I have a few headcanons about who survives the whole Salem fiasco (it'd be silly for the entire main cast to survive imo). There's really no real logic behind these small headcanons, it's mainly just a feeling I have.

Weiss was 22 when she returned back home.

Over the last few years, she'd lost count of how many friends, allies, ...and family died along the way. No matter how many lives they had to part with, it never got easier to say goodbye.

But after what felt like an eternity of hardship, everyone's effort and sacrifice finally paid off. They'd won.

With their mission finally completed, she and Jaune's team parted ways.

Ren and Nora insisted on taking some time off to travel and explore the Grimm-free world while Jaune wanted to spend some much-needed time with his family.

Ruby and Yang departed back home as soon as they could to catch up with their dad and to properly put their uncle to rest beside Summer Rose. Blake decided to return to her parents and help the newly reformed White Fang. From what they've heard, the group was struggling to help the thousands of Faunus in need of basic medical care and necessities. The recent war with Salem didn't help with their efforts.

Weiss handed Blake a hefty cheque just before she left. Her friend's eyes widened like marbles when she saw the numbers she'd written down.

"Weiss I–"

"Don't you dare turn it down," Weiss cut her off shortly. "I understand your parents are working hard to rebuild Faunus communities. They'll need all the help they can get. I've arranged for the best Atlas doctors to go back with you as well, if they aren't comfortable with Atlas aid I know a really good doctor in Mistral who treats Faunus patients. I also heard there's been a shortage of medical help and–"

Blake tackled her into a tight embrace. "Thank you."

"Of course." She hugged her back. "If you guys need anything just call me. I'll help in any way I can."

While the rest of her friends took the first flight back to their families, Weiss had other plans.

After setting up a headstone for Winter and their mother, she headed not for the abandoned mansion sitting in the ruins of Atlas, but towards the isolated Faunus village with her little brother in hand.

Her relationship with Whitely was still tense. Though the horrors of war had helped mend the gaps left by their father, there was still a lot of bad history between them that needed healing.

But he was still her little brother, and she didn't want to lose the only family she had left.

It was Weiss' idea for a 6 month getaway from Atlas. To her surprise, Whitely agreed even after hearing where she planned to go.

"I was getting sick and tired of Atlas anyways." He had told her. "And…I-I've always wanted to travel…"

So with nothing but the clothes on their backs and a few medical supplies, they set out for the tiny Faunus village.

She kept Adam's cloak, despite the tears it sustained over the years—she finally understood why Ruby and Qrow kept their signature red cloaks despite the damage done to the fabric. The tiny snowflake charm was now used as a single earring she wore everywhere she went while the tiny Dust Crystal was kept safely in her pockets at all times.

Whitely was a bit more reluctant to travel in more casual clothes, but after a day of suffering from his restrictive outfit, he finally relented to change into the tunic and pants she bought for him.

It was during their long journey to the village that she taught him how to build a fire, how to cook, and how to look for food. She'd reluctantly offered to teach him how to hunt, but he (thankfully) turned down the lesson.

At night she helped him master his semblance and perfect his swordsmanship. He was skilled with the sword, thanks to their dramatic circumstances and his brief lessons with Winter, but he still had a long way to go before he could master his craft.

That was their routine for the next month until they finally arrived in the forest which changed her life forever.

Weiss beamed when she saw a big, burly man out with a team of loggers cutting down a thick tree. Whitely tensed, no doubt remembering the bandits they had the misfortune of running into, and reached for his long sword.

"Wait." She placed a hand on his shoulder. "They're friends. Let me talk to them first."

She slid off her hood, letting the cool spring breeze blow through her loose hair, and carefully approached the group.

It was the Faunus men who spotted her first. They immediately raised the alarm and readied their axes for a violent confrontation. The only Faunus who lowered his weapon upon seeing her was Clay.

"Stand down!" Ash ordered immediately when she got closer. "It's Weiss!"

To her surprise, most of the men lowered their weapons while others continued to eye her sceptically, but the latter wasn't the majority. Ash greeted her with a large toothy grin and immediately picked her up into a bone-crushing hug, like their years of separation hadn't even happened.

"You're back, kiddo!"

"I am." She laughed, hugging him back just as tightly. "I'm home."

Violet greeted them with a curious toddler trailing behind her and another still growing in her belly. She pulled Weiss into a hug and kissed her on the cheek.

"Welcome home, Weiss." She breathed.

"I'm sorry for arriving so unexpectedly." She said. "We can set up camp nearby if there's not enough room."

"Nonsense, we'll just have to cosy up until we can expand the house."

Violet turned her eyes towards Whitely, who was awkwardly standing beside Weiss.

"This is my little brother, Whitely." Weiss patted her brother on the back. "Whitely, this is Violet. She saved my life when I crash-landed into Mistral."

"Welcome to our home," Violet said to Whitely with a welcoming embrace. "Please make yourself comfortable."

"O-okay. Thank you, ma'am." Whitely awkwardly hugged her back.

"Drop the formalities. Just call me Violet."

Weiss looked down when she felt a gentle tug at the end of her cloak. Her heart melted at the little boy peering curiously up at her.

Violet's son took after his mother's Faunus traits but inherited his father's bubbly personality. Though Weiss and Whitely were total strangers to him, he treated them like they'd known him all his life.

"Play with me." He shoved his hand-sewn teddy bear into her hands.

"This is Jet," Violet explained, ruffling her son's hair. "He's a bundle of energy."

Whitely was completely caught off guard at the child's invitation to play while Weiss eagerly accepted his offer. She couldn't resist his cute pleading eyes even if she tried.

That night Ash treated them to a hearty dinner and told them about his grand adventures of cutting down towering trees and hunting prey in the forest. Both Whitely and Jet soaked the story in like sponges.

Jet and Ash's bubbly personalities were infectious. Her brother, who was initially quiet and kept to himself, soon broke into laughter as the night went on.

It was the first time in weeks since she saw her brother laugh and smile with so much ease. Weiss couldn't help but secretly snap a few photos of them all to commemorate the night.

"He's good with kids," Weiss whispered to Violet.

"He's a natural." Violet giggled. "Sometimes I wonder if Jet has more fun with his antics or Ash himself."

"Probably Ash." They both shared a light-hearted laugh.

After they put Jet to bed with several bedtime stories, Weiss and Whitely recounted all that had happened to them the past few years to Violet and Ash.

It was unsurprisingly Violet who asked her about Adam. Eager to update her on his story, she told them everything. From their innocent moments together as kids to their rekindled friendship years later, she recounted the details from her heart.

When Weiss finally finished sharing his story, she was surprised it was her brother who reached out to hold her hand.

She'd never told him the full story about Adam, all he knew was that he was an important friend who happened to be a Faunus. There was a part of her that feared he'd adamantly deny all the crimes their father committed against the Faunus, but he stayed silent up until the end of his tragic story.

"I'm sorry about what Father did to him." He said quietly. "This Adam guy seemed really important to you."

"He is." She squeezed his hand. "I think you would've liked him as a fighting instructor. He was incredibly skilled at fighting."

"Are you okay, kiddo?" Ash asked her gently. "Losing someone like that can't be easy."

"I'm better now." She told him honestly. "It still hurts, but I know I'll be okay."

'Be brave.'

"I hope you know that you don't have to be okay when you're here with us." Violet squeezed her other hand. "Here you can take all the time you need to process your grief."

Weiss could only manage a nod as the tears overwhelmed her once more. Ash took that moment to pull them all into a tight group hug.

'It's good to be home.' She thought.

Weiss discovered the most peculiar thing a few months into their stay.

Their daily routine revolved around helping with outdoor chores now that Violet was nearing her due date. Weiss was in charge of managing the new garden Ash had recently built while Whitely went out with Clay to help with foraging. In their first few weeks at the village, he always came home at the stroke of noon. Afterwards, he'd spend the bulk of the day sulking inside the house—no doubt recounting the hardships they all faced after the fall of Atlas.

"You need to go outside more." Weiss chided him one day.

"And do what?" He said grumpily.

"Make some friends, learn a new craft—I don't care, but it's not healthy to sit here all day."

"And if I say no?"

"Then you can help Weiss with the garden." Violet piped in innocently. "I heard she could use a hand digging out some new space for the tomatoes."

Apparently, the threat of more chores was enough to motivate her brother to get off his ass. Weiss wasn't sure what he did in his free time, but he always came back just before 4 to wash up for dinner.

At least until the beginning of summer.

He began coming home at around 6, just before dinner was ready to be served. Whenever her brother came back, she always found him in an unusually good mood.

"It's just a good day." He'd tell her whenever she confronted him, even when he insisted on going out during the rain.

Whitely hated the rain even on a good day. Something was definitely up, and his secrecy only worried her more.

It wasn't until she was sent out to grab some wild celery that she discovered who was behind her brother's flowery mood. She caught them by chance when she heard the familiar swish of a blade swinging through the air and went to investigate.

She spotted them not too deep in the forest, hidden by a few bushes. It was Whitely's white hair that gave his location away immediately. He was speaking with a young dark-haired girl around his age, she was a cat Faunus like Blake.

"My dad showed me this neat trick the other day! He was able to slice through ten wooden dummies at once!" The girl beamed. "I made him promise to show you today!"

"I don't know. What if your dad doesn't like me?" Whitely replied apprehensively. "Didn't you say your parents used to…work in the mines?"

"Yeah, but it's not like you forced them there. Besides, your sister saved his friend once. I think it'll be fine."

"M-maybe we should wait till a bit later. I don't want to make him mad."

"Don't worry, Whitely, dad's super chill! Once he sees what you can do with that sword he'll totally like you!"

"Or he'll chop me up like paper…"

"Are you really that worried?" The girl crossed her arms.

"Y-you don't know everything my family did, Lily. My sister told me what they did to her friend and i-it really scared me." Whitely shivered. "I see how some of your neighbours look at me and Weiss. It could go really bad..."

For a moment neither of them spoke.

"Hey, you know that I don't blame you for what happened to my mom, right?" Lily rested a hand on Whitely's shoulder. "You were just a kid. It's not your fault."

"But your dad might blame me…"

Lily smiled sympathetically and pulled Whitely into a hug. Her brother tensed for a moment before relaxing into her touch.

"We can wait then. Until you're ready for the world to see us."

"Thank you."

Weiss would be lying if she denied the part of her that envied her brother. Whitely and Lily, while still living in a divided world, didn't face the challenges that she and Adam did when they were just 4. They would never have to fear being caught by Father, never have to meet only in the dead of night, never have to face the hatred that threatened the very existence of their friendship—at least not if she could help it.

Weiss wondered how this new relationship would progress. Would they one day be as close as siblings, like her and Ruby, or would they one day grow as close as Violet and Ash?

If she met Adam under different circumstances, in a better reality, would they too have a chance like Whitely and Lily? Like Violet and Ash?

"I should go. My sister's probably worried about me." Whitely's voice snapped her out of the intoxicating 'what if' scenarios running through her head.

It was at the moment Lily's eyes found Weiss'. She looked like she was about to inform him about her presence when Weiss shook her head and winked.

Who was she to interrupt her baby brother's alone time with his new lady friend?

"Erm…w-why don't we go explore a bit more? I found a super cool waterfall the other day with dad!" Lily suggested instead.

"I-I don't know. What if Weiss looks for me?"

"You said she's super busy with Violet lately, right? I'm sure she won't notice if you come home a bit late."

"Okay, but we need to make it quick. I promised Ash I would help with the firewood tonight."

Lily took Whitely by the hand and led him deeper into the forest. Weiss watched them until their figures were completely obscured by foliage and their laughter faded into the wind.

She found herself hugging Adam's cloak closer to herself, her heart aching from the painfully familiar scene.

'We did it for them.'

I wasn't being completely honest when I said I had no plan aside from the "what if scenario" plotline.

I knew I wanted to explore the tragedy of the human-Faunus hatred, and I knew that this story would have a bittersweet ending because of that conflict. Adam was always going to die, but that didn't make it any easier for me to kill him off :')

On a lighter note, I also had a headcanon that both Weiss and Adam were extremely touch starved. I definitely enjoyed writing their more light-hearted scenes together :)

And that's the end of this story. Thank you all for the amazing support! This has been the longest I've ever invested into a fanfic and I gotta say, it was a lot more fun than I thought. Alas, all good things must come to an end!

But is it actually the end?