"Stop the car!" Weiss cried out urgently to her driver. The older gentleman driving the car quickly followed orders and pulled the long, black limo over to the side of the road.

Weiss wasted no time in throwing open her car door and jumping out; completely ignoring her driver's concerned cry for her to please return to the car. She then quickly rushed back to the small section of bush along the side of the road that she'd looked up and seen while driving by, and came upon a scene that made her young heart clench.

The young Faunus girl, Blake, who had joined her class today, was laying on the dirt ground with a young ginger-haired boy standing over her. A small rock with a spot of red was held in his hand, and an equally red spot on Blake's head, revealed the bleeding cut that the rock had obviously inflicted.

"Just what the hell do you think you're doing!" Weiss cried out. Her father would have scolded her harshly for cursing, but Weiss believed in this instance she was more than justified.

The boy started, and then jumped around to face Weiss in shocked surprise. He then quickly dropped the rock and took off running, though not because he saw Weiss...but because of the older, grey-haired gentleman who was now exiting the vehicle behind Weiss. A little prissy girl, Cardin could have easily handled...an actual adult who could turn him in for what he'd just done to the filthy Faunus girl...well now that was trouble he didn't want to deal with. So, he ran like the chickenshit he knew he truly was deep down inside.

"Please stay back, Alfred. I'll take care of things from here," Weiss called over her shoulder without a look, knowing that her driver could hear her clearly.

"As you wish Miss Schnee...though I do advise that you do not take too long in this matter. It is after all my highest responsibility to get you home in a safe and timely manner," her driver responded promptly. Weiss merely nodded her head in acknowledgement, before she slowly began moving towards the quietly-whimpering girl still on the ground. She cleared her throat quietly and even a bit nervously, as she slowly crept closer to the downed girl, before she finally stood directly before Blake.

"Ah...Blake, was it? Are you...are you alright? Oh, what am I saying? Of course you're not alright. You're bleeding. Here let's take care of that," Weiss said as she reached into her skirt pocket, and pulled out a beautifully-embroidered handkerchief. She then slowly bent down so that she was eye-level with the now slightly-cowering Faunus girl.

Blake looked up at Weiss with golden-eyes full of pained tears, and Weiss felt something twist in her chest at the sight.

"Hey...hey now...I'm not going to hurt you...okay. I just want to help a bit...alright, Blake...remember I'm your classmate...I won't hurt you...I promise," Weiss said softly, as she slowly moved her hand forward so that it and the handkerchief, hovered mere inches away from the bleeding cut on Blake's head.

Blake watched Weiss with fearful eyes, but at the heiress's gentle words and tone, she slowly and hesitantly nodded her head in acquiesce.

Accepting Blake's reluctant permission, Weiss moved the handkerchief the last few inches forward, and lightly dabbed it against the bleeding cut.

A slight hiss of pain escaped Blake's lips, causing Weiss to pause briefly in her gentle ministrations, before she continued dabbing lightly at the wound. Once all of the blood had been carefully wiped away, Weiss slowly removed her hand and examined the cut on Blake's forehead. The blood had been wiped off, but Weiss could see that it would need a bandage, because already more blood was beginning to pucker at the wound; threatening to once again start slipping down the side of Blake's face.

Weiss let out a soft sigh as she slowly rose back up to her feet, and then held her hand out to Blake to help pull her up as well.

Blake blinked curiously at Weiss's hand, before she looked up with confused eyes at the snow-white haired heiress.

Weiss let out a slight huff of annoyance, before she opened her mouth to speak. "Your wound needs proper treatment or it will possibly scar. I have a proper medical kit in my bathroom at home. I can treat your wound better there."

Blake's entire body froze as the thought of voluntarily walking into the Schnee family home (and possibly never being seen or heard from again).

Weiss gave another huff of annoyance, before she reached down and more gently than Blake thought she would, helped pull her up into a slightly-shaky standing position.

The rock that cruel boy had hit her with had really hurt, and it took more seconds than Blake was happy with to regain her equilibrium.

Weiss didn't miss how unsteady Blake was on her feet, and let out a slightly unhappy sound. That boy with the orange-brown hair was going to be in a world of trouble when she was finished with him. Attacking an innocent person...a girl no less...whether they were Human or Faunus was simply too reprehensible, and Weiss would not just stand by and let him get away with it.

"No arguing with me about this Blake. You're my classmate and you've been hurt, so you're coming home with me so that I can help treat you. You can barely stand in your current state, and I simply would not be able to forgive myself, if I allowed you to try to walk home in this state. I'll have my driver drop you off home after we've treated and taken care of your wound, so you don't have any excuse not to come along," Weiss finished summing up all her points for Blake to simply be obedient and follow along, and honestly Blake was feeling so bad physically right now, she didn't try to disagree. Her head had begun to hurt terribly; her vision was still swimming with pained tears, and she did want to get the wound cleaned up and bandaged, before she had to go home. Her foster parents had made it crystal clear to her that they did not want her getting into or causing any trouble at school. If she at least got back home with her wound treated, it would hopefully be one less thing she could get yelled at for.

So, with a resigned sigh Blake allowed a bit of her weight to rest against Weiss, which surprised the heiress a bit; but Weiss took the little extra added weight in stride, and raised up an arm around Blake's shoulders to help steady the Faunus girl. Then the two of them began making their slow but steady way back to Weiss's waiting limo and driver.

~o~o~o~

"Mom! Dad! We're home and the first day of school was awesome!" Yang called out, as she burst through the front door of the modest-sized home she and Ruby lived in with their parents.

A lovely, tinkling laugh reached both Ruby and Yang's ears as their mother came out of the kitchen, wiping her hands on the Kiss The Chef apron she was wearing.

"Does having a good day on your first day of school actually mean you girls turned the school cafeteria upside down at lunch?" the long, dark-haired, blue-eyed woman asked as she leaned down to give first one precious daughter then the other a soft, sweet kiss on the forehead.

Both Ruby and Yang let out twin sighs of pleasure at their mother's loving attention, before Ruby let out a small squeal of excitement.

"I smell chocolate-chip cookies! Mom! Mom! Did you bake us chocolate-chip cookies?" Ruby looked like she was about to bounce through the very roof, at the mere thought that her mom's special homemade chocolate-chip cookies were just waiting for her a mere room away.

Summer Rose lightly tapped a finger against her chin, as she looked down at her irrepressible daughter with a mischievous twinkle in her eyes. "Hmm, maybe..." Summer replied with an amused grin.

Ruby couldn't hold herself back anymore, and quickly zoomed into the kitchen to get her hands (and mouth) on those cookies!

Summer let out an amused laugh as she watched her youngest daughter take off for the kitchen, with all the exuberance and and energy of youth. She then turned her smiling face back towards her oldest child, and wasn't surprised when Yang moved over to her, and wrapped her small arms around her mother's waist in a tight hug.

Yang always was the more physically affectionate of her two daughters, even though Ruby was pretty affectionate herself. But Yang seemed to sometimes almost crave the physicality of a tight hug, and Summer was always happy to provide that little added affection. She knew that it all most likely stemmed from the fact that on some inner mental level, Yang was probably trying to make up for all the hugs she wasn't receiving from her 'real' mom. But Summer Rose felt like Yang's real mom. She had been loving and caring for this little bundle of sunshine since she was barely out of diapers, and Ruby was still a squalling baby. Yang was as much hers as she was her father's. And boy...was Yang ever like that big, overgrown teddy-bear, Summer thought to herself with a soft, amused smile. Speaking of which...

"Ruby dear, don't fill your tummy up too much with those cookies. Your father said he'll be bringing home dinner for us tonight, and I'm sure you'll want to have room for what he brings," Summer called out to her daughter, as she lightly and lovingly began running her fingers through Yang's long, blond hair. Yang nuzzled her face against her mother's waist, as a happy little purring sound escaped her. Summer let out an amused laugh as she said, "Yang, now you're beginning to sound like a cat."

The mention of the word 'cat' had Yang perking up, and she leaned back with bright, sparkling lavender eyes to see her mother's face as she spoke.

"Oh mom, you'll never guess what! Ruby and I met an cat Faunus today and she was so cool! You'd totally like her if you ever got to meet her! She has the most adorable little kitty ears and..." Yang proceeded to ramble on about her and Ruby's first day of school, from almost running the cat Faunus girl over with her bike. Poor girl, Summer thought. She then heard the lunch time story of the cruel boy; the rabbit Faunus; and all the fun, crazy friends both her daughters had made during their lunch break. By the time the stories were finished, the girls' father came blustering in through the front door, carrying bags full of Chinese food in his hands. This of course just set off another series of hugs, boisterous laughs, and amused smiles as Summer looked upon the happy family she had gathered in her living room.

She couldn't imagine any family more wonderful and precious than her own.

~o~o~o~

"Blake...you're late. Get your useless ass into the house right now, before I tan your hide where you stand," a brown-haired man with silver strands lining the edges, and dull-brown eyes spoke in a low threatening voice to Blake, as she stood on the porch of her foster home.

Blake's chin and head tilted down towards her chest, while her Faunus ears lay flat against her scalp, as she stepped forward into the darkened house before her. She made sure not to look back towards the road, where she knew the black limo that had dropped her off was already long gone.

Blake thought about Weiss...she thought about the surprisingly decent time she'd had at the young heiress's home. She thought of the small, white bandage now covering her fully cleaned and sanitized wound, as she lightly touched that same bandaged area with the fingers of one hand.

Weiss had been nice to her.

The young heiress had tried to be friendly, and had helped her. Weiss wasn't turning out to be anything like the scary older male Schnee, whom Blake had luckily not even seen when she'd essentially been smuggled into Weiss's home, to be taken care of by the younger Schnee. And now as the front door closed slowly...quietly...solemnly behind her, Blake found herself thinking something that at one point would have seemed almost traitorous. As the hard, painful slap came down on the side of her face...neatly splitting the corner of her lip when the tacky, gold ring worn slid coldly across her skin...the thought came dully to her mind, as she tried desperately not to cry out.

There's no such thing as a wonderful, caring family...I wish I was still back with Weiss...