Weiss tiptoed lightly over the sleeping forms of Yang and Ruby. They had had a sleepover in Yang's room and the three of them had wrapped themselves tightly in blankets, giggling and chatting long into the night. Midnight runs for hot chocolate had been filled with muffled laughter and failed attempts at sneakiness as they stumbled in the darkness. It would have been incredibly fun, if Weiss hadn't been burdened by her present task.

A task she had spent a month in preparing.

She lightly twisted the handle of the door and pulled it open with a soft squeak. She looked back quickly and swept her gaze over Yang and Ruby's faces to see if the light noise had awakened either girl. She paused at Ruby's face as she saw a glint of silver moonlight, but shook her head and shut the door quietly, cutting her view off from her friends.

Weiss held onto the door handle tightly and pressed her head against the cool wood. Friends. Wiess didn't know how much she had longed to call someone that. Now she was leaving them.

With great effort, as if her hand was in active rebellion against her, she released the door handle and turned away. She made directly for Ruby's room, stepping inside to see the now familiar sight of a bunkbed that Ruby and Weiss shared. Ignoring the rest of the room, she dug underneath the bottom bunk where various loose objects had been kicked and stuffed. It was a camouflage for the real hidden object, a duffel bag and backpack filled with items Weiss had been grabbing when she thought no one was looking.

She pulled it free and opened it wide. Foodstuffs, a first-aid kit, clothes, a pitiful amount of Lien, and Myrtenaster. Wiess quickly pulled out some clothes found within. They were warm winter clothes, unattractive browns and greys, but they were practical. She pulled them on quickly and wrapped a scarf about her neck and tugged gloves onto her hands. Lastly, she grabbed a flashlight and made to zip up the duffel bag when she stopped.

For the second time in three months, she was a thief. The fact that she had stolen from her 'Father' was one thing, but now, the thought made her feel ill when she considered all that the Long-Rose family had done for her.

Shouldering the heavy bag and grabbing her still bloodstained backpack she had arrived with, she snuck out of the room and began to creep down the stairs towards the main room. She stopped in the kitchen and, using the flashlight, dug through the cupboards until she found a pen and paper. Transferring the flashlight to her mouth, she held the pen to the paper and thought of what she needed to say.

She stood there for several minutes, the blank paper mocking her guilty mind. She didn't know what to say. What could she say? She had come to love them for their kindness, their unwavering acceptance of a strange girl who was covered in blood and offered no explanation as to why. They hadn't cared and had given her a home, bed, food, and… a family.

Dear Long-Rose Family,

She stopped and crossed it out.

Dear Summer and Tai,

I regret to inform you that I must be on my

She scribbled that out too.

She put the pen down and wiped her eyes which were now glistening with added moisture. She stayed that way for several minutes before she knew what to say. With great hesitance and a shaky hand, she wrote out what her heart felt.

Dear Family,

I'm sorry, but I have to go. I can't explain why, but know that I will always appreciate what you have done for me. You don't deserve this and I didn't deserve you. I hope one day you can forgive me.

With deepest love and admiration,

Weiss.

She nodded once as she surveyed the brief message before she set it in plain sight on the counter.

Sniffling, she moved to the main room where the front door stood guard. Again, she paused with her hand on the door handle. She took the moment to look back to the stairs. She hoped, pleaded, that someone would come down right then and stop her. She stared for several moments, each second seeming to last an eternity, but the stairwell remained empty.

Turning around, Weiss wiped her eyes, set her shoulders back and lifted her head up high. With faux-confidence, she pulled the door open wide and stepped out into the cold and calm winter night. She strode forth, the cold nipping at her nose and the deep snow threatening to spill over the edge of her boots with each step. She continued to march, following the trail that wound through the trees. She only stopped once with the house at the edge of sight and looked back. It was silent and dark, unaware of the betrayal she had done.

Tugging at her gloves, she turned away and walked further into the darkness with only the stars, moon, and her little flashlight to guide her way. She swept the golden beam forward and stepped off the known path and into the forest. Yet her eyes adjusted quickly, and soon she found the flashlight only harmful to her vision. But she kept it in hand as it brought a measure of comfort knowing that light was just a fingertip away as she moved, alone, deeper into the darkness.

After nearly two hours of struggling through the deep snow, Weiss heard a twig snap in the distance. She froze where she stood in the snow, her eyes wide as she scanned back and forth. The thick growth of trees prevented her from seeing more than a few feet. Unbidden to her mind came the memory of the boarbatusk and her side, though healed, ached as though it too remembered. But nothing came, and after several tense minutes, she began to relax.

Snap.

Jumping at the much closer sound, Weiss dumped her duffel bag to the ground and unzipped it. After a moment of digging, she found the silver hilt of her weapon and pulled it free. With her blade in one hand and her flashlight in the other she stood ready for whatever else may be out there.

"Hello?" She called, her hands shaking violently in fear. "Show yourself."

There was the crunch of snow behind her and Weiss whirled around. A dark shadow stood a few feet away and Weiss cried out while swinging Myrtenaster blindly.

"Agh! Weiss be careful!"

Weiss paused, she recognized that voice. She flicked her flashlight on and pointed it at the shadow. A red hood caught the light and silver eyes blinked at the sudden brightness.

"Ruby?" Weiss stood dumbfounded as Ruby held up a hand to shield her eyes from the flashlight. "Why-How… What are you doing here?!" By the end of her question, she was shouting.

"I think we could ask you the same thing." Came yet another familiar voice as another shadow came from behind the trees. Weiss angled the light towards the newcomer and recognized the face of Yang.

Her eyes were red.

"That's none of your concern," Weiss snapped defensively. She was still recovering from her shock and now, after she had built herself up to leave, someone came after her. She wasn't sure why, but she was infuriated by it.

"Then explain this!" Yang shouted back and she held up a piece of crumpled paper in a tight fist. Weiss took it and unfolded the note she had written only a few hours before. "Don't tell me it's none of our concern when you are trying to ditch us!"

"I'm not ditching you!"

Yang folded her arms and leaned back, her left hip forward, "Oh yeah? Where are you going then?"

"I…." Weiss faltered and lowered the flashlight. "I can't tell you."

"And why not?" Yang pressed, her voice having failed to soften in the slightest. "You better tell us and it better be a good reason or I'm dragging you home. I'll take you there even if you have to spend another two months in a coma!"

Weiss continued to stare at her feet and at the open duffel bag of stolen objects that lay there.

"Weiss?" Ruby's soft voice cut through the metaphoric and literal chill in the air. Snow crunched underfoot as she stepped closer and Weiss felt a gentle touch on her arm. Weiss pulled away and turned her back on them. She stuck Myrtenaster in the ground and tilted her head back to look up at the sky that peeked through the canopy. "Weiss, please don't leave us. You can trust us."

"I'm sorry Ruby, I just… I can't."

"Won't more like." Yang snapped and Weiss couldn't help but wince at the accusation in her tone.

"You're right, maybe I won't." Weiss replied with equal sharpness as she rounded back to face Yang. "Why should I trust you?"

"Oh, I don't know." Muttered Yang as she tapped her chin in mock thought. "Maybe the fact that we followed you out here into Grimm infested woods for two hours to make sure you're okay would count. But what do I know since you obviously seem to know a lot more about trust than me."

Weiss glared at Yang, "How dare you?"

"Dare I what?" Growled Yang, "Why don't I dare, Snowflake?" She then stepped forward and gave Weiss a shove and the Heiress stumbled and fell into the snow.

Weiss clenched her teeth tight, her jaw aching under the extreme pressure. She pushed herself to her feet and reached for where Myrtenaster stood in the snow. "Don't you ever push me again."

"Or what?" Asked Yang with an infuriating lack of care.

"Yang! Stop it!" Shouted Ruby over them as she ran in front of Yang and held her hands out to halt Yang. "You're not helping! We came to bring her back not drag her back! Let me talk to her!"

Yang's red eyes remained on Weiss for a moment before she looked at her sister. Immediately, the fire in her eyes disappeared and lilac returned. She frowned, opened her mouth, closed it, then simply nodded.

"Listen, Weiss." Ruby began, but Weiss turned away from her and stared off into the forest. "We were really worried about you. Please, come back."

"Ruby I have to-"

"Please-

"No!" She snapped, turning her head to glare at Ruby.

Ruby hiccupped as Weiss snapped at her, but her eyes, though they glistened in the moonlight, remained steely in their determination. "Fine, Weiss. You can leave. But you owe it to us-to me- to hear me out. Okay?"

Weiss huffed, her breath misting the air overhead. She stayed like that for several minutes as she thought it over. Her pride arguing to finish what she started, her childhood saying it wouldn't hurt to go with them, just for a little bit. "Fine. But I still have to go afterwards."

"O… Okay." Ruby said and again Weiss felt a gentle tug on her arm. She looked to see Ruby pulling at her, "C'mon, follow me. I want to show you something. It's not far."

Weiss allowed herself to be pulled along. They passed Yang as they did so and Weiss caught the revitalized fiery gaze of Yang and shuddered. She quickly turned away and listened as Yang grabbed Weiss bag from the ground and followed after them, her boots somehow managing to thud menacingly in the thick snow.

"Here it is, just up ahead." Ruby whispered back to Weiss.

Weiss hummed in response, her eyes flicking back and forth between the trees on each side as she plotted how she might escape. "How did you know where I was?"

"I uh…" Began Ruby,

"You aren't as sneaky as you think." Finished Yang instead. "Ruby saw you hiding things under the bed and told me about it. We thought you would try something like this." Weiss bit her lip at the implication that was clear in Yang's still hostile voice. She was so sure she had never been seen, that she was surreptitious. "Ruby was awake when you left," Continued Yang, "And when you never came back, she woke me up and we followed you."

Weiss mentally slapped herself, the silver that Weiss had seen when she looked at Ruby was her irises. She had been watching Weiss leave. Frustrated at her own mistake, she shifted the conversation away. "What is this place you are showing me exactly?"

"Something that reminds us of our home on Patch when we lived in Vale." Ruby explained. "But you'll see."

They walked a few dozen more yards before the trees began to clear to show a broad horizon that seemed to stretch to infinity. The snow swept landscape was broken only by a single tree that in the midnight of winter still bore red leaves. Ruby continued to lead Weiss and Yang towards this solitary tree and as they approached, Wiess saw what was so alluring about this place.

The tree stood on the precipice of an expansive cliff. Its farthest boughs hung over the edge of the drop. As she came to the edge, Weiss looked down but in the dark, she couldn't see the ground. She could hear though the faint whisper of waves on a shore. Still, while it was impressive, Weiss didn't see why it was important. "This is it?"

"Yeah, it's a place Yang and I like to go when we miss home."

"It's… nice." Weiss offered. Yang shouldered past her and sat on the edge of the cliff under the tree where snow didn't touch. Weiss ignored the aggressive action and focused on Ruby, "Why did you leave Vale?"

Ruby didn't answer at first. She made slow loping steps through the snow to Yang and sat beside her, her own boots dangling over the cliff. Ruby looked back at Weiss and patted the ground beside her. When Weiss didn't move, Ruby sighed. "Mom almost died."

Weiss balked at the idea. "What? You mean Summer?" Despite herself, Weiss dropped her backpack and stepped closer to the cliff, towards the sisters.

Ruby nodded and plopped her chin down to rest on an open palm. "Yeah, I know, right? Like anything could stop her with all of her-" Ruby made various 'portal' noises and chopping sounds, her hands acting out in kind before her chin dropped into their embrace once more. "-And stuff."

"So, what happened?" Weiss asked, ignoring the usual antics of the hyperactive girl.

This time, Yang answered, and Weiss noticed with great relief that the fire in her voice and her eyes had burned to embers. "We don't know all the details, but Mom had a mission she was on to protect some people or something as they traveled. They got attacked by Grimm. But like, a huge group of 'em." Yang's hands were spread out wide to emphasize the number of Grimm, but her hands quickly dropped to rest on her knees. "Mom got hurt fighting and couldn't get back. She was in the forest for weeks until she could walk again. It's a miracle she lived at all."

Weiss eyes were wide she listened to the story.

"Yeah," Cut in Ruby, her voice more boastful than the somber mood warranted, "If you look closely you can still see Mom walks with a little limp and her arm has all these cool scars. It's why she always has long sleeves."

Weiss finally accepted the bait provided by the story and sat at Ruby's side. She sat with her legs crossed, the idea of letting her legs hanging over the dark abyss sending jolts of fear through her heart. "So… What does that have to do with this place?"

"I used to have a place like this that I liked to sneak away to." Explained Ruby as she leaned back and stared with admiration at the tree above her. "It was just like this spot here. When we thought Mom was… you know… I went there a lot to deal with it. When we moved here to Atlas so Mom could "retire" Yang and I found this place."

Yang smiled and put her arm around Ruby and pulled her close. "It reminds us of home."

Weiss cocked at eyebrow at the sisterly display, "I'm sorry if I seem rude, but what does that have to do with bringing me here?"

"This place reminds us of home and family." Whispered Ruby, "You are our family Weiss and we don't want to lose you."

Weiss looked away to the distant horizon where the sky was beginning to who the faintest hues of orange. It began to make clear the vastness of the drop below them to dark and freezing waters. "I…" She began, but whether intentionally or not, her words caught in her throat. She pushed herself away from the edge and to her feet. She moved to turn when whispered words stopped her once more.

"Please Weiss, don't go."

Weiss shut her eyes tight at the feeble noise. It was Ruby. Pleading.

"I… I have to."

The next words she heard were no longer pleading but contained the rekindled fire of Yang. The tone set Weiss' heart pounding and her adrenaline firing. "Why? Don't you like us?"

"Yes but-"

"We aren't good enough for you?"

"No, it's not-'

"Then why don't you stay?" Yang shouted.

"BECAUSE YOU'LL DIE!" Screamed Weiss, her chest heaving and her face burning with anger as she rounded back at Yang with her fists clenched at her side. Yang's face was frozen with her mouth open, whatever syllable she had meant to say caught in its infancy.

"Weiss, what do you mean?" asked Ruby. Weiss looked down at her to see the small girl on her knees with her hands in her lap. Her back was mere inches from the edge. Her face showed genuine confusion and a trace of fear.

"I'm running to protect you!" Growled Weiss. "My fa- There are people after me that will kill anyone that gets in their way; you, Yang, your parents. Anyone!" She stared at the ground as she finished, her fingernails digging into her palm sharply.

It was silent for a long time. Long enough that the orange light cresting the horizon made Weiss' flashlight no longer necessary.

Finally, Yang spoke. "Why didn't you tell us?"

"I don't know." Weiss answered.

"Don't give me that!" Snapped Yang. But Weiss refused to answer.

"You're scared." Ruby said. The two words drawing Weiss vision from the ground to meet the silver eyes with her own. "You were scared that we would make you leave… weren't you?"

Weiss' chest deflated and her fists unclenched. "Y... Yes. I would rather leave than… than be forced away." She looked away from the sisters, ashamed to meet their eyes.

Barely had Weiss finished her sentence when a red blur slammed into her, nearly knocking her over. Weiss let out a 'oof' as she looked down to see Ruby as she wrapped her arms tightly around Weiss and squeezed. "You're a big dummy, you know that?" Ruby mumbled.

"Excuse me?" Weiss balked.

Ruby let go and stepped back. "I said, you're a big dummy. We would never do that." Ruby pointed a pale finger at Weiss, her eyes narrowed. "And I'm hurt that you don't trust us." Weiss looked down and away from the accusation burning in Ruby's eyes. She felt shame because after all, Ruby was right. As she came to this conclusion, her legs dropped out from under her and she plopped onto the frozen ground. Ruby knelt in front of her but Yang remained where she stood, turned to the side and her arms folded across her chest. "Why can't you stay?" Pressed Ruby though her voice was soft, without ire.

With the last quiet words of pleading, Weiss felt the barriers she had built fracture. She couldn't leave without telling them the truth. Not these two who had been the best of friends. "O… Okay." She took a moment to think of how to tell them, took a deep breath, and started to speak. "My name is Weiss Schnee. My family is the most powerful and wealthy family in Atlas, if not the world. I am its heiress." Weiss looked up at the sisters, but found them only listening. Ruby with wide and attentive eyes and Yang with an ear over her shoulder. Confidence growing at the attentive audience she began to tell them her story. It was halting at first, but as she spoke, she began to speak faster and faster, as if her body was determined to expel the poisonous memories as quickly as possible.

"My childhood wasn't very… pleasant. I wasn't allowed one, really. I was an heiress and was expected to be perfect. It was thanks to my 'father' that this was the case. He was… difficult. But my mother and sister made it bearable. But I never had friends. Whenever I got close to someone, one of the servants or slaves- Yes Ruby, we had slaves- they would disappear." Weiss pulled her legs to her chest and hugged her knees tightly. "My father would only say they were given other 'assignments.'"

"Then, when I was little, my Mother disappeared when she was traveling. We never… we never found out what happened. But my father he…" Weiss shuddered as she recalled the inhuman screaming she had heard when her father was given the news that his wife was gone. "He changed. He became even more, I don't know how to explain it. He was just never the same, always threatening us for failures or even hitting us at times. But that was nothing compared to what he did to others. Especially the Faunus slaves we had."

Weiss tucked her nose and mouth into the crook of her elbow and remained there for several moments. She breathed deeply and let the warm air heat her numb nose. She was already dreading what she would explain next. But she wanted Ruby and Yang to know. She wanted them to know just how terrible her father was to not only her, but to everyone around him. She flicked her eyes up to see Yang had uncrossed her arms and was now facing Weiss. Her face a mask but her lips set in a thin line.

"It got worse. You see, my fami… The Schnee family owns most of the Dust mines and one day, a group of Faunus attacked one and killed several of the workers and destroyed a great deal of equipment." Weiss sniffed and wiped her nose. "My father was furious. He took all of the Faunus servants and slaves at the manor and…"

"What?" Asked Ruby.

"He butchered them! He had them all killed thrown in one big hole. He made me and my siblings watch."

"That's awful!" Cried Ruby. Yang held a hand over her mouth in equal horror.

"It… It was." Weiss continued haltingly. "I didn't sleep for weeks. I kept dreaming that they were clawing out of the ground and they always begged me to help them. But I couldn't." Weiss faltered and dropped her forehead to rest on her arms. After a few moments, she felt a warm hand on her shoulder. She looked up to see Ruby smiling sadly at her. Comforting and not judging.

Weiss returned the smile, but it was fleeting. "After that things calmed down and were almost normal. Then I made a friend and… well… I guess I had a crush on him. My father caught me kissing his cheek and…" Weiss sniffed and struggled to speak past the sudden knot in her throat. "He killed him. Right there in front of me. He gave me this too." She said, pointing to the scar that ran across her eye.

"So, you ran away." Observed Yang coolly, though Weiss noted that there was a small ring of melted snow around Yang's feet.

Weiss nodded and proceeded to tell them of her flight from her one-time inheritance. She told them everything from stealing Myrtenaster, her fight with the boarbatusk, everything up until she awoke that cold morning to Ruby's singing. Yang and Ruby listened intently as the story danced on the line of unbelievable. Their expressions told Weiss just how incredible it all was. Their faces shifted from shocked, to disgusted, to relieved. Through it all, Yang's eyes never cooled back to their lilac color.

"That's…. quite a story." Uttered Yang when Weiss finished.

"Yes." Weiss answered, not taking her eyes from Yang's own fiery orbs. "I take it you are still mad at me?"

"At you? No. Your dad is another story. How could he do that to you and those poor Faunus?" She growled and stomped her foot on the ground. "If I ever meet him I'll-" She slammed a fist into her open palm. She dropped her hands to her side. "I'm sorry Weiss, for earlier. I didn't know."

"So, you believe me?" Weiss asked, still nervous at what they would say. But Yang merely nodded without hesitation. Ruby on the other hand, had yet to speak. "Ruby?"

"My singing's not that bad, is it?" Ruby mewed as she poked the snow with her gloved finger.

Weiss cocked an eyebrow at the girl but couldn't help but feel the corners of her lips twitch in a smile. Of all the things she would say, that was it? She shoved aside her bemused annoyance and replied. "Well, it could use work… But you believe me too, right?"

Ruby looked up, her cheeks rosy in the cold, and nodded. "Of course, Weiss."

At the final confirmation, Weiss deflated with relief, her shoulders slumping from their proper poise. "Thank you. That means a lot that I at least have the two of you."

"Always." Yang said as she knelt by Weiss and threw her arm about her shoulders in a small hug. "Even if I'm a jerk sometimes, I'll always be your friend.

Weiss smiled and looked past the two. The sun was rising now. The orange ball having finally dug itself out from behind the distant horizon. It was a majestic sight and Weiss saw the draw the sisters had to this place. It was peaceful with the bright sunlight and the gurgle of waves on the shore below.

"Weiss?" Ruby asked, to which Weiss hummed in response. "You're going to stay now right?"

"I don't know."

"Will you at least come talk with Mom and Dad? They are Huntsmen, maybe they can help somehow."

Weiss hesitated and cupped her chin in her delicate fingers. She couldn't argue with Ruby. It wouldn't hurt to go back and at least talk with them. And truthfully, when it came down to it, Weiss wanted nothing more than to go back. Still she sat a moment as if in thought though she already knew her answer. She dropped her hands to her lap and nodded, "Okay. I'll come with you."

Weiss was sure that the following hug from Ruby was more life threatening than her father. Still, thought Weiss as she was suddenly pulled along after the sisters, it would be a good way to die.

The sun had long ago left the horizon by the time the trio returned to the home. It was of little doubt that Summer and Tai were already awake. There would be no sneaking in.

"Ready?" Asked Yang as they stood in front of the worn and familiar door to the Long-Rose home.

Weiss shook her head, "Telling you all that once was hard enough but..." She sighed and dipped her head to her chest and stared at the snow-covered ground. "I guess I can do it again."

"We're with ya." Whispered Ruby as she gripped Weiss' hand and gave a gentle squeeze. Weiss squeezed back before Ruby let go and led them to the door. Ruby had barely lifted her hand to grip the doorknob before the door flung open violently.

There, in full combat gear, stood Summer Rose.

She stood in the open doorway with one foot raised as if to step outside. When she caught sight of the trio of girls, Weiss saw a look of abject relief. "Oh girls, there you are. I was just about to come out and find you."

"Oh no need to worry about us Mom!" Said Ruby, the false cheer in her voice audible even to Weiss ears. It was apparent that Summer noticed as well as she sent a look of suspicion at her youngest child. "We were just out playing. Like we always do. Early morning. Usual stuff. Yeah." Summer added a cocked eyebrow to her suspicious expression. "Anyway, we're gonna go change so…" Ruby made to slip past her mother but Summer seemed to fill every gap of the doorway with her thin frame.

"Oh?" Summer replied. She folded her arms and leaned casually against the doorframe. Her eyes were half-lidded and she had a bemused smile on her face. If Weiss hadn't seen the look of pure relief before, Weiss would have thought that Summer found this all rather amusing. "I think before you do, you explain to me why you left in the middle of the night without a note or word to me?"

And there it was, thought Weiss. The questioning began.

Ruby looked down and scraped her boot in the snow. "We uh…" She shot a quick look at Weiss. "We were just-"

"It was my fault Miss Rose." Weiss cut in, determined to spare Ruby from her own lies. This seemed to take Summer off guard. Her eyes opened fully and attentively as she appraised Weiss. "It's a long story, but they left because of me. So please, don't be upset with them."

Summer laughed briefly, but it sounded more akin to an annoyed huff than an actual mirth-filled laugh. "Oh, don't worry, I'm not upset. I'm just grateful you're all okay. But I will admit I am very disappointed." She shot a piercing glare at her daughters who both shrunk back and stared at the ground as if something interesting was written there. She looked back to Weiss and smiled, but the smile didn't reach her eyes as it usually did. "Why did you leave?"

"I…" Weiss began. But she faltered, the words dying. She felt a gentle nudge on her arm and looked to see Ruby at her side. The girl's cheeks were red from the shame and embarrassment from her mother's words, but she looked to Weiss and nodded. Weiss hesitated before she nodded back. She took a deep breath, squared her shoulders and looked Summer in the eyes.

"Miss Rose? I have something to tell you."