Winter's face went cold and hard as stone as her eyes met Jacques'. He was bearing a similar expression to hers, albeit with a touch of anger visible in the way his brow creased.

"Winter," he sneered. There was a hint of surprise in his voice, but it was smothered by an overwhelming air of disgust.

"Hello, father." She nodded courteously. He did not feel the need to mask his opinion of her. However, that didn't mean that she had to sink to his level. "Nice to see you," she lied.

One final gust of frigid air blew in as Jacques slammed the door shut. The scowl across his face remained present as he lifted his white coat to the hanger. An uncomfortable silence permeated the foyer. Like the calm before a hurricane, it was. Weiss glanced between the two of them, doubtless knowing an argument was mere moments away. As unwise as it was, she subtly stepped into both their ways. A good analogy was that she just placed herself in no-man's-land.

"Father, I can explain," she said hurriedly. "I invited Winter to stay and-"

"Silence!" The single word caused Weiss's mouth to snap shut and her body to tense up. "I don't care to hear your justifications, Weiss. In fact, I believe it would be best if you excused yourself."

"But I-"

"Now!" Jacques jammed a finger toward the stairs, fixing her with a baleful glare.

The young woman's posture fell as she slowly turned to leave. As she marched away, her eyes met Winter's, filled with sorrow and apologetic.

Winter wanted nothing more than to reach out, support her sister, even if it meant earning their father's ire. But it was not possible. Where she could leave, go back to her day to day life as a soldier, Weiss was stuck here. Any wrath she won would follow her as long as it burned. So, instead of being a good sibling, she waited as her sister tiptoed out of the room.

When they were left alone in the vast room, was when Winter finally broke the quiet that had befallen them. "She did not invite me. I came of my own accord."

"Oh, I know," Jacques looked down his nose at her, masking the action as straightening his tie. "Because, despite her little phase at Beacon, Weiss would never defy me. If I give a command, my children are expected to follow it to the letter."

Winter's hand clenched into a fist behind her back.

"Or so I had believed." He raised a white brow. "It would appear my eldest has taken my words and blatantly ignored them, yet again."

In the back of her mind, the tiniest spark of rage lit. Winter took a deep breath. She wouldn't rise to the bait. He was trying to make her lose control of herself. Well, she would not give him the satisfaction.

"I wished to see my sister," she explained calmly. "We have not spoken in months, and I supposed a visit would be pleasant. I was also worried about her, recent events have taken their toll on her, in case you haven't noticed." Winter suppressed a laugh as he scowled at the last comment.

"Be that as it may, it does not excuse your disregard for my orders," Jacques waved a hand dismissively. "You were not to set foot in this house again. I was under the impression that we had agreed upon this."

"I never agreed to such terms," Winter countered.

"Whether you did or did not is of no importance," he said sharply. "All that matters is that I stated that you were never to be allowed here. As my daughter, you will heed my instructions or suffer the consequences."

Winter stepped closer to him, her eyes shone with anger. Try as though she might, she was unable to keep her father's words from affecting her. He had a way of playing to her weaknesses. She couldn't lose control, though. If she did, any credibility she had in the fight would be lost.

"By your own words, I am no longer your daughter," she said, her emotions eeked out in her voice, causing her to grow louder. "As a matter of fact, I'm not bound to you in any way." She leaned toward his face. "You can do nothing to me."

She had him. There was nothing he could say or do that could cover up the contradiction he'd just made. Just as she was about to allow herself a satisfied smirk, Winter froze.

Why was Jacques smiling?

"Well, I suppose you are right," he chuckled. Something wasn't right about it, and it, as strange as it sounded, made Winter's skin crawl.

"You are free to leave." He waved over his shoulder as he turned on his heel and started up the stairs.

Wait... "What? What do you mean, 'free to leave?'"

"You are correct." Jacques' face was deadly serious, but his blue eyes sparkled with vicious pleasure. "I cannot punish you, for you are not my responsibility. But, as head of this family, I must discipline those under me."

"Weiss was awfully complicit in allowing a stranger to wander the house, unchecked. And Klein is responsible for granting access to guests," he smiled cruelly as it dawned on Winter what he was saying. "He let you in without consulting or even notifying me. That sort of behavior will not be tolerated."

"You... you can't." Suddenly, something boiled beneath her skin. A violent rage that was just barely contained by the thin shred of self-control she still possessed. Winter stared at him with unmasked disdain.

"Oh, I can. And I shall," Jacques returned, utterly unashamed of the wrongness he was showing. He turned and continued his march up the stairs, hands linked behind his back, and head held high. His shoulders squared proudly as though he could feel her tremble with rage. "It is unwise to not do as I instruct, dear Winter. You would do well to remember that."

Winter was left alone in the foyer. Her head swam as she struggled to focus. One moment, she had been enjoying a pleasant visit with Weiss. There was no hint of unease between them, only sadness that the elder had to leave. Then, without warning, all that came crashing down as father swept through, bringing ruin to any joy that she may have felt.

It was with wide eyes and a heavy heart that Winter padded out the door. All expression but for pure shock drained from her face. She was tensed, wound tighter than a spring, liable to go off any second, at the slightest provocation. And all because she had simply wanted to spend a little time with her sister.

Weiss and Klein would be punished, as Jacques said. The former would likely get off with a fierce lecture, perhaps a slap on the wrist. She was the heiress to the SDC, there wasn't much he could do to her without fear of it reaching the public eye. Klein, on the other hand, had no such security. Yes, he was a skilled and valued employee, but he was just that - an employee. People in his position got laid off all the time, doubly so when they worked under the employ of the Schnees. With that in mind, Winter's oldest friend - the man who was more a father to her than the real one - was at risk of losing his livelihood. And on top of him being out a job, Weiss would no doubt be affected as well. She would be crushed if he was forced to leave.

Winters fingernails bit into her palms, nearly drawing blood. Her teeth ground together, and her eyes fused shut. She wanted to scream, to storm back inside and wipe that smug grin off her father's face. He deserved it. That and so much more for all the horrible things he'd done in his life.

She considered it. Oh, how she wished to go through with it. Her fingers found their familiar place on the grip of her weapon. But calmer heads - and likely fate itself - had different plans. As Winter's hand came to grasp the doorknob once more, her scroll sounded in her pocket.

Reluctantly, she let out a breath and opened the device. A summons from the general. Perfect. Exactly what she needed to get her mind off Jacques and her personal life. On duty, Winter couldn't afford to let her feelings show or affect her in any capacity. Something that would have been seen as a negative to most was actually a boon in her mind. Those without things dragging them down were more efficient in their tasks or in combat. She prided herself on being both.

Considering she was supposed to be on vacation as well, this likely wasn't any small issue, either. With the Amity project underway, Ironwood needed all his subordinates in peak condition. They couldn't afford to be falling over from exhaustion on the brink such a significant event. With any luck, though, she was being sent into the field. There was a demand for skilled fighters to be on call at all times. Grimm had been a problem out in the ice fields, which was a good thing right now.

She needed to kill something.

Oooh, getting a little grumpy, are we, Winter dearest? Things should be picking up in the next chapter. Honestly, this whole opening wasn't part of the original plan for this fic. I just needed to set the stage for the future of our lucky little playthings - Adam and Winter. Can't really have a successful crack ship without first establishing the status quo, now, can we?

Anywho, see y'all Sunday after next for another thrilling installment of Beats Served Old!