Chapter 10

Adam collapsed back onto the hard concrete of the docks. His breath had been knocked out of him. He rolled onto his front and struggled to push himself up.

Only for a foot to bury itself in the small of his back. He coughed and collapsed again. His body burned from the beating he had taken and he had received enough blows to his head to make the world spin. Blake laughed.

"And so the great Adam Taurus, hero of the White Fang has become little more than a weak human pet. How the mighty have fallen." She stepped around him and kicked out his arm when he tried to get up once more. "To think that I used to care about someone like you, it makes me sick." She spat on him. "Just another race-traitor."

He pushed himself up and this time she didn't stop him. What he could see of her face was a frown filled with disappointment. He could hear shouting in the distance. A glance back showed Ruby's new friend pulling a Bullhead out of the air.

Which was… slightly terrifying. Who had that kind of strength? Adam turned back to Blake. His Aura had shattered, so why hadn't she finished this?

"Blake…"

"Don't you dare say my name! You don't have the right! You abandoned us! You abandoned me! You decided that your morals were more important than our entire race!" She sheathed Gambol Shroud. "But I'm not like you, Adam. You've lost your nerve. I haven't. You taught me that what we are doing is right, so I'll keep fighting."

"Blake I-"

"You can go back to your Human masters now Adam. Their reckoning will come. As will yours." She smiled, but it wasn't her normal one. It was monstrous, filled with malice and the promise of great pain. It sent shivers down his spine like he had been thrown into an icy lake.

The White Fang screamed as the red head tore through them. "Oi Kitty cat! We're leaving!" Torchwick yelled from aboard a Bullhead.

Blake turned and ran, rushing through the chaos. Adam drew Wilt and aimed Blush at her. His hand wavered and he dropped it.

He couldn't do it.

Blake jumped aboard the Bullhead as it took off and he watched as it flew away. Ruby's friend fired a great green laser through two others, cutting them in twain and sending the halves into the ocean with a great splash.

Adam collapsed to his knees.

He had failed. This whole thing had been screwed from the get-go. He hadn't been prepared for anything more than a few grunts. He hadn't expected Torchwick to be able to escape and he certainly hadn't expected Blake to be here.

He hadn't been ready to face her, he just couldn't bring himself to hurt her and so she had beaten him. It had been so long since he had really lost a fight. Blake and the White Fang had always been there to back him up when things got tough. But now?

"Adam!" A ball of red and black slammed into him, scattering petals everywhere and sending them both to the ground. "I'm so glad you're ok!"

"Ugh… Ruby?" He groaned in pain. She yelped and got off of him. He sat up rubbing his head before turning his gaze to her "You found me fast…"

"Fast!? It took us days! You were gone all weekend! You call that fast!" She groaned in annoyance at his nod. "Fine sure. We found you fast. Happy?"

"Seeing as I'm about to see the inside of a prison cell? Not really…"

"WHAT!? Why would you think that!?" Her outrage shocked him. It was directed at him -which he had expected- but not because of his whole White Fang thing, which he hadn't expected. He didn't know what to say. "You're our friend Adam! Ok, Weiss doesn't like you, but you're my friend! And Yang's! We aren't just going to throw you in prison!"

Sun was laughing as he walked over. "I told you, man, teams are tight. They're your friends and they stick with you through thick and thin." Adam got to his feet, waving them off when they tried to help.

"Look. If you really want me back then you haven't been paying attention. I'm a terrorist."

"Ex-terrorist!" Ruby countered. "You want to leave that life. That makes you a good person."

"How does that even work? I've ki-" He stopped himself. Does it matter? She wants to give me another chance… whatever I've done can remain quiet. As long as they don't know everything they won't hate me. "Fine. You want to give me another chance? I'll take it."

Ruby smiled but there was a hint of fragility to it. She sighed and turned to Sun. "Hey Sun, could you and Penny leave us alone for a bit? I need to have an emergency team meeting." Adam couldn't help but feel annoyed as Sun laughed and took the strange girl -who kept asking if Sun was her friend now- away.

"I don't need a 15-year-old girl to lecture me." He crossed his arms.

"Really? Because I think you do. You ran away from your team, you attacked a terrorist group with some random guy you ran into, then, if that wasn't bad enough, you froze up in the middle of a fight!" She poked him in between every few words. "You didn't even give us a chance! I don't care if you were in the White Fang! You are trying to be a Huntsman now, so all of it doesn't matter!"

"I-"

"I don't care what you're going to say! You made a choice to leave them right?" He nodded. "Then as far as anyone should be concerned you're no longer a member! What you are a member of is team RSTY! And as the leader I command you to return to Beacon! Got it?"

Adam stared at the girl in front of him. She wasn't like anyone he had met. Nobody in the mines or the White Fang had ever matched her energy and life. Even Nora could only match the hyperactive energy. He was reminded of the first night in Beacon. Ruby had said that she grew up on stories of heroes and that she wanted to be like them.

Wasn't that what she was doing? He had never been the biggest reader, but he had spent enough time with Blake to pick some things up. He could remember stories of heroes working to redeem a villain, who typically switched sides to fight some worse villain.

Whether she knew it or not she was acting the perfect hero, trying to draw him into the light alongside her. But did he go along with it? Should he go along with it? Could he return to Beacon, where the daughter of his greatest enemy was? What was the other option? Go fight the White Fang alone? That hadn't exactly gone well and the next time could be his death.

Blake had always had his back, but he couldn't rely on her now. All he had was himself…

And a girl who had looked for him all weekend, not to throw him in jail but to bring him back.

Do I actually have a reason to decline this? The Schnee is a pain but…

He stopped himself. He blinked in surprise. I've already decided, haven't I?

Adam took in a deep breath. Taking in the smell of the ocean, the flames from burning Bullheads and containers. Ruby tapped her foot impatiently.

"Okay… I'll come back." He smiled when she let out a whoop of joy. He felt good. He had made the right choice.

"MR TAURUS!" Glynda Goodwitch yelled as she stepped off of a Bullhead.

Or maybe he spoke too soon.

Weiss was surprised to find Adam just sitting there at the docks. She and Yang had come as fast as they could but it hadn't been as fast as Ruby apparently. But Weiss had been under the impression that Adam would have kept running.

It didn't change her opinion of him.

Ruby rushed forward and instantly started babbling. Something about 'Adam being totally cool with coming back now and how much he was sorry'. Weiss ignored her. She needed to hear it from the man himself.

She stepped past her leader. Adam stood. "Schnee…"

"Taurus. I just have one question. Are you a member of the White Fang right now?" She crossed her arms.

"No. I-"

She held up a hand. "That's all I needed. We should return to Beacon."

"That's it? I insult you for weeks and that's it? I was a member of a group that would sing my praises and forget my betrayal if I killed you and that's it!?" Adam clenched his fists. Weiss took a step back. "How can you be that forgiving?"

"Because I'm not my father." It was her turn to clench her fists. "He doesn't care for others, all that matters is to be as successful as possible. He has ruined the name of my grandfather's company." She stepped closer, staring up at him.

"I will change it. I'll make sure that it treats its workers right, especially the Faunus. But…" She took a deep breath. "I don't know everything. Especially what the Faunus face in our mines. So when the time comes… I could... use someone who knows the situation better."

"Are you… asking me to help you change the SDC?" Adam's face was filled with surprise.

"If that will satisfy you on why I am so quick to forgive you, yes."

Adam released a full-blown laugh. It came out of nowhere. One moment surprise, the next laughter.

"Could you please give this the respect it deserves!?" Weiss huffed.

"Sorry Schnee, but it's just too good!" Adam managed between his laughter. After a minute he finally calmed down. His face was still stretched into a small grin "I accept." His smile took on a vicious edge. "Oh, I can't wait to see the reaction of Papa Schnee."

"Happy now?" Yang interrupted. "Or are you going to run away again?"

"I wouldn't say I'm happy, but I reacted rashly. I just want to ask you all one thing…"

"What is it?" Ruby asked.

"I want your help in stopping the White Fang."

"You want our help?" Yang asked with a raised brow.

"I'm not ready to take them down myself, but they're up to something. I need to stop them from hurting more people. It's the only way to pay for the pain I've caused. I want to redeem myself, but I can't do it alone, will you help me?" Adam's voice took on a pleading tone.

"Of course we will, we're a team after all!" Yang said while giving Adam a light punch on his arm.

"I'm in!" Ruby exclaimed.

"As am I. I can't allow the White Fang to be causing trouble." Weiss replied.

"Thank you. All of you." Adam said. "I will make sure your faith isn't misplaced."

"Right…" Yang rubbed her head.

"Hey, where'd Penny go?"

"So?" Ozpin asked.

"Taurus and his team had a fight. He left thinking they were going to turn him in. He went after the White Fang at the docks. As much as it pains me to admit, he seems serious about redeeming himself."

"Thank you, Glynda. Keep an eye on him just in case. He may be the enemy of our enemy, but that does not make him an ally."

"His bond with his team seems to be much stronger now and he even seems to be getting along with Ms Schnee."

"Good. They shall keep him on the right path. Was there anything else?"

She shook her head. "No Ozpin. I shall leave you to your work."

Ozpin sighed as the elevator doors closed. Adam Taurus was proving to be both interesting and a pain. Running off in the middle of the night to go fight terrorists.

Perhaps I can use this…

All it would take is pointing them in the right direction. Should be simple enough.

Working them hard would be a just punishment for all the paperwork that he was forced to do because of what they had done at the docks.

Ozpin pinched the bridge of his nose.

"I suppose I should get started…"

A/N: So yeah, Volume 1 is over with. Blake escapes to terrorise another day. And Adam is more of a team player in a way, asking them to help him take down the White Fang. On another note, thank you to all you readers! Honestly never thought this would get any traction so thank you to everyone who thought this was worth their time to read or review. I hope you all enjoyed and I shall see you next time!