A/N: So...this is it. Not necessarily the end, but this is the crux of the story. Weiss' reunion with her team was the ultimate goal of the whole story, and now that it has arrived, everything seemed to just fall into place so quickly. I know I've been taking longer with individual chapters this past year, but this entire chapter and most likely the next two have just flown onto the page. I hope its satisfying to read. I sincerely hope I've met your expectations both in the narrative and in how I chose to tell the story.

This isn't the end. This isn't even the climax, but it is an important milestone and I'm thrilled to bring it to you.

Thank you for reading.

"Dust cuffs can have some side effects," Winter warned as she prepared to put the cuffs on the White Fang High Leader. "Nausea and vomiting are common, but also lightheadedness, blurred vision, vertigo, and chills have also been reported."

"I have both been in a dust collar and used them before, Officer Schnee. I am certain that the cuffs are not so different." Adam said. He turned his back to her. "I'll survive."

Winter placed the cuffs behind his back and for a brief moment, he wobbled as if he was losing his footing, but after a moment, he regained his composure and gave Weiss a weak smile. They'd come this far, they had a plan. All they had to do was put it into action.

They stood in place, ready for the gangplank to lower. Weiss turned around one last time, giving Adam a resolute nod before the sound of the hydraulics drew all their eyes forward.

It was evening, and the sun had set, leaving only the blaring artificial lights of the airstrip and the general luminous glow of Atlas as a whole, keeping the outside filled with light, but an artificial white light that kept the sky from getting truly dark and revealing stars. Weiss wondered if the lights had always looked like this, or if being outside of major cities with a clear view of the night sky for a year had affected her opinion of her home. She wasn't so sure she liked it.

As expected, Blake and Yang were waiting for them on the airstrip, wanting to be there the instant their last remaining team member got off the ship. Ruby was first down the walkway, followed by Weiss, the prisoner third, and finally Winter, who was guiding him: one hand firmly between his shoulder blades and and another gripping his right arm.

It was a weird five seconds for Yang. At first, it was elation at seeing Weiss again. She'd changed in looks a bit, but her classy gait, her icy exterior, but sparkling eyes brought back all the feelings of love and camaraderie she'd missed when the whole team was together. She and Blake rushed forward together, all four of the girls catching each other in a group hug of squeals and tears. It had been almost two years since they'd been together. Resting their heads together, it was like a dream come true. Yang closed her eyes and relished the moment. She couldn't think of a time in her life when she had truly been happier.

Within seconds, however, a strange feeling came into her stomach and her chest muscles tightened without warning. She pulled away, unsure of her uneasy feeling to see that Blake had also gotten the same vibe. With her cat ears flattened back against her skull, her eyes fixed on the man Winter was escorting in cuffs. Seeing the back of his head, Yang surmised that this was the man in the tabloids with whom Weiss had been seen about Argus and at the gala. Black hair, and an eye patch didn't ring anything familiar, but he took a moment to stop and vomit on the airstrip, giving a brief profile of his face.

Blake audibly gasped.

"Adam?"

The word alone wouldn't have been enough to send Yang into a panic attack, but the realization that she was right certainly was. Her vision blurred as her heart rate soared. She began sinking to her knees as flashbacks from her first encounter with Adam Taurus began coming to life in front of her. Ruby caught her, falling with her to break her fall on the concrete.

"It's ok. He's in cuffs, he's not going to hurt you," Ruby said, quickly. She stayed with her arms around her sister, offering soothing words as the blonde began to hyperventilate. Her body broke into a cold sweat as Yang desperately clutched Ruby for support, lacing their fingers together.

"I'm sorry,.. I can't…I can't stand up…I can't," she tried to regain control of her legs, then panicked when they refused to obey her.

"It's ok. We can stay here until you're ready to stand back up," Ruby reassured her. "I'm not going anywhere, you can just hold onto me, ok? He's gone. He's not going to hurt you. You're safe."

Still standing, Blake's hands began trembling. In that moment, she realized how painfully vulnerable they were. Weiss had no weapon, Ruby and Yang were on the floor and she was in a walking boot. If Adam had any desire to break free and attack them, they'd be helpless to stop him. "Why is he here?" she asked, her voice betraying the terror she felt. Somewhere in the back of her mind she knew that the production of him being aled around in cuffs was for the benefity fo the Atlesean military and any White Fang spies among their ranks. One did not simply apprehend Adam Taurus and the only way he would have been in cuffs and in the custody of Winter Schnee is if that was exactly where he wanted to be. "Weiss, why is he here?" this time, her voice sounded demanding, but still had that hint of desperation. She reached for her weapon, waiting for her teammate to give her some answer.

Weis, however, wasn't facing her; instead, her haze followed Adam as he was pushed forward after puking and marched to a tower where he disappeared behind a set of sliding metal doors. Her eyes never leaving his visage until he vanished from sight; she looked of all wonders, concerned for his well-being.

"Weiss!" Blake grabbed her wrists, tugging on them to regain her attention. "What is he doing here?"

"He got me out…I know you won't believe me, but he's here to help."

"Help what?"

"Fight Salem."

"Are you crazy? Weiss, what did he do to you? What did he say to make you believe…believe all this?"

"No, I'm not crazy. Adam knows what Salem is and he knows once the Whtie Fang stops doing her dirty work for her, she'll send her goons after us, too."

Blake blinked. "Us?"

"Yes. Us. Faunus and humans. Adam sees that now. Please…can we just…worry about him later?"

Blake released her hands in disbelief. Adam only made moves like this when he was playing puppet master, or when he was desperate, and for the life of her, Blake couldn't decide which was the case now.

"We need to get her inside," Ruby said, pushing Yang up by her shoulders. "Can you get up?"

Weiss knelt to help Yang to her feet. With Ruby on her right and Weiss on her left, the blonde stood shakily to her feet. From a lift tower a short distance away, five huntsmen in Atlesean garb exited the doors and met the team as they walked. Seeing them, Yang struggled to find her footing and wipe the beading sweat from her face.

"What do they want?" Ruby asked.

"Who are they? Weiss asked.

Blake only had a one word reply. "AceOPs."

"Miss Schnee, you'll need to come with us," the apparent leader said, "My name is Clover and I"ll be escorting you to your debriefing. General Ironwood would like to conduct a probative interview immediately."

Weiss shot her teammates a nervous look. "But…I literally just got here."

"You'll have plenty of time to reconnect with your team once we're finished," Clover assured her. "If you'll please follow me."

A broad woman stepped from behind Clover and approached Yang, lifting her from between Ruby and Weiss with hardly any effort. "I can take her back to her room."

Weiss mumbled a value thanks as a wolf faunus moved in to separate her from the rest of her team, following Clover's lead and escorting her off the airstrip. With a nod from their leader, the silent pale man and the shorter, twitchy woman in front separated from the group, boarding Winter's ship.

"What are they doing?" Weis asked as looked at them over her shoulder. She had aimed the question at the leader, but the faunus answered for him:

"Your luggage will be searched and processed," he said flatly. "Don't need any illegal cashews or malicious software being brought in by you and your White Fang friend."

Weiss rolled her eyes.

"What Marrow means is that it's just a security measure," Clover explained with a much less accusatory tone than his subordinate. Pushing a button on the wall, the lift doors opened immediately as if an elevator had been waiting specifically for them. Marrow entered first, followed by Weiss and Clover last to preserve the walking order. "We don't necessarily suspect you of anything criminal, but General Ironwood is very particular of security protocol of late. Your friends underwent the same scrutiny when they arrived."

"I understand the luggage being seized, but did you have to separate us so quickly?"

From behind her, Marrow scoffed. "Is it a Beacon thing to be this attached to your team unit? All your friends were that way, too."

She did not appreciate the critical attitude and the glare she gave him perfectly conveyed the sentiment. "No, it's not a 'Beacon thing' or even a 'huntsman thing'. It's a friendship thing; friends trust each other and stick together no matter what. Do you not feel that way with your team?"

There was a brief pause before the wolf answered. "No."

"Our division has a reasonably…high turnover…" Clover explained. "We don't really have time to build those kinds of relationships off the battlefield."

Weiss didn't reply; instead hoping that the big talk about the loyalty and tight-knit friendship of her team was still true, or if it would continue to be true once they found out about her and Adam.

They conducted the interview in a prison detainment interrogation room. The artificial light emanating from the long tube bulbs cast a bluish glow that reflected off the sanitized metallic surfaces of the walls and table.

To her utter surprise, Ironwood himself conducted the interview. The last time she'd seen him was at the concert benefit, and then he'd looked tired and haggard. Now…he just looked old. His beard had grown in fully, streaked with gray to match his hair, but his brows and eyes now had permanent creases, no doubt created by the stress of trying to keep the country together.

"Would you like anything to drink? Coffee? Tea? Water?" he asked, politely as he sat. His voice was low and still as grave as she remembered.

"Coffee would be nice," she said, feeling immediately more at ease with a familiar face. "Three sugars, three creams,"

Ironwood nodded to the mirror behind him, and clearly someone on the other side. In a few moments, a minion of some sort brought in the foam cup and handed it to her.

"I'd almost forgotten how cold the elevation makes Atlas," Weiss said aloud after taking a sip. "Thank you."

"You're most welcome. I understand you'd like to get back to your team quickly," Ironwood said, getting immediately to business, pulling out a holo-tablet. "I don't intend to waste your time, Miss Schnee, but I do have some questions I'd like to ask you."

"Of course, I understand," Weiss replied.

"Your return to the public eye was of course a great shock to us," he began, "I was wondering if you could recount the events that led to your release from captivity when it was the understanding of your sister and your team that you were a political prisoner of the White Fang."

"I was never intended to be a political prisoner," Weiss began. "Adam told me from the beginning that I was not going to be used for leverage or for ransom, but as a trophy: a symbol of his intentions to use the White Fang to overthrow humanity."

"And by Adam, you mean Adam Taurus, the former Vale Chapter leader and High Leader of the White Fang,"

Weiss hesitated. She should not have been so casual calling him by his first name. "Yes." she said finally.

"And you can confirm for me that you were taken against your will and did not leave your own volition."

Weiss needed a moment to collect the correct words. "I can confirm that I did not leave of my own volition, General. Even being under house arrest with an abusive dad and a drunk mom, I would not have willingly become the prisoner of White Fang assassin sent to murder me in my bed."

Ironwood was taken aback by her coldness. Her detached demeanor and flatness in her voice conveyed exactly how much she had to mentally disengage from reality just to survive during her captivity. As he asked her a litany of questions from her whereabouts to an approximate timeline to her experience and perspectives, to her knowledge of Salem's actions and plans, she remained polite, but distant. No amount of attempting to be personal or show of concern could thaw the frosty exterior for which the Schnee women had developed a reputation. After almost three hours of questions, he'd finally finished with everything he wanted to ask, with only one question remaining.

"Miss Schnee, would you be willing to submit to a psychological evaluation from one of our experts here on the base?"

"I would be willing, but does it have to be today?" I've spent the last fourteen months in fear of my life and I'd like a few days to…decompress and process everything. I'm exhausted and feel very…overwhelmed."

"Of course. We can conduct the evaluation whenever you're ready, however, we will not permit you to see or communicate with Adam Taurus. I'm sure you understand."

"I do," Weiss responded blankly.

"The question then falls to your accommodations," Ironwood said, putting his tablet down and leaning on his elbows. "My assumption is that you have no intention of returning to Schnee Manor and that you would prefer your father not be informed of your return to Atlas."

"That is a correct assumption," Weiss replied. "If there's no objection, I'd like to stay with my team."

"Are you certain? We can place you with your sister or even in a private quarters if you need time to yourself. We know you've been through a lot."

"I have been through a lot, but I've spent every day since the attack on Haven trying to stay alive so I could make it back to my team. I want them to be with me as I navigate this state of post trauma."

"I understand. I'll have your luggage delivered to the dormitories, and have one of our security staff provide you with scroll access to your dorm room, mess hall and academy rooms." Ironwood stood, prompting Weiss to follow. "I know this may not mean much coming from me, but I'm glad to see you returned to Atlas safe. It's been weighing heavily on several minds, your sister's especially. You can rest easy now; you're safe here."

"Thank you, sir. I'm glad to finally make it back in one piece." She smiled, giving a hint of warmth, knowing his promise of safety rang incredibly hollow, even to her.

Marrow escorted her to the dormitories, remaining relatively silent, though she caught him staring at her with an expression somewhere at the trifecta of intrigue, trust and…resentment? It was difficult to tell. She tried to ignore it, keeping her attention occupied with her new surroundings and learning the layout of the facilities. Despite her sister's years of service, she had only been on the Atlesean base a handful of times.

It finally came to a head just outside the elevator on her team's dormitory floor. Marrow had to use his scroll to not only operate the lift, but to gain access to the floor's lobby. It made sense: security clearance OTPs or passes on a scroll and would allow for monitoring and restricting access as necessary. What she found unnecessary was his insistence on unsubtly concealing the scroll as it was scanned as if she had the motive or means to steal his security access from his scroll.

"You know I'm not a White Fang agent, right?" she said as she followed him through the door.

"Maybe not, but something is going on with you."

"Yes, I just engineered my escape from the White Fang, convinced their High Leader to come with me and got passage for the both of us into Atlas. I'm sure there's going to be some need of therapy when all of this settles."

"That's not what I meant," he snapped back. "I grew up in the crater. I know what the White Fang thinks of the Schnees."

"And?"

"And for the life of me I can't figure out for the life of me how you made it out alive."

"I'm sure you observed my interrogation. Adam insisted that I remained unharmed and the rest of his brotherhood either respected or were afraid enough of him to leave me alone."

Marrow snorted. "Listen, you grew up in a different world from us. To you, Adam Taurus was a name and a capital loss tax write off. To us, he was a force of nature, a legend: he was the White Fang, and because of that I can't imagine why he didn't kill you when he had the chance."

"You'll have to ask him. I have a feeling his interrogation is going to last far longer than mine. I can't speak to his state of mind the night he took me. I'm just grateful he didn't kill me and I have a chance to survive long enough to make it home."

By this time they'd arrived at team RWBY's door. Marrow offered her no well wishes or goodbyes, ending the conversation with a brief. "We'll see." before turning around and heading back the way he came.

She was glad he was finally gone, but she wasn't completely sure how things would go on the other side of the door. Their reunion was shaky at best, but seeing her team again was one of the only things that kept her alive when she was in exile. This was it.

Opening the door, three heads swiveled in shock to see her.

"That was fast. I figured they'd keep you longer," Yang said, raising to her feet.

"I think he would have if I hadn't asked to be done."

"It doesn't matter. Come on: I'll show you where your bunk is. Your stuff's already here. They dropped it off maybe an hour ago." Yang smiled, picking up two of Weiss' bags, leaving her to carry her overnight bag and her weapon.

Ruby stood to assist, following the pair into the bedroom. Blake, however, remained on the couch, noticeably silent. The concern was evident on Weiss' face as they passed through the door into the bunkroom.

"I'm sorry," Yang apologized for her. "I tried talking to her, I don't think she understands…"

"It's fine. Really it is," Weiss replied, taking the bedding provided on the bunk and making it ready for sleeping. "It's something that's going to take time. I completely understand."

Her answer seemed to satisfy the sisters who showed her which wardrobe would be hers and how to operate all the appliances in the room from the motion-sensor lights to the complicated shower and the small kitchenette area. When they finished, they sat on the couch together, Blake remaining quiet, but not unpleasant.

"Do you need anything?" Ruby offered. "Are you hungry? It's late but we don't mind cooking anything."

Weiss shook her head. "I'm not really hungry and I slept almost the whole way here, but I'm still just…exhausted."

Yang nodded, understanding. "We get it. We're just glad to have you back."

"I'm…I'm glad too. For a while…I didn't think…I…" and like a brick wall, the emotional gravity of it all hit her. She couldn't even finish the sentence, she just burst into tears.

Blake was the first person to give her a hug.

"It's ok; you did it. You made it." Blake said, squeezing her tight.

Yang and Ruby immediately joined in, completing the group hug and sharing in her tears of relief and overwhelmed feeling. They stayed like that for a few minutes, until Weiss finally got enough of her composure.

"I felt like I was never there for any of you once we left Beacon, but I never once doubted that if I tried to reach out to you, you'd find me."

"We found you because Winter was looking," Yang assured her. "And you were so smart, with the weapons locker and the information about Watts, and even showing up at the gala. We never gave up hope that we'd find you, because you never stopped trying to get back to us."

"You tried to help us even when it risked your life," Blake added. "If it weren't for you, Adam would have probably killed Sun."

"It was a calculated risk, but I'm glad it paid off," Weiss admitted.

"It paid off in more ways than one," Ruby said, "Your information about Watts saved Blake from being sent to jail in Mistral."

"You guys got arrested?" Weiss asked, genuinely shocked.

Yang nodded. "Me, Blake, Jaune, and Uncle Qrow." Her scroll dinged with a notification. Yang furrowed her brow as she read the text. "Speaking of Jaune, we have been invited next door tomorrow for breakfast. Team JNPR is hosting and is inviting everyone…relevant, which I assume means Qrow, Winter and Penny."

The last one caught Weiss off guard. "I'm sorry, Penny?"

"Oh, that's right, you didn't know!" Ruby blurted. "Yeah, Penny is alive. Her dad rebuilt her."

"...because she was a robot, right," Weiss said, remembering vaguely the reaction the crowd made during the Vytal festival when one of the finalists turned out ot be a superweapon disguised as a child. "I have so many things I need to catch up on."

"And we can do that over breakfast tomorrow. For now, we should probably get to bed." Blake said, being the first to stand. "Ren likes to start cooking early so we'll have to be up and dressed well before 7:00."

"Let me guess: pancakes?" Weiss guessed.

"Actually, no. Ever since we got to Atlas, he discovered this super advanced cooking gadget called a waffle iron. He's never looked back and Nora has never been happier."

Weiss gave a light laugh. "Of course not; waffles can hold more syrup so she can have a better syrup to breakfast ratio."

"And still not gain any weight," Yang muttered bitterly under her breath.

Ruby yawned, creating a yawn chain with the other three. They couldn't deny it any longer. Ruby had been up since 4:00 that morning and had barely slept the night before in anticipation.

It wasn't as luxurious as her accommodations the previous week, but Weiss had very little trouble falling asleep. She was in a strange bed, without Adam, or her sister, but she was surrounded by her team: Ruby below her and Blake immediately across from her on the top bunk, just like the way they were at Beacon.

She was home.

"You may want to get your concerned and welcoming face on for the press…" Arthur Watts had made himself so much at home in the Schnee residents that Jacques had just given up and let him have a guest room to himself, hoping he would spend his evenings there and leave Jacques alone in his study. His hope was never realized. Watts spent every night in his office drinking his bourbon, and rigging his campaign. It was the least he could do after all, since the Schnees were such generous hosts. "It seems you're due for a family reunion soon."

"What's that supposed to mean, Arthur?" Jacques said, not looking up from his desk. He was trying to manage a company, run a campaign, and maintain his image with both sides of his life. He was walking a tightrope trying to appease the starving, unemployed faunus in the crater as well as the political elite of Atlas who opposed General Ironwood's borderline draconian measures.

"It means that Weiss is back in Atlas and is more likely than not, being housed on the military base."

"How do you know?"

Arthur smirked. "I have eyes everywhere. The drama after the gala last night has hardly calmed down, and a paparazzi caught Weiss leaving her lavish hotel this morning with Winter Schnee."

"Winter went to get her," Jacques mused. While he was not surprised, necessarily, he was a little shocked that Ironwood had let her go so soon. They must have left first thing in the morning and gotten back within the day.

"She also brought the boyfriend with her?" Arthur added as he idly scrolled through the pictures of the media postings, as well as some private sources he'd managed to hack with the power of the Schnee's advanced network.

"And what do we know of him?" Jacques asked, as he poured himself a drink. This conversation was pulling him away from his work and he needed something to deaden the nerves, otherwise he'd be throwing things and punching holes in the drywall.

"I'm not completely sure, but I have some suspicions," Watts replied. "What we know for sure is that he is definitely a faunus, he definitely has ties to the company, and he was definitely sharing a bed with your capricious daughter, not just a room. The maids are very eager to talk if their anonymity is preserved."

"No doubt she's looking to get pregnant with a faunus father just to insult me." Jacque lifted the glass to his lips and took a sip, taking a moment to savor it before speaking again. "I was wise to take the company away from her. She's impulsive and reckless."

"I think the question you need to worry about is: is she honest?" Watts asked. "Because if she tells Ironwood and her military specialist older sister that you knew she'd been kidnapped but made no attempt to look for her, you could be looking at criminal charges. Ironwood and Robyn Hill would love nothing more than to see you facing an arrest just before the elections. Even if you are able to get the charges dropped, it'll damage your reputation."

"I had her declared," Schnee replied with confidence. "Anything she says won't stand up in court unless its procured by a guardian or medical professional, and since legally I'm still her guardian, I can insist Ironwood turn her over to me and make sure she stays quiet back here at the manor."

"It seems you thought of everything," Watts said. "The council will greatly value your added sense of efficiency and…pragmatism."

Jacques didn't thank Watts for the compliment, nor wish him good night when he finally decided to turn in for the evening. He stayed and finished his glass of bourbon, then a second, then a third.

If he didn't play his cards very carefully, not even Watts would be able to help him out this.

Breakfast was nothing short of chaos.

The dorms were designed for huntsmen teams of four, and accommodating three times that many people made for cramped spaces, having to shout just to be heard, and an endless stream of breakfast food. Ren never left the kitchen once; others had to migrate to him to have a conversation.

There were so many things to catch up:

Ren and Nora had finally admitted that they liked each other and were an item.

Oscar was a new addition to the group, and he seemed lively and sweet, though the idea of Professor Ozpin's soul being in his body was so surreal.

Penny was alive, but upgraded, and was the only person Weiss knew that had a hug tighter than Nora's. She and Ruby had really bonded and Weiss couldn't help but feel a tinge of jealousy that Penny had gotten to bond with her partner in her absence.

Throughout the morning, they told her their stories: how they had all come back together, and how Winter had engaged all of them trying to find her. She got to hear their side of what happened at Haven and how their trip to Argus had split them up for a while, but reunited them again. Ruby in particular was excited to tell the story about how they managed to hack the comm tower to contact Winter, Yang and Blake having to add the perspective about Blake's leg, about their arrest and subsequent detainment with Cordovin, and how Winter swooped in to save them.

"Honestly, if anyone was the hero of that story, it was Jaune," Winter said, nodding to Jaune who had been quiet throughout the entire affair. Weiss noticed that out of everyone, he'd physically changed the least. His face and overall appearance was the same, though she couldn't say she liked his new haircut.

"I may have come up with the plan, but the only way it worked is because everyone played their part and worked together," he said, clearly not interested in talking. He stood and acted like he was going to make his way to the kitchen for more food, but as the conversation picked back up around her, Weiss couldn't help but notice he slipped into the bunk room instead of turning to Ren for more food. She stood, picked her way through the living space and followed him.

She found him keeping busy by throwing clothes into the washing machine.

"Not feeling very sociable?" she asked.

"No, just…trying not to get overwhelmed."

"I know there's too many people," Weiss responded. "I noticed you…retired the Pumpkin Pete hoodie."

He stopped loading clothes for a moment. "I told everyone it was time I moved on," he admitted as he closed the lid on the washer and chose the cycle, "but the truth is, I'm scared if I keep wearing it, I'll wear it out or worse…ruin it somehow in combat. It's one of the only things I have left that reminds me of her."

"It's ok to want to hold on to the memories," Weiss said, pushing herself atop their counter space. "She, of all people, deserves to be remembered."

"It's weird, I have so much training here, but whenever I'm feeling like I just can't make any progress or I'm frustrated, I go back and watch the videos she made for me and just practice the basics. It's like practicing with her and I just get re-rooted in sword skills."

"She would be proud of you," Weiss said, putting a tender hand on his shoulder.

"If I'm the one who carries on her legacy, I'm going to do it right," he replied.

"And your semblance?"

Jaune shook his head, discouraged. "Still nothing. But at least I'm not the only one. Oscar has yet to unlock his, so I don't feel so awkward."

"It will come when you need it," Weiss promised. "I wasn't able to perform a summon until everything was at stake during the Vytal Festival. You'll unlock it when the time is right." She slid off the counter and in an instant she was in his arms.

"Thank you for coming back," he said. "I don't think I could lose another friend. Not so soon."

She didn't know what to say, but she returned the embrace, thankful they were able to be friends despite what all had happened and how she treated him at Beacon.

"We'd better get back," Jaune said. "The party is for you, after all."

They squeezed back into the main room where Winter had a frantic look on her face.

"Weiss, you need to come with me, but you need to promise you won't say anything." The look on her face was grave and it immediately sucked the life out of the room. Everyone fell silent. All eyes looked to Weiss.

"What is it? What's wrong?"

Winter held up her scroll indicating she'd gotten a text.

"It's Father. He's here, on the base."