Here's chapter 5, everyone.
"This is a lot of food, mama." Weiss remarked as she hopped up on one of the chairs, smiling at the plates of food made for her birthday. There were multitudes of foods, from turkey, to lasagna, to pasta and to sweets that Weiss enjoyed most.
"Well I had Klein make all of your favorites, snowflake." Willow kissed the top of her head. "And don't worry. I'll make sure he gets a proper vacation for putting so much work into this."
Weiss watched as her sister sat to the left of her, but someone was missing. "I-Is Whitley going to be here, mama?"
"Yes." Willow didn't want to hesitate, looking over at Klein and motioned for him to come over. "Klein, you are just as much apart of this as any of us, so please, take a seat anywhere you'd like and prepare to eat."
The butler was a bit hesitant at first, since he didn't want to get in between family, but when he saw Weiss smiling at him, he couldn't say no. "Of course, Ma'am." He walked over and sat opposite of Weiss. "Did you have a good day, Miss Weiss?"
"It was so fun! I beat mama and Winter in knight!" Weiss cheered. "And I made a promise that I'm gonna grow up and become the shining knight so that people can watch me be a hero! Then people won't be afraid of the monsters."
Klein chuckled. "I'll have to be one of the first to see you rise up as this shining knight then, snowflake." He caught himself and held his hand to his mouth, but lowered it after a moment. "M-My apologies, Miss Weiss, I-."
"You called me snowflake!" Weiss beamed happily and tugged her mom's arm. "He finally stopped calling me Miss Weiss, mama."
Klein was taken aback, as Willow nodded to her daughter. She looked over at the butler and smiled at him. "Yes, he did."
The butler said nothing, but instead smiled back and folded his hands, deciding it was best to let Weiss enjoy being called something other than Miss Weiss by him.
"I'll be right back, sweetie. I'm going to go and get your brother." Willow kissed Weiss on the head again and walked out, her white dress flowing as she was preparing herself for an argument with her husband.
"I've dealt with this a number of times. I can handle this too."
The white haired woman said to herself, walking out of the dining room as she turned to walk up the stairs. As she walked, she knew exactly where to find her son and husband. "One day. You couldn't leave him be for this one day."
Once she got to his office, she took a deep breath and opened the door. "And that is why you make sure to say what they want to hear, and not worry about what they will get for…" Jacques stopped as he saw his wife walking in. "What is it now? I'm busy if you couldn't-."
"It's time for dinner." Willow crossed her arms as she glared at her husband.
Jacques sighed and lifted his hand up, which made Whitley stand. It made Willow sick to her stomach to see that and she walked over, taking her son's hand gently in her own. "Dinner. That is all the time he shall be down there for. And if he stays any longer-."
"I know." Willow wanted to shout, but she held back since her son was right there. "Come on, honey. Your sisters have been wanting to see you." She smiled down at her son, walking him out of Jacques' office.
The CEO waited about two minutes and slammed his hands against his desk.
Whitley, while in front of his father wouldn't show it, was actually excited to go to dinner. "Mommy, is Weiss and Winter eating already?" His voice was still quiet, since his father intimidated him to that point.
Willow shook her head. "They wanted you to be there first, honey. So once you see them, make sure to give Weiss a hug and wish her a happy birthday."
Her son gasped. "I-It's Weiss' birthday, mommy?"
"Indeed it is, honey." Willow walked him down the stairs, looking over at the dining room. "And she really, really wanted you to be there for dinner, so make sure to be happy for her, and for you, my handsome little boy."
For awhile, Whitley felt like he had to do everything his father told him to do, but with Willow, she tried her best to keep Jacques' influence from torturing their son. "Mommy… I wanna see them." Still, he continued to speak softly.
Willow nodded, walking him inside of the dining room. "Look who I brought, girls."
Weiss and Winter turned in their chairs, both smiling happily as they saw their mother walk their little brother in. "Whitley!" Weiss exclaimed and got out of her chair, running over to her little brother as she took his other hand. "Klein made us so much food. You have to eat with us… Um, you'll eat with us, right?"
Whitley looked up to his mother for an answer, and she nodded to him, so he gasped happily and looked back at Weiss. "Y-Yes." Weiss hugged him and Willow let go of his hand, the boy feeling much happier than he was with his father. "H-Happy birthday."
"Thank you!" Weiss hugged her brother tighter and after pulling away, she took his hand and brought him over to the table.
Willow followed close behind, but after Weiss got up on her chair, she noticed Whitley hesitated. "What's wrong, honey?"
"C-Can you sit in the middle…" Whitley requested, and Willow was surprised, but she simply nodded.
"Of course, honey." Before she sat down though, she helped him up onto the chair to her right. "Up you go." Once she got him on, she pulled the chair to Weiss' right out and sat down. "Klein, I just want to say thank you again for this."
"No need, Ma'am. Now dig in, you four." Klein's eyes changed to red. "Make sure you get every last bite. Didn't spend those hours for nothing after all." He smirked.
Weiss giggled at how his expression would change when his eyes did, so she reached over for a fork and watched as her mom got her a plate. "I'll put your favorites on here, snowflake." Willow reached over to the large dishes of food Klein prepared and began serving.
Klein wiped his mouth with a napkin and looked over the table, seeing Weiss talking with her little brother as she looked passed her mom. "Whitley, you should play knight with us next time! Winter and mama can be the monster, and we can be the knights that protect the people from them."
Whitley blinked a few times, but he remembered what he saw. His family, namely Weiss, Winter and Willow all playing around. "K-Knight?" He barely understood the concept, but if it was fun, he would love to join in.
"Yeah! It's really fun and maybe mama can get you a toy sword too." Weiss sounded a lot more excited at the thought of her brother joining in on their game. She quickly picked up a piece of turkey with her fork and ate it, smiling at the taste.
Whitley looked to his mom, hoping Weiss was right. "I can have a toy sword? What's a sword, mommy?"
Willow chuckled and leaned over, kissing the top of his head. "You can have one, yes, and it's what the knight uses to protect the people. So once you have one, just like your sister said, you'll be a strong knight that can protect people."
"B-But father says I have to be a businessman." Whitley knew that word more than anything.
In the back of her head, Willow wanted to march up to Jacques and smack him for flooding their son with such thoughts. "You can be whatever YOU want to be, honey."
Winter was paying close attention since she was the oldest of the three Schnee siblings, so she understood a lot more about life than her younger brother or sister did. Even about how her father wasn't going to win any father of the year awards any time soon.
While Willow, Weiss and Whitley were conversating though, Klein got Winter's attention. "Miss Winter, would you like more pasta? I can see you enjoy that more than the other dishes here."
"O-Oh, I didn't realize. Um, no it's okay. I'm starting to feel full, but… Um, I think I need to go to the bathroom." Winter got out of her chair and quickly left the dining room, making Willow sigh a bit as she looked to Klein.
"Don't worry, Ma'am. I'll go talk to her." Klein cleaned up his plate and made sure to put it in the sink on the way to Winter. "Now where did you go?" He stopped in his tracks when he looked over and saw Winter sitting at the staircase. "Miss Winter."
Winter raised her head up, sighing that the butler followed her. "H-Hello, Klein. Um, why did you leave the table?"
"Your mother noticed how fast you ran off." Klein said as he walked over. "Is something troubling you, Miss Winter?"
"I, well, yeah." Winter knew she shouldn't hide anything, but she still brought her knees up to her chin and rested on them. "It's about father."
"Ah, yes… Him." Klein sat next to the eldest Schnee sibling on the staircase. "Is this about Master Whitley, or snow… Miss Weiss?"
Winter chuckled. "She already liked that you called her snowflake, Klein. Get used to it." She heard him sigh in defeat, making her chuckle again, but then her face got serious again. "It's about both of them honestly. I know how father really is. I know he barely pays attention to Weiss and I… And pays way more attention to Whitley that it's pulling him away from us." She frowned. "I don't want our family to be split apart."
Klein was always there for emotional support, mostly for Willow, especially after she birthed Winter, but now that Winter was older, he knew he needed to be there for her as well. So the butler placed his hand on her shoulder. "I can understand why you're very concerned." His eyes turned red. "Your father is a bit of a, as you call it, a huge jerk." Winter chuckled a bit as his eyes light blue for a few moments, prompting him to sneeze. After getting a few more giggles from the elder Schnee sibling, his eyes turned back to its normal light brown.
Winter calmed down from the giggling and nodded a little. "Yeah, he really is."
"I can't see the future, Miss Winter. What I can do however is see potential, in all three of you." Klein smiled. "You, Weiss and Whitley all show me something that your father should be proud of. Whether that be as a Specialist, a Huntress, or a Businessman." He listed off all of their future desires, or at least what they all expect to be because he paid more attention than anyone, well, except for Willow herself.
"You really think I can make it as a Specialist?" When Klein nodded, Winter was feeling a lot better, but she still felt concerned. "You mentioned businessman… I don't know if Whitley really wants to be-."
"What he wants to be is none of your concern," Both Klein and Winter tensed up hearing Jacques voice as the butler quickly got up and on the ground level, bowing to his boss since he didn't want to risk losing his job, though not for him, but the loss of being there for the Schnee family.
"F-Father, I didn't hear you coming down." Winter said, getting off of the stairs as she walked down and got on the ground level too. "What are you doing down here?"
Jacques looked over at the dining room. "Your mother decided that she thinks what's best for Whitley is to pull him away from my teaching," He walked passed his eldest child and she tensed up. "And as such, I'm here to prove her otherwise. It's been quite enough time to eat after all."
"Wait, what are you going to do?" Winter asked as she ran over to catch up with him.
Jacques raised an eyebrow. "Take my son back upstairs to not waste any more precious time of course. Now enough questions, Winter." He pulled ahead of her and stepped into the dining hall, shocked by all of the food there. "Dinner, huh? This is what you call dinner, Willow?" He raised his voice, alarming Willow and their kids who had turned to see him standing not that far behind them.
"What?" Willow got out of her chair. "What are you talking about? Of course this is dinner. It's Weiss' birthday dinner, or did you forget… Again." She glared.
Jacques clenched his fist in frustration. "Oh, and wasting all of this food, which if I should remind you is being paid for with MY money, is such a wonderful idea for a birthday. Is that what you're saying this time, Willow, or is it the same excuse of showering and spoiling our children so damn much!" Weiss gasped at that, while Whitley turned away, shaking a little.
Winter however looked angry as she stood behind her father, but she knew getting involved would make things worse, so Willow spoke instead. "How dare you raise your voice in front of them." She chose not to raise hers, as fighting fire with fire in front of their kids was the last thing she wanted to do, but she did take a few steps forward. "These are your children, and for once they get to all be in the same room, happy. Are you so against that? Well, Jacques?" She clenched her teeth.
Jacques didn't back away and glared at her. "Whitley. Up. Now." His son was still shaking a bit, but he got up, though stopped when he heard his mother.
"No! Sit down, honey. You don't need to listen to your father." Willow didn't bother turning around, keeping her glare on her husband as he took a deep breath.
"I'm going to give you till the count of three to stop this foolish behavior, Willow. Do I make-." Jacques was cut off when she stepped forward and challenged him to do something. "So… This is how you choose to respond?"
Willow leaned in to whisper so the kids wouldn't hear. "I'll be damned if you ruin any of their birthdays… I don't give a fuck how you feel about them individually. They are MY children… Hurt them, and I swear you will regret the day, Jacques."
Her voice, her anger, it was the moment that Jacques realized that his intimidation was wearing off, so he took a step back and fixed up his tie. He didn't say a word and turned around, walking passed Winter.
There was a discomforting silence in the dining room as Klein walked in moments after. Willow closed her eyes, biting her lip and cursing under her breath. "Whitley, honey… I'm sorry for raising my voice."
The four year old said nothing, and Weiss was equally quiet. It hurt Willow, it made her heart drop and she started to breathe heavily, but not before Winter ran over and took her hand. "Mom, mom, calm down." She gently spoke, not wanting Weiss or Whitley to hear their mother was starting to hyperventilate. "Please, mom."
Willow wiped a bead of sweat from her head with her other hand, slowly nodding to her eldest child. "Okay… Okay." She put on a smile and turned to face Weiss and Whitley. "Why don't we go on and head outside for some fresh air?"
It was one of the many things that Weiss enjoyed, but one of the few things she loved. The feeling of the fresh air. "O-Okay, mama." She turned to her brother, who was still slightly shook from how Jacques had yelled. "C-Come on, Whitley. Mama's taking us outside."
The four year old sniffled and nodded, getting help out of his chair from his sister. Once his feet were on the ground, he felt Weiss grasp his hand and lead him to their mother. Still though, he didn't speak. Didn't even make a sound.
Willow hated Jacques for what he did. She hated what kind of effect he had on their children, or as she put it, her children. "Klein, if you can, there is a bag-."
Before she could continue, Klein had already walked over and grabbed the bag from under the table, earning a sigh from the mother. He gave her a nod, but the look on his face was apologetic, silently wishing he could've said something to stop Jacques.
As the small family made their way outside, Willow would see Winter trying to talk with Weiss and Whitley. For Weiss, she would tell her older sister she was okay, but for their brother, he remained silent.
Once they were outside though, it felt different, better, almost as if what happened inside was just a nightmare instead. The wind blew passed them and Weiss loved it. It made her actually smile instead of her having the fake smile she put on for her brother.
Whitley himself could feel the tension ease away, as the feeling of the breeze was somewhat soothing. "Let's sit by the garden, kids." Willow suggested as she took Weiss' other hand, while Winter took Whitley's.
Klein sighed as he watched them go, feeling that they needed their privacy for that moment. Willow would have objected against him staying behind, but she needed to comfort her children more than anything.
The smell of the flowers brought a relaxing aura of comfort for the three kids, so Willow helped them sit on the grass and held Whitley on her lap. "I know… That what you three saw was a bit scary… But I promise that everything will be okay. Your father and I just had a bit of a disagreement is all."
Weiss looked down at the grass, taking a handful of it for a moment before the wind carried it off. "Is… Is daddy mad about the dinner, mama?"
Willow sighed, wishing there was a way around that question. "He's just very busy and sometimes he says things that he shouldn't, snowflake. For now, don't think about that."
Winter slid the bag over, the one Klein handed her on their way outside. "W-What's this?" Weiss asked as she looked at the bag. Whitley too was a bit curious as Willow let out a small smile and reached into the bag, showing that it was a wrapped box with the words, 'To Weiss', written on it.
"This, snowflake, is your birthday present." Willow handed her the wrapped box and felt hopeful that Weiss would be a lot happier after what had happened in the dining room.
Weiss looked at it for a few moments, not in disbelief since she always got a present every year for her birthday. Just staring at it made her feel a warmth, one that she didn't think she'd feel because of her 'dad' almost ruining her birthday dinner.
Winter reached over and rubbed her shoulder. "Well? Go on and open it, little sister."
Whitley let out a small smile of his own, making Weiss gasp in joy since that was the last thing she wanted to see from today. Her family, all happy. Still, deep down she only wished that her 'dad' would be the same, but she shook her head and ignored that for a moment.
The birthday girl unwrapped the present, not worried about tearing up the paper as her eyes widened when she saw what was wrapped up.
"Happy birthday, snowflake." Willow brushed her daughter's back, smiling down at her as she saw Weiss look at the box in amazement.
Jacques Schnee is still a chore to write, but it is needed for him to be like this for the story. Anyways, you can see here that even Willow is getting fed up with his bs, so we'll see what happens later on from that.
To JJ- That's the great thing about Fanfiction. I can write the characters' lives in such a different way, so to have a chance to write Raven differently has been fun. Jacques… Well, I keep him the way he is for a reason. And the wolf stuff is gonna be talked about a lot more in later chapters. So the sizes she can be will be explored.
To the guest on chapter 4- Thank you for the feedback on that. I think I will stick to every other day as planned, since that is a good point on the quality over quantity reason.
To GoldElite245- Raven being… Well, Raven is fun at times, but I like to give her more of a character here. So I'm glad you liked that. And yes, Jacques is still… That.
I hoped you all enjoyed chapter 5. Remember, reviews are welcomed, but not required. See you all in chapter 6.