It's been way too long. I'm really sorry about that. A lot came up IRL, and I was writing a ton of other things and this chapter just refused to get started, but now, here it is at long last. I feel especially guilty towards one person to whom I said, roughly six months ago, that the chapter would be up in 'three weeks or so'. Still, for those of you who did wait, thank you. I hope you enjoy the chapter, and I'm going to try and not make the wait between this chapter and the next one as long. Please let me know what you think! Oh, and a reminder since it's been ages: this fic is set post-Volume 2. Everything that came out after then is, in the context of this story, non-canon. Alright, enough talk. Enjoy!

Chapter Twenty: Left Behind

I was pacing up and down the conference hall, seething with rage. Blake was talking to Yang, trying to keep her from tearing down the whole building. I was half inclined to just tell Blake to drop it and let Yang smash a couple of walls, but ultimately that would solve nothing. That was always the worst part of being so angry: nothing I could do would actually help. For instance, I could use my glyphs to try and turn Qrow into a smear on the wall for letting Ruby out of his sight after he'd gone after her, but that would probably only end in him effortlessly holding me off and making me even angrier.

We had been so close, god damn it! We found Ruby's cloak in some bushes and we saw the airship take off. No points for guessing where she'd gone. Just like that dolt to just take off on her own. Honestly, couldn't that girl just show the tiniest bit of self-preservation for once?! Every goddamn time she runs off, and every goddamn time she ends up in some kind of life-threatening situation. Once we found her, I was going to kill her myself! And I'd be killing Qrow right along with her, that no-good drunken lout. I'd…

"Weiss!"

Yang's voice shook me from my fuming thoughts, and I didn't appreciate the interruption.

"What?!" I snapped.

"We're going to Vacuo," Yang said.

"Vacuo?" I repeated, my anger giving way to confusion. "Why?"

We knew that Vacuo was a trap set by Adam. We'd be idiots to just walk into it. Every other time we'd knowingly walked into traps we'd gotten out, but the events of today had clearly shown that our luck had just about run out at this point.

"It's where the airship was headed," Qrow answered for Yang.

I gave him a cold look. "Right. So we'll waltz into the hundredth trap of this stupid mission, nearly die in the process, and hope we can get Ruby out in one piece?!"

To my great irritation, my voice rose in pitch with every word I said, something that seemed to amuse Yang greatly. I glared at her, but that only seemed to make it even funnier for her.

"We're not just going to walk in there," Qrow replied in a tone that suggested he would have liked to have ended that sentence with the word 'moron'.

Sensing that I was about to punch Qrow, and any retaliation from him be damned, Blake quickly stepped between me and him.

"The plan is for Qrow to go on ahead to alert Shade's headmaster that the White Fang will likely target Vacuo next. We hope that the increased amount of surveillance in the area will force them to keep more of a low profile," she said.

"After that, I'll be going back to Beacon to ask Ozpin if he has any ideas about the unnatural concentration of Grimm during the attack on Northern Star, and if it might have something to do with the Guide," Qrow took over again.

"And what will we be doing?" I asked suspiciously.

"We're going to Shade too," Yang replied. "But we won't be going alone if we can help it."

She hesitated, and the way she looked at me made me a bit nervous about what she was going to say next.

"Your father has a lot of influence, right?" she asked.

Of course. I should have known that that was where we were headed. "You want me to talk to him and get him to try and convince General Ironwood to send airships to Vacuo, I suppose?" I asked.

Yang nodded. "That about sums it up, yeah," she said.

I sighed. "Not a chance. The General is one of the few people in Atlas who isn't intimidated by my father's wealth. As both the Headmaster of Atlas Academy and the commander of the armed forces, he basically outranks everybody in Atlas. After this attack, there is no way he would send any of his troops abroad."

"What about a private company?" Blake suggested. "Atlas has a lot of unaffiliated mercenaries, right?"

I nodded slowly. "Yes," I said softly. "Yes, that might be worth a try."


It was still odd to walk along the driveway of the Schnee estate again. It still felt unreal that I had somehow mended my fractured relationship with my father. And now, already, it was time to put that rekindled connection to the test.

Before we had even reached the front door, Mrs. Blumenfeld was already striding out to greet us. "Edelweiss Agnes! Thank goodness you're okay."

I suppressed a groan at being addressed, again, with my full name. Yang chuckled softly.

"Thank you for the concern, Mrs. Blumenfeld. We'd like to speak to my father. Is he in?" I asked.

Mrs. Blumenfeld nodded. "Yes, he's here. He'll be so glad to see you're okay. After he heard about the attack on Northern Star, he's been on the phone non-stop to try and find out where you were," she said.

I felt strangely warm inside at the thought of my father actually worrying about me. Something inside me told me that it was kind of messed up to be so surprised at that.

Mrs. Blumenfeld led us through the manor to my father's office. When we entered, he was on the phone, but the moment he saw me he quickly ended the call.

"Weiss! I'm so glad to see you unhurt! You are unhurt, right? And what about your friends? Wait. Where's Ruby?"

All of these questions were fired within a couple of seconds, and it took me a moment to register all of them.

"I'm fine, father," I replied. "Yang and Blake are, too. Ruby…"

I told him about the attack, the death of Cole, the fight between me and Yang ending with Ruby going off on her own, and ending with us seeing the airship taking off in the direction of Vacuo. By the end of the story, my father's expression had turned grim.

"If Ruby is in their hands, you should go after her as soon as possible," he said. He looked at me. "I've seen what she means to you, Weiss. If there's anything I can do to help you…"

"Well…" Yang interjected.

My father gave her a questioning look.

"We were hoping you could get us a couple of airships…preferably ones manned with Huntsmen," she said.

"General Ironwood won't listen to me," my father pointed out. "Especially not now."

"We know," Blake said. "But maybe you could hire unaffiliated Huntsmen. Mercenaries. Anyone who would be in the possession of armed airships. Vacuo is definitely a trap for us. The White Fang have wanted us to go there ever since we were in their treetop fortress near Mistral. This attack proves that whatever they're up to, they're not messing around anymore."

Her expression hardened. "I want them to know that we aren't, either."

Of course, the events at Northern Star would be crushing for Blake as well. Somehow, the White Fang had moved even further away from their peaceful roots. Whatever they'd been using to summon all of those Grimm to Northern Star, they had gone beyond simply inciting violence.

My father nodded slowly. "I understand your desire for vengeance," he said. He smiled thinly, a smile which didn't reach his eyes. "But all of the so-called 'private military contractors' in Atlas are black-market scum. No doubt many of them have ties to the White Fang themselves. Furthermore, Ironwood will have the airspace closed off. If any unknown airship, especially an armed one, would try to get out of the city, he would shoot first and ask questions later."

Blake didn't look happy, but she knew that my father was right, as did the rest of us. It made me angry all over again. Not only was Ruby alone in a White Fang airship, we also had no way to go after her. What were we supposed to do, hitch a ride on another container ship? Yeah, the White Fang would definitely put their plans on hold for the month or so it would take us to get there. No, if we were to go after Ruby, it would have to be by air.

But Atlesian military tech was far too good to be broken through by a bunch of craftily modified civilian airships, even if those airships were manned by experienced pilots. The only thing that could hope to elude an Atlesian military airship was another Atlesian military airship, but it wasn't like we had one of those on hand. Unless…

"I think I have a solution," I said hesitantly.

Everyone looked at me, waiting for me to continue. I looked at my father.

"Do you think General Ironwood knows we mended our relationship?" I asked.

My father's eyes narrowed. "I certainly didn't tell him. What's your plan?" he asked, his tone guarded, apprehensive.

"I use my money to hire a PMC to break through the blockade. You will call General Ironwood and tell him that you received word that I was in Atlas, and that I'm going to be trying to leave town in an armed airship. Then you'll demand that he send Winter to deal with it and have me brought to you so you can sort me out. He won't have any reason to disagree, because Winter is one of his best soldiers, and he can't afford to have anything break his blockade or risk losing the faith of the people. Of course, you'll want to instruct Winter personally before she goes after me, so you summon her here. Then we'll convince her to get us through the blockade with an airship."

I fell silent, looking from my father to my friends and back again.

"That's really devious, Weiss," Yang said with a grin. "I like it."

"It's probably our best option," Blake said reluctantly. I guess she, like me, didn't like plans with so many possible snags.

"I'm not very happy about this," my father said. "But I don't see another option." He nodded grimly. "Very well. Go to a network café and hire an airship. Once I see the payment going through, I'll immediately contact Ironwood."

He sighed deeply. "I really hope your plan works, Weiss," he said softly.

"So do I…" I muttered.


I was staring out of the window of my old bedroom. My father had two extra beds dragged in there for Yang and Blake so we could spend the night as a team. Fortunately my bedroom was more than large enough to accommodate the extra furniture.

We'd gone into town, like my father had said, and hired an airship. It was really laughably easy. The mercenary companies weren't illegal. Unaffiliated Huntsmen were common everywhere, and in a technologically advanced kingdom like Atlas they thrived. Most of them weren't even all that concerned about the blockade. We'd hired a group calling themselves Nevermore's Feather, specializing in getting people into and out of hairy situations. When I told them what we'd be needing their services for, they just laughed and instantly agreed.

When we got back home, my father was already on the phone, shouting at General Ironwood in that way I knew so well, fully wearing the mask of irate businessman who was fed up with his rebellious heir. After the call, he looked tired, but satisfied. Winter would be at the mansion at seven in the morning. 'Our' airship was due to leave at six in the evening. Everything was prepared. But I wasn't at peace, not one bit. I hated the thought of having to wait while Ruby might be in trouble. I wondered where she was, if she'd been discovered by the White Fang, or if she'd managed to stay hidden.

"She'll be fine, you know," Yang said.

I hadn't even noticed that she'd come to stand next to me. I looked at her, and she smiled. Not her usual cocky grin, but a genuine smile.

"Everyone in our family's a bit reckless," she said. "Ruby, me, Dad, Qrow, my mom, Ruby's mom, we're all nuts. But we always get through, in the end."

"Summer didn't," I said softly, vividly remembering the gravestone in the setting sun, and the promise I made to keep Ruby safe. Fantastic job I was doing on that front.

"This is different," Yang said, but she didn't sound so certain. "I don't know how, but it is. I…Dammit, Weiss, I'm trying to cheer you up, not get depressed myself!" she went on with a shake of her head.

"I'm sorry," I said, not wanting to start a fight. Especially not since a fight between Yang and me was what got us into this whole mess to begin with.

Yang seemed to realize that too, because she sighed and said, "Don't be. You're right, it's just…Ruby has a knack for getting herself into trouble, but she's also resourceful enough to get herself out, even if you or me or Blake or anyone else isn't there to help her. I have to believe that she's okay."

Her expression darkened. "Because the minute I find out she isn't, I'm going to kill every single White Fang member or Grimm who's laid one finger or claw or whatever on her."

"You'll have to hurry, then, because I don't plan to leave any for you," I said.

We exchanged a glance, seeing our bloodlust reflected in the other's eyes. Then, after a moment, I saw the corners of Yang's mouth turning upward ever so slightly, and then we were just laughing out loud, without really knowing why, but both feeling reassured that we weren't alone in our worries.


I was taking deep, controlled breaths as we were waiting in my father's office. Winter would arrive soon, and I was going over everything I wanted to say to her when I saw her. Our entire plan hinged on her cooperation. If she refused, everything would have been for naught.

"Chill, Weiss. You've got this," Yang said softly.

I nodded, but my throat was dry and I was getting more nervous by the second.

"She's here," Blake said. She was looking at the monitor of my father's computer, which was showing the feed of the security camera in the main hall.

I could see my father talking to Winter, who stood crisply at attention, flanked by two soldiers. My father made a sharp, dismissive motion with his hand in the direction of the soldiers. Winter turned towards them and apparently gave them some kind of command, because they saluted and stepped back. My father and Winter then began to walk away.

My heartrate went through the roof. I'd been in countless fights, even in a number of life-or-death situations both during this trip and before, but I couldn't remember ever being this nervous before.

The door of the office opened and my father strode in, followed by Winter. Ever the professional soldier, she instantly took note of Yang, Blake, and me, and her eyes narrowed.

"What is the meaning of this?" she asked my father.

"Winter, we need your help," I said.

"Be quiet, Weiss. I was addressing father."

Despite the situation, I heard Yang chuckle.

"I'm sorry, Winter," my father said. "But this was the only way we could get you here without raising General Ironwood's suspicions."

Winter glanced from my father to me. "And what makes you think I won't report this to him?" she asked. "Calling in the military under false pretenses is a breach of…"

"Article 14, Section B, paragraph 7, I know," I finished stonily. "I wouldn't have done it if I wasn't certain you're the only person who can help me."

"Explain, then," Winter snapped, but I could see that the look in her eyes had softened a bit.

I told her the whole story, occasionally aided by Yang, Blake, or my father.

"Ozpin sent a group of children on this mission? Preposterous. The General would never…"

"That's not the point!" I interjected. "Look, whether or not it was right is irrelevant right now. The point is that he did, and that Ruby is on her own in Vacuo surrounded by White Fang members. I'm not leaving her on her own out there."

Winter sighed. "Weiss, you really must learn to get a better handle on your emotions. Letting them get the best of you will only lead to problems for you down the road. What you're asking of me would certainly get me court-martialed if it were to be found out. Even if the true circumstances are brought to light and explained, it would not change the fact that I placed anyone, even a family member, above the greater good. As a soldier, I swore I would always obey my superiors and act in the name of the greater good. My own desires must come second if the people are to be safe."

My hope sank. That was it, then. My only chance to get out of Atlas was gone. What were we going to do now? Meet up with Nevermore's Feather anyway and hope for the best?

"But as a soldier, I also cannot ignore the information that the perpetrators of the attack on Northern Star have likely retreated to Vacuo. It would certainly warrant dispatching an airship there to see if they can be found. It would certainly help the crew if they had eyewitnesses of the attack with them to identify the ship of the White Fang."

I looked up at Winter with wide eyes. Her expression was still carefully neutral, but I could tell, by the small arch of her eyebrows, that she was amused.

"Thank you," I said softly.

"Man, why do you Schnees always make things so difficult?" Yang asked with an exasperated shake of her head and a massive grin on her face.

"I have no idea what you mean by that. I'm merely doing my job as a soldier," Winter said.

"We're grateful all the same," my father said.

Winter inclined her head ever so slightly.

"Now then, I must leave and report to the General. You might want to call your hired help off before they get themselves shot out of the sky," she said. "You will be picked up later today, so make sure you're ready."


'Later today' turned out to only be an hour and a half. After a hasty goodbye to my father and Mrs. Blumenfeld (and a promise we'd properly visit after the White Fang had been dealt with) we were loaded into a military car and driven to the nearest base.

Fortunately, since Atlas was so militarized, it was only a short ride, and soon we were marching across the tarmac towards a waiting airship. It wasn't heavily armed, but it was very fast, belonging to the newest line of reconnaissance craft the military possessed. Winter had definitely come through for us, and I was looking forward to catching up with her at some point in the future.

"Remind me to send your sister a 'thank you' note later," Yang said as we boarded the craft.

I smiled at her, finally feeling hopeful again. "I will. But first, let's find your sister, and my girlfriend," I said. It was still odd to say it, but I felt proud that I was able to do so.

Yang chuckled and affectionately punched my shoulder as the airship began to take off. "Yeah. Rubes, we're coming for you!"

That's it for now, see you in the next one! Please let me know what you think!