AUTHOR'S NOTES: A little short this time, too. A classic Winston Churchill reference in Winter and Qrow's exchange at the beginning of the chapter, and at the end.

I'm not sure how the Winter Maiden's name is spelled (Fria?), so I went with the classic German "Freya." Bonus if you know what her last name means.

Building 71414 (Commander's Office, JRB Beacon)

Joint Base Beacon, Wisconsin, United States of Canada

9 May 2001

Once the door to Ozpin's office was closed, Ironwood whirled on Qrow and Winter. "Great example for the troops there, both of you. You want to have a fight, don't do it in front of fellow officers and enlisted men!" He stabbed a finger at Qrow. "Just because you're a free Huntsman who gets to fly wherever he likes doesn't mean you don't act like an officer, Branwen!"

Winter smirked at Qrow. "If he was one of my troops, I'd poison his liquor."

Qrow grinned back. "If I was one of your troops, I'd drink it."

Goodwitch banged a fist on Ozpin's desk. "Enough, both of you! You sound like children!"

It was Winter's turn to point at Qrow. "He's drunk!"

"He's always drunk!" Goodwitch shot back.

"I am not!" Qrow protested. He pulled out a flask from his flight suit and rattled it with a gurgling of whiskey. "Barely touched it."

Ozpin, who had gotten to his seat, rubbed his temples. "Ladies, gentlemen, please." They quieted. "First things first. Qrow, it's a pleasant surprise to see you, but why are you here?"

"That's a good question," Ironwood said. "You've been out of communication for quite awhile, Major. Your last report to Colonel Schnee said there had been no uptick in GRIMM activity, and then we get hit with the biggest GRIMM attack in over a decade."

Qrow leaned against a chair. "Jimmy—"

"General," Winter corrected.

"Jimmy," Qrow continued, "my recon work has been down in the Southwest. Not up here. I also had to cover a lot of ground. You do know that we've lost a shitload of Huntsmen and Huntresses in the past few months."

"We know," Ironwood replied. "Do you have any information about that?"

"Still working on it." He looked at Ozpin. "To answer your question, Oz, I came here because Arashikaze asked me to. After my last mission I stopped by Greenbrier."

"She hasn't communicated with me," Ozpin told him.

"She thinks the information is too sensitive to be trusted to e-mail or phone. She wanted to let you know she's lost communication with Source Camo, but that Camo's last message hinted that Salem's attack would be soon.

Goodwitch sighed. "That's the CIA for you. Predicting attacks after they happen."

Qrow shook his head. "Arashikaze's contacts say that the attack was supposed to include a ground attack by the White Fang, helped by infiltrators and a GRIMM attack. No details, just that. She thinks Camo only had time to get off a quick message."

Ozpin steepled his fingers. Camo was the CIA's deep cover operative, embedded either with the White Fang and/or with Torchwick's gang. Ozpin didn't even know Camo's gender, and, though he wasn't much of a praying man, said some words for Camo every night—because if Camo was exposed, God would be their only help. He'd heard the White Fang used torture on people who betrayed them.

"Then Ruby Flight did trip the attack too early," Goodwitch mused, suddenly quiet. "Did the message come before or after the attack?"

"Before. But it means that the infiltrators are here already." Qrow finally gave in and took a swig from his flask. Seeing them staring at him, he offered the flask to anyone else. There were no takers. "I heard there was a break-in in the computer center."

"There was," Goodwitch answered. "So far, we've found no evidence of anything being downloaded."

"What about uploaded?" Qrow wanted to know.

"Again, nothing. So far."

"Well, it gets worse." Qrow took another drink, a smaller one. "My sources also have reason to believe that the people we're up against are the ones who shot down Amber." He paused. "How is she, by the way?"

Ozpin's voice dropped. His office wasn't bugged, but it was habit when talking about the Maidens. "Not good. Her condition has worsened."

"You have a successor?"

"We will soon," Ironwood answered. "Which reminds me, Winter—how is Freya?" He did not ask about the Schnees; he didn't want to air out dirty family laundry in front of Qrow. Not when Winter so obviously despised him.

"She had a mild case of pneumonia, but she's recovering." Checking on Freya Gletscher was the other reason Winter had gone back to Germany.

"At least we won't have to replace two of them." Ironwood turned his attention back to Qrow. "The White Fang took pretty horrific casualties the other day, and the GRIMM as well. I think we have enough here to take care of anything else."

"A whole armored division was a bit much," Qrow said, "but you know how fast Sienna Khan can gather recruits."

"The moment she sticks her head out of whatever hole she's crawled into," Winter replied, "we'll chop it off."

Qrow raised the flask, thought better of it, and put it back in his flight suit. "I hope you're right. I'll tell you something else one of my sources said: a storm's coming. And what you guys saw over La Crosse is just the leading edge."

Building 111415 (Visiting Officer's Quarters)

Joint Base Beacon, Wisconsin, United States of Canada

9 April 2001

Ruth Lionheart was four chapters into Ninjas of Love III: The Kunoichi Returns, and quickly turned the page. "Oh wow," she breathed. "Blake wasn't kidding." She was at a particularly steamy scene, where the daimyo's daughter stripped for the wandering samurai, when someone began knocking on her door.

"Oh, stone the crows," Ruth grumbled. When the knocking sounded again, she quietly cursed, threw off the sheets, threw on a bathrobe, and walked to the door. "Who is it?"

"Mercury."

Ruth opened the door a little. She was tempted to tell him to fuck right off, but decided to be polite. "'Ello, Merc. What's up?"

His hands were behind his back again. He paused, then whipped out a bottle of scotch. "Peace offering?"

Ruth clapped her hands together. "Johnny Walker Red! Aw, Merc, you shouldn't have." She held out her hands, and with a flourish, he placed the bottle in them. Ruth clasped the bottle to her chest theatrically. She noticed the label was broken. "Here, now, did you take a drink?"

Mercury laughed. "You're damn right I did. That's the good stuff."

"So it is." She looked him up and down. Mercury wasn't bad looking, and Ninjas of Love had left her a little hot and bothered. She and Neptune had ended up hooking up the night after the dance, but he hadn't shown her much attention since. Then again, she had been rather enthusiastic. She gave him a sultry look. "Fancy a nightcap, Merc?" She accidentally-on-purpose bent over a little, allowing the bathrobe to whisper open just enough for him to tell that she wasn't wearing a bra.

Mercury swallowed at the sight. "Uh…no. Tempting, but…better not."

Ruth shrugged. "Ah, well. Can't blame a gel for tryin'." She winked at him. "Offering accepted, Merc. And I destroyed those pictures, if that's what you were worried over."

"Nah. I trust you." He spread his hands. "Fact is, I've been kind of an ass lately. So I'm…I'm sorry."

Ruth leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek. "Apology accepted. If you change your mind…I'll leave me door unlocked." She turned, wiggled her tail at him from where it stuck out under the bathrobe, and closed the door behind her.

She walked over to the nightstand, found a cup, and poured a small amount of scotch into it. Then she shrugged and poured a lot more. "What the hell," she said aloud, "I'm not flying tomorrow." The 2V2 rounds were due to begin the next day, and Cinder had chosen Mercury and Emerald for the round against Coffee Flight. Ruth wasn't offended; her Jaguar just wasn't suited to that sort of fighting. Then she settled down under the covers and finished the chapter.

Ruth got another two chapters under her belt before her eyes felt droopy. After she'd read the same page five times and kept falling asleep, she laughed at herself, finished the last bit of scotch, put the book aside, and switched off the light. The pillows were comfortable, and Ruth was asleep a second after her head hit the pillow.

A floor above Ruth, someone else was knocking on a door with a similar peace offering, though it was Qrow Branwen and he was holding a smaller bottle of peppermint schnapps. He knocked twice before the door opened. Much like Ruth Lionheart, Winter Schnee was in a bathrobe, her hair wet from a shower. She graced him with the same arctic glare he'd gotten on the flightline. "What the hell are you doing here?" She flinched. "You smell like a brewery that's been bombed."

Qrow knew that was a lie; he'd showered before he walked to the VOQ, and was no longer wearing the flight suit, just civilian clothes. "Thought I'd say hello. Start over from the beginning, Ice Queen." He held up the schnapps like a waiter offering a rare bottle of wine to a wealthy patron.

Winter flinched at that, as well. "I don't like schnapps. Especially peppermint."

"Oh." Qrow tucked the bottle under one arm and leaned against the doorjamb with the other. "You gonna invite me in, or we going to have this conversation in the hallway?"

Winter rolled her eyes. "Fine." She opened the door enough for him to walk in. "Set the bottle over there. I'm sure you'll drink it later." She motioned at the TV stand.

"Not sure what's going on with you," Qrow began, as he put the schnapps down, "but I didn't realize I'd pissed you off at Signal. In fact, I…I…" His voice trailed off as he turned around. Winter's bathrobe was on the floor around her feet. She was naked beneath it, and Qrow's mouth went dry.

"As you can see, Qrow Branwen," her voice heavy with pure desire, "I have nothing to hide from you." Two steps of those long, magnificent legs brought her up to him, and she crushed her lips against his. He had to pry her off for a moment to get a breath of air. "Winter, what the—"

She licked his lips. "That was a show I put on for my sister and Ironwood. Did I fool you?"

"Yeah. I thought I pissed you off somehow."

Winter laughed softly. "I am sorry. I just don't want anyone to know about us."

"You ashamed of me?"

"Yes."

Qrow shrugged. "Guess I can't blame you. I get the feeling Jimmy knows, after that phone call you got at Signal—" He was cut off again as she kissed him again. "Damn, woman, let me breathe!"

"Of course," she told him. Her fingers reached down and grabbed the zipper of his pants. "Because you're going to need all the air you can get." Winter licked her lips very suggestively. Qrow gulped as she hooked her fingers into the waistband of pants and underwear and pulled them down. "Now make me scream, old man, because you won't believe how I need this right now."