A/N: And we're back again! I was recently aware that I may need to go back and retcon some continuity errors, and while someday I may have to get around to doing that, this is where I want the story to go. I do apologise for the startling lack of action, but hopefully it will help to bring wrap some things together as we move towards the next arc.

As always thank you to everyone who follows and favourites, and an extra thank you to those of you who leave reviews (Nothing motivates me more!)

"What are you talking about?" Weiss asked as she reeled from the shock of Red's accusation.

"I knew there was something suspicious about the way you insisted on being the one to transfer the money." Red stated angrily. "You're working for Torchwick!"

"Wha –Red… no!" Weiss stammered. Something about those silver pools glaring at her angrily made Weiss feel like she was slowly breaking apart from the inside out, and as Red scoffed and began the short the short trek back to the cabin, the only thing she could comprehend was that she had to fix this. Fast.

"Red!" She shouted as she ran after her friend, "Red, wait!"

"Why should I?" Red asked furiously, "This whole time, I've been trying to be honest with you, even though every fiber of my being was screaming at me to do the opposite and run, and what do I get in return?" She paused and Weiss remained quiet as she watched her friend -her best friend; her only friend; her… she struggled to find a word that meant more than friend and would accurately describe what the other girl was to her –take a calming breath. "Turns out you were the one playing me." She muttered dejectedly.

"Red, I –"

"I guess I can't blame you… not completely. I should have known; everyone has an ulterior motive."

Weiss watched the taller girl's shoulders shake slightly and it was enough to make the breaking feeling in her chest increase tenfold. Before she knew what she was doing, she had her arms wrapped around Red's front as she buried her face in the crook of the younger girl's neck.

"I'm sorry," she murmured. "I didn't meant to. Whatever it was, if I had thought it was of any importance at all, I swear I would have told you right away." She took a shuddering breath and tightened her grip. "I'm sorry."

She felt Red let out a long, shaky breath as slowly began to relax in the platinum-haired girl's embrace.

"I believe you." She whispered. She took a moment to compose herself before turning around in Weiss' arms and wrapping her own around the shorter girl's waist. They shared a smile as Weiss thought about how right Red's arms felt around her waist, holding her close. "I guess this means we both have some explaining to do."

*(OoO)*

"So," Ruby started. "Why don't you go first, and we'll work to put the pieces together from there."

They were sitting across from each other on the couch, both holding steaming mugs of soup while a small fire crackled in the fireplace next to them.

"Okay," Weiss said. She took a deep breath and stared at her mug as she spoke. "My father has been grooming me for as long as I can remember to take his place at the head of the Schnee Empire. He was always more concerned about having a dynasty instead of a daughter. As a result, his expectation were rather… high: the perfect daughter; the perfect CEO; the perfect wife; the perfect heiress, married to the perfect heir. And I'm sure you've guessed by now, but when those expectations were not met, he reacted… negatively.

"Along with the… punishments, he did something to my memories. Made it so when I tried to look back on my life, anything that was not directly related to my grooming or his lessons looked as if it was covered in a thick curtain of fog."

Ruby growled as her earlier rage rose and started to sink its white-hot claws into her chest.

"It wasn't until I met you that I started to actually feel again," Weiss smiled and put a hand on Ruby's thigh. The brunette calmed as she reached down and took her friend's hand in her own. "You see, Father said it was important that I learn that, at times, it is necessary to take actions that are 'slightly gray, morally,' as he put it, for the good of the company. he wouldn't tell me why it was so important that the money come from Ironwood, only that it would be used to fund my own start up branch of The Schnee Corporation.

"It wasn't until I started spending time with you, and started being able to think and feel for myself again that I started wondering about it. But then," She took a shaky breath and Ruby squeezed her hand reassuringly. "After we conned Cardin Winchester, I returned and confronted him. I asked why we were stealing so little money, when it wouldn't even scratch the surface of his own personal funds to finance my start up himself. He told me not to question him, but I kept pushing. I asked why it had to be Ironwood, and when he didn't answer, I yelled at him. I demanded to know why someone who was supposedly as great and powerful as him would reduce himself to nothing more than a thug with a gun and a ski mask."

Weiss paused and took a swig of her soup, swallowing thickly before continuing, "That's when he gave me this," she raised their linked hands to the pale scar that ran over her left eye, and Ruby felt tears prick her own eyes. "After that everything went back to the same old fuzziness, only now where I used to just feel a sort of… numbness, accompanying the emptiness, I only felt pain.

"The time before Miami passed by in an achingly slow blur, and the only thing that got me through my washed-out existence with my father was the thought that I had to get out of there. Before I knew it, a plan had started forming in my head: instead of continuing to exist under my father's thumb, I would use my cut from the job to disappear completely off the face of the planet.

"Before I departed for Florida, my father left me with one last instruction; he handed me the flash drive and said that, no matter what, I needed to plug it into Ironwood's computer for the job to be successful. I took it and left, more sure than ever that I needed everything to go smoothly. Unfortunately, the only way I knew how to do that was to be a bitch to you and the others, act like the spoiled little brat I am, and try to assume control over a situation I was wholly unqualified and unprepared for."

"Hey," Ruby said as she gathered the other girl in her arms. "You know none of us blame you for what happened."

"B-But because of me, you had to come to my rescue and got shot." Tears were now streaming down Weiss' face, and as Ruby looked upon the raw guilt and sincerity on her pale face, she found herself wondering how she could ever doubt this tragic angel sitting in her arms.

"Weiss, look at me." She smiled softly as bloodshot, tearstained eyes turned up to meet hers. "I didn't have to go back for you. I went back because I wanted to; and unless you were the one pulling the trigger, or you somehow developed telekinesis –which would be so cool, by the way," Ruby grinned at the wet chuckle she felt against her chest, "I can say without a doubt it was not your fault."

Weiss nodded and after several minutes of comfortable silence spoke again, "I just wish I knew what was on the drive."

"I wouldn't worry about that." Ruby said.

"Why not?"

"I had the sneaking suspicion that there was something else going on when I found out the beautiful heiress had been conscripted into doing a job with a ragtag gang of professional criminals." Ruby chuckled as Weiss blushed cutely and buried her face back in her neck. "So, if you remember, before you went up to Ironwood's office, I borrowed your flash drive and uploaded a virus onto it that copied every file put on it and sent them to one of my secure personal servers. I just wasn't sure whether you were in on it or not."

"Red," Weiss stared pleadingly into her eyes, desperate sapphire meeting caring mercury. "You have to believe me; I had no idea what was going on that flash drive, or what my father wanted with it."

"I know, Princess," Ruby said soothingly. "I believe you."

Weiss smiled and burrowed herself back into Ruby's chest. "I guess it's my turn to do some explaining," the brunette joked as she ran her hand up and down the other girl's back.

She took a deep breath as she prepared to divulge more about herself than she ever had. "You remember how I told you I was on my own as a kid?" Weiss hummed and nodded. "Well, for as long as I can remember, I've been fascinated with finding out who my parents were. I used to make up stories about them: how they met; what they were like; what life would be like if they were still with me.

"I had all but given up ever finding out who they were by the time Yang's family took me in. but as luck would have it, when I told them my real name, Yang's dad –my foster dad –mentioned it sounding familiar. I woke up the next day to find him rooting around in the attic, mumbling to himself."

"You woke up and your first instinct was to find their attic?"

"I didn't quite trust them yet, and I knew most grownups kept a bunch of valuable things that they didn't care about anymore in the attic. Anyway, I went up and saw my dad rooting around in some old boxes before jumping up and yelling 'Got it!' he turned around, completely unsurprised to find to find me standing there behind him, and he handed me this ancient-looking envelope.

"There was this beautiful seal on the front, and inside was a picture of a woman holding a baby. On the back was a note, my dad explained that he received the picture from a good friend of his who had just had a baby. He explained that the woman in the photo was my mother, and that, though he didn't really know any details, she loved me very much and had never wanted to let me go. With the picture in hand, I got my second wind. I've been searching for her, with some help from Pyrrha and the others, ever since as a sort of side project."

Throughout their talk they had gradually reclined so that Ruby was laying on the couch holding Weiss on top of her. In her new position, Weiss nuzzled Ruby's neck gently as she spoke softly, "I hope you find her. You deserve to be happy."

"Thanks," Ruby replied. "By the time I made my way to Florida we had almost given up. Pyrrha had said she found something, but I wasn't too hopeful. Leads were drying up left and right; but then I managed to swipe this off the finger of a certain bowler-hat-wearing jackass." Ruby reached into her pocket and pulled out the ring and handed it to Weiss.

"It's beautiful," she whispered as she examined it.

"Yeah it is. But even more interesting than that is the crest." She watched as Weiss turned the ring in her hand to examine the crest. "That crest is the exact same as the one on the envelope my mom sent my foster dad."

Weiss turned the ring around once more before grabbing Ruby's hand and slipping it on her finger. It was a perfect fit. "If it was hers, I think she would want you to wear it."

Ruby felt her heart swell with happiness as she tightened her grip around the former heiress' waist and buried her face in snowy locks. "Thanks."

They stayed like that in silence for several minutes before Weiss spoke again, "So, where does all this leave us?"

"Well," Ruby sighed, "we know that your father commissioned us to rob Ironwood as a cover so he could steal important files. We know that someone hired Torchwick to steal not just our money, but the files too, and they hired him to kill you. We also know that whoever hired him knew exactly where we'd be, what we were doing, and when we were doing it. We know that Torchwick has some sort of connection to my mom, and that he hired a bunch of Junior's thugs for 'some job down south.' And lastly, we know that someone is committing a string of seemingly random acts all over, the only link being their use of a the same compound your father used on you."

"But how do my father, Torchwick, and everything else tie together?"

"I guess we'll just have to ask Torchwick ourselves." Ruby smirked.

"You found him?" Weiss asked.

"Maybe," Ruby answered. "We'll have to stop by my warehouse in New York first, but what little activity I've picked up starts in Cuba and moves randomly on to continental South America."

"You seem quite proud of yourself."

"Of course I am! I've never had to work so hard to find someone."

"Hold on," Weiss said uncertainly. "You said you had no idea how big his information network was or how deep it ran, correct?"

"Yeah, so?"

"So how do we know he hasn't already been informed that we found him and is disappearing again as we speak?"

"I thought of that. I trust my source, and I'm pretty sure they'll stay loyal."

"Pretty sure?" Weiss asked incredulously.

"Well they sent it in a way that seems distinctly familiar."

"So you know who it is?"

"Not a clue." Ruby smiled sheepishly, "It was encoded with an encryption I've never seen before."

"Wait what? Then how do you-"

"Look it's as sure as you can be when you're operating as deep in the criminal underworld as I do." Ruby stated.

"Well either way, if there's a possibility that my father is involved, you're going to need me."

Ruby smiled and tightened her grip. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

Weiss smiled and relaxed more into her embrace.

"That being said," she continued. "If we're gonna do this, I'm gonna need a team of the best and most trustworthy people I know. So Blake and Yang are gonna meet us in New York, and we'll meet a few other friends along the way. The only thing left is arranging for a pilot who won't blab."

Weiss perked up. "You have your own plane?"

"Yeah, but I haven't really gotten the chance to get the hang of it yet, so we'll need to hire a pilot."

"Oh, I wouldn't worry about that," Weiss smirked as Ruby raised an eyebrow curiously. "I may be able to find us a pilot, and it won't cost a cent."

"Really?" Ruby asked dumbfounded.

"Definitely."