"Wake up sleepyhead." Weiss hears the sound of Blake's voice as she's lightly jostled awake.
"Just a few more minutes." She mumbles before hiding her face in the pillow and turning over to face the opposite way.
"Sure. I'll tell them they have to start the graduation ceremony in 'just a few more minutes' so that you can get a little more sleep." Blake teases as she sits down on the edge of the bed beside her and leans over to press a kiss into her hair.
"Thank you."
"I don't think so, Miss Schnee." Blake stands back up and pulls open the curtains, letting the small rays of sunshine peek through the blinds. "It's time to get up. I made you coffee and a bagel. So let's go."
When Weiss finally gives in and looks over, she sees Blake walking around her room, casually picking up some clothes that Weiss had left tossed over a chair and placing them in the laundry basket. Her eyes look tired as she moves around the room. Her ID badge is still hanging, clipped to the waistband of her scrubs.
"Did you come straight from the hospital?"
"Yeah. I knew you weren't going to wake up in time unless I was here to make sure you got up."
"I would've eventually gotten up." She says, rolling her eyes as Blake follows her into the kitchen.
"Uh huh. Yang told me that Ruby had you out til nearly two in the morning."
"Maybe so. But it was fun." Weiss shrugs as she hops into a seat and takes a sip of coffee. "Perfect."
Blake smiles at Weiss' satisfaction and take a bite from her own bagel.
"Even so, I don't think the school will make any concessions for you, and definitely not for that reason."
"Do you have to go back to work, or will you be able to make it?" The tone of Weiss' voice is enough to make Blake look up from her breakfast.
"Of course I'm going to be there. I just have to run home and shower and change after we are done here. And then I'm going to meet you over there for the ceremony. You have get there an hour early."
After they finish breakfast, Blake hurriedly cleans up their dishes and turns to face Weiss.
"Don't you dare go back to bed, I will see you later." She leans in and presses a short kiss to her lips before backing up towards the front door.
"I won't, I won't." She waves as Blake gives her a knowing look and shuts the door as she leaves.
True to her word, Weiss continues getting ready for the day.
The cap and gown for graduation were a deep maroon color. It contrasted well with Weiss' pale skin and light hair, so she was fine with that. She had opted for a navy dress to wear beneath it and nude colored heels.
Her hair was perfect. Her dress and shoes were perfect. She had checked about ten times in the mirror before grabbing her things and leaving.
Once she had arrived at the venue where they were holding the ceremony, she takes the seat assigned to her and pulls out her phone.
When the announcer had begun to drone on and on about how the ceremony would work and progress, Weiss loss interest. She had graduated from somewhere more than once. And it was fundamentally the same each time.
They call you name, and you walk across. The only ones that had to listen were the people at the very front of the line.
People like Coco, who was shooting her the occasional obscene gesture through the crowd or over text, instead of listening. But even then, still not her problem.
The actual ceremony begins and after she sees Coco stride across the stage with a grace and presence that can only be reserved for someone like Coco Adel, Weiss zones out once again.
Eventually, she gets bored about midway through the alphabet and turns around to scan the crow, looking for a certain black haired woman. Blake had already text her to let her know she had arrived.
What she finds sends a shiver down her spine. An older woman, with a face that somewhat mirrors her own, hair just as white. Her mother.
Not only that, but her mother was sitting beside Blake.
Did Blake know who the woman was? Judging from the look of trepidation on her face and the fact that it was painfully obvious the woman was related to Weiss, she figured Blake had come to the conclusion on her own already.
She quickly types out a text to Blake, asking if she's alright.
The response comes fairly quick, letting her know that it was okay and she should've told her that her mom was coming.
Honestly, Weiss was just as shocked as she was. She had informed her parents of the graduation date in an email but had received no correspondence confirming their attendance after the fact.
When she meets eyes with her mother across the sea of people, she is greeted with a small smile and minimal wave, which she returns.
Reserved. Just how her father had trained them all to be in public.
And when she sees her mother lean over and whisper something to Blake as she lightly pats her hand on Blake's knee, she immediately feels the tension release from her body as Blake cracks a smile and beings to laugh.
Turning back around in her seat, Weiss waits out the remainder of the ceremony for her turn to walk across the stage.
Eventually the monotone announcer makes it to her name, and she walks across the stage to take the diploma from the hands of the Dean of the business school. Once she is free of the stage area, she goes in search of her family.
As soon as she is close enough, her mother pulls her in for a hug. Not entirely uncharacteristic, but certainly not common for public Schnee family behavior.
"Oh Weiss, congratulations. We are so proud of you. Winter sends her congratulations as well. She wasn't able to attend due to a work commitment."
Still somewhat shocked that her mother is actually standing in front of her, it takes a moment for her mother's statement to register.
"Yes, Winter had already informed me. I'm sorry, if I had known you were coming, I would've made arrangements."
"It's fine dear. I didn't want you to worry, and Klein was able to get everything situated for me." Her mother waves her hand in dismissal of the thought.
Weiss is at a loss for words. Standing there with her mouth slightly open.
It's not until she feels a familiar hand grab her own and give it a light squeeze, does she feel the ability to continue the conversation.
"I'm also sorry for not being here to introduce the two of you. Mother, this is Blake. Blake, this is my mother, obviously."
"Yes, Blake and I had the pleasure and coincidence of meeting prior to the ceremony. She is very observant. Picked me right out of the crowd and invited me to sit with her."
"We got to talk about Vale and I told her a little bit about myself."
"Why didn't you tell us Blake was going to medical school, dear? That is incredible."
"I must've thought I told you. I know I told father, and he was as uninterested as he usually is. And I'm certain I had also told Winter, maybe I forgot. Sorry, I'm just still so shocked that you are actually here for graduation."
"I do have some important things I would like to discuss with you. Maybe we can discuss over lunch instead of this crowded area? Blake is also very welcome to join us as well, of course."
Weiss looks over to Blake to check for any sense of hesitation, finding none. The grip on her hand is still secure as Blake runs her thumb across the top of Weiss' hand.
"The hotel I'm staying at has a lovely restaurant on the roof, if that seems acceptable?"
"Sure. Would it be alright if Blake and I met you there in an hour or so?"
"Absolutely dear, I will send you the information and make us a reservation."
Before her mother departs, she gives them both another small hug and waves goodbye as she disappears back into the crowd.
"Not exactly how I imagined meeting your family." Blake says with a light laugh, casually swinging their intertwined hands in the space between them as they walk. "But you mom seems nice. You made them sound so strict."
"Yeah." Still in deep thought, Weiss runs over multiple scenarios in her head before she stops in front of her car, turning to look at Blake. "I feel like there's some ulterior motive for her to come here. Normally, my mother would never leave Atlas. Much less, leave without my father. And he made it clear in his email that he would not be attending."
"Well, let's not worry about it now." Blake steals a quick kiss before pulling her into a hug. "Would you like to drive home separately and then we can drive together to lunch, or would you like to drive together now and come back to pick up the car tonight?"
"Let's drive separate now, that way we can just go home later without having one more thing to do." Weiss settles into the embrace and takes a deep breath. The light smell of Blake's shampoo and her laundry soap lingering in the clothing is soothing to Weiss.
"Alright then, sounds like a plan." Blake reaches for the door handle and opens up the driver's side door of Weiss' car, waiting for her to pull back from their embrace. "Should I change my clothes, may wear something a little more fancy, or is this fine?"
"I'm not going to change, I think what we have on will be just fine." Weiss pulls back giving Blake's hand a light squeeze before sitting down into the driver's seat. "I'll see you at home."
Blake leans down, resting her forearm on the window sill of the car so she is face to face with Weiss.
"I'm very proud of you, you know. See you at home, drive safe." As she stands back up and steps a step back she says one last thing. "Love you."
The small smile on Blake's face when she looks up at her is just enough to make her forget the worries that she has, but only for a moment.
"I love you too. See you soon."
The entire drive back to the apartment, the worry and emotional turmoil spin like a hurricane within her.
She knows there must be something, some scheme or twisted plan her father has for sending her mother here. Without him. There had to be some way he would try to upend her life. If it had anything to do with Blake, it would be non negotiable.