Winter walked quickly through the halls, knowing the way after years and years of practice. She passed the music room, her father's main office, the library, and about a thousand other rooms before she finally made it to the north stairs. Compared to the rest of the manor, this place was pretty tame, it was a simple room with stairs leading up the right side of the room heading up to the top floor of the manor, a lot like her apartment building actually, the only difference was the size. And the gold finish. Since the stairs were on the right side of the room, that meant the bottom left half of the room was left empty, which looked a bit too perfect to not hide something fun.

Winter had discovered this little secret after a few months of exploring the house. The side of the stairs was painted white, with intricate blue snow drawn on it. Winter had been studying the snow, looking for, well, something. Maybe a map hidden in the snow? But one day when she noticed a few of the snowflakes had a thin line going through them. Out of curiosity, she pushed on the wall, and a segment of the wall popped open.

Hidden under the stairs was a small room, maybe eight feet by eight feet, with a slanted ceiling as the stairs went up and clean white walls. Winter knew it was probably meant for storage, but Winter saw it as something she was in desperate need of, a getaway. She smuggled a big comfy couch, a small table, and came here whenever she wanted to be alone. She mostly used the room for naps and to escape her tutor, Mrs. Norris when the woman was cranky. But then her mother had given her a special gift on her seventh birthday, her cd player.

That led Winter on a wild ride of exploration, listening to as much as she could get her hands on. She got a little obsessed if she was being honest, begging Klein and her Mom to buy her any Cd's they could.

As Weiss got older though, she needed the room less and less. Eventually she was only using it to mess with Weiss when they played hide and seek. Winter was proud to say that she went undefeated. Now, here she was, staring at the snowflake covered door, her hand hovering over it, ready to push. But it didn't feel right to barge in, this place wasn't her safe haven anymore.

Winter knocked lightly, her hands dropping to her sides as she waited. A second later, the door popped open a little. Winter took a deep breath in and took the invitation.

The room had definitely changed since she'd been gone. The walls were still white, but now they were covered by perfectly aligned band posters. Some were artsy and full of color, others were dark and a little scary, and a few were straight up weird. Winter remembered the stickers on her sisters laptop, always at a ninety degree angle and never overlapping.

Her old couch and table were still here, but there was also a shelf that was filled with Cd's. It was exactly like the shelves in her old room, but instead of books, it was Cd's. Winter had left a good few in here if she remembered correctly, but not even half of what was here now.

Weiss was laying down on the couch, CD player on her chest and headphones over her ears, eyes looking up at the ceiling with an annoyed and distant expression on her face. Winter looked at the table and saw a cd case that had a cool cartoon aesthetic. Tons of characters dotted the landscape of the cd, and there was a huge explosion in the middle of a crowd that led up to the band's name.

"This is one of mine," realized Winter, smiling fondly as she picked it up. Weiss looked over at her and shrugged, before looking back at the ceiling. Winter wasn't sure if her sister had heard her over the music, but she was glad for some form of recognition.

"It was one of my favorites. I listened to it whenever Mrs. Norris yelled at me. I'd get so mad, but they always helped" Winter explained as she set it back where she found it. She turned her attention to the shelf of music, pulling out random Cd's, checking out the art, the song names, and the title of the album before putting them back in their proper place.

"Oh, Deathshakers? Never heard of these guys, but their art is super cool. I like the, um, skull cup. Chalice? Whatever" Winter chuckled as she put the case back where she found it.

It felt like the more Cd's Winter looked at, the better she was able to look into her sisters head. There was rock, metal, and even stuff like country, jazz, and even some funk. It was like her sister had her own little music store in here.

"Do you know the Dancing Monkeys?" Weiss mumbled, her head facing the ceiling but her eyes glancing over to her sister every few seconds, her fingers tapping to some rhythm. Winter looked at the shelf, glad her sister had alphabetized them all, and found the band pretty quickly.

Winter pulled out the album, feeling like she was checking something out from a library. "Oh yeah, I used to love these guys! They're kind of punky, but a lot of their stuff has some good messages behind it. Do you like them?" Winter wondered as she returned the music to its home.

Weiss nodded, finally turning to look at her sister, "Klein got their CD for me a few weeks ago. I've listened to them a lot… Maybe too much" Weiss had a small smile on her lips before she forced it away, returning to her sour expression.

"Klein got you this? Huh, aren't you a little young for this type of music?" Winter asked teasingly, making Weiss blush.

"It's not that mature. They might swear every now and then, but it's not that bad" Weiss sat up, pulling her headphones off.

"Yeah, that's true. I guess I shouldn't judge, I put a lot of stuff in this collection that is a lot worse. Have you listened to Edge Canyon yet?"

Weiss looked away and blushed a bright red, turning away, "A little. It was a bit too… Explicit for me"

Winter laughed, walking over and pushing her sisters legs onto the ground so she could take a seat on the couch. "Yeah, I made it halfway into song three before I had to shut it off. I still get embarrassed over what they sang about. I mean, what even is a pearl-"

"Ew, don't say it!" Weiss fussed, smacking her sister's arm lightly, trying to get her to shut up. But her weak hits only made Winter laugh harder.

"I don't wanna say it, but it's too weird not to!" Winter countered through her giggles as Weiss tried her hardest to push the girl off the couch.

"If it's too weird, then don't say it!" Weiss laughed, her pushes getting softer and softer.

"But it demands to be said!" Winter beamed as she started to tilt away from Weiss, before crashing right back into her sister and laying on top of her.

"Win, you're way too heavy! You're gonna break my ribs or something!" Weiss complained, trying to wiggle out from under her sister.

"Good thing we've got money, or that might be an issue" Winter winked as she stretched her arms over her head and got comfy on her new human shaped pillow. She didn't notice the evil glint in her sister's eyes as she reached out and started to tickle the unsuspecting psychologist.

Winters eyes exploded open as her sister's fingers dug into her ribs, "Weiss, no, please!" Winter begged between gasps of air, trying to cover her vulnerable sides with her arms. Winter pulled away, but Weiss stuck close by, not giving her sister any room to recover.

"Sorry, what was that? You're laughing too loudly, Win" Weiss chuckled, keeping the onslaught going until Winter rolled off the couch, landing hard on the floor in a heap of smiles and laughter.

Weiss looked down at her older sister with a look of satisfaction and victory, her hands on her hips and a grin on her lips "Had enough?"

"Yes, you win! I've had enough. God I wish you were ticklish, you freakin' jerk" Winter gasped, a huge smile on her face as bits of laughter kept escaping. Winter crawled back onto the couch, her breath ragged as she sat down, her arms covering her sides in case her sister got any funny ideas.

Winter tried her best to get her breath back, "I like what you did with the place by the way. Not just here, but my room too" Winter approved, leaning her head against the back of the couch.

"You saw?" Weiss questioned, her face blushing as she looked away, "Sorry, I know I should've asked, but I didn't think you'd mind. Father doesn't allow anyone in there, so it's a good place to be a bit more free, ya know? If you're mad I can change it back though" Weiss explained, a small stutter in her voice as she talked.

Winter shook her head, "Like I said, I like what you did with it. It definitely feels a lot more alive than when I lived there. I'm glad you're being a little rebellious too, it's good for teens to act out a little here and there"

Weiss smiled, but there was still a tenseness in her shoulders that Winter couldn't help notice. Her hands played with the hem of her shirt as the young girl got the courage to speak, "I don't do everything he asks. I'm not brainwashed or anything either. He's our father, and sometimes I have to listen to him, and other times I don't" Weiss explained, her eyes on the floor.

"I know. You're too smart for something simple like brainwashing" Winter said, "But you know what he's like. When you find out what you wanna do, he won't have any of it. He'll make you be the heir no matter what, you know that"

Weiss suddenly turned to her sister, the determination in her eyes taking Winter off guard, "Do you remember the day Mom told you about her plan?"

Winter remembered that day clear as crystal. It was a warm sunny day, a rare day in Atlas, and her mother had taken her for a walk into the nearby woods. She was sixteen and was about to get her high school diploma. She couldn't really say she was about to graduate, because she'd never really gone to high school.

At the time, her next few years were already set in stone. She'd go to a local, but extremely high class, university and get a masters in business as soon as possible so she could be a proper heir to her father's company. It wasn't something she wanted to do, but she accepted it nonetheless. What else could she do after all?

Then, her mother took her on that walk. Her mom had taken her far away from everyone, even Weiss. Winter was never tense around her mom, but she felt like something was up. "Winter, what would you study if I didn't want to do business? If you didn't wanna work for your father?" Mom asked her with a gentle smile as smelled a beautiful flower.

Winter had thought about it before, but she'd never said it to anyone really, and she'd never really thought about the specifics, "Something I could help people with. I wanna talk to people and help them feel better. Maybe something with kids?" Winter replied honestly, not sure how to phrase it.

"Do you want to go to college for that then?" She'd asked the question so simply, like she was asking about the weather. Not, you know, throwing everything she'd ever known about her life out the window.

Winter thought about it for a second, scared at what it all might mean, at what their father would do if he found out. But then, for the first time, she stopped caring about him and what he wanted. She wanted this, and that's what matters, "Yes, lets do it!" Winter beamed, making her mother laugh at her excitement.

"It's gonna be a lot of work, but if you don't wanna work for your father, we can do it. But we gotta keep it a secret" She smiled, looking like a ray of pure light and beauty.

Mom explained her plan after that, and it was surprisingly straightforward. Essentially, the law says that a student has a right to privacy of their school records, and not even a hyper rich business man can get the info. So, they hired someone to make a fake report card for her whenever her father asked to see her grades. If he ever wanted to speak to her teachers, which was never, they would ask one of Moms friends who was a business prof at the school to do it.

After that Winter was supposed to leave and get a job on her own, claiming it was to get some experience before working with her father. Then she'd be far enough away, out of his sphere of influence, and financially independent so she wouldn't need him anymore. The whole time he was supposed to think she was his heir while Weiss did her own thing and left too. He'd eventually find out, but it was supposed to be after the sisters were already on their own and away from him. If only that plan had worked.

That was it. They were lying and making a fake report card, but only for her father and not to help in school or anything. It was a simple plan, but it worked, at least for awhile. She met a lot of people who accused her of buying her way through classes, but she worked harder than anyone else she knew at that school and she worked her butt off to get her degrees and earned every academic accolade she got.

Winter realized she'd been staring off into space for a little bit too long, so she shook her head, snapping herself out of her memories, "Of course, why?" Winter asked, confused.

"Well, after she talked to you, she talked to me. She told me that if something went wrong then he'd want me to be his next heir. She kind of hit the nail on the head" Weiss chuckled softly, "But she told me that she had a way so I wouldn't have to if I didn't want to, a way for me to get out of being his heir, even if the plan went bad" Winters eyes lit up at this.

"Really? What was it?" Winter was almost foaming at the mouth for the answer to their problem.

"That's the thing, Win, I didn't want it. I wanted to be his heir. I've always wanted to own a business, to watch it grow, and what better business is there than his? Ever since I was a little girl I wanted to run a business, whether it was his or my own. So when mom told me you didn't want it, I was relieved. This way, we both got what we wanted" Weiss explained, and Winter felt her mouth go dry.

Her sister wasn't lying, she wasn't being coerced, and she wasn't trying to convince Winter of some lie. This was real. Winter could tell from the fire in her eyes and the passion in her voice.

"For- for how long did you say you wanted this?" Winter faltered, her voice quiet and shaken.

"Since I was a kid. It's always sounded so fulfilling to me, not to mention fun and chaotic. I know father's cold, but some of the stories about deals he's done, bets he's made, how he built all of this, it's incredible" praised Weiss, trying her best to express how insane it all was.

"You never told me…" Winter whispered, hardly loud enough for Weiss to hear.

"Because you've always hated the idea of working for father, and I always… Well, I always thought you'd get mad at me if I told you that's what I wanted to do! I mean, he hasn't been the best, but I'd never turn out like that, and I didn't want you to…'' Weiss' voice slowed to a crawl when she looked over and saw tears falling down her sister's face like a thunderstorm.

"Winter, I-" But Winter leaned forward and pulled her sister into a hug so tight that she could hardly breath, cutting her off.

"I'm sorry I didn't know, so, so sorry. I could never be mad at you, no matter what! It doesn't matter what you want to do! I should have shown that, or told you, or something! God, what kind of an older sister am I?" Winter was crying uncontrollably at this point, her face buried in her sisters silky hair.

Weiss managed to free her arms and wrap them around her sister, fingers running up and down her back just like Winter had done for her earlier. "Hey, it's ok. I should've told you sooner, there's no way you could've known. By the way, you're a great older sister, I've always thought that. Plus, when I saw how hard you were working to do what you wanted, it only pushed me to work harder too. You're living your own life, doing what you love. I'm here, learning how to do what I love from someone who's really good at it. I think we're both doing pretty ok, dork" Weiss whispered, trying her best to copy Winters comforting voice.

Winter clutched at her sister, a torrent of confusing emotions inside of her. She felt angry at herself for not knowing her sister as well as she should've, guilty for making Weiss think she couldn't share this part of herself with Winter, and then a whole lot of other stuff that was really messing with her mind.

It helped that Weiss was there, holding her, sharing some of her strength. That strength was like a lighthouse, guiding Winter home through her storm, no matter how long it took. Winter loosened her grip, but Weiss pulled her in closer, wrapping her arms around the older sisters side while she dried her tears.

"God, this is like the tenth time I've cried since I've been here. Is something wrong with me?" Winter chuckled while another tear danced down her cheek.

"Nope, nothing's wrong. But maybe the house is cursed? Or, maybe you've had a long day" Weiss shrugged with a smile as she leaned her head on Winter's shoulder.

"Let's go with cursed, that sounds a lot cooler" Winter said with a hint of a laugh as she leaned on her sisters head, just like she always used to.

"Agreed" Weiss closed her eyes and got silent, really enjoying her sister's company for the first time tonight. A soft silence wrapped around them, both of them content to sit there and relax with each other.

"You know, you could still come stay with me for a bit. Father still thinks you're at that conference. If you want, you could even… You could come and live with me. We could find a business school for you in the Vale, say you live on campus while you stay with me. Father might even get excited about it" Winter pondered it all, thinking about what schools were in the area. It was a big enough city that she was positive there was something. But she already knew what her sister was about to say.

"I want to. That sounds nice, peaceful, and like I could learn a lot. But right now, I need to stay here. This is the best place to learn everything I need. I'd love to live with you, but we both know how father feels. If he figures out I've seen you, he won't be happy" Weiss admitted, her voice full of guilt and regret.

"Weiss, that's the other thing… I can't protect you here. If father did something to you, if he hurt you, I'd never be able to forgive myself" Winter felt a shiver run down her spine thinking about her nightmares, how useless she felt as she watched her father hurt her baby sister.

"I know. But I have Klein here, and he'll always protect me. And if anything gets bad, I can always call you. Well, I promised I would, so I have to anyway" Weiss shrugged, like it was no big deal.

"Weiss, this isn't a joke. If he could hit me, then as much as I hate to say it, he can hit you" Winters voice was serious. She hated talking like this, hated even thinking about something like this happening, but it had to be said.

"I know it's not a joke. I saw him do it, Win. Sometimes, I can still hear him hitting you. I know I have to be careful, and I have been. I try my best to keep him calm, and when he isn't I leave. But I haven't seen him that angry since you left, and I think he's gonna be fine. You don't have to worry about me, I'll be fine" Weiss pleaded, but Winter wasn't so sure.

But the look of determination in her sisters eyes and how confident she sounded, it was easy to think Weiss had everything under control, "I'll always worry about you. But if I can't change your mind about staying here, then I guess I just have to trust you. But you need to keep me updated about everything. If he tried anything, you tell me and Klein both. Promise?"

"Didn't I already promise this?" Weiss smiled, but Winters stern face didn't waver.

"Alright, kidding. Yes, I promise if anything happens I'll tell you and Klein both. Happy?" Weiss asked, smirk on her face.

Winters face finally wavered and she cracked a smile, "No, but I'm as happy as I can be with you not coming with me" Winter sighed, standing up, pulling her sister with her. "Now lets get to bed, Klein's gonna get mad if he sees us up this late" Winter joked as she dragged her sister out of the hidden room.

"Hey, Win, do you think… I could-"

"Of course. My room's basically yours now anyway, so we can share the bed tonight" Winter smiled as they made a left. Weiss felt her heart grow lighter as she walked down the halls with her sister once again.

Winter on the other hand couldn't help but feel nervous about something. Like when you smell a bad storm coming but don't know when. But those feelings vanished when Weiss squeezed her hand and she felt that warmth seep into her skin. The manor might not be her home, but being next to her sister was definitely her home.

-Authors note-

I really hope that the plan their mom came up with makes sense, but if it's written oddly and someone doesn't get it, please let me know. I tried to make it make sense and my usually proofreader was busy this week. Also, one more PSA, if you're in an abusive relationship or have an abusive parent, don't be like Weiss and think it's ok and you can handle it. Talk to a professional who can help. I hope you guys liked this chapter, because I always love writing scenes with Weiss and Winter together, it's so fun! If you have any questions or thoughts, please leave a comment! Anyway, have a great week everyone, and stay safe!