A/N: Hey guys. Sorry I was away for so long. It might take a little time to get back in the swing of things, so if the next few chapters drag or are clunky I apologize. Getting back into writing is hard.

Jacques Schnee expected some resistance when he came to the base to 'collect' his daughter. What he did not expect was a party of thirteen huntsmen, Pietro's puppet girl, his eldest daughter and the general himself all coming to him armed and ready to defy his attempts.

Winter led the group, flanked by Ironwood and another huntsmen from Vale he recognized but could not name, though immediately behind them, Weiss walked with her head held high, hand on her sword and a snarl curling her lip and nose into the schneer all three of the siblings were famous for. She clearly wasn't afraid of him…but he had many other motivators aside from fear.

They met in the lobby of the reception building, coming out of the elevator as a single unit. The space was largely empty, Jacques only accompanied by his driver and the stationed guards dotted throughout the first floor.

"How did you even get clearance to get on the base?" Ironwood demanded.

"I have a vested interest in the military proceedings and I passed all the security checks," Jacques said, keeping his composure, arrogance spilling out with every word. "I think the real question here is, why did you conceal the return of my missing daughter from me?"

"We had no idea she was missing," Ironwood replied, his voice flat and unable to discern. If Jacques was going to play the posturing game, he could too. "It was never reported to the authorities. We were under the impression she was convalescing due to her severe PTSD and finally made a breakthrough while on a tour through Anima."

The dust mogul had years to perfect his facade. "James, I think we know each other well enough to not play games. I chose not to inform the authorities so as not to ensue any more panic or false ransom claims and instead decided to have my own private investigators look into the matter."

Winter rolled her eyes. Jacques glared at her but kept going.

"At any rate, I'm not one to be petty. She's safe and home, and,at this time, I won't be pressing any charges against the Atlesean Military, nor will I be withholding my business as it would be unbecoming for my campaign. I have an image to maintain. So, if you'll simply hand her over, that will be the end of things and I'll be out of your hair."

"She's nineteen, she doesn't have to go with you. You're not her guardian," Winter said sternly.

He smiled. He returned the schneer as he pulled out a manilla envelope. "She may, perhaps, be of legal age, but what Weiss may not have told you was that during her short time home, she was declared mentally incompetent and disinherited from SDC ownership until she could again be determined stable enough to take charge of her own affairs, much less the company in the event of my death or retirement. Her current well being and financial assets are under a conservatorship of which I am the sole conservator."

"I didn't sign anything like that," Weiss insisted, the statement meant more to inform Ironwood than declaring it to her father.

"You didn't have to. You were underaged at the time and your mother was only too happy to sign the papers if it meant going back to her vintage bordeaux."

Both sisters clenched their jaws. Their father could be a real piece of work sometimes.

Looking the documents over, Ironwood had to concede that everything, at least legally, backed up what Jacques had said. He still maintained a type of custody over his middle daughter that allowed him to make financial and well-being decisions for her, including her place of residence. He said nothing, only pursed his lips.

"Well you're not taking her," Yang said, folding her arms, deliberately showing off the prosthetic. "You can't just waltz onto a military base and take her away."

"I can if she's mine," Jacques quipped back.

Nora's grip on her hammer tightened. She cast an expectant look over to Ren, begging silently for permission to break his legs.

Ren shook his head silently.

"She's not your property," Jaune said, finally speaking for his team. "And you didn't even care where she was for the past fourteen months. Why do you care now?"

"Because he needs to make it look like the entire situation at the gala was part of his plan," Weiss replied, locking eyes with her father as she spoke. "He also needs to get me out of the tabloids and news stories before the elections."

Jacques refused to speak to his daughter directly, instead keeping his focus on General Ironwood. "Regardless of the circumstances of her disappearance or return, she is still in my custody. You can't just keep her here without cause. You're already in enough hot water with the council, James. Do you really want to start a feud with not only a candidate but your sole dust provider for the entire island? You've already embargoed my business until it's hemorrhaging money, put the entire nation in a state of lockdown and caused mass paranoia. And on top of that, your actions of limiting my business are affecting the most disadvantaged of our society."

Blake snorted.

"Unfortunately, Father, I am part of an ongoing investigation into a person of interest," Weiss said. "I'll be released as soon as the investigation is included, and I'm sure even the council will be understanding in that regard, provided I'm returned as soon as the investigation is finished."

"Was my daughter questioned and held without your lawyer or legal guardian present?"

"I'm afraid neither is permitted to be present for a military debriefing, nor a psych evaluation…which still needs to be administered," Ironwood added. "She should be ready in another day for 'collection' as you put it. You'll be free to take your daughter and we'll have concluded our investigation."

Jacques hated losing, but could see with this amount of resistance he'd either need to bide his time or come back with more firepower. "Twenty-four hours," he conceded. "After that, if she is not handed to me, I'll be taking this to the council and to the news stations. I won't let you keep my daughter from me." As he was leaving, he pulled out his scroll, asking for the family doctor and lawyer to contact him immediately. Weiss kept her eyes on him intently until he had disappeared into his car and driven away.

"Find whatever guard let him on the base and pull his credentials," Ironwood immediately ordered the ACEOps. "No one representing Jacque Schnee is to come on this base for the foreseeable future: not Jacques himself, not his lawyer, no one. Stop them at the gate and if anyone lets them in, I'll have them court martialed."

Clover nodded solemnly. "We'll see it done, sir."

"We won't let him take you," Ruby said to reassure her. "We'll figure out a way to hide your or get you sent away."

Weiss shook her head. "We need to start the psychological evaluation now," she said, turning to the general.

"Now?"

Winter agreed. "Our father is without question right now trying to stop it from happening. He doesn't want any kind of documentation that he didn't inform the proper authorities she was missing or that we suffered any kind of abuse."

"But are you ready for it?" Ruby asked. "I'm sure General Ironwood can stall…"

"I don't know, but if I don't get one now, I'll be forced back to his conservatorship with no way of getting out." Weiss was insistent, and everyone could tell by the intensity in her voice she wasn't afraid of her father, but she needed to stay out from under his thumb.

"The rest of you can return to your rooms. Miss Schnee, if you will follow me, we can take you to the medical wing and begin the evaluation as soon as a doctor becomes available."

Winter gave her sister a hug. "When you're done, come find me," she whispered. "In case you get taken away, there are some things you need to know."

Weiss nodded, before releasing her grip on her sister.

James and the younger Schnee walked alone to their elevator while the opposite elevator on the other side crowded with the miniature army that had come to defend her.

Alone in the elevator, James turned to ask Weiss a question but was surprised when she cut him off before he could get a word out.

"General, if I ask you a question, will you promise not to read into it?"

"I'm…not sure if I can. I'm not in a place to take anything anyone says at face value. Not anymore. But, for your sake, I will try. What is it you wanted to ask?"

"Is Adam ok?"

Ironwood could tell by her tone that it came from a place of concern. He understood why she didn't want to ask with the others around and why he didn't want him to interpret the question for anything more than it was. She wasn't desperate, she didn't ask to see him, but she was genuinely interested in his well being.

"He is still in a collar and he is still in a holding cell, but he is being treated well," Ironwood assured her. "He is sleeping and eating regularly and is calm. He hasn't given us any trouble."

'And through his interrogation, which I'm sure you conducted, has he informed you about the evidence we have compiled?"

"He has but we can worry about that once we are sure your father isn't going to sick the council and media on us for keeping you here. Let's get through the evaluation first and we can look at all this evidence you two claim to have once you get done."

"I think that is wise," she agreed. "I know…I know for all the atrocities he committed, I appreciate you treating him with decency and hearing him out."

"Misery acquaints a man with strange bedfellows," Ironwood responded. Weiss was sure it was a quote from something she had read before but could not quite place, but at least he was willing to see the benefit Adam brought to the table and that an alliance with the White Fang, however distasteful, was necessary to have a chance against Salem.

He walked her to the medical wing where a psychologist was waiting in the lobby to take her back. Weiss was escorted away by the woman, just old enough to have wrinkles and graying hair but still looked young enough to not seem out of place in a hospital.

Ironwood did not want to admit it, but he had reservations about her receiving an evaluation this quickly after her rescue and return to Atlas. If she didn't perform well, this could bode terribly, especially if Jacques locked her away again. He secretly hoped she was as confident as she acted, following the doctor down the hall and out of sight.

Returning to the elevator, he found Marrow waiting for him, a memory stick in his hand.

"Good news is, I found it," he began, "Bad news is, it's encrypted and it might take weeks to crack."

"Good. I also want you to find the one in Miss Schnee's belongings. Adam said hers also contained incriminating information."

"Perhaps…it would be better if we let them hand them over. It might not inspire trust if we seize them first, especially without their knowledge or consent." Marrow spoke from his heart but with great caution. Over the past few months he'd seen Ironwood's deterioration, and the lack of trust was creating an unhealthy atmosphere on the base, especially toward authority figures such as himself and Winter.

"We don't have the luxury of trust, Operative Armin," Ironwood replied, staring him down with his steely gaze of authority. "Find the other memory drive now. I don't care if you have to pry Weiss' luggage out of her teammate's hands."

"Yes, sir." Marrow saluted, but his tone indicated he was obeying only because of rank and not because he agreed with the orders. He turned and re-entered the elevator, leaving James alone to take the elevator going his direction.

He was new on the ACEOps team, and Clover had nothing but praise to offer about him, but Ironwood knew Marrow Amin was on the edge more so than the rest of his team. The kid was new, he still had ideals and altruism and a conscience, and if it came to a matter of duty or conscience…the general wasn't sure which Marrow would pick.

He'd have to learn pretty quickly in times like this one couldn't afford to have a conscience anymore.

"She passed?"

The doctor shrugged as she reviewed her papers, choosing the old school method of physical, tangible paperwork over the impersonality of a hologram or tablet. "I see no reason to believe Weiss Schnee, although having some trauma, is of a sound mind and able to make competent decisions as an adult. You sound surprised."

"She was a hostage of the White Fang for over a year." As much as Ironwood wanted to believe it, he found it hard to do so. He had to be absolutely sure.

"She also survived the fall of Beacon and a less than ideal homelife, but based on her responses and demeanor, I have no reason to believe any PTSD she may or may not be suffering from is affecting her ability to function in society as a normal citizen. She did have training as a huntress and has undergone hostage training. People have gone through just as much and not completely had a mental break. She's…relilient. Damaged, but more than able to make decisions for herself and her well being."

Ironwood turned away to face the window. "Did she say anything about what they did to her?"

"I'm not sure if you're referring to her parents or the White Fang, but you know I can't answer that either way. The specifics of what I asked her and her answers are privileged information."

"And her father won't have access to the questions either? As her executor?"

The doctor shook her head. "Privileged."

The general permitted himself a wry smile. "Good." He turned back once he'd composed himself to look over the evaluation. "What's next?"

"The next step would be a request to have a medical board review my evaluation. If we can process the request by today, the board can probably declare her legally competent by the end of the week."

"Her father is coming back for her in less than 24 hours, there's no way we can request for an emergency hearing?"

"You can," the doctor conceded, "If you can offer some kind of proof that you believe that Weiss is in some kind of imminent danger by being turned back over to her father, which we really don't have any indication of by either his actions or Weiss' evaluation. She does not perceive him as a threat to her safety…at least not anymore. However I think it best that you ask her opinion on the matter. While she may not be interested in returning to her father, she has a mother and a younger brother as well."

Ironwood let out a long exhale in exasperation before nodding at the doctor and entering the quiet evaluation room where Weiss was still waiting. The room looked almost like a dentists office with a fish tank, abstract furniture and cosmos style art that was nothing distinct, but composed of curved lines and cool colors, all allegedly thought to relax a patient. Weiss herself was seated primly opposite a coffee table.

"The doctor says you should be declared mentally competent," he began, "she can send her evaluation to the Atlesean Medical Board to have your case reviewed and if they agree with our findings, you'll be declared competent and released from your conservatorship."

"And I would like that board review, but not exactly yet," Weiss said calmly.

"This is your only chance to get out from under your father, Weiss…"

"This is my last resort. I can get out from under him without involving the Council or the military or any medical system. The best way and the easiest is for him to cancel it himself, and I want to give that a try first. Have a request for review drafted, but don't send it off just yet."

The general sat across from her. "What are you planning?"

"My father is probably trying to do everything he can to lock me down and when he comes for me tomorrow, if you don't release me, it will reflect poorly on the military. It will look like you and my father are unable to set aside your personal qualms with each other for the sake of professionalism, and it will look worse on your end. If you refuse to turn me over, the council and media will have questions. You have to let me go back hom and make it look like you helped me reunite with my family."

He frowned. He absolutely did not agree with this plan and Weiss could see it all over his face. "If he gets you back, he'll either lock you up or send you away and who knows when we'll see you again."

"General, it has to be this way. If the medical board rescinds my conservatorship, that still leaves Whitley as the heir of the SDC. I have to have that position, Whitley cannot take my legacy and run it into the ground, not with what is at stake with Salem and the maidens."

"How can you be sure he'll actually relinquish you, much less return your status as the heir apparent to his company."

Weiss' face suddenly contorted into something Ironwood had never seen before: it was cold but with an intensity that would have scared him had it come from Winter. "It's not his company, it's my mother's," she snarled. "Everything that my father is and has is because of who he married. It's not his name, it's my mother's, it's not his money, it's my mother's, it's not his company, it's my mother's, and I will be the one to carry on my mother's legacy, not Whitley. And I am sure that I have enough evidence to ruin him. If all goes well, he won't only be stepping out of his political campaign, but he'll be stepping down as CEO of the company and moving out of the manor."

"You're that confident?"

"We have the proof to back it up."

"And if not? If he tries to lock you away from the public like he did the first time?"

"If I'm not back on the base within 24 hours of my father picking me up, then send the request to the medical board. That threat alone will keep him from doing anything rash. If he pays off the medical board, then release the contents of my hard drive to the tabloids; they'll eat it up. If he pays them off too, then I still have a back up, one he can't touch because she's not even on the continent."

"And who is that?"

"Lisa Lavender. We spoke at the gala in Argus and I provided her with a very juicy interview that she can release the day before the elections should I not specifically contact her to not run the story."

"And when you keep saying "we"?"

"Myself and Adam."

"That's not going to happen," Ironwood said flatly.

"You can't just let him come with me to the base in Argus with all those rumors flying and then just vanish as soon as he gets to Atlas. People are going to ask questions. We have to keep this facade up. Even my father will have to play along with it."

"I'm not going to just let the High Leader of the White Fang loose on an Atlesean military base. We have no idea what kind of threat he poses."

"That was the deal," Weiss retorted. "He would be released once I handed over my hard drive and you were able to decrypt it, and after that he'd be given immunity for his past crimes including the international ones when his was decrypted."

"Perhaps that was the outcome you two cooked up together when you were plotting this, but he's a terrorist with a personal score to settle with your father, I'm not going to let him just walk off the base with a hard drive and a pinky promise from you that you'll make him behave. I've worked hard to secure our borders and I'm not ready to risk letting someone as dangerous as him loose in Atlas and Mantle. We won't know if the information the two of you compiled is worth the risk until we decrypt the hard drives we confiscated."

Weiss rolled her eyes. Of course he'd try to find some way to circumnavigate their plan in case he didn't want to play by their rules. Neither of them were tech experts, there would be no way to keep out the professionals forever, but Adam had at least put enough security on both drives that the information would be more expedient with their input.

"You realize you can have both of those hard drives by tonight if you just let Adam and I work our plan?"

"Weiss…I…" he sighed. He leaned forward, letting his elbows rest on his knees as he slouched toward her. "I know you've passed this psych evaluation, but if I'm going to let either of you off this base and out of my sight, there's some things I need to know for myself. Things I had no intention of asking on the record during your initial interview."

"Ok?" Weiss seemed skeptical.

"I know I'm not your father, but, I feel like someone needs to ask. Adam Taurus tells me the two of you are involved romantically. Was this completely consensual on your part?"

Weiss was either unfazed by the question or had mastered keeping her composure. "Yes. I was not coerced or pressured into a relationship with him."

"And is that something anyone else on your team knows? Or your sister?"

"I haven't explicitly said we've become involved. I did not think anyone was ready for that, but I don't plan to hide it from them forever."

"Miss Schnee, you're safe here. Adam is incarcerated and in a dust collar. He can't hurt you and you're in no danger of being charged criminally. I need you to be honest: was any part of your relationship coerced? Have you been guilted, or manipulated in any way to sleep with him, to agree with his ideals or to assist him in destroying your father's reputation? All of this was of your own free will and outside of his influence?"

Weiss looked at her reflection in the finish of the coffee table. With no repercussions, did she still wish to proceed with her plan, and did she still believe as Adam did about the White Fang, her father's company and the fight against Salem?

Yes.

"While I was initially kept as a hostage, I can assure you, and the evaluation will reflect this: I was not coerced into anything that led me back to Atlas. I was not pressured to have sex with him at any point, in fact he refused to proceed until I had given him an excessive amount of consent. He did not initiate the move to Argus, that was my suggestion, and as far as the SDC goes…we both have our reasons for wanting my father out of this election and out of the SDC."

"I see." Ironwood mulled over her words. "I just wanted to make absolutely sure. If I'm to let the two of you leave together, I have to be absolutely sure you're confident he won't try something ridiculous like holding all of Schnee Manor hostage for some kind White Fang statement."

"Technically, Adam isn't even High Leader anymore," Weiss admitted. "His choices to defy Salem as well as…me…got him in hot water. He left before it was official, but he knew there would be a meeting with the chapter heads to have him removed."

"And…who does that leave in charge?"

"Either Artis, the chapter head of Atlas or Sienna Khan."

"I was under the impression Sienna Khan was dead."

"We helped propagate the lie so she could muster a following of White Fang who agreed with us in secret while Adam kept up appearances with Hazel. The best we can guess is she's somewhere in northeast Mistral."

"Is there anything you haven't schemed up?" Ironwood asked.

"We can't take everything into account," Weiss admitted. "But we were heavily banking on Adam being released eventually. I'm not necessarily afraid to face my father on my own, but if he decided to try and force me to stay, I would have liked to have back up."

The general stood. "I'll see what I can do."

She stood to follow suit. "That's all I can ask for."

"Would you like me to get you an escort back to your room?"

"No, I'd actually like to find and speak to my sister. We promised today we'd catch up."

"I'll let her know you're free," he said, pulling the door open and holding it for her to exit first. "I promise you we'll be right on top of it. We'll have the papers drafted and if we don't hear from you within 24 hours of you leaving the base, we'll send it in. From there you might be stuck for another week, maybe two with how slowly things are going."

"Thank you, sir."

He bid her farewell and made his way back to his office. It took multiple hallways and two elevators to finally get him into his office with the floor to ceiling windows overlooking the entire complex. He'd been called crazy for being so strict and possessive, but it was his responsibility, his to protect and every last soldier looked to him for guidance and the security that what they were doing was actually going to help save the world. As he looked out across the airstrip and the courtyard, he tried to think of a way to get those two crazy kids under control. In under a week, he'd been presented with two new players in a game that decided the fate of Remnant, and both were running circles around his plans. He needed a way to control them, to make sure they didn't go rogue and make things worse for everyone, but he had nothing over them: somehow, they'd accounted for almost every contingency and as admirable as it was, Ironwood was secretly furious it was happening to him. Their plan, admittedly, was their best shot at destroying Salem: uniting as many people as possible that could fight and coordinating attacks was something he would never be able to do alone, but the idea of trusting a terrorist and a teenage girl were also not inspiring confidence, as good as their plans sounded.

He took in a deep breath.

He had to put his people first.

He had to give them their best chance.

He had to take that risk.

He had to trust them.

Pulling out his scroll, he called down to detainment.

"This is Officer Cathari," the voice on the other end said.

"Arrange to release prisoner #04200520," Ironwood said, "Authorization code 261881482"

There was a long pause.

"Authorization code received. Mr. Taurus will be released and his effects returned to him as soon as we finish the formalities on our end."

"You can return his clothes and his eyepatch, but not his sword. Have it brought to my office. And keep his dust collar on."

"Yes, sir. I'll have it sent up. Where would you like to send him?"

"Have him sent first to Cryptology and once they're finished, bring him to me."

"Will do, sir."

The general offered a short 'thank you' before disconnecting the call. He had to

He was already regretting his decision.