Has it already been another week? Holy cow...so here's the next chapter, continuing on our trend of one per week. I think this has been working out pretty well, right?

Thank you to all of you who have been reading and reviewing! I love hearing what you guys have to say about the story :)

Enjoy and have a great weekend!

After the decision had been made that they would go find Adam that night, Weiss had allowed the three of them to return to their home briefly beforehand, if only so that she could grab Myrtenaster. Blake had tried to explain to the heiress that they wouldn't need the weapons, but Weiss had insisted, stating that she would not go see Adam without her sword by her side. It seemed unnecessarily confrontational to Blake, but when she saw Yang pulling on Ember Cecilia, she acquiesced.

She really wasn't in the position to disagree, at this point. Not when Yang and Weiss had targeted her former partner and roommate as a potential source of information regarding their missing sister and girlfriend/fiancée.

They had quickly changed into their normal battle attire and headed right back outside, trotting along as they were currently. Blake was in front, leading the way back towards what she had once considered "home."

It was funny how rapidly one could change where they considered to be home. When she had been in the White Fang, home had been wherever Adam was, whether they were staying in abandoned apartment buildings or camped out in the woods somewhere. Adam had been her closest thing to family, serving as a surrogate older brother after her parents had died.

When she had realized that the schism between her and Adam's ideals had grown far too great, she had decided to become a huntress. Beacon had become her home, and the one that she still held the fondest memories of. She had found a new family with her teammates. They laughed together, cried together, fought with each other, but they shared the same underlying ideals and kind hearts that Blake had been yearning for.

All those years she had been away from her team, she had considered her and Adam's modest apartment to be home, but she always felt as if she didn't belong there, or that she was missing something. It wasn't until Yang had appeared that night in the grocery store did she realize that her heart wasn't with Adam anymore.

She had left her heart in Yang's hands, even though Yang's own heart she had left shattered on the ground at Beacon's front steps.

Even though Weiss' mansion still seemed very new and unfamiliar to her, she finally felt like her heart and home where back together again. But now she had to revisit the place where she had been heartless for so long. She couldn't imagine that it was going to bring up good memories for anyone. Least of all Yang, who had hardly spoken a word since they had left the house.

It still hurt that Yang could think that Blake had anything to do with Ruby's disappearance. Blake knew how important Ruby was to Yang…how she had been protecting her sister for basically her entire life. Yang had opened up to Blake about their mother's disappearance more so than to anyone else, probably even Ruby. Yang had never wanted Ruby to know how she felt responsible for their mother leaving, but she had been willing to share that insecurity with Blake. Could Yang think that Blake had forgotten everything that she had told her?

Blake was determined to prove that she had nothing to do with this. She would never hurt Yang again, just like she had promised Weiss. If she had to speak with Adam in order to help keep her word, that's exactly what she would do.

She just wished that Yang's eyes would fade back to the lilac soon...

The streets they jogged through were dark, lit only by street lamps which became fewer and fewer as they left the more privileged section of Vale behind. Cobbled stone walkways gave way to solid expanses of concrete and asphalt. White picket fences turned to barbed wire. The stores and apartment buildings became more dilapidated, with bars covering windows and graffiti decorating the alleyways.

This area of Vale lent itself more towards those who wished to hide in the shadows, the more nefarious souls with wicked agendas. Blake felt comfortable in these surroundings. These were the streets she had grown up on, that she had even lived on, at one point. She had been a member of the shadows, holding clandestine meetings in hidden alleyways and doorsteps.

Weiss and Yang, however, stood out like roses in a bouquet of thistles. The two girls were too pretty, too clean, too pure to be roaming these streets at this hour. The way they walked, the way they talked…it was clear that they had never gone through the hardships many of the residents had seen in their lifetimes. Blake couldn't shake the uneasy feeling that a spotlight was being cast upon them, targeting them for any ne'er-do-wells who might have any craving for some late night criminal activities.

She sped up her pace, not wanting to spend any more time out in the open than absolutely necessary. While she had no doubt that they could handle any criminal who was unfortunate enough to approach them, she wasn't sure if her teammates were in the frame of mind to hold back their power should any confrontation escalate to physical violence. And the last thing they needed right now was to seriously injure some poor street thug as a way to vent their anger.

Nearing her old apartment, Blake felt her pulse quickening as her nerves began to flare up.

She was worried. She was worried about Yang. More specifically, she was worried about what Adam might say to Yang and how her partner would react. She could already tell that Yang was in increasingly dampened spirits as the terrain around them became more familiar. And with those red eyes…there was no telling what Yang might do if provoked.

She was also worried about what Adam would have to say to her.

She hadn't exactly left in the best of ways…she had been in such a rush to see Yang again, she had just written him a note and left it on the kitchen counter for him to find when he came home. If she had a choice, she would definitely go back and redo that decision, but she hadn't felt like she could waste another second away from Yang.

It had been as if seeing her old partner had lit a flame within her, breaking her free of the bars that once held her captive in this place. Once freedom had been placed in front of her, she hadn't hesitated to chase after it.

Finally reaching their destination, a drab twenty-something story apartment building nestled in between two equally dull buildings, Blake stopped outside of the lobby doors.

"Here it is…" she began apprehensively. "Can we at least try to be civilized at first? He could have nothing to do with this at all."

She didn't want to beg…but she really didn't want Weiss to barge in there throwing accusations either. Blake had learned through many years of experience that Adam certainly wouldn't respond well to that situation. If he did know something, he would need to be bribed in order to get the information. He wouldn't hand it over for threats, sentiment, or reason.

Weiss growled in response to Blake's request.

"If I so much as think that he knows anything about where Ruby might be, I'll beat the information out of him."

Blake sighed. Civility might be a little too much to expect from Weiss right now. Hopefully, they wouldn't end up tearing the whole building to the ground. She rather liked the old couple who owned it…

After walking through the empty lobby, the three girls piled into the lone elevator. As the doors closed, Blake shifted uneasily in the uncomfortable silence that settled over them. She could feel her left arm growing chillier as Weiss stood silently fuming, as her right arm was warmed by an unnervingly pensive Yang on her right.

Chancing a glance towards her partner, she found Yang concentrating steadily on the elevator door. She really wished that Yang hadn't come tonight. After everything that had happened between them the past few days, the last thing she wanted was for Yang to be reminded of the time Blake had spent away, or of the man who had pulled them apart.

The elevator finally creaked to an uneasy stop before the doors slid open, revealing outdated wallpaper covering the wall directly in front of them. Blake stepped out into the familiar hallway, leading the way towards the correct door. Once there, Blake tried not to sigh out loud as she raised her hand and hesitantly knocked several times.

She held her breath as she listened for sounds of movement from inside the room. She could sense the tensed muscles of the two girls beside her as they all waited apprehensively for the door to be opened.

After several moments passed with no answer, Blake knocked again, more forcefully this time.

"Adam? Are you there? I need to talk to you," she called out, remorse filling her as she noticed the small flinch Yang made at the sound of his name.

After waiting several more seconds, there was still no response. She couldn't hear any signs of life coming from the apartment either. All was completely silent.

Turning back to her teammates, she gave a slight shrug of her shoulders.

"I guess he's not home..." she said, wondering where he could be when it was the middle of the night.

She didn't know whether or not she felt relieved that their meeting had been postponed, as she really did not want to face him at all. Hopefully, Professor Ozpin would find a clue and they could find Ruby without ever coming back to this place.

However, Weiss had other plans.

"Oh screw this," she huffed in irritation as she turned to Yang.

"Yang, open the door," she demanded, nodding towards the door as she backed out of the blonde's way.

"Wait, what?" Blake asked in surprise as Yang brushed past her with a smirk, eyes still stubbornly red as she put her hand on the doorknob. Seconds later, Blake smelled burning metal as her partner melted the doorknob right off of the door, tossing the molten mess onto the ground beside her with a loud thump. Once the knob had been removed, Yang shoved the door open easily and strode confidently inside.

Blake hesitantly followed Weiss and Yang into the apartment, listening curiously as their footsteps echoed loudly off the walls. As she entered her old home, she looked around in shock, her mind racing with confusion.

The place had been completely cleaned out.

Standing in the center of the room, Weiss crossed her arms over her chest, frowning as she gazed around her. Yang went to check the two bedrooms, walking back out several seconds later shaking her head. Blake continued to look around in astonishment.

All of the furniture…the books she had left behind…everything had been cleaned up and taken away. There wasn't a single item, not even a scrap of paper, left in the apartment. But when? And why?

"Well," Weiss began, malice edging her words, "he doesn't look very innocent anymore, does he."

Blake looked around the empty apartment one last time, her confusion turning to concern as the truth of Weiss' statement sunk in.

Adam, what have you done?

The three huntresses had returned to their home empty handed, but Weiss and Yang seemed more determined than ever to carry on. Weiss had been ranting the entire way back with all the possible ways that Adam was connected to Ruby's kidnapping. They had gotten progressively worse, with the last one being that Adam had personally grabbed the girl and was holding her hostage for his own personal enjoyment.

Blake had tried to tune out the heiress as best she could, still struggling with her own thoughts and reasons for why Adam had so suddenly decided to move. She could only think of one explanation that seemed somewhat plausible, which made her feel more and more awful the longer she dwelled on it.

She had betrayed him yet again, and he wanted to make sure that she couldn't find him in order to try to make amends.

Once back at the mansion, Weiss had immediately gone to call Professor Ozpin to tell him what they had discovered.

While he might have been disappointed that the girls had not followed his direction and gotten some rest, he did a very good job of hiding it. He listened intently as Weiss explained to him what they had discovered at Blake's old apartment, or the lack of what they had found there.

"Hmm…we will do what we can to find Adam Taurus' whereabouts," he replied thoughtfully. "The fact that he has moved so shortly after Blake left seems to generate some amount of suspicion. And, I do have some new information for you already."

All three of them immediately perked up at that disclosure. Blake hoped beyond hope that they had an idea as to where Ruby had been taken. Coordinates, a picture, soil samples…anything.

"We've figured out how to 'see' the ships that have been dropping Grimm into Vale," Professor Ozpin began. "They are using a cloaking device unlike any we've ever seen before. It seems to work by accelerating some sort of unique particle at an extremely fast speed in a loop around the ship. We think that because Ruby spends so much time traveling at a much faster speed than most of the world, she's developed the ability to catch even the tiniest of details around her. She was able to see the 'ripples' of the particles moving through the air. Knowing this, we were able to calibrate our systems to search for that same minute level of detail. We're trying to track the ships back to their base, but our satellites aren't strong enough that far outside of Vale to detect such miniscule disturbances in the air."

"Can't we have the satellites moved?" Yang asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

Professor Ozpin nodded his head as he answered.

"We are requesting the use of more satellites, but it could take a while to get the proper approvals and move them into place…"

Weiss frowned and Blake couldn't help feeling slightly disappointed, as well. This wasn't the type of news she had been hoping for. Diplomatic red tape always made things far more difficult than they needed to be. That was one of the only things she had liked about the White Fang; there had been no red tape to worry about. Of course, they were outlaws…but skirting the rules and regulations had helped them effect changes much more quickly than if they had waited for some politician to give them the go ahead.

"Can't my parents help speed along the approvals?" Weiss asked pointedly, causing Professor Ozpin to blink, the thought having never occurred to him to lean on the weight of the Schnee name.

"Well…yes, using the Schnee name would probably make the approvals much easier, but it would likely cost an exorbitant amount of under the table money…"

Weiss nodded without a second thought.

"Call my father and you'll have as much money as you need by the morning. We'll buy the entire government if we need to."

Blake nodded at Weiss' determined tone, already knowing that Weiss had the full support of her parents. With her better than average hearing, Blake had overheard what Weiss' father had said to her on his way out of the room earlier that night.

'Do what you can to bring her back – no matter the cost.'

"With the necessary approvals tomorrow, it will still take some time to reposition the satellites and then track the ships back to their base. We'd then need to come up with an assault plan. I hardly doubt that they would just open up the gates and let us walk in," Professor Ozpin said, reminding them that finding the base was the least of their problems.

Blake looked over at her teammates and felt her heart crack in sympathy. Weiss was trying to hold herself together, but Blake could see her lower lip trembling as she grasped the ring on her finger for dear life. Blake quickly looked away from the brokenhearted girl; she couldn't bear to see her friend and teammate in such anguish. And Yang…well Yang was looking steadily at the floor, hands balled tightly as fists, hardly moving a muscle as she listened to what Professor Ozpin said.

Waiting another couple of days was not an option for them.

Suddenly, a thought occurred to her. It was stupid. It was brash. But it might be their only hope of finding Ruby sooner rather than later.

"Wait, Professor Ozpin," she spoke out, gaining the attention of the Professor and her two teammates.

"If you're able to use the satellites to see the ships in this area, you'd be able to find one for us, right?"

"Well, yes…" Professor Ozpin began slowly, "but most of the ones we've seen have been over the Emerald Forest. We can only assume that's where they are collecting their Grimm from. They then either come into the city or fly out of our range."

Blake took in the information, the puzzle pieces falling in place for her now. This was just like one of the books she had read once…Cloud 57.

"So, if we were to acquire one of their ships, we could fly it back to their base, right?"

Professor Ozpin looked at her sternly, finally understanding what she was getting at.

"Yes, I imagine if you were able to secure one of those ships, you would be able to use it to find their base."

Blake noticed Weiss and Yang exchange looks as they too realized what Blake was suggesting.

He frowned at them as he continued in a much more serious tone.

"It would be extremely dangerous to undertake such a mission. Taking control of the ship shouldn't be too difficult, but we have no way of knowing how expansive this danger is. Their technology is clearly more advanced than any threat we've faced in a long time and they could easily have far too great numbers for you to overcome. We have no idea what you would be walking into."

Blake looked to her side as she felt Yang and Weiss looking towards her. She nodded her head at them. There was no mission too dangerous when it came to rescuing one of their own. They would bring Ruby back, or die trying.

"We'll do it," Weiss answered for the three of them, steel reinforcing her words once more. "Just tell us when and where to find one."

Professor Ozpin sighed, but thankfully didn't attempt to talk them out of it. He knew them well enough to know that any of his efforts would be futile at this point.

"I'll notify you as soon as we see another ship, but it likely won't be until the morning hours since we haven't spotted any ships flying at night. For the time being, you should actually get some rest. You girls will need it."

They nodded in unison as Professor Ozpin signed off.

As Blake turned, she found that both of her teammates were staring at her, gazes calm and calculating. After several seconds, Weiss gave her a slight nod of approval before silently heading out of the room.

Yang contemplated her for a little longer, a small smile playing at her lips.

"That's a great plan, Blake," she said quietly, nodding her head slightly.

Blake felt her heart lift for a few seconds, feeling that she might have at least lessened some of her teammates' suspicion towards her by helping formulate a plan of action.

"Thank you," she mumbled, looking away for a second when Yang's crimson stare became too intense for her.

She had never seen Yang's eyes stay red for such a long period of time before…it made her extremely worried for her partner's wellbeing. Yang must be in a lot of emotional pain and stress for her semblance to seep out in this way.

As Yang turned to leave the room, Blake reached out before she realized it and grabbed ahold of one of Yang's hands. Halting, Yang looked at Blake's hand around her own before turning to Blake in confusion.

"Y-Yang…" she began slowly, refusing to let go of Yang's hand even though those crimson eyes demanded it. She wasn't entirely sure what it was she wanted to say. She just knew that she couldn't let Yang walk away from her without clearing up some of the uncertainties between them.

"You know that I…I would never hurt Ruby…right?" she asked carefully, afraid to hear what her partner's answer would be.

Yang sighed as she glanced towards the ground, but made no effort to pull her hand away.

"That's what I want to believe, Blake…but I really don't know you anymore."

"Oh…"

It was all Blake could say as she felt the words sear through her. She couldn't be upset that Yang didn't trust her completely, but that didn't stop her partner's honesty from stinging.

"I want to…" Yang whispered, regret creeping into her voice. "I want to believe that…even if you wouldn't do anything for me, you would do anything for Ruby or Weiss. They stuck up for you just as much as I did when all of Beacon found out you were Faunus…"

Tears stung her eyes at her partner's words.

"Yang…" she began, pulling Yang's hand up and grasping it in both of her own, hoping that her partner would look back up at her. "I would do anything for you...I would give my life for you…because I…I…"

The words dissolved on her tongue as Yang turned those crimson eyes upon her. Seeing the red reminded Blake that Yang wasn't herself right now; she was worried about her little sister's safety. How Blake felt didn't matter at the moment. For right now, the only thing that mattered was bringing Ruby home. Bringing her own emotions up at a time like this would be a terribly selfish thing to do.

"I would do anything for any of you…" she finished lamely, having lost her confidence completely as she glanced away. Yang's gaze was far too unraveling to her right now.

Yang slowly pulled her hand out of Blake's grasp, turning away as her eyes flashed with disappointment.

"I really hope that's true…" her partner voiced quietly as she slipped out of the room, leaving Blake standing there alone.

Blake hid her head in her hands as she waited for her heart to slow its beating.

At least now that they had a plan, she could try to win back their trust. And then, maybe once they had Ruby back, Blake could tell Yang how she truly felt about her…