Location: Haven, Mistral - Schnee Manor, Atlas
Date: Oct.14th-15th

It starts
With the unexpected loss
Of something dear
The warmth
That comforted and cradled
Just disappears
And in its place there's nothing
Just an endless empty hole
The light that showed the way is gone
And darkness takes control
Bitterness and anger
Are quick to fill the void
The path to isolation
Is littered with the dreams that lay destroyed

[-Flashback-]

"You're sure that you'll be okay here, alone?"

Weiss sets her suitcase down and glances over her shoulder at her team, all three of them remaining in the airship. Weiss' eyes drift to Ruby, who watches her with a concerned gaze, appearing to be ready to grab her belongings and join her in Atlas if she's asked.

Yang stands next to Blake with a neutral expression, her partner stands a foot or two away from the doors, clearly uneasy being so close to the Schnee Manor. "Yeah, I mean, from the way you talk about it…" Yang shrugs, her voice high-pitched and carefully speaking, "It does kinda sound like, I don't know…"

Blake answers for her, arms crossed over her chest, her head tilted slightly with a brow raised. "Hell?"

Weiss' heart warms with appreciation, she's unable to keep the smile from forming on her lips. Her teammates were worried for her, even after only a few months of knowing each other. Her eyes momentarily sting, but she blinks the tears away rapidly and shakes her head. "I'll be fine," she attempts to reassure them as a butler exits the manor behind her, "it'll only be two weeks, I can handle myself."

Ruby's brows pull together, "What about your Dad?" Her lip curls in distaste at the last word. "You said he didn't sound very happy on the call, what if he-"

Weiss interrupts, "Ruby," the brunette's mouth clamps shut, unsure, "I'll let you know if anything happens, okay?"

The younger girl doesn't seem convinced. "Promise?"

"What?" Weiss scoffs, somewhat amused. "Oh, fine, okay. Yes, I'll let you know, I promise." She goes to walk away.

"Wait!"

In a flash of brilliant red rose petals, Ruby darts off the airship and stops in front of her. Their eyes meet and a tense silence fills the awkward space between them. Ruby clears her throat, and she speaks with a whisper. "What will you tell Winter if she asks?"

Weiss smiles, "Same thing we told Yang and Blake… We're just friends."

Ruby's expression seems to change. "When will we tell them…?"

"After the break, okay?" Weiss attempts to reassure her. "I promise…"

Ruby nods, "Okay." She answers, stepping in and gently embracing the older girl. Weiss is momentarily caught off guard, but she awkwardly returns the hug, resting her chin on Ruby's shoulder and watching their teammates through her the part in her bangs, who seem to be focused on something else.

Ruby disappears in a cloud of petals, leaving Weiss' embrace empty. Her arms fall back to her sides as her girlfriend reappears on the ship, causing Blake's ears to perk up in surprise.

"You'd better call us every night, you hear me?!" Ruby shouts before the door snaps shut and the ship lifts off, its gravity spinners sputtering beneath it. Weiss turns away, retrieving her remaining suitcase and silently following the butlers inside the Schnee estate.

She pauses in front of the large, marbled doors, and her anxiety spikes. This would be the first time she's returned to 'home' since her test to prove herself to her father. Weiss smiles a bit, recalling the man's appalled and flabbergasted expression upon the Arma Gigas' defeat.

'I wonder how much has changed?'

Before she'd left, she had overheard her father talking to a few constructors about making alterations to the manor. A few insisted it was unnecessary as the building was old, but being offered over a thousand lien had seemed to change their minds, as it would any worker.

Weiss carefully puts one hand on the center of the door, her belly cold and her nerves shocked. Her thoughts are curling and crashing within her mind, forming incohesive noises and sounds to fill the deafening silence.

She pushes the door open, carefully stepping inside. Her eyes find the butlers approaching the staircase to deliver her suitcases to her bedroom. Weiss swallows hard, allowing the door to creak shut behind her as she examines her surroundings. It feels… Different.

A change had been made to the entrance, replacing the windows with more decorative, arched material and stained glass to form the Schnee emblem. The sculptures at the staircase had been removed and larger Arma Gigas statues stand in their place.

"Weiss."

Her gaze snaps toward the voice addressing her, locating her mother at the bottom of the staircase with a glass of red wine in one hand and a baby cradled in the other. Weiss' world stops, her brow lifting in bewilderment as her mother silently approaches her. She reeks of alcohol. She's drunk beyond comprehension.

"I wasn't gone that long…" Weiss says quietly as Willow rests the newborn in her arms, startling her. Willow faces away from her. "Wait a minute, Mother!" She didn't know what to do with a child, much less a baby. "Whose child is this? What am I supposed to do?"

Willow doesn't look at her, instead lumbering away in search of the kitchen. "Your niece… We will be raising her." She answers, her voice slurred. "Her name's Wisteria. Watch her for me, will you?"

'My niece…?'

She looks down at the infant, who bears white hair with faded wisps of violet, and baby blue eyes with a hint of green.

Whitley was far too young and has never interacted with a female outside of his family, and appears to have no interest in doing so. Weiss hadn't seen Winter in quite some time… The last time she'd spoken to her, Winter had appeared to be uneasy.

Cold realization settles within her.

"...Oh."


-Present Time-

The only thing she remembers after Yang ran out of the room is pain so intense that her vision had begun to blur, only seeing fuzzy shapes here and there and the distorted sound of Blake's voice trying to keep her focused and conscious. The pain in her abdomen was making her head dizzy, it feels like she was slowly being cut open by a scorching hot blade.

Her vision falls black.

The next thing she remembers is waking up and seeing an off-white ceiling above her, the familiar smell of medicine fills her nostrils, and dread floods through her as the realization settles in. She was in the hospital, something was wrong.

Her hand slowly lifts, the tubes attached to her arm pulling tight as she rests her fingers against her abdomen, relieved that the agonizing pain has subsided. She blinks several times to adjust her eyes to the blinding white light above her. A fear settles within her, what if she'd died?

"Weiss?"

Weiss slowly turns her head to see the door opening, she half-expects her silver-eyed fiancee to be walking through the door to greet her, but once her vision clears enough, she's able to recognize Yang and Blake approaching her with sorrowful expressions on their faces.

She closes her eyes, momentarily wishing that she had died so that she could see her beloved Ruby again. She's been by her side for so long, loving and supporting her every step of the way, what was she supposed to do now that she's gone?

That should've been her out there in Stathmore… She should've been the one to lose her life, Ruby had so much waiting ahead for her, she had family and friends who loved her dearly. She didn't deserve to die.

"Has the doctor told you what happened…?" Blake asks quietly, placing a hand on the heiress' shoulder and pulling her back to reality.

She silently shakes her head, her throat tightening and constricting as she fights the tears away from her eyes. She can't cry, she has to remain strong, she can't break down…

This is what she deserves for not protecting Ruby, she deserves this kind of pain.

"Oh my god…" Yang sits in the seat next to Weiss, sighing heavily and placing her head down into her hands. Her fingers tremble slightly before she takes a deep breath, composing herself and looking back up at Weiss, "I didn't mean what I said in the airship, about you not deserving to have anything left of her," she apologizes, "I'm so sorry… If I hadn't said anything, maybe this wouldn't have happened…"

Blake shakes her head, "The doctor said this was inevitable..."

Dread pools in the pit of Weiss' stomach, the look of grief and pain on her friends' faces were starting to frighten her. Something had happened, and she didn't know anything about it.

"You're scaring me…" Weiss whispers, the other two's attention shifting back to her, "What happened…?" She looks at Yang, "What do you mean…?"

The duo exchanged a glance and both look away in uncertainty, seeming unwilling to reveal what had happened. It doesn't ease the nerves building inside of Weiss like a bubbling volcano awaiting eruption.

Blake finally allows her guard to fall and sympathy becomes evident in her golden eyes, her voice is heavy. "Weiss, were you and Ruby trying for a child?"

Weiss' stomach plummets into a cold, bottomless void.

They had already tried for a child twice before, Ruby offering to try and carry as she was the one wanting a family. Both attempts were unsuccessful, leading them to believe that they were unable to have a family.

Wanting to try one last time, they agreed that Weiss could try and carry the child. They had never told anyone about their plans, wanting to know if the attempt was successful before revealing anything.

"Yeah…"

The room remains silent for another minute or two, the tension growing as the dread eating away at Weiss' consciousness slowly becomes stronger.

"Maybe if I hadn't said that, this wouldn't have happened…" Yang speaks this time, sounding stiff as she tries to lock her own emotions away. The sound of her words causes Weiss' brain to screech to halt, processing the sentence before reality starts to crumble around her and into glass-like fragments, she feels cold and hopeless.

She sits upright suddenly, her body going rigid from the abrupt movement. Her heart starts pounding numbly, her ears begin ringing deafeningly, and the numerous voices in her head overlap. She feels like her soul is being dragged into the underworld, set on fire, and left to burn for eternity.

"Why did you say that in past tense…?"

Before either one of her friends can answer, the door slides open and two doctors enter swiftly, one carrying a clipboard and the other wearing a solemn expression on his face. "How are you doing?" The man asks worriedly, "That dust really took a toll on you."

Weiss' belly grows cold.

He couldn't be referring to that dust, right? No, it doesn't work. They've tried it once before and they were unsuccessful, why would this be any different?

"What dust…?" She asks, just to be sure.

The man raps his pen against the clipboard, "There was a foreign type of dust inserted into your body, Ms. Schnee," Weiss sighs and rests her head back against the pillows, she can feel Yang and Blake watching her in concern. "Upon further examination, we discovered that the dust was supposedly used as artificial DNA to create a child between two parents of the same biological sex."

"So," Blake starts carefully, "what went wrong?"

'Please…'

"The dust is still new and needs to undergo several more inspections before being able to safely be released to the public," the doctor answers, hesitating for a moment, "if left without inspection, it can cause a disease to spread through the person's body soon after fertilization…"

He gestures to Weiss, "She is lucky she has her aura, otherwise, we may not have gotten to her as it would have spread far too quickly," he continues, his tone of voice changing as he speaks, "however, if the person has their aura unlocked it will activate in an attempt to keep the disease at bay, but left without treatment, the disease will start feeding at the aura's energy. It's like having a war take place inside of you."

The second person speaks, "You're lucky we managed to extract it before your aura shattered and the dust entered your body," their face turns sad and Weiss averts her eyes, preparing her soul and heart for the next explanation, "unfortunately, the disease is strong and can very well kill.'

His next words suddenly slow in motion, yet it breaks through the buzzing thoughts racing around inside her brain like a whip, leaving the space empty as the words echo through her mind.

"We were unable to save your child's life. We're sorry…"

'My… What?'

There's a consistent ring echoing through her ears as everything fades into nothingness, every nerve in her body grows numb as every sliver of positive emotion slips away. Realization settles in like a cold, haunting feeling spreading throughout her soul.

First Ruby, and now their child…

Their child.

Ruby's child.

Tears sting at the corners of her eyes, a little voice in the back of her whispering to her that she deserved this punishment.

It was Ruby who had suggested starting their own little family, the reputation of her kind being a constant reminder that she has a permanent target painted across her back. She'd been so excited, wanting to get everything set up before they even knew the dust had worked.

She'd been so eager to have a family, and now none of it was possible. It was all her fault.

"We'll leave you be." The doctor whispers, exiting the room and allowing the woman space to process their explanation.

"Hey," Yang stands up and quickly walks over to the woman, "it'll be okay…" She says gently, kneeling next to the bedside to make eye contact with Weiss, who remains expressionless. "We're going to help you through this, just tell us what to do."

The ringing in her ears becomes louder, almost causing Yang's attempt to soothe her to fall on deaf ears. Weiss numbly shakes her head, "Leave." She murmurs, her voice lacking emotion.

"Weiss, I didn't think-"

Weiss cuts the blonde off with a sharp voice, "I said, get out."

Her teammates exchange a worried look and slowly exit the room, both pausing to look back at her to ensure that she was confident in her decision. Weiss doesn't look them in the eyes, instead fixing her gaze on the pristine white wall across from her, closing her eyes as the door shuts and leaves her alone in the spacious room.

She wants to cry, but she refrains.

It doesn't feel real that Ruby is gone; she expects the younger huntress would just show up at any minute and confess that it was all a joke. She never would, though.

The search had been called off earlier that day. The raging waters below the cliff were too strong for divers to explore, they claimed the body might've been swept away by the current and therefore searched the surrounding areas. Coming up with nothing, they called the search off and proclaimed the huntress as dead.

Part of Weiss was pissed that they didn't bother to look any harder than the requirements and simply gave up after the first try or two, but she also trusts that they know when to stop looking for somebody.

Funny… She's lost her fiancee and their child both in under twenty-four hours. That must be a new record.

A bitter, almost manic laugh escapes and Weiss tilts her head back, grief swelling in her chest. If even the slightest amount of pressure was applied, she would snap into a rage controlled by the anguish and heartache.

Her scroll begins to ring from the cart next to the hospital bed, breaking her out of her thoughts like a bladed whip. She sits up, pulling herself back together like puzzle pieces struggling to fit into the wrong spot, ready to fall out at any given moment; Weiss grabs her scroll and her belly turns to ice upon seeing the familiar contact.

Her father. Well, she couldn't just ignore it.

Concealing her pain, she answers the call.

"Weiss! You were supposed to be here three hours ago, where are you?!"

She needs to be in Atlas as soon as possible to prepare for her inheritance ceremony. She couldn't allow herself any time to grieve, she has to move forward and put this behind her if she wants to create a better reputation for her family's company.

"I apologize, Father," she replies, monotone, "we had a few setbacks. I will be there by morning, I promise."

Her father scoffs, "You better be. We have visitors tomorrow, they are very good allies to the company. I want you to meet them and decide what the future of the alliance is."

In other words, he'll attempt to pressure her into renewing the alliance for his own benefit. "Yes, Father, I'll be there…"

The call ended right there, her father doesn't even bother to ask why she is late. She didn't expect him to, however. He only cares about anything that is laced with lien.

Weiss moves, her legs sliding out from beneath the blankets and draping them across the edge of the bed, her feet pointing towards the ground as she faces her body towards the wall.

She glances towards the crash cart positioned next to her bed, holding her clothes, her scroll, and a few other miscellaneous items placed here and there. Weiss' hand trembles, a white-hot rage swelling in her chest and she feels all of her senses slowly coming to a halt. A thousand incohesive thoughts are racing through her mind, her body thrums with energy and every nerve in her body restrains.

She feels like an animal trapped behind a cage, restrained and unable to free themselves as desperation starts to settle in.

An ear-shattering scream emits from her, rage shooting through her body like an aggressive, out-of-control wildfire. It rapidly spreads to every part of her being; her arm swings out and slings the objects off the crash cart aggressively, the cart itself toppling over as the numerous artifacts thud across the floor, her scroll cracking beyond repair and a glass cup hitting the floor and shattering upon impact, sending tiny shards of glass flying across the hospital room.

She's still trembling, her mind continues to race and her body quickly begins to warm. Tears are stinging at the edge of her eyes, and her breathing is labored and very uneven. She needs an outlet...

Unsatisfied, she rises to her feet and unconsciously approaches the window, unfocused blue eyes examining the curtains for a moment.

It was perfect. Pristine and untouched, glimmering against the golden essence illuminating the room. Oh, how she envies it.

Anger bubbles inside of her again like a match being struck. Her family was dead, there was no bringing them back. The love of her life, and her first child were dead. She'd lost all of it… And for what?

"Damn it!" She screams again, ferocity snapping through her. She snatches a fistful of the bright white curtains and summons every ounce of her strength to her upper body; a loud, collateral noise erupts through the room as the metal hangers are forcibly ripped from the rod and descend at full speed towards the ground.

The sound of fabric ripping follows closely behind, tearing from the upper right corner and down through the middle.

The noise quiets down as quickly as it had burst to life. A calming, cool wave slowly washes over her burning hot rage. Weiss closes her eyes, letting out a quiet whimper as her knees buckle beneath her and harshly hit the floor.

'Why?' She wonders, her heart broken into a thousand irreparable fragments.

She lifts her head as the door carefully cracks open, "Weiss?" Yang's voice floats into the room, separating the blur of colors the white-haired woman was seeing. Weiss shakes her head, clearing her vision as her friends tentatively approach her, worried that she may snap again. "...Are you okay?"

No, she can't be a burden, she can handle this herself.

"I'm fine…" Weiss answers, grabbing her clothes from the floor and numbly rising to her feet, her voice cracks, "I'll get changed, and then I'll be on my way…"

Blake and Yang exchange a puzzled look, "To where?" Blake asks.

Weiss struggles to keep her expression neutral, and thankfully succeeds. "I'm heading to Atlas in the morning… I still have an inheritance ceremony to attend. I don't care where the two of you go."

She can't be selfish.


Morning came quickly.

The humming of the airship reverberates through her head like a buzzing bee, a far away background noise that provides Weiss with just a little bit of distraction. Unfortunately, it's not loud enough to cut through her thundering, unintelligible thoughts that seem to echo on repeat in her head.

Dull blue eyes glance up to the Schnee Manor as the airship begins its descent, she blankly stares in silence for a long moment before reluctantly rising to her feet. The empty space within the ship suddenly becomes much wider, reminding her that she was alone, both physically and emotionally.

Yang and Blake had chosen to stay back for a while as Yang was struggling with how to inform her father that her little sister wouldn't be coming home, and Weiss had to focus on her company more than anything. Blake was stuck in the middle, appearing rather upset that her team was splitting apart so soon, but also seemingly understanding both sides of the situation.

Weiss approaches the automatic door as it slides open, pausing for the ramp to roll itself out; a tall man adorning dark hair and a shaven chin strolls over to the door with a luggage cart behind him, patiently awaiting her exit so that he could fetch her belongings. He bows his head as Weiss steps down off the airship, allowing him to enter and carefully load the few suitcases she'd brought with her.

The heiress remains standing at the gates of the intimidating manor, its somber colors reflecting the golden lights casting themselves from the well-groomed bushes and upon the building to create some sort of life. A futile attempt.

This place was hell.

"Weiss!"

Weiss looks down to see a small child with pale violet hair and teal-green eyes rushing out from the large front doors, their tiny face lit up with excitement and glee. "Hello, Wisteria…" Weiss greets with a forced smile, hiding her grief and agony from the little girl.

Wisteria is her niece, born by Winter and the only girl in a set of triplets. She'd returned home for two weeks and met her mother by the door, holding a baby girl. It'd confused her because surely she couldn't have been gone that long. However, her mother informed her of the situation, saying Jacques had managed to receive custody over the newborn; Winter's only living son, as one of the triplets had been a stillbirth, was given to a maid for the Schnee Manor when he was born.

She feels like there was something illegal going on, but she couldn't prove anything and had chosen to stay quiet.

Four years later, Weiss still lacks knowledge of Wisteria's father as Winter refuses to speak or even mention the man. Her gut tells her that something bad has happened, but she doesn't allow it to affect how she sees Wisteria, considering she loves the child.

"What you doing back?" Wisteria asks happily, her speech pattern not yet fully developed. "Sister said you have a weeding!"

Weiss' heart drops, but she lets out a practiced, believable laugh with false amusement on her face, "Wedding, not weeding," she corrects gently, "and, well, something came up… So, I'll be here from now on."

Wisteria nods excitedly and she glances behind Weiss, her brows pulling together. "Where's Ruby?"

There's a tense silence in the air, Weiss' heart pounds thunderously in her ears. The little girl had always loved to see Ruby, she looked forward to it and expected to see her each time Weiss came back to Atlas. She clears her throat, shaking her head. "She won't be coming back."

Her niece is far too young to understand what has happened.