Pre-Chapter Author's Note: First off, Merry Christmas everyone. I would like to say that this is a one-off chapter for the immediate future, not a return to normal. I've had this chapter nearly complete for a while now and finally found time to finish it. I'm sorry for the lack of content for the past few weeks, but I've been caught up in school and life things. I don't know when I will be able to write the final few chapters of this but it probably won't be anytime in the near future. Thanks for the constant views on Gray Ashes, it's been interesting to check my email and see follows and favorites for it every day. Anyways, I hope you enjoy the chapter.

Chapter 42: Recuperation

"That all you got?" Kaitel's smile threatened to push Lunas over the edge, but he kept his calm. Instead, he calmly leaned across the table.

"Only in your wildest dreams, sweetheart. I ask you again, where is the location of Blake Belladonna?"

Kaitel again kept her silence, as she was now confident that Lunas could not hurt her.

"Raise the drone to forty milliamps please, Blade." Lunas allowed a cruel smile onto his face. "Now will you speak?"

Kaitel seemed to have a mental fight in her head. She knew that forty wasn't a lethal dose, but it would be extremely painful. She finally decided that she would hold out one more time. She still didn't believe that Lunas would raise it any higher out of fear of killing her. She shook her head and Lunas signaled to Blade. The drone wound up again and she braced. Nothing could have prepared her for the pain she felt. Her breathing became labored and she rested her head on the table.

"Last chance, before I raise it to sixty." Lunas' face convinced Kaitel that he was capable of going to a lethal dose.

"...Fine, you win." Her voice seemed deflated and she rested her head in her hands. "Atropa is being held captive at Mon'Oum Volcano."

"Who is Atropa? Is that Blake?"

"Yes, the hybrid."

"Thank you. Are there any plans to move her any time in the near future?"

"Not in the next two weeks."

"Is she heavily guarded?"

"Yes, the security is watertight." Kaitel finally brought her head out of her hands and Lunas could see she was on the verge of tears.

"Thank you Kaitel, it was a pleasure talking with you. I will consult you if I need any more information."

Lunas stood up and walked out the door. The only sound he heard before the door closed behind him was the soft sound of Kaitel's sobs.

Sun was walking through the halls, whistling happily. He had just gotten a good grade on a test and felt like he was walking on air. His good attitude came crashing and burning to the ground as Lunas came around the corner with information about the interrogation.

"I have the location of Blake." Lunas said in a very excited voice.

"Do you? Where is she?" Sun replied.

"Mon'Oum Volcano, wherever that is."

This was the point where Sun took on a gloomy look and banged his head against the wall.

"Why? Why there?" He muttered to himself, unrelenting in his hitting of the wall.

"Is there a problem?" Lunas took on a concerned face, fearing his brother would give himself a concussion if he kept it up.

"Yes, a big problem." Sun stopped and looked directly into Lunas' eyes before continuing. "Do you remember Dad at all?"

"Only little bits and pieces, nothing really significant."

"He was a good man. Our mother met him when they were very young, and they were inseparable. It was only a matter of time before they got married and had me. Two years later they had you, and things began to go south. They began fighting a lot over us and eventually they both filed for divorce. We ended up bouncing between them for a few years before our Mom decided that we should have one last family outing."

"And this was to Mon'Oum Volcano?"

Sun took a deep breath in a failed attempt to steady his nerves.

"Yes… it was. Dad agreed to the trip immediately even though Mom had prepared for an all-out war. So we left a week later with everything we needed for camping. We had never been before, so we were both excited to be going. The trip there was uneventful, with Mom and Dad even seeming to get along. It was when we made it to the volcano that tragedy struck. Dad had moved ahead of us to clear the path to our campsite, Mom was holding you because you were complaining that your feet hurt, and I was walking alongside her. Suddenly a loud screech rang through the jungle. We all stopped for a moment in fear before deciding it was nothing to worry about. Five minutes later a giant Nevermore swooped down on us when we reached a clearing. It grabbed Dad and flew off directly towards the volcano. We never saw him again." Sun lowered his head, trying to hide the tears in his eyes.

Lunas was shocked. He was speechless for a moment before trying to ask a relatively safe question.

"How long ago was this?"

"Around ten years or so, I was seven and you were five."

Both brothers stayed silent for a few minutes, absorbing the story once again.

"And now we have to go back." Lunas finally broke the silence.

Sun noted the resolve in Lunas' voice and allowed a very small smile to show on his face.

"Now we have to go back."

"Maybe we'll find Dad while we're there."

"Yeah. Then we can punch the Nevermore in the face."

The brothers shared a laugh, which echoed through the halls around them.

"I'll go inform Ozpin of this, then we can all go get Blake back." Lunas said.

"Good luck, I'll alert everyone else to the possibility of leaving any day."

Colton sat back in his chair, enjoying everything the beach had to offer. The sunlight beating down on him from above. The breeze passing softly through his hair. The taste of salt from the ocean. The sounds of seagulls squawking "mine" as they flew over him. And, best of all, the warm body of Krystal, who had decided to take a nap in his arms. Yes, a vacation was just what he needed right now. To get away from the hectic life at Beacon. He enjoyed it, sure, but he needed a break from it every once in a while. With this thought in mind, he allowed himself to drift off to sleep.

*BEEP *BEEP

"Huh?" Colton sat up in a daze, wondering what had interrupted him from his sleep.

He looked around, noticing that it was evening now. The sun was hovering just above the waterline, turning the sky a brilliant orange. He cast his attention to the ground, in search of his scroll. He started to get up but quickly realized that Krystal was still camped out on top of him. He gently nudged her, waiting for a second to see if she woke up. She didn't, so he decided to play a small prank on her. He picked her up gently and started moving towards the water. Holding her above his head, he waded in until the water was up to his chest.

"Hey Krystal, wake up!" He yelled.

Krystal awoke with a start, taking in her surroundings. She got an amazing view of the water as it rushed up to greet her. She plunged in, arms flailing and mouth screaming. She was in the water for about a second before a pair of arms encircled her chest and pulled her above again.

"NOT COOL!" She screamed as her head broke the surface of the water again.

Colton just laughed, prompting Krystal to slap him. He let it through his guard, only to block it with his aura. The result was that Krystal ended in slightly more pain than him.

"You want to try that again?" He replied, watching Krystal wave her hand around in an attempt to alleviate the pain.

"No, dear, I would never do that." Krystal brought him into a hug, taking the golden opportunity to jab him in the ribs.

Colton didn't have enough time to focus his aura before he got the wind knocked out of him, so he signaled the white flag.

"You win, let's just go grab a bite to eat." He grabbed Krystal's hand and led the way out of the water.

They walked up the beach to their chairs and gathered up their gear. Colton grabbed his scroll but just packed it away. The message he had received was a warning about an influx of Grimm in their area, but Colton never took the time to check. They headed to the nearby seafood restaurant, not noticing the multiple pair of eyes following them or the sound of howling coming from the distance.

Sandman woke up in a daze and looked around in confusion.

'Where am I?' He asked himself.

He was in a white room with three beds and two doors, but no other furniture. One wall was one-way glass and he stood up to further investigate it. As was usual with one-way glass, he couldn't see through it, so he turned his attention to the doors. One was right beside him, and it looked like it led to whatever was on the other side of the glass. This one was locked, but the other one led to a small bathroom. He looked over to the beds and saw Everett and Archer sleeping on them. His situation was becoming more puzzling every second. This confusion dispersed when Pyrrha walked in and dropped her clipboard in shock.

"Pyrrha? What's going on? Where am I? What am I doing here?" His flood of questions were left unanswered as Pyrrha instead opted to rush over and hug him.

"You're back!" She said, relieved.

"Was I gone?" It was only now that he noticed the tears streaming out of her eyes.

"Just… just follow me. I'll explain everything." Pyrrha brought herself out of the hug and took his hand.

She led him out through the door and into the examination room on the other side. They sat down opposite each other and Sandman leaned forward to ask a question.

"So what happened to me?"

Ruby wandered the halls aimlessly. She had nothing to do and nowhere she had to be. The loss of Weiss had been very hard on her, and she had curled into an impenetrable shell that even Yang had been unable to break. Before, she had done everything with a sense of purpose that no one else had seemed to rival, she had focused hard in the classroom, and she had had a bubbly personality that made everyone want to be around her. Now, she didn't do anything without people telling her to, she didn't pay any attention in class because she deemed it unnecessary, and she had turned into a mindless zombie. The old Ruby almost didn't exist anymore.

"Hello, Ruby." A soft voice sounded from behind Ruby.

"What?" Ruby spun around, for she recognized the voice, it was "Weiss, how?"

The figure of Weiss was standing before her, yet she seemed even paler than before.

"There is not much to explain, I was shot. But don't continue like this just because of me. I died with your taste on my lips, and that's all I could have asked for."

"But… but." Ruby broke down and cried, feeling the hands of Weiss wrap around her to comfort her.

She stayed like that for a while, listening to the soft reassurance of Weiss' voice that flowed over her. Lunas, who was wandering through the halls trying to devise a plan to storm the volcano, turned a corner and saw her. She was all alone, crying in a corner and occasionally thanking nobody. Lunas quickly turned the other way and left her, trying to get the depressing image out of his mind.

Author's Note:
Not much to put here, as everything I wanted to say is at the beginning. Thank you for reading and sticking with me, and if you enjoyed, don't forget to follow, favorite, and review. Chas1881