AN: Chapters four, five, and six were posted in close proximity. Please verify you have not missed any previous chapters before reading.
One year, his life had changed completely in just one year. At thirteen, he had been bitter, angry, and utterly alone. It took a stranger to push him in the right direction. A brother to set him on the right path. Home was no longer a place he dreaded. Especially, when he had someone placing a fresh serving of hot chocolate on his desk.
A soft smile grew on Whitley's lips as he nodded at his butler and picked up the fresh mug of hot chocolate. There was little else he could wish for at the moment. He sat comfortably in his own study on the third floor of the estate, occasionally halting his SDC assignments in favor of watching the entertainment in the courtyard. Another flash of light drew his attention to the courtyard below.
Both of his sisters stood at a distance from each other in the courtyard below. Winter, draped in her Schnee Security Forces uniform, pointed her sword at Weiss. Weiss held her rapier forward as the two slowly circled each other. Suddenly, two white glyphs illuminated the courtyard. Both of his sisters launched themselves forward, exchanging strikes.
"Winter has been working Weiss especially hard these last two weeks, hasn't she? I honestly didn't think Weiss would keep up as well as she has," Jaune spoke from his side.
"I noticed it as well. I believe Winter is just anxious about Weiss leaving home soon for Beacon. They have been training together off and on for months now. Yet, it seems Winter is finally throwing her all at Weiss."
"That's pretty impressive if you think about it. I remember watching Winter ragdoll her all the time when she was living here. Weiss even cheered when the Schnee Security Forces headquarters was built and Winter started spending time in Vale. You remember how long Winter plans to stay home this visit?"
Whitley tapped his finger on the desk as he tried to recall, "Hm, she came home exactly two weeks ago. If I recall correctly, she never gave an exact date. I honestly believe she plans to leave with Weiss."
Jaune sighed, "She really is worried, isn't she? I know the White Fang have been ramping up their activity in Vale, but I guess I underestimated how much of a presence they have. Winter's paranoid about something happening."
Whitley frowned, "More shipments of dust have been targeted within the last month than the entire year. I admit, even I am growing paranoid. The White Fang in Vale are growing bolder and the Valean council are leaving us in the dark on their intelligence reports."
"You would think they would trust the SSF a little more. They are putting lives at risk by not keeping our forces up to date on information when they hire us to protect shipments within Vale. I guess they are just that incompetent. Did you know they only just recently renewed my citizenship? I was waiting on my documents to process for months."
Whitley reached out and poked his butler's side, "You only had to wait months because you were unwilling to speed up the process with bribes. How many times did I tell you to do so?"
The butler grinned, "At least ten times. Maybe more. I lost count after a while."
Whitley rolled his eyes, "Congratulations for managing to count to ten. May we always be blessed with such small mercies."
"I'd toast to that if I wasn't out of bread."
Whitley glared at Jaune, "My disappointment is immeasurable and my day is now ruined. Go get Weiss and Winter refreshments instead of assaulting me with your horrendous concept of humor."
"Damn, there goes my career in standup. I'll bring lunch up in an hour, until then Whitley."
Whitley turned his attention back to the SDC documents on his desk as his butler exited the room. Even though his butler came with defective humor, Whitley would never replace him. He saw Jaune as another extension to his family. Jaune, Winter, and Weiss were all that mattered to him and the reason why he was cooped up in his study filling out hours worth of documents Jacques gave him.
The hours of paperwork was inconvenient, but it was a promising sign for the future. Whitley was Jacques's only viable heir for the SDC. Forcing Jacques into giving him more hands-on experience was trivial. The quicker Whitley could learn what it would take to run the SDC, the quicker a coop could be staged on Jacques.
Winter's control on the newly financed Schnee Security Forces branch of the SDC made overthrowing Jacques early viable. The investors would see which way the wind was blowing and would surely switch sides at a moment's notice when the two decided to make their move. Jacques would be allowed to quietly retire to some vacation home and Willow could finally be sent to some rehabilitation center somewhere far away from them.
They had a plan for the future, Whitley just needed to do his part. The inner workings of the SDC still needed to be further studied. Jacques's workload needed to be slowly taken away until the majority of it fell into Whitley's lap. Once he could prove himself to the investors, everything else would fall into place. Whitley Schnee was the future of the Schnee Dust Company and with his true family by his side, he vowed to not make the same mistakes as Jacques.
Weiss lowered her rapier, a grin on her face. She had improved all thanks to Winter's horrifically brutal training regime. Constant exercising mixed with frequent duels over the course of a few months made for a potent change in her combat capabilities. She was feeling confident, confident in her choice of becoming a Huntress.
Weiss nodded once at Winter before she raised her rapier again. It was time for another clash. She watched Winter raise her sword as the two circled each other from a distance in the courtyard. Any moment, she had to act at any moment.
A flash of light, except Winter did not charge at her. A translucent form of a Beowolf formed at the side of her sister. Weiss only had a moment to act, her own glyph formed by her side. Her own Beowolf took to the field. The two summoned creatures immediately charged at one another.
Both creatures fought for a few moments before striking lethal blows on one another. When the summons shattered into the wind, Weiss saw Winter grinning. Her older sister was still holding back. Weiss knew she could have summoned something far better than a measly Beowolf. Weiss prepared herself for another clash, only to be interrupted.
"Weiss, I'm proud of you. You're more than ready. I know you'll go above and beyond at Beacon," Winter sheathed her sword.
A mixed wave of emotions struck Weiss. She was ecstatic, proud, and embarrassed by her sister's words. All those hours of training led up to this exact moment. She knew she would have never gotten to this point without Winter's assistance.
Weiss clipped her rapier back on her belt, "I couldn't have done it without your guidance. My training stalled before you came back home to be with us. I got comfortable with mediocrity. I needed someone to push me to keep training."
Winter strode forward, "As if I would allow my sister to get by with subpar skills. My guidance may have played a role in your improvements, but you have yourself to thank for the current you. After all, there was nothing stopping you from slacking on your training whenever I was in Vale."
Winter wrapped her in a hug, "I'm sorry if I've been rough with you this visit. I wanted to ensure you were prepared for the future. Being a Huntress is not an easy path in life. Quite frankly, I am still worried about you, even though I know you are ready."
"Be careful, Winter. By the time I get back from Beacon, I may finally surpass you. You have to keep training too. If you don't, I won't forgive you," Weiss freed herself from Winter's hug.
"Ha, you take your little sister on a few Beowolf hunts and suddenly she's ready to take on the entire world. You're still a few years of experience away from dethroning me. I'll look forward to you proving your words. Remember, you'll always have a place within the SSF when you return home from Beacon."
Weiss hummed, "We'll see how my team feels. I'll do my best to lead them, but I don't want to force them into anything. Hopefully, I will receive reasonable partners at Beacon. It would be a nightmare to deal with fools."
Winter poked Weiss's shoulder, "Remember your promise if you end up not being selected as team leader."
"I know, I know. Do not break the chain of command, work with the leader to establish reasonable plans of actions, and do my best to make the leader's job as painless as possible," Weiss had her sister's orders memorized by now.
"Good. I still have one incredibly selfish request. If anything happens… Well, if you are forced between getting yourself to safety or a team member, come home to us safe," Winter squeezed her shoulder hard.
Weiss placed her hand on top of the hand her sister had rested on her shoulder, "I'll do my best to ensure I'm never forced into such a position. A team should be cohesive, shouldn't it? I need to trust my team to have my back. They'll be trusting me to equally guard them."
Winter sighed, "You're right. A team needs trust to perform at maximum potential. I've experienced what it feels like to work with a disharmonious unit. Get along with your team if you can. Otherwise, quit and come work with me. The SSF headquarters is always just one bullhead ride away from Beacon. I'll even come pick you up myself if you need me to."
Weiss nodded in agreement. A part of her was afraid of the people she could have on her team. She didn't even know the process of forming teams in the first place. If she was paired with people liable to getting her or others killed, returning to Winter's side was her best course of action. Maybe she would get lucky and form a wonderful team of professionals. Otherwise, amateurs were fine as long as they were reasonable people and willing to improve.
Weiss was broken out of her thoughts by a distant shout, "Hot chocolate here! Get your hot chocolate here! Our Winter sale prices are now in effect!"
Winter's eyes narrowed, "Weiss, one more promise. If you meet a person with Jaune's recent idea of humor, you are not allowed to bring them home under any circumstances. Understood? This is of the utmost importance."
Weiss sighed, "Why did you do it, Winter? What possessed you to buy him such a horrible book on comedy for his birthday? This is your fault and now you've probably jinxed me."
"He requested me to get him something simple from Vale for his birthday. To be fair, it seemed like a reasonable purchase at the time. How was I supposed to know he was going to choose to only learn from the 'what not to do section' of the book?"
"Winter, it was Jaune you were buying the gift for. Did you honestly expect things not to end up this way? He is an absolute menace when he wants to be. Have you ever played a racing game with him? He drives backwards down the track Winter! Backwards!" She was getting worked up now.
"I can't say I have. Whitley tried to teach me on a few occasions, but I just don't have the time to dedicate myself to learning the hobby. I admit, it is fun to watch you three play occasionally. You get so competitive, Weiss. It's adorable."
"Winter! I'm not adorable! I'm a grown lady, not a child. Okay, I do admit I may get a little too absorbed in competing against others when playing games," she needed to win after all.
"I seem to recall a certain little sister of mine being banned from playing her favorite online game for a week for being verbally abusive. You were sulking that entire week, miss 'a little too absorbed.' You didn't think I would forget that, did you?" Winter's arms were crossed as she smirked at her.
"It was one time! Why won't any of you drop it already? I didn't mean to get banned. How was I supposed to know calling my teammates glue eaters for performing poorly was against the terms of service? One of them didn't get a single kill the entire match!"
"This is why I warned you to treat your real team well, Weiss. A week ban from an online game for being mean to a team you will never meet again is nothing compared to the misery you would face upsetting your actual team at Beacon. Keep my words in mind, alright?"
Weiss started to calm down, "I understand. I won't make the same mistake in person. I'll try to keep myself under control if my team is filled with those who are less talented. I'll help them train until they are effective if I must."
"The hot chocolate is getting cold! It would be a shame if the drinks go to Weiss-t!" Jaune's voice came from the distance once more.
Weiss felt her eye twitch. She was going to strangle him. She vowed to burn that book before leaving for Beacon. The fate of the Schnee family depended on it.
Soon, Weiss would be departing soon. She knew Weiss was ready. Her sister had trained hard and her countless hours of dedication had made a huge difference. Weiss had been easy to toss around when she first moved back into the manor, now she offered a reasonable challenge.
Weiss would be fine, she would thrive as a Huntress in training. Their small skirmishes against Grimm on training trips was proof enough. Weiss's ability to handle Grimm did not worry her. No, she feared other opponents. White Fang activity was growing, violence was escalating.
The Schnee Security Forces have already suffered a handful of casualties while escorting domestic Valean shipments of dust. Winter feared Weiss getting dragged into a conflict with those terrorists. Feared Weiss being forced into killing another person to protect others. Was her little sister ready for that?
Winter closed her book as she stared at her study fireplace. She really didn't want Weiss forced into such a situation. What could she do to prevent it or at least mitigate it? She could always put a tracking application on Weiss's scroll. Calling her sister everyday would also ensure she was up to date on anything going on in her life.
A knock on her study room door caused her to turn her gaze away from the fireplace, "Come in."
"I brought you some coffee, as you requested," the butler held a filled mug alongside a large thermos.
"Thank you, tonight's going to be one of those nights. I have to catch up on a sizable portion of paperwork. I really should have worked on this throughout my time off. Now I'll pay for my hubris."
"Keep fighting the good fight, Winter. I have no idea how you and Whitley can fill out so much paperwork. I've already had my fill when it comes to filling out a bunch of documents," He strode forward and placed the mug of coffee and thermos on the coffee table in front of her.
"You're referring to your reclamation of Valean citizenship, correct? Was the process that time consuming?"
"It was a lot of personal information I had to try to remember. Stuff like my family address, names of my family members, any medical history, name of my doctor, or the name of my dentist. I also had to provide them with an up to date photo of myself."
"Sounds fairly difficult considering how young you were when everything occurred. Did you struggle with proving your identity?" Winter picked up the mug of coffee.
"Not really, I'm actually kind of lucky. I broke my arm at five, it was something I was able to barely recall. Turns out information that precise gets you a lot of bonus points towards proving your identity. Really, the main hold up was just getting through Vale's awfully slow document processing."
"I know what you mean. Leasing territory for the SSF was like pulling teeth. Having my own Valean citizenship would have made things smoother. The SDC had to pay a considerable sum of Lien to speed up Vale's processing system."
"Whitley offered to pay for me to speed things up too. I didn't see a point in hurrying things along. It's not like I have plans to buy any real estate in Vale. What would I even do with a home or business in Vale?" Jaune shrugged.
"It gives you a method of investing your Lien. Consider saving your funds to buy a home or an apartment to rent out. There are plenty of ways to take advantage of your additional citizenship. You'll be able to deal with less security getting into Vale through official channels too."
"I guess, but why would I want to visit Vale in the first place?" He looked baffled.
Winter grinned, "Jaune, I'm hurt. You have absolutely no plans to visit Weiss or I while we're away in Vale? Whitley would understand, it is your sacred duty to deliver us refreshments at our leisure after all."
"Whitley would end up smuggled in my luggage. There's no way I would come visit you two without him. He would be mad at me. When Whitley is mad, he sulks and that just makes for a difficult week," he nervously rambled.
"Well, the offer is always on the table. If Whitley ever gets bored of you, the Schee Security Forces would welcome a barista at our headquarters," she laughed.
"As interesting of an offer as that is, I'm afraid I'm going to have to decline for now. My current job is perfectly fine. If Whitley ever does decide I'm no longer fit for my spot, I will consider a life of making coffee 24/7."
"Perfect. Run along now, Jaune," she waved the butler off as she picked her book back up.
She heard him shut the door as he departed her study. Whitley was lucky, they all were lucky. The meddling of a simple butler improved their relationships tremendously. In a way, she was jealous of Whitley.
The loyalty Jaune showed to Whitley was staggering. It was borderline obsessive in some respects. Winter knew Jaune would throw himself into the line of fire if it meant saving Whitley. As Whitley's sister, it was a huge relief to know he had someone like that at his side.
As someone who viewed Jaune as a close friend, his willingness to sacrifice himself was concerning. She knew his background did not lend itself well to a perfectly functioning individual. It was just heartbreaking to see the damage surface in the actions and responses of her close friend.
Winter made a vow to herself. If Whitley ever took for granted Jaune's loyalty, she would be there to scoop him up. The Schnee Security Forces could always use someone so loyal. She would even be willing to train him if he wanted to take a more hands on role over working inside the headquarters.
Life just had a way of working out. From a loving family, to broken bonds forged in a hellhole, to being homeless and alone, to finally back around to having a loving family. He went full circle in just eleven years. Sure, he didn't exactly reach his final destination without scarring, but he did get there!
Meeting Whitley, Weiss, and Winter made all of his suffering worth it. He finally had direction in his life. Gone were the days of mind numbing boredom through living life day by day pursuing meaningless work. His job finally had meaning, he was actually needed.
Jaune continued to iron Whitley's clothing as he lost himself in his thoughts. Whitley was the little brother he never had. Being able to share his own life lessons to Whitley was an incredibly fulfilling feeling. The mistakes he made could be passed on as lessons to someone he cared for. No one had to repeat the sins of his past. To carry the weight of the regrets he bore.
His advice actually made a difference too! Whitley reconnected with his sisters. The difference in interactions between the Schnee siblings was night and day compared to the first time he saw them interact. They were finally one big happy family! He played a role in that. This was his positive impact on the world.
He did all he could do to assist the Schnee family and they went above and beyond to pay him back. His uniform was more expensive than anything he had ever owned in his life. His private room was larger than his old apartment he could barely afford. They even threw a wonderful birthday party for him!
His hand tightened around the handle of the iron. His eyes burned as he continued his duty. Whitley would change the SDC for the better, he just knew it. Weiss would become a magnificent Huntress. Winter would provide the innocent a sense of safety they were long overdue.
"A-are you proud of me dad?" His voice cracked as he continued his duty.
Did he do good? Did he make up for his sins? Nine lives for his one. Did he do enough to make up for the losses of the Arc family? Jaune didn't know.
The world could always be made a better place. His dad always used to tell him, "Minor acts of kindness could go a long way to make a difference." He made a difference, he knew he made a difference. Why did his efforts never feel enough?
Jaune took a deep breath as he steadied himself. He was doing just fine. Everything was fine. He just needed to keep supporting Whitley. Whitley was a good kid, he would make the world a better place.
Jaune wiped his eyes on his sleeve as he heard the door behind him open. Only one person ever came to his room. Today was the day, wasn't it? Time moved far too fast. Jaune put the iron down and greeted Whitley with a smile.
"Hey, Whitley. You're looking awfully down today," he already knew the reason.
"Jaune, I thought I was prepared. Seeing Weiss leave was… difficult. I grew used to Winter's renewed departures because she visited so often each month. Weiss will hardly have the same opportunities to do so. I'm scared she'll forget about me."
"Come here, Whitley," Whitley walked up to him and Jaune placed his hand on top of Whitley's head. It was getting more difficult to do this, considering Whitley had grown since they met.
"She'll be fine, Whitley. Everything will be just fine. Your sisters love you. Weiss and Winter will be home again before you know it. You'll be one big happy family again!"
"You mean we will be one big happy family again. I consider you one of us, Jaune. You are never allowed to forget that." the stubborn fourteen year old was glaring at him.
The smile on Jaune's face slowly fell as his composure cracked. Whitley had a talent for breaking through his mask no matter how hard he tried to hide himself from him.
Jaune wiped at his eyes as he truly smiled, "Thank you, Whitley. We will all be one big happy family again. We'll just have to hold the fort until those two get back."
Whitley nodded at his words, "Very good. I will be taking tomorrow off from my duties. Care to join me in the entertainment room for a video game marathon?"
"That sounds wonderful, Whitley. Absolutely, wonderful."
Life just had a way of working out.
AN: That's a wrap. This is the final chapter for this particular work, for real this time. I'm stepping away from the keyboard, I promise. If in the future, as in more than just one day this time, I decide to continue this story it will be its own separate fic as a sequel.
I want to thank you readers for putting up with my false endings and coming back to read these extensions. Creativity dug in deep and your comments kept me motivated to see things through to the end. Never expected to have a PMC Winter and a very competent Weiss when I initially started writing this, but here we are. I just wanted a happy Whitley for once and I feel satisfied by how things turned out.