Jaune walked too slow. That was mostly what Weiss took out of this moment right now. Jaune Arc was an incredibly slow mover and it was driving her insane. She wanted to take him to see Pyrrha before actually telling him anything. Because she knew at the first mention of her name it would set him off and she would never manage to reel him back in.

Still, she didn't expect him to move so slowly.

"Jaune?" She tried to keep her tone as light as possible. She was about to ruin his life so she felt it was her obligation to treat him well.

"Y—yeah?"

"You're dawdling; would you care to tell me why?"

He shrugged and then stopped moving altogether. Weiss bit back a growl of frustration. "It's just strange that you wanted to talk to me, is all. You've kinda looked like you wanted to kill me from the second I arrived."

"Oh Jaune," Weiss scoffed. "That's just because it's been quite tense around here the last few days. There's been so much going on."

"True," he nodded and scratched the back of his neck. "But you also tense up every time I get anywhere close to Ruby."

Weiss felt her eyes narrow. They were, apparently, going to do this now. "Yes well…she's been injured. I'm just making sure she's okay."

"I'm not gonna hurt her," Jaune said in all seriousness and he looked a bit offended. "I care about her a lot." As the words settled over her, Weiss continued to stare at him and she knew her expression had soured even more. "But you love her."

Her anger dissipated and turned to shock as her eyes went wide and her face started to heat up. "Is everyone going to tell me how I feel about Ruby today?!"

Jaune seemed to relax as he smirked. "Are we wrong?"

"I—well—no! Shut up Jaune Arc!" Her outburst only made him laugh more and suddenly Weiss hated it. She hated seeing him laugh because she still had to break his heart. "Listen, Jaune…you're right and I apologize. It was selfish of me to think that you were nothing more than a good friend to Ruby. You were there for her when the rest of us weren't and while I don't speak for everyone, I will tell you that I am glad you never abandoned her."

His smirk faded but he still seemed happy with her words. "I couldn't, even when she started trying to push me away and make me leave. We had a run in while we were in Vale—with the monster." Weiss winced, unsure if she even wanted to hear the rest of the story. "It was right when it started chasing us. We'd only seen it a few times but we underestimated it. At the time we were just…drifters. We'd stay where we could, eat when we could and sometimes even help people with various things to earn some money. One night we stayed with this really great family. I think Ruby really enjoyed it. They had two little boys that just loved Ruby and her big weapon." She saw Jaune's eyes darken as his shoulders tensed. Weiss had read enough news columns since Ruby came back to know where this was heading. "It found us in the home and just…"

Weiss closed her eyes. "Did whatever it needed to get to Ruby." When she looked at Jaune again, he was nodding.

"Ruby tried to protect the boys—that's what she does, you know? She throws her life in front of others." Weiss felt a lump building in her throat. "I thought I could get them all out but we didn't know then how fast it was." The more he spoke, the harder it was for him and Weiss had heard enough.

"Please don't rehash bad memories on my account. I've read the reports and I think I can understand what happened well enough."

Jaune nodded, clearly upset. "Thanks—yeah it was…uh…it was really bad. Ruby didn't talk for a long time after that. She was quiet and she would hardly eat, I don't think she slept much either—I know she blamed herself. Eventually though she just…started talking again and never really brought it up. I was glad to have her back but it just felt way too easy, you know?" Weiss nodded when she realized he was waiting for her to respond. All she could think about was how Ruby had absolutely blamed herself, because Ruby thought it was her responsibility to take care of everyone. It was hard for her to stay here with Jaune and not run back to Ruby and comfort her.

Yang will take care of her, you're doing this for her.

"Don't worry, Jaune. I will do everything that I can to ensure that Ruby is well taken care of." He nodded but she could still see a bit of trepidation in his eyes. "And I will try and be less…aggressive when you're around her."

Jaune grinned. "I'd appreciate it."

"However," Weiss couldn't hesitate anymore—she had to get this over with. "I need to take you somewhere and I won't lie to you Jaune, it's going to be very hard for you." She could think of no better way to word it and even though she knew he was probably even more confused; it was something that could only be seen.

The pathway was the same, only this time Weiss had been given clearance from Winter. To her credit, Winter had been working to help Weiss gain more of a grip on her own life. Allowing her to be involved in everything involving Pyrrha and getting regular updates on her teammates conditions from the physicians.

As Weiss led the way, Jaune followed behind her with awe as he stared up at the high ceilings and fancy technology everywhere. There were guards scattered on every corner, as always and Jaune was certain to take long steps to avoid them.

Once they reached the narrow hallway that led to one lone door at the end, Jaune stopped.

"Weiss, what's going on? We've been walking forever."

She rolled her eyes. "Yes, and we're almost there, we would have been there if you would stop gawking and stopping and just followed me."

"I don't understand why you're being so secretive!" He crossed his arms defiantly.

Weiss glowered at him for a moment, trying to remind herself that she was most likely about to destroy his entire world. Still, as Blake had said; he had a right to know. So she softened and let the tension in her shoulders melt away. "We're almost there…please trust me."

"Alright," Jaune conceded. "I'm just not looking forward to the walk back is all, this part of the base is really far underground.

For good reason.

Once they reached the door, the guards stepped aside as Weiss held up her new badge and punched in the code. It felt good to be respected—some entitled part of her that had buried itself deep in her roots took pride in it.

The latch unlocked and both guards positioned their weapons in more of a prepared stance.

"Wow, this is some seriously heavy security. Like right out of an X-Ray and Vav comic." Jaune was again in awe and clearly had yet to see what Weiss could not take her eyes off.

Pyrrha was still restrained, still being pumped with sedative and Weiss could only wonder how she was still alive. As far as she knew they hadn't fed her or given her water. They hadn't done anything. All she knew was that every two hours, the sedative would wear off and whatever was left of Pyrrha Nikos' body would try to stand and escape.

If Weiss' calculations were correct, it was about an hour and fifty-eight minutes since they'd last dosed her.

"Jaune," Weiss finally called out when she grew anxious from waiting. Looking back, she could see that he was staring directly into the large, glass encased cell.

His expression terrified her, like waking up in the middle of a nightmare only to find out every single part of it was real. He was scared, more so than that he looked like the world had betrayed him.

"Wh—what is this?" His words were shaky and he took a step back. "Weiss, what…what is that?"

Weiss closed her eyes. "Hold off ninety seconds on the sedative!" Weiss cried out to the guards, hoping that her authority would reach this far. Stepping over, she grabbed Jaune by the arm and he flinched at the contact. "Jaune," he looked at her with untamed aggression. "Please try and relax."

"What is this? That's—she's dead, Weiss. What is she doing here? What is happening?"

Her grip on him tightened when he tried to pull away. "Jaune, please you need to control yourself and take a moment to let this all sink in. This is the monster that was chasing you and Ruby for so long. This is what we fought before you arrived. This is what killed that family, killed innocent people—what hurt Blake and Ruby. We don't know how but we just know that it is contained.

As the sound of rustling chains filled the silenced air, Jaune used enough force to tear free from Weiss' grip and push her away.

"That's not a monster!" He shouted before taking a step towards the glass and pressing his hands against it.

Weiss watched as the figure pushed up to stand and red hair dangled in front of it's—her face.

As her gaze shifted upward, the pair of bright green eyes looking back at them had never been more clear.

"Pyrrha…no." Jaune whispered in agony and Weiss tried to take a step towards him. He turned furiously on her. "How do I open this thing?!"

"Jaune, we cannot—she is dangerous!"

"She's in chains, Weiss! How do I open it?!" His voice sounded unfamiliar—darker. She'd never heard him speak so severely before.

"We don't, Jaune. It's not on my authority." Jaune took a step towards her and Weiss instinctively draped her hand over the hilt of Myrtenaster. "Prepare the sedative!"

"No!" She was ready when Jaune drew his sword and quickly held up her own. "Open this cell right now! I need to see her!"

Weiss stood with her rapier drawn as Jaune's shield unfolded in his arm. "Jaune, you need to calm down. You'll help no one like this."

"I only need to help her!"

"Look at her!" Weiss screamed and pointed into the cell where Pyrrha was dragging her feet towards them. "She's a monster, Jaune! She's not the girl you knew! She has no mind left, she has no soul! No part of her that you knew before is still in there!"

His sword was still drawn, still aimed at her, but he was staring at Pyrrha intensely. His eyes were locked onto her as his expression changed from anger to heartbreak and back again all in the span of seconds.

Suddenly, he threw his sword and shield on the ground. "I can help her." He moved towards Weiss but without this weapon he was little threat. "Weiss, please let me in there, I can help her!"

"Jaune you can't." She put her rapier away. "I brought you here because you deserved to know but there's nothing we can do for her."

"Weiss please," his eyes began to water, tears spilling over as he tried to fight them. "I can do something for her."

"You can't."

"Please!" He grabbed her shoulders. "What if it was Ruby? Wouldn't you want to try?"

"What can you do?" She felt herself wavering, but she couldn't just send him to his death.

Jaune surprised her with a smile. "I don't know, but I just…I have a hunch and I don't even know how to explain it. When she died, it hurt so much but I always thought it was too easy, you know? Like I lost her, but not all of her. Like a part of her was still with me." He placed a hand over his chest plate. "She gave some of herself to help me…maybe I can give it back."

Weiss knew two things were certain. One, if she let him into that cell, he was going to die. Two, if she didn't—she was going to have to kill him because he wouldn't stop.

Closing her eyes, she ready herself for the regret to come. "On the top of the cell there is a hatch. The code is two, three, one, four—in that order."

"What?"

Weiss glared at him. "Did you get the number?" She kept her voice down as the guards started to move in. Jaune nodded. "Good, now jump." He tilted his head in confusion. "Jump!"

He did, and suddenly a glyph was under his feet and it sent him skyrocketing into the air. Weiss watched him fly and fall back down right on top of the cell.

Her gaze turned downward to the monster who watched it all and was waiting below. Weiss heard the latch code being pressed in as guards shouted at him to stop. An alarm sounded that she knew was going throughout the station—she was in so much trouble.

Suddenly the hatch opened and Jaune jumped through—it was only then that Weiss realized he'd left his weapon on the floor.

Jaune rose to his feet, his eyes locked onto the figure of Pyrrha as it surveyed him. His hands were shaking and even still he had tears in his eyes.

"Pyrrha," he called out but the thing before him did not react in any way. "I'm so sorry," his voice broke. "I should have been stronger. I should have paid more attention—you were my partner and you were in pain and I should have done more. I'm so sorry I wasn't strong enough." Jaune took one step forward before the beast leapt at him.

The chains reached their limit and she stopped just in front of him. Her eyes were wild and she snarled and slobbered with rage. Her screams were primal and unsettling, even with the glass between them and Weiss.

She couldn't imagine the fear Jaune felt.

Weiss could hear the sound of the sedatives being pushed and suddenly a pair of clipping heels were racing up behind her.

"Weiss what have you done?!" She winced at Winter's voice but couldn't tear her eyes away from Jaune.

Pyrrha's red hair was flailing as she continued to yank on her restraints in attempts to reach Jaune. Weiss knew if she did, Jaune would be torn to pieces—but he didn't seem scared.

Instead, he reached up with both his hands and gently cupped her cheeks. Even Winter gasped in shock.

"Pyrrha," Jaune whispered with as true of a smile as Weiss had ever seen.

A moment later, a strong glow emitted from his hands and suddenly the glass cell was filled with a brilliantly white light that caused everyone to have to look away. It was so intense and warm. Weiss swore it was seeping out of the prison

When the light finally subsided—Weiss raced to the glass to see if Jaune was okay. Once she could finally see again, she noticed that Jaune was still alive and he still had his hands on Pyrrha's face.

The difference was, all of Pyrrha's rage was gone. Instead, she was staring at him with wide, lucid eyes and tears spilling down her cheeks.

She slowly tumbled to her knees and Jaune went down with her. Weiss briefly panicked before remembering that they'd given her the sedative. Jaune continued to cradle her and Weiss' breath caught in her throat when one of Pyrrha's hands reached up and grabbed his.

"Jaune," she spoke and her voice gripped at Weiss' heart like a vice.

She heard Jaune let out a sharp sob before he cradled the quickly fading Pyrrha in his arms. "I'm sorry," he mumbled against her forehead and a moment later Pyrrha passed out.

"I give you…an inch of responsibility and you try and take a mile!" Weiss had never heard Winter so angry before—it sounded terrifyingly like their father. Still, she couldn't really cut in, because she knew she'd messed up.

Even if the results were important, her methods were extremely dangerous. "I know, I'm sor-"

"Sorry does not cut it, Weiss! You asked me to help you and I allowed you freedom, I allowed you valuable information and you put this entire base in jeopardy! That thing could have broken free and killed dozens, killed your friends, your family!"

"It's not a thing!" Weiss cried and saw Winter's eyes grow darker. Despite the intimidation, she pressed on. "It's Pyrrha Nikos! She recognized Jaune, she called out his name and there were tears in her eyes!"

Winter turned back to where Jaune was sitting—cross legged outside of the containment cell watching as Pyrrha was still passed out from the sedative. It had taken a great deal of persuasion but they'd managed to make him leave the cell, with the promise he could stay and watch over her.

"That doesn't matter, Weiss."

"Of course it does!"

"No! It doesn't!" Winter's raised voiced made Weiss recoil just a bit—it was too much like their father now. It was starting to scare her.

The reaction seemed to hit Winter and she took a step back, closing her eyes and exhaling. "Weiss…this is a military facility. There are regulations. If you wished to do something like this, you could have come to me. We could have arranged it to be safe and secure. You cannot make irrational decisions like this."

Still hesitant, Weiss nodded obediently. "I—I'm s-sorry," she hated the tremor in her voice.

"Weiss," Winter recognized the impediment and quickly relented. "I shouldn't have yelled."

She shook her head. "No, I m-messed up. I know I did, I apologize, Winter. I didn't mean to upset you—to lose your trust."

"You didn't," Winter stared into Weiss' eyes and pursed her lips. "You simply need to remember that this is not Beacon. You can't break rules and expect a slap on the wrist. The things you do here could put my people…your people…in very real danger." Weiss thought of her people—of Yang preparing for surgery and Blake recovering from a hole in her leg. Ruby sitting up in a hospital bed trying to dig out of her own depression.

Her eyes settled onto Pyrrha again, lying face first on the ground as a mass of red hair hid her face. "What are you going to do with her?"

Winter turned and followed Weiss' gaze. "I'm not sure—my good sense tells me to call in a superior, perhaps General Ironwood himself, and discuss the matter with him."

"If it is Pyrrha though, we can't just keep her locked away. She's a good person, Winter."

"We don't know what is inside of that body, Weiss," Winter rose to her feet. "No amount of tears or impassioned words from you or Mr. Arc can erase the fact that she has murdered dozens of innocent people. Nor the fact that she has been hunting your…partner for the last two years." Despite all those truths and all the uncertainty, Weiss refused to ignore what she'd seen. That look in Pyrrha's eyes when she looked at Jaune, as if she was really seeing him—that was real. That was no monster.

"Please just…promise me you'll give her a chance. No sedatives after these wear off. We need to talk to her."

Winter sighed, glancing back at the cell before returning focus to Weiss. "What would Ruby say on the matter? She's the one most affected by…all of this."

Thoughts of Ruby only made Weiss feel miserable—ever since she'd shown Pyrrha to Ruby it felt like she'd lost her.

"Ruby doesn't need to know anything until we know more. She's dealt with enough."

The look Winter gave her was unsettling and Weiss knew that it was probably not the best course of action to be keeping things from Ruby. It just didn't feel right to pile more on her when she was clearly struggling to handle what she had on her plate already.

In fact…

"Winter, is there an on staff psychiatrist?"

She saw a flash of concern wash over Winter's face that relieved her a little. She had messed up, but fortunately not enough to lose her sister's care. "Yes, our soldiers are required to visit one any time they're involved in combat that results in loss of life—civilian or otherwise. Why do you ask?"

"It's Ruby, she's not doing well and I don't know how to reach her. As frustrating as it is to admit I am not at all qualified to help her and I do not wish to see her continue down the path she is on. She's distancing herself from me, from her family and I think she should see someone."

Winter relaxed a bit but expression was still thoughtful. "Has she expressed interest in seeing a therapist?"

"Well…no. I highly doubt she will be excited at the idea of seeing anyone regarding her current state, but I just think—"

"Weiss," Winter's voice was softer than Weiss had ever heard it. "It has become clear to me that you do, in fact, care very deeply for your teammate. However, I feel it is my obligation to tell you something you are probably not going to like."

"What?"

Her sister knelt down and met Weiss' gaze. "If she's dealing with these issues, then what you want does not matter."

"All I want is what is best for her!" Weiss raised her voice but Winter shook her head and dismissed her.

"No, you want the problem to be solved. You want to pass her off to a professional so that she can come back to you as you desire her to be."

Weiss hated the way those words sounded—she didn't want to pass Ruby off, she just wanted her to be okay. She wanted to see Ruby smile again and annoy her all day long. She wanted to hear Ruby laugh and worry what she might be up to with Yang.

She wanted the old Ruby back. For some reason, that thought upset her even more.

"How do I help her?" Weiss asked desperately and Winter chewed on her bottom lip for a moment.

"I believe the first step you can take is to realize that the girl you are looking for, the Ruby you are hoping a medical professional can bring out of her again may be gone." Weiss felt her stomach knot. "Your...friend has been through a lot, the things she told us in the debriefing, the fear she showed at the mere mention of the monster chasing her and how casually she threw her life into danger shows me that she has had more than a few moments of…desire, for her pain to be taken away." Winter's words were heavy and they felt like physical blows to Weiss' aura. The time after Beacon had changed Ruby, it had taken away so much of her innocence. "The question you need to ask yourself, sister, is not about bringing the old Ruby back. You need to ask yourself if you can care for the Ruby that she is now. The one who survived all that she's been through."

It was a fair question—one Weiss didn't know the answer to.

"Perhaps," Winter seemed upset with herself before she even finished her thought. "There is someone you could recruit to help you try and…reach your partner."

Weiss shook her head immediately. "Yang is already trying and she's going through so much on her own. I think she might be a little offended at me even asking—she is her sister after—"

"Weiss," Winter cut her off. "I am not speaking about the blonde barbarian." Her lip curled slightly in disgust. "I'm talking about their…slothful uncle."

Suddenly Weiss' expression matched her sisters. "Qrow? Absolutely not. I can hardly stand to be around that man. He smells of whiskey and responds to everything I say with a sarcastic comment!"

"It is insufferable, I understand. However, as infuriating as he can be, there is no denying the way he cares for his family. If you reach out to him about Ruby, I believe he will step up and attempt to help you." Weiss knew Winter was right, Qrow obviously cared about Ruby. She'd seen it in the limited time they'd spent together at Beacon years ago and Ruby clearly thought the world of him.

Still, approaching him about this—about anything, was incredibly intimidating and something she flat out did not wish to do.

The fact that I'm even considering this should prove how much I love this dolt.

She sighed and resigned herself to the truth Winter had put in front of her. She needed reinforcements. Drunk and lazy reinforcements.

"Uh, guys." Both Schnees turned at the sound of Jaune's voice as he started to stand, his eyes still trained inside the cell.

Weiss moved to his side and watched as Pyrrha's chains started to rattle and her body started to move. This was different than the other times Weiss had seen this, she could hear audible groans from Pyrrha as her body woke up. She pushed up to her knees, her wrists handing with the heavy shackles. Seeing her now, Weiss realized how locked down she was. There was a chain around her waist, both of her wrists and one around her neck.

The unpleasantness of seeing that was only intensified when Pyrrha looked up at them with an agonized expression.

"What did you do to me?!" Pyrrha shouted as she reached up and clutched at her chest. A cry of pain ripped from her throat and she doubled over. "Make it stop! It hurts! I can feel it! AH!"

"Pyrrha!" Jaune pounded on the glass and turned to Winter. "Let me in there!"

"No!" Winter barked. "We must maintain our heads." She spoke in a commanding voice that both Jaune and Weiss respected, though Jaune was clearly struggling to restrain himself as Pyrrha laid on the floor, whimpering in agony. "Who are you?" Winter demanded, her posture strong and professional as she held her chin high. "You have nowhere to go, you have no escape and we can sedate you again if necessary. Tell us your name!"

Silence fell over the room for a long minute before Pyrrha finally started to move again. Weiss could see her struggling with every muscle she used. Her hands were shaking under her own weight—the brute force the monster had once had was lost. All she saw now was a girl who looked battered and broken.

When Pyrrha pushed up to her knees, there were tears streaming down her face. "Mmmm—my name…is Pyrrha Nikos. I'm…a soldier—a weapon for my leader Salem." Her bottom lip began to quiver as a sob escaped her. "I've killed ninety-seven people during my mission." She winced again, as though she'd been stabbed in the chest, she fell over and screamed.

"She needs help!" Weiss couldn't hold her tongue any longer. She moved to the cell but was stopped by Winter.

"What is your mission?"

Pyrrha once again planted her hands on the ground, holding herself up as wild, red hair fell down over her face. She was taking long, deep breaths and occasionally another sob would cut through the air. When she finally looked up at them again, her eyes met Weiss'. "To capture Ruby Rose…and bring her to my leader."

"For what?" Weiss demanded, fear and anger coursing through her.

However, Winter spoke up again. "Why are you telling us this?"

Pyrrha shook her head slowly, still acting as if she was being tortured. "Because you did something to me…I can feel…everything. All that I've done, every life I've taken. I can hear them screaming. I can see the life leaving their eyes. It hurts. I feel…pain." She buried her face in her hands and started to cry all over again.

"I'm going in there," Jaune said as he started towards the gate.

"No!" Pyrrha screamed, her voice booming off the walls and stopping everyone in their tracks. Despite the dangerous tone, she looked completely broken. "No…don't come near me. I'm a monster. Don't…please…just leave me."

"Pyrrha," Jaune whispered desperately.

She turned away from them and crawled towards the wall to hide herself.

I have been debating for a while whether or not to include Pyrrha centric chapters. I don't want her story to get in the way of the four main girls but in order to explain anything about her I'd have to cut into their time too. So I don't know, it's still up for debate. Anyway, Pyrrha is back (because I need it tbh) and she has a whole history of awful left to uncover.

I feel like the story has kind of slowed a bit, time wise, and that's going to change soon. Things will start moving forward. I have two more chapters to get through and then we'll move onto the next act

Anyway, thank you all for the amazing support. It really means so much to me, I hope this Pyrrha thing makes...at least a LITTLE sense. There's a lot more too it but for now that's all she's telling.

See you next Tuesday :)