TRIGGER WARNING:
Brief mention of abortion.

"So you're really pregnant. . .?"

Weiss lay curled up on her bed, her scroll sitting on her pillow next to her with Blake's contact information shown on the holographic screen. She hadn't known who else she could talk to, and Blake was always there when she needed somebody. "According to the test strips and the doctor, yes." Weiss replied quietly.

If her father found out, he would be furious, she wouldn't be surprised if he forced her to abort the unborn. She also couldn't allow the information to be leaked as the betrothal would be broken (actually, that's not a bad idea) and if word got out to the public, there was no doubt that she would be labeled a 'whore' by society for 'cheating on her fiancé'. Sure, she could lie and say that the baby belonged to Liam, the people would believe that, but her baby would be born without resemblance to the Greer Family. . .

Her father would demand for a DNA test to find out who the child's father was, and when the results came back. . . He would try to take her baby from her, deeming her unfit to raise her baby. 'What if they're born with silver eyes? What if he tries to kill my baby? Would he do that. . .?'

"I don't know either," Blake whispered back, her voice heavy with stress and concern, "you can't just walk out the door, they think you're ill." The faunus was quiet for a moment and Weiss felt dread wash over her, "Do you know how far along you are?" Blake asked softly as though somebody was listening.

"No," Weiss muttered painfully, "but if I had to guess, four or five weeks. . ."

Silence fell upon them again and Weiss drew in a shaky breath, pain, panic and grief clawed at her chest mercilessly. Why was Fate so against her? What had she done? Every sliver of happiness she'd ever had was always snatched away; Ruby had died, Yang pretty much hated her despite forgiving her, she lost her baby. . . Now, it was only a matter of time before she lost the remaining twin. "Blake," a slight 'mhm' was her response, "I don't know what to do. What if he told Father? What if. . . What if he takes my baby away from me? I can't lose-. . . I'm scared."

"See if you're able to leave the manor," Blake spoke slowly and quietly, "come by the hotel if you can. We'll figure out what to do from there, it'd be easier to discuss it in person. Bring some clothes with you, just in case." Her friend's voice told her that there was little to no room to argue, and it was certainly better than staying locked up in her bedroom all day trying to avoid her family and Liam. "Hold on, I'm receiving another call," Weiss sat up when Blake spoke again, "call me if you get out of the manor."

"Okay." Weiss replied shortly, ending the call and shutting her scroll, "okay. . ." The woman placed a hand on her stomach and breathed in deeply, trying to rid herself of the brewing anxiety. "Everything's going to-" She slumped to her knees and balled her fists, heaving as tremors rolled through her body. Her heart felt like it was slowly being crushed and she couldn't breathe. 'Calm down. . .' Weiss forced herself to rise to her feet, 'I have a baby to protect now, I can't let my emotions get the best of me.'

Weiss stiffly moved to her dresser and pulled it open, her eyes instantly found the familiar rose pin and her engagement ring. Hesitantly, she picked the pin up and slid her ring on. "I really hope Blake has a plan," she whispered gently, sliding her thumb over the polished badge, "you always did. . . You knew exactly what to do."

Protectiveness washed over the young woman and she reached up to clip the rose into her hair; it really wasn't as heavy as it looked, it weighed a little bit more than her regular, but she could get used to it. 'I'll protect our baby,' Weiss shut the drawer and turned away, glancing to the suitcase in the corner of her bedroom, 'I won't fail this time. I swear on my life.'

She was about to escape her family's manor and run from her impending wedding. . . A small smirk crossed her lips, "That's more like it," she whispered to herself, wondering why she hadn't thought of this sooner, "what's life without a little bit of risk?"

"Ms. Schnee, your mother and Mrs. Greer request your presence in the lounge to discuss wedding decorations." A woman called to her from outside the room, Weiss groaned quietly and informed the lady to tell them that she would be right there.

"I can't get an hour to myself?"

She would sneak out tonight, when everybody was asleep and she wasn't being bothered every ten minutes.

"So for decoration, what do you think we should go with?"

"Something white for sure."

"We could throw some green in there to represent our family."

"White and green don't clash all that well."

"Hmm, you're correct. . . Perhaps we should look at some other colors."

"Good decision."

Weiss sat with her legs crossed, watching as her mother and Mrs. Greer rushed back and forth between pre-ordered wedding decoration, occasionally getting into a squabble and reluctantly turning to her for her thoughts on it. The most recent disagreement was over whether or not they should have small candles or big candles, or even candles at all. She didn't get much of a say in what they decided unless there was a difference of opinion.

Mrs. Greer appeared behind her and Weiss glanced up, only for the older woman to tilt her head back down in slight aggravation, "Okay, so this was a completely random thought," the woman spoke, her voice raspy, "but what if we added a veil to the wedding dress to match the ceiling drapes?" Mrs. Greer hummed and Weiss tensed ever so slightly, "Hmm. . . In our family, a veil used to represent virginity, you know, before women decided to add it to their gowns 'just because they wanted to'. What do you think about it, Mrs. Schnee?"

Weiss just barely managed to bite back her laughter and keep a cool expression. Her mother glanced suspiciously at her before fixing her attention on the other occupant of the room, "Sure, I suppose we could incorporate some Greer family traditions. It only seems fair. Are there any more traditions you'd like to include?"

"I can't think of any more at the moment," Mrs. Greer said as she moved out from behind Weiss, "so it's a yes on the veil?" Willow nodded, "Alright, I'll step out and inform your staff. Where might I find them?"

"They should be in the kitchen at this time of day." Willow replied before turning back to Weiss as Mrs. Greer exited the room. Weiss met her mother's gaze and the woman raised a brow, placing a hand on her hip, "You smirked." She said plainly, examining Weiss as though she were trying to read into her deepest and darkest secrets.

"Did I?" Weiss propped her elbow up on the arm of the couch, tucking her hand under her chin. "I don't remember."

Willow's gaze hardened and irritation flickered across her face, she drew in a breath and recomposed herself, "Tell me, did you allow that dyke to touch you inappropriately?"

Weiss allowed a smirk to grace her lips, she moved her hand down to her heart in mock offense, "Who me? Do something so indecent before marriage? Oh I would never." Anger flashed through Willow's blue eyes and Weiss leaned forward, the smirk seemingly widening, "Can you imagine being touched so delicately, treated as though you're the only person on Remnant who matters, and having all of your worries and burdens melt away under their touch?" Weiss chuckled, "It almost sounds like something so unrealistic that it's straight out of a book, right?"

Before her mother could respond, Mrs. Greer reentered the room muttering incoherent swears as she approached them. She stopped beside Willow, "They said they can't do it!" Weiss raised a brow, "Insisting that it would take too much time since the wedding is next week!" Weiss' stomach fell into a bottomless pit, allowing the words to process as the world slowly deafened around her.

The wedding was next week, they were planning the wedding. . . It was literally just around the corner. 'I don't want this. . .' Weiss willed away the tears threatening to spill and recollected herself, now feeling empty, as though her meaning for life was forcibly stripped away. 'A marriage would be what's best for my baby, that way my little one could grow up with a family. . . The Greer family seems nice enough, they would treat the child well, and Liam hasn't done anything for me not to trust him. . .'

If the ceremony was next week, perhaps she could pass it off as Liam's baby after the wedding? 'I don't want to go through with it. . . I don't love him, I don't even know him.' Weiss slowly lifted her gaze to the other women in the room, who had busied themselves with more decorations, 'This is supposed to be my wedding. . . My friends should be helping me, Ruby and I would've discussed everything revolving around decorations and theme. . . We both had so many ideas. She was so excited. . .'

"Weiss, are you alright?" Weiss' vision cleared and she found Mrs. Greer standing in front of her with a worried expression, "You were crying and you look ill, are you in pain? Should I fetch the doctor?"

Weiss shook her head and dried her tears, "No, ma'am," she replied, glancing towards her mother, "Mother, may I leave?" She asked quietly, Willow nodded hesitantly and Weiss stood from the couch, whispering to Mrs. Greer that she would be alright before heading to the door. 'I feel like I'm betraying my Ruby. . .'

Closing the door behind her, Weiss released a heavy sigh and leaned against the wooden frame, "I'll be okay," she whispered to herself, "you'll get out of here. . ."

"Who will get out of here?"

Weiss' eyes snapped down to a young child standing beside her, teal-blue eyes staring up at her quizzically, "Wisteria," she greeted quietly, offering her niece a small smile, "I didn't see you standing there."

"I just got here," Wisteria smiled, leaning up on her tip-toes and rocking, "I was looking for Mother." She was looking for Willow. . . "But since you're here," Wisteria's eyes lit up, "could you go out to the garden with me? I wanna play with Mavi, but Father said I couldn't."

'You sneaky child.' Weiss chuckled, placing a hand on the child's platinum hair, "Of course," she whispered, "but be quiet, okay? Father has been in a bad mood recently."

Wisteria nodded and whirled around on her heels, strolling away with Weiss following closely behind. "Mavi said he would bring some toys for me to play with this time! His Mommy said I could have them if Mother or Father agrees, I really hope they do because I get very, very bored sometimes. . ." Weiss rolled her eyes in amusement as the child chattered on, her voice echoing down the long and empty hallways as they approached the garden. So much for quiet. . .

"Hey, Sister!" She looked down at the little girl, "Do you have a best friend? Mavi is my best friend."

'He's your brother.' Weiss shrugged, "Yeah, I do have a best friend," she replied as Wisteria pushed the door leading to the garden open, refusing to accept help when Weiss offered, "why do you ask?"

Her niece turned to face her after scanning the open area for her friend, "Because I remember you coming home with somebody, she was really nice! So were the other two, but you didn't hang out with them much." Wisteria tilted her head, "I haven't saw her in forever, where is she? Is she okay? You seemed sad when you got home, I wanted to ask why, but Father wouldn't let me."

'Ruby. . .' Weiss stiffened as Wisteria skipped out into the garden, glancing around again and sighing in defeat. "My best friend won't be coming back," Weiss finally said after locking her emotions away, her voice heavy with grief, Wisteria's brows furrowed, "she's gone. . ."

Realization flickered through the child's eyes and Wisteria hung her head, avoiding eye contact with Weiss. "Oh." Wisteria wasn't stupid, and Weiss was thankful she wouldn't have to explain anything, "I'm sorry, Sister."

"It's alright. . ." Before Weiss could say anything else, a voice called out to them.

"Wisteria!" Weiss looked up as Wisteria whirled around, she smiled when she noticed a boy around the same age as her niece rushing up to them, he stopped in front of them and his dark green eyes looked up at her, "Hello!"

"Hi," Weiss greeted with a small smirk, "you got here fast, where's your mother?"

Mavi shrugged, "Mommy's working, so I asked my new friend to bring me!" Weiss immediately looked up and frowned at the sight of Liam standing a few feet away with a nervous smile on his face. "His name is Liam! Liam, meet-"

"We've met," Weiss muttered in irritation, giving Wisteria a gentle push on her back, "go on and play, but don't ruin any of the flowers. Flora wouldn't be happy, and neither would Mother." Without hesitation, the two children bounced away, Weiss turned back to Liam and crossed her arms, frustration brewing inside of her chest, "What were you doing with Mavi? Why aren't you with my Father?" She asked and Liam hesitantly took a seat on the bench next to her, glancing towards the children so that he didn't have to make eye contact with the woman.

"Well, your father was ranting to my Dad about something, and I didn't want to disturb them. All I heard was something about payment for a hotel being put under their name, and a call from Mistral, he kept muttering 'that Rose girl' as though-"

'Wait, what?'

"Rose?" Weiss cut him off, finding herself standing in front of him with her hands in fists, she drew in a shaky breath, "What do you mean he kept saying 'that Rose girl', what payment? What call? Are you sure it was from Mistral and not Mantle?"

Liam blinked at her, "Um," he looked around quickly, "yeah, it was from Mistral. He said that they had a call come in a few days ago, and recently received charges for damages to a hotel room if I remember correctly. I didn't understand the rest because your Father and my Dad started speaking in hushed voices, I don't think they wanted me to hear. All I caught was something about a rose and a girl, why?"

"I should have gotten rid of that Rose girl long ago!"

Weiss' eyes glanced downwards and she took a step away from the man, her mind racing as she struggled to process everything. Her heart jumped to her chest, she wanted so badly to believe that her fiancee was alive, but it just didn't make sense. How? She'd heard her scream, she'd searched everywhere. She'd even reached her aura out to find her, but was unable to locate her. No, it had to be Yang, she was in Mistral, it couldn't be Ruby. . .

"Weiss?"

"I'm fine. . ."

"I don't think he likes me very much." Weiss looked up as Ruby entered the room, shutting the massive door behind her, "He acts like he wants me dead." The older girl set her book down and opened her arms as Ruby approached her, the brunette climbed onto the bed and leaned into her girlfriend's embrace. Weiss chuckled as the young leader buried her face into her neck, "Weeeiissss, I don't like it here!"

"Then why did you insist on coming with me?" Weiss asked gently, resting her back against the headboard behind her. "You're the dolt who threw her suitcase onto the airship and climbed in with me at the last second."

Ruby huffed, "I didn't want you to be alone, you come back from Atlas depressed and moody every time you head 'home'. I wanted you to be happy this time." The girl sat up to meet Weiss' eyes.

"Aw," Weiss chuckled, reaching up to flick Ruby's forehead playfully, "you're sweet. Anyway, what do you mean by 'He acts like he wants you dead'? Did he say something?"

"He just stood there and glared at me."

"Of course," Weiss shrugged, "he didn't pick you out for me himself, and you're not a rich man, so it makes sense that he isn't happy."

Ruby stared at the sheets for a moment, "He said that if I don't leave you soon, he'll make me."

How did she not realize it sooner. . . Her father had her killed, all the signs were there and she ignored them! He'd willingly allowed her to go on the mission, he had a suitor in line the very moment she returned home, he'd had everything planned out, and he'd been wanting to get rid of Ruby since he was informed of their relationship. 'It was all there. . .'

The mission had taken place in Mistral, Ruby had died in Mistral, and Liam did say that they'd received charges for hotel damage and a call from around that area; she'd never found Ruby's body either. 'What are you doing to me?' She found herself leaning against the outer wall of the mansion, her eyes flickered up to the skies and her heart tightened inside of her chest. 'Trying to give me false hope? Good job! You did! She's gone, what do you want from me?!'

"Weiss?"

Weiss snapped back to reality and she looked down to see Wisteria standing in front of her again, wearing a worried expression, "You were crying," The little girl muttered as Weiss reached up to wipe away the tears she hadn't realized were rolling down her cheeks, "I didn't know what to do, so some lady gave me this!" Wisteria grinned as she presented a red and white rose to the woman, "She told me to bring it to you, it'd make you happy!"

A plate was set in front of her and Weiss turned to the woman who'd set it there without paying attention to the contents. "Ma'am, I didn't order this." There was no way their food would arrive that quickly.

"Oh I know, but the girl over there said you would like it." The young waiter gestured to the back of the room, but frowned when she found that the area was vacant. The look of confusion quickly faded from the woman's face as she turned back to Weiss, "It's already paid for. If you'd like, I can fetch a to-go box."

Weiss finally looked down at the plate in front of her and her brows raised. A slice of red velvet cake sat there, perfectly cut out and practically calling her name. Peering closer, she could make out the shape of a heart etched into the icing. It almost looked familiar. . . "Sure. . ."

Weiss blinked in surprise, reeling herself back to her senses and gently taking the flower from her niece. "Wisteria, the roses are in the greenhouse, you're not supposed to touch them. . ."

Wisteria tilted her head, "I didn't. Some lady brought one to me, I told you that. I didn't see her, because she was gone when I turned around." A small smile formed on the child's lips, "She sounded like your friend!" Without saying another word, Wisteria ran off back to Mavi.

The rose Weiss held had been plucked free of thorns, the colors were vibrant and swirled around in a beautiful pattern across the petals, almost forming what looked to be a heart at the tip of the flower. Weiss' brows knit together and she started for the greenhouse, glancing back over her shoulder to make sure Mavi and Wisteria were still within eyesight before pushing the glass door open.

The moment she stepped in, she was overwhelmed by the smell of wet soil and flowers. Taking a few deep breaths to adjust to the smell, Weiss shook her head and started for the rose section of the building. 'Some of these flowers don't grow until mid-spring or summer. Mother must've ordered the staff to keep the flowers alive using dust. . . Probably for the wedding, if I had to guess. Does seem like they're going for a summer-themed wedding.'

Weiss stopped when she reached her destination, her eyes scanning over the many different varieties the greenhouse offered; white roses, red roses, pink roses, osiria roses, gallica roses, and those were the ones she knew. The woman held up the flower she'd been given and observed it again, a small smile tugged at the corners of her lips as the image of a fifteen-year old girl standing in front of her, twirling a red and white rose in her hands, came to her mind. "It certainly is beautiful."

"Just like you." Weiss felt her blood run ice cold and her heart skipped a beat, she knew that voice. . . She would never forget it, it was a voice she never thought she would hear again. No. . . Maybe her mind was just toying with her, maybe she'd become so desperate to hear her again, to see her again, that she'd tricked herself into thinking she was here, still alive and with her.

Before she could turn around, the familiar scent of roses surrounded her and she felt warm, strong arms sliding around her waist. Weiss stiffened, squeezing her eyes shut as tears began to sting at the corners of them. This wasn't real, she was just imagining it, it was a dream. She would turn around, and Ruby wouldn't be there, she was dead and she wasn't coming back. "Princess?" Oh dear Gods, she wanted so badly for this to be real. . . "What's wrong?"

Of course this was her imagination, she couldn't even see her and she knew Ruby thought everything was okay; she wasn't really there. Weiss let out a breath, her voice quivering when she spoke, "You're not really here. . ." She whispered, she opened her eyes and a few tears rolled down her cheeks against her will, "When I turn around, you'll be gone. . . If I try to touch you, you'll fade away."

A short laugh came from behind her and Weiss bit her lip as the arms encircling her waist pulled back until only the hands were left, they ghosted over her sides before disappearing and Weiss felt her posture slacken, that was it. . . It really was a figment of her imagination. Ruby wasn't really there, she was still alone. 'What did I expect? The call and the damages were probably just Yang, she-' When Weiss turned around, she stopped dead in her tracks, her heart rate speeding up when her blue eyes instantly met with deep, affectionate, pools of silver. "Great, now I'm hallucinating."

'Ruby' just smiled and stepped towards Weiss, who took a long step back and raised her hands. "Please, don't do this to me again, I don't think I can take-" she pressed herself up against the glass behind her, 'Ruby' was right in front of her now. Weiss felt something inside of her snap, "What do you want?! Do you want to see me suffer?! Is that it?"

The woman in front of her frowned and Weiss growled, "I know you're not real! Get away-" In one quick movement, the woman reached out and cupped Weiss' face, leaning in and gently pressing her lips into Weiss' to silence her.

Weiss felt every bone in her body melt as tears streamed down her cheeks, her heart swelled and when Ruby pulled away, a quiet, choked sob escaped her lips. She was really here. . . Against all odds, the love of her life was right here, alive. She'd come back to her. "Ruby," she whined, the younger woman slid her arms back around her and Weiss tucked her head under Ruby's chin, relishing in the familiar warmth, "you're here. . ."

"Yeah," Ruby chuckled, rubbing her hand up and down Weiss' back, "I'm here, my love. I'm right here."

Why do I hate this chapter so much?

Ugh.