was almost funny. The fear plastered across his face, all while-. . .

A cold wave washed over her; what was she doing. . .? Why was this amusing. . .? She shook her head, the Grimm dissolved into the air as she turned away to head to her bedroom. Whatever Whitley hollered at her fell deaf on her ears, she didn't care enough to ask him to repeat either.

[Ruby]

Of course they would try and stop her from leaving. . . They claimed she wasn't in good enough health to be out there on her own, saying that her aura was damaged and it affected her semblance. It was all true, yes, but she wasn't worried about herself anymore, she would seek proper medical attention once she was in Atlas and had Weiss back. Like hell she was just going to sit around and 'recover' while the love of her life was being forced into an arranged marriage! She had seen in her eyes, Weiss wasn't happy at all. . .

She stuffed another water bottle into her bag filled with food that would hopefully hold her over, a change of clothes she'd bought the day before, and tools to fix her weapon in case it was broken. It wasn't exactly as advanced as Crescent Rose, so it was bound to have some problems. . .

Ruby glanced over to the television, noticing that the ridiculous advertisements had gone off and the news had returned. Her father was passed out on the couch, his snoring was thankfully tuned out by the noise coming from the holographic screen. What did old people find so interesting about the news. . .? The only time she paid attention was when something dramatic happened, that's when it's interesting.

Ah well, everybody was asleep, it was time to make her escape.

Ruby lifted the bag off of the table and hooked it across her shoulder, she attached her temporary weapon to her side and quietly made her way to the door. She hadn't even touched the handle yet when her feet suddenly moved her towards the TV, the mention of her fiancee's name having caught her attention. Ruby stopped, watching as the footage recorded from a bystander's scroll was played, and her heart tightened inside of her chest.

Weiss was standing in the middle of a restaurant, everybody's eyes turned towards her. She was panicked, her body automatically having taken her fighting stance, and her eyes were wild and scared, Ruby could see her chest heaving. The camera followed her as the alabaster bolted for the door, her father following closely behind her.

Stay away from her. Ruby growled silently, feeling rage build up inside of her when the video switched to another perspective taken from outside the building. Not much was caught on record unless it'd been edited out by the broadcasters. . . All they'd caught was the aftermath; Weiss running out into the street and nearly being hit by a vehicle before disappearing somewhere in the crowd.

Ruby didn't know what happened, she didn't particularly care either, all she knew was that Weiss needed her now more than ever. "Hang in there," she whispered, "I'll be by your side as quickly as I can. . ." She turned back to the door, speed-walking to it to save energy in case she needed to activate her semblance during an emergency. She opened the door-

"Ruby?" Her father was awake. . .

She closed her eyes, taking in a deep breath before opening them and locking with a groggy, yet stern, pair of dark blue. "I'm sorry, I just- I have to go, she needs me."

"I know you're worried about her, Ruby, but she'll be alright. What you need to do is-"

She was gone.

If anybody has suggestions for Ruby's temporary weapon design and name, shoot 'em at me!