Winters eyes opened slowly, she felt groggy and exhausted, but the darkness of the room and warmth of the blankets comforted and relaxed her. There wasn't any confusion as she looked around the room, her eyes slowly adjusting to the light, she knew exactly where she was and why. The surprise came when she tried to move, but found herself locked in place by a set of thin, yet surprisingly strong, arms.

Turning her head, Winter saw her sister sleeping peacefully next to her. The girls mouth was wide open as she snored lightly, drooling on her pillow. It was a cute look for her sister, and it was nice to see her face completely free from stress for once.

Winter loved looking at her sisters sleeping face, but wasn't sure the next time she would get to see this side of her sister again. So, she took her time and drank in the sight. It did make her jealous that even after a night of tossing and turning her sister's hair looked flawless and straight as an arrow.

looking down at her sister's arms wrapped around her stomach, Winter realized how tightly her sister was holding onto her, almost like Weiss was afraid she might disappear at any moment. It was sweet, and made Winter feel deeply loved and cared for. Thing is, it didn't exactly change how much she needed to use the bathroom.

Ever so gently, Winter grabbed her sister's hands and tried to move them away from her belly. They started to move, but then they jerked to a halt, like when you mess up switching gears driving stick shift. Something her father had adamantly forbidden her from doing after hearing the horrible noises she brought out from his precious cars. Thing is, Winter couldn't exactly be mad at him for that one, the thing was smoking after a quick drive around the estate after all.

"How are you this strong in your sleep but you can't even do a push up when you're awake?" huffed Winter as she tried her hardest to force her sisters hands away again. She was trying to be gentle and not to wake the sleeping angel, but she also really had to go and the hug was becoming a lot less endearing pretty quickly.

After another hard tug, Winter looked down and saw her sister grinning like a villain with her eyes closed. "Seriously? You're such a dork. If you don't let me up soon, then you better invest in a set of plastic sheets" Winter complained, letting go of her sister's hands.

Weiss opened one eye and gazed up at her sister with an annoyed look on her face, "Fine, go, but you're no fun," Weiss grumbled as she let go of her sister.

"Noted, but I've known that for a long time," Winter smiled, flicking her sisters forehead lightly as she got up and ran to the bathroom.

"Ow! Why do you always have to bully me?" Weiss cried out to her sister right in time for the bathroom door to slam shut. Weiss sighed, rubbing the red spot her sister surely left behind, a soft smile on her face as she fell back into the pillows. The bed was colder now, but she'd survive. Weiss felt her consciousness fade back into the land of dreams, her eyes getting heavier and heavier, until they slid shut again.

The creak of the floorboards and the sound of a door shutting snapped Weiss awake, not sure how long it had been. She sat up and saw Winter standing over the bed, her hair poofy and wild like always, an uncomfortable look on her face as she scratched the back of her head.

"I was thinking, before I leave, would you wanna go see mom with me?" Winter wondered as she played with her long hair absentmindedly. Weiss rolled off of the bed with a smile and walked to the door without hesitation.

"Give me a few minutes to change, then let's go," Weiss yawned as she stretched her arms high into the air.

"I didn't mean now, I meant like in a few hours after we've had some time to relax" Explained Winter as she sat down on the bed.

"I hate to say it, Win, but the faster you're gone the better" Weiss explained, hand on the door handle. Winter opened her mouth to counter, but there really wasn't a good argument.

"I hate it when you're smarter than me," Winter sighed as she stood up and walked over to her closet, "ten minutes, then we'll head out" Weiss couldn't help but chuckle triumphantly as she opened the door and left.

Winter shook her head, a smile sprouting before she realized what'd hit her. Winter turned around and remade her bed, making sure every crease was gone and the corners were tucked in tight. Looking down at the bed was odd, because she realized that she never actually made her bed in the city. She made sure it was neat, but not absolutely pristine like she did here. Maybe these walls were cursed after all?

Not wasting any more time, Winter walked into her closet and started to look at all her old clothes. Weiss had done a great job packing for her, so Winter had never really thought about what clothes she'd left behind. Looking out at the sea of clothes and shoes in her closet now though, it was sort of overwhelming what she'd left behind.

A big part of her wanted to shove it all in boxes and take it back home with her, it was her clothes after all. But at the same time, she didn't really need any more clothes. She'd been fine for months, and she knew she'd be fine in the future. So instead she simply grabbed one new outfit to put on for the day before she slid the door of her closet shut, probably for the last time.

A few minutes later, she and Weiss were on their way outside, walking down the hallways with more than a little pep in their steps. When they made it to the main lobby, they found their smiling, ever smiling butler waiting for them with a polite bow.

"Hello, madams, how are you doing on this fine morning?" He asked in his usual chipper tone.

"We're fine, how about you? Also, Klein, I've known you my whole life but I still have no idea how you're such a morning person" Winter thought aloud, which made Kleins smile even brighter somehow.

"Years of practice I suppose, and I'm doing as well as always. Would either of you care for any breakfast?" His eyes stuck to Weiss for a moment longer than normal before they returned to Winter.

"In a bit I suppose, but first we have someone we need to go see" announced Weiss proudly. Klein stood up straighter, his smile looking a little more forced than it had only a second prior.

"Ah, I see. Well then, I'll have breakfast ready for when you return" He bowed respectfully before walking off to who knows where.

"He never really knows what to say when we talk about her, does he?" Weiss questioned as the sisters walked through the front doors.

"No, but I can't blame him. It's not like fathers any better," Winter shrugged, glad to feel the morning sun on her skin as she stretched her legs.

"That's true," Weiss admitted as the sisters started the trek, falling into a comfortable silence.

There were some advantages to living in a monster sized mansion, but one huge disadvantage is how dang long it took to get anywhere. Past the tennis courts, basketball courts, pool, and the horse stables sat a greenhouse, their first stop.

The greenhouse was pretty small when compared to everything else in the manor, only about the size of a basketball court. The whole thing was made out of special glass that let heat pass through easily, with thick vines growing up half the building almost to the roof.

"The vines are really getting out of control without mom" noted Winter as she forced the doors away from the grip of the vines. When the door cracked open, Winter instantly felt the humidity and heat leak out of the building, and could already feel herself sweating. With the heat and sweat came the heavenly aroma of flowers and life that her mother had loved so much.

"You know she would've loved to see them like this, all wild and free. The flowers on the other hand…" Weiss sighed as she gazed out at the ocean of beautiful multicolored flowers inhabiting pots that were big and small, with stone walkways criss-crossing between them.

There were two things that linked all of the plants in this greenhouse, they were all hand planted and taken care of by their mom, and they were all starting to get overrun by weeds.

"How did weeds even get in here? It's a greenhouse for pete's sake" Winter complained as she pulled a handful of the leeches away from a pot of some amazing red and white flowers that were starting to wilt.

Weiss stayed silent as she walked between the rows of plants, her fingers grazing as many of them as she could. The flowers bounced ever so slightly as she touched them, but Winter couldn't help imagining the flowers getting excited to see someone here again.

"When was the last time you were here?" Winter asked as she followed after her sister.

"It was before you left, but I'm not sure. I had no idea that the weeds had gotten this bad, but I'm glad the sprinkler system's still going. It would stink if they started to die" Weiss muttered as she came to a stop.

Winter came to a halt next to her sister, their eyes landing on the same thing, a large pot filled with white roses. They're called iceberg roses, and they were the most beautiful plant in the world to Winter.

"Did you ever wonder why this was her favorite flower?" Winter questioned, reaching out and gently touching one of the silk soft petals.

"Not really. Honestly, when she first showed them to me I didn't even hear what she was saying at first. They're just… Beautiful" Weiss whispered, a nostalgic smile on her face.

"Really? You never told me that," Winter chuckled as she wrapped her arm around her sisters shoulders.

"I never told her either, but I wasn't exactly that subtle about it" Weiss laughed as she reached out, careful to avoid any thorns, and picked two of the flowers, handing one to her older sister.

"You? Not being subtle? Nooo" Winter put her hand in front of her gaping mouth, her eyes wide with fake shock.

"Ya know, sometimes I wonder if you're really a therapist with how mean to me you are" Weiss grumbled as she turned and walked away.

"I tease out of love, that's all, dork" Winter chuckled, causing Weiss to look over her shoulder and roll her eyes with a smirk on her lips.

With their flowers in hand, they left the greenhouse. Getting out of that heat was a blessing, but the Winter would always miss the smell of those flowers, it was one of the few things she really did love in Atlas.

The girls talked and joked about random things as they walked into a small wooded area at the edge of the property. With the basketball courts and all the modern amenities, this section of woods almost felt out of place as they walked into it.

After only a few minutes of walking, the sisters spotted a large cast iron gate that surrounded a large, flat section of grass and stone, the Scnhee family cemetery.

Winter unlatched the gate and swung it open with a creak, getting a good look at the sea of white tombstones that filled the space to the brim. Even though it was out in the middle of the woods something about it felt static and lonely, totally separate from the nature on the other side of the gate.

Winter sighed as she walked down the concrete path, walking further and further into the cemetery. Every headstone had the same size, font, and last name, for some reason she pictured hundreds of people exactly like her father staring down at her, and it made her legs tremble. Winter didn't let that deter her though, instead she gripped the rose firm, and kept leading the way.

A borderline unnatural silence was suffocating the graveyard as they walked down the path past their ancestors, like the stones themselves were judging them. Anxiety crawled up winters spine the further in they went, but one look at Weiss confidently strolling forward told her that her anxiety was misplaced.

The second they got to the far right corner of the cemetery, Winters anxiety disappeared altogether. Under the shade of a large oak tree planted right outside of the fence, sat the grave of Willow Schnee.

Unlike the rest of the bland headstones, their moms was lively and unique. There were carved flowers of all shapes and sizes blooming along the edge of her headstone, and the font was actually their moms own handwriting instead of the classic serif font that plagued every other stone. There was also an amazingly lifelike carving of their mom on it, her gorgeous smile on full display from now till the end of time.

When she found out she was sick, their mom had stayed optimistic, never letting her mood get down, or at least never letting her daughters see her when she was down. One of the odder ways she kept her spirit up was designing her own headstone. Nobody really knew why, but it gave their mom a huge sense of peace and calm until the end. Winter thought it was a way for her mom to feel some control of her situation, but her mom was also weird enough to love something like that even if she wasn't sick.

The last thing their mother had on her gravestone was a quote, Beautiful Winter and stunning White Snow, I love and cherish you always, live free. Reading the message for the first time had brought her to her knees, breaking her down to a sobbing mess, That had been years ago, but Winter knew if she let her walls down she could be there again in a second.

"Hey, Mom…" Winter started, her voice cracking, "I know it's been awhile, sorry about that. Uh, I think Weiss told you though, I got a job! A really good one too! I've gotten tons of experience from Dr. Ironwood, and I also met a really cool girl there named Amy. She's actually the best friend I've ever really had" Winter felt her sister punch her leg lightly, an over the top annoyed expression on her face.

"Sorry, non-family friend. You'll always be my best friend, Weiss" Winter corrected with a chuckle as her sister nodded her approval silently. "I've made a few friends actually, and they're all amazing. Oh, and I've had a lot of really cool patients too. Some were kind of dorky while others were straight up weird in the best ways, it's been amazing. But… It hasn't always been easy," Winter sighed, her walls finally giving out as she started to cry.

"It's weird, after growing up around so few people, I thought it would be great meeting new people, and it was. But there's so much pain too. There's something I want, and I think it'll be good for me. But it's something I shouldn't want for a lot of reasons, and a lot might go wrong if I tried. I wanna do my best and do what I think is right, but it all becomes so hazy and weird when you add more people into the mix, let alone work. I just… I wish I knew what to do. I wish you were here to help," Cried Winter, as she looked down at her moms smiling face, realizing now exactly how much she missed the real thing.

Weiss reached out and grabbed Winters hand lightly, a smile on her face that was an exact copy of their moms. It made Winter feel warm and light, easing the pain of loneliness that had been there since their mom had passed.

"I think I know what she'd say" beamed Weiss.

"Really? And what would that be?" Winter wondered with an ugly tear stained grin.

"She'd tell you to do what makes you happy no matter what. Even if that Iron guy is the best in the world, the worst case scenario is you get another job. But if you don't get what you want, and you want it enough to tell mom about it, something tells me that won't come around too often," Encouraged Weiss, shrugging her shoulders nonchalantly.

"When did you get so wise? You sound like you should have a super long beard and live on top of a mountain," Winter teased, making her sister laugh.

"Please, if I lived on top of a mountain then who would give your sorry butt advice?" Weiss countered, pretending to stroke her imaginary beard.

"You got me there," Winter relented, looking down at their moms grave. For the first time, Winter noticed that there were flowers already at the foot of the grave. They were white lilies that had only been in the sun for a few days, "Did you leave that there?"

"No, you know mom never really liked lilies. She always said they were a bit too full of themselves and had enough people that loved them" Weiss shrugged as she bent down, making sure not to disturb the plant. "Think it was Klein?"

"No way, he only comes out he's with one of us," assured Winter, puzzled. The sisters realized at the same time that there was only really one person left who would bring her flowers.

"Do you think he comes out here a lot?" Weiss wondered as she laid down her single white rose over her mother's grave, right beside the lily.

"I have no clue, that man's a mystery" Winter relented, bending down and ever so carefully setting down her own rose next to Weiss'.

The grave was so beautiful, exactly like their mother. But Winter couldn't help but picture her resting in a place that actually felt alive and connected to nature, and a sad smile filled her face. At least she had her tree, and she was close to her daughter.

"I'm not sure when I'm gonna be able to see you again, mom. But I really wanted you to know that your daughters are gonna be just fine. After all, you raised us right and we grew up smart," Winter said, assuring her mom, sister, and herself that everything was gonna be ok. It wasn't empty words either, something about saying out loud to her mom really made Winter feel confident.

Suddenly Winter felt a warmth spread all throughout her body, like someone was giving her a hug, and she felt completely relaxed for the first time in far too long. Winter turned around, but nobody was there.

Winter couldn't help but smile as she started walking back to the manor, "Come on, Weiss, Kleins gonna get worried if we're out here much longer," but before she could get too far, she turned around and faced her mom one last time, "I love you, mom, I'll come visit again as soon as I can" And with that, the sisters walked back to the manor, feeling lighter and freer than when they had been a few minutes prior.

-Authors note-

Hey everyone, I know I usually post on Saturdays but this week I'm not really gonna have access to a computer that day. So, you guys are getting this weeks chapter a little early, hope nobody minds! This won't be a normal thing, and probably won't happen again until the story's done. As always, let me know if you have any comments or questions or anything! Oh, and someone was confused about what the deal was with the last two chapters, and they were both flashbacks to the day before Winter left for Vale, I hope that helps! Anyway, see you guys next week, hope you enjoy!