Blake was seated on the couch in Weiss' apartment, a hot mug of coffee warming her cupped hands. She carefully blew at the steam rising from the murky, brown liquid, nodding in thanks as Weiss walked in the room with a cup of sugar, some cream, and a spoon. Blake took a small sip, frowned, and put the mug down. As she picked up the cream, Weiss sat down beside her.

"I just want you to know...you'll be safe here. If anyone even thinks of harming you in any way, I'll throw them to the Grimm," the former heiress said vehemently, her eyes glinting with a dangerous flash of rage at the mere thought of Blake being abused again.

"I'm touched by the sentiment, but I can handle myself if something comes up," she said with a slight smile on her face. She fully embraced the feeling of comfort that rose from Weiss' declaration. She felt protected, and there was nothing wrong with that. She had learned long ago that she couldn't face all her problems alone. In fact, there was very little that couldn't be made better with the inclusion of a good friend. Weiss, for her part, returned the smile. She knew full well that Blake had nothing to fear from anyone in the Trenches. She was just as strong as Weiss herself.

"I'm well aware, but...I want you to feel secure. This is a safe environment. I'm here if you ever need anything, and I'm sure that you can expect visits from Ruby, Yang, and the others. What happened to you...it won't happen again. You're all right." Blake, for a brief moment, looked pained at the mention of the incident. Weiss regretted ever mentioning it, and tried to apologize, but Blake held up her hand.

"I understand what you meant. There's no need to apologize. I'll be okay." Weiss looked at her friend, not wholly convinced. She had been through a horrible ordeal. She'd seen and experienced horrors, but nothing like what had happened in prison. She'd been reduced to someone's object, something to use so that another could satisfy his desires. Weiss couldn't imagine what was going on in her friend's head, but she knew that some of it was repressed. She knew Blake. Blake had always been secretive, hiding her suffering, something that Weiss herself was all too familiar with. It briefly struck her as hypocritical for her to worry about Blake doing something she herself had made a habit of, but her concern for her friend swiftly blocked out such thoughts. Unlike Weiss, Blake had a bad habit of taking action when faced with an emotional dilemma. She'd ran away when, in their first year at Beacon, she'd let slip that she was a faunus, and multiple times, she had been obsessed with bringing down a single man. Roman always had a way of getting into her head. There was an unspoken rivalry between the two, it seemed, a battle of wills. Weiss found herself worried that Blake would go after Roman, as it was more than clear that he'd set the man upon her in prison. He was the only person in Vale with that kind of motive and intense hatred.

"...I think I've been saying the wrong things, asking the wrong questions. Of course you're safe; you're Blake Belladonna. Hero of Remnant. I'm sure you'll be fine from now on," Weiss said. Blake found herself uncomfortable with how she was being spoken to. Even when expressing concern for her friends, the former heiress always had a rather harsh manner of speaking. Now, her voice was as sweet as Ruby's.

"Weiss, what are you..." Blake trailed off as Weiss interrupted her.

"How are you feeling?" The faunus just stared at her friend, her mouth opening slightly. She wasn't sure she understood the question.

"Feeling? About what?"

"Nothing. I just want to know what you feel right now."

"...I'm happy. I'm happy to be here with you."

"And?"

"Weiss-"

"Tell me." The former heiress' typical snappish manner returned. Not responding, Blake's eyes wandered to her coffee. Weiss simply observed her, waiting for her to say something.

"I feel like everything's changed. I feel like I'm looking at the world for the first time. Everything feels different now. It's all...it's...it's dull. It's blurry. I feel..." Blake hesitated to continue, a jolt of sadness coursing through her body. It was probably the worst she'd felt since being locked in solitary confinement with her tormenter. Suddenly, she felt like lying down and going to sleep again. Part of her hoped not to wake up. Her entire body sagged at the thought, and her hands fell to her lap. She pushed her palms together, locking her fingers, and tried to fight back tears.

"Cold?" Weiss asked. Blake nodded, not surprised her friend could empathize. She'd been used too, although in a very different way. The two women had always had a wordless connection, a way of understanding each other.

"I just want to run away from everything. I want it to go away. I'm sick of being looked at, of being involved with other people. I'm...I'm scared." Weiss placed her hand on Blake's knee, giving it a small squeeze.

"I know. I know exactly how you feel. But I know what happens when you act on those feelings, and so do you." Weiss had lived most of her life in fear, in fear of the White Fang. They had marked her family as their sworn enemy; she had never been truly safe when they were still active. Blake knew this all too well.

"I know," she replied, thinking back many years ago, her mind briefly wandering from the present moment.

"I'm glad you told me. Now, do you think you can tell everyone else?" She glanced up at Weiss, brought back to reality, her eyes wide. She was trying harder than ever not to cry.

"Others?"

"Just Ruby and Yang," Weiss said quickly, slightly putting Blake's mind at ease. She nodded, looking suddenly very tired. It seemed like the dark circles under her eyes grew darker, her wounds, fresher. She looked more vulnerable than ever, and Weiss was determined to be there for her. Her friend's injuries left marks on her heart.

"Do you want to rest?"

"...Sure." Blake got up, and Weiss showed her to her room. It was almost crystal clear, the white walls seemingly transparent, and in the center of the room was a circular bed with gray sheets and a red blanket. It was meticulously made. Above the bed, there was a large, square-shaped light that shone dimly when Weiss turned it on. A sleek, wooden nightstand rested next to the bed.

"Just call if you need anything," she said. Blake nodded, her weariness increasing, and she fell onto the bed without bothering with the covers. Weiss looked at her for a few seconds, and then left. Blake heard her footsteps grow softer as she walked farther away, and tried to focus on her, Ruby, and Yang as she fell asleep. Instead, she dreamed of a bright light hanging over her head. As it swung, blood fell from it and landed in her eyes, on her face. It blinded her, stifled her. She saw a man's face, a familiar face, within the red. It wasn't until she woke up suddenly, crying out, causing Weiss to rush into the room, that she realized not all the blood was hers.

Yang pushed Ruby towards the door to Weiss' apartment, trying to suppress the feeling of nausea that grew in her stomach like a weed. Ruby seemed almost as anxious, playing with the edges of her red cloak and glancing behind her at her sister. Weiss had called them in the evening after work, asking them over to her place. She had also called team JNPR, Sun, and Neptune earlier in the day, telling them about Blake, but had not extended an invitation. Yang and Ruby could understand why. They all loved their friends dearly, but their bond as members of team RWBY ran deeper than friendship. They were teammates. And, while such a bond initially seemed trivial, it wasn't until later in their lives when they realized that teammates didn't just work together, that they were placed together for a reason. Professor Ozpin didn't select students at random; he made calculated decisions. At Beacon, he sought to create bonds that would stand unbroken no matter the strain they faced.

"Are you ready, Yang?" Ruby asked nervously.

"Uh...yeah," was the clumsy reply. Yang knew that, in truth, she had no idea whether she was prepared. Ruby did as well. She just didn't feel like talking, not until she saw Blake. She had a lot to say. Ruby, who was closer to the door, knocked as she was pulled up to it. With startling speed, as if she'd been standing next to it waiting for them to come, Weiss pulled the door open and ushered them in.

"I'll go get Blake," she said simply, not even bothering with a greeting. Ruby and Yang didn't either, although the younger woman did muster a small smile. Yang pushed her towards the couch, and sat down after setting Ruby up next to her. Together, they waited for Blake to come in silence. Before long, they heard footsteps and turned to see Weiss leading a weary but smiling Blake into the room.

"I...it's...I'm so glad to see you both," she said awkwardly, trying to find the words that she wanted to say. The look on her face told Ruby and Yang that she had failed. After a pause, Ruby tried to wheel her way over to Blake, but the faunus shook her head.

"Don't. It's fine," she said, moving over to Ruby. She knelt down so that she was level with the younger woman, and they looked into each other's eyes for a brief moment before embracing. Ruby sniffled a little, crying. She had done her best to be there, but she never felt satisfied. Blake always felt distant, as if an invisible barrier had separated her from her friends. It was a barrier Ruby had, at times, lost hope of tearing down. But here Blake was, in front of her, and she knew that there was nothing holding the faunus back.

"We were so worried," she croaked.

"I know."

"But you're here."

"I am."

"You're okay." At this, Ruby found herself overcome by silent sobs and she stopped talking. Blake, after patting her on the shoulder, turned her gaze to Yang, who had just blankly stared at her since she walked in.

At first, Yang felt as if she were standing in the middle of an ocean, a single, massive wave falling upon her. The sensation of shame that she felt was so sudden, so jarring, that it physically hurt her. Her head ached and her muscles tensed as if she wanted to get up, yet all she could do was stare. She was frozen in time, unsure what to do or say. The last time she had seen Blake, they had been standing near Roman's bleeding, broken body. They had fought. Yang had to defeat her and call the police. She had to watch as they hauled Blake into a squad car and took her away. The blonde had refused to see Blake since. Then, upon going to rehab, she began to think about how she'd acted towards everyone, Blake included. Since she left, the aching feeling of longing was ever present within her mind. She had wanted to see Blake desperately, to shower her with apologies and to have all of them forgiven. Now, however, that her friend stood before her, Yang didn't know if she could do it. She didn't know if she could even stay in the same room as Blake. It wasn't until the faunus looked at her that she snapped out of her stupor and, for the first time, really looked at her friend. Her body was covered with wounds, and her eyes were glazed. She looked weak and tired, and yet, she was smiling. It was fragile and forced, but she was smiling. Then, she reached her hand out and quickly plucked a strand of bright golden hair from Yang's head.

"If that's how far I have to go to get a reaction out of you, I'll take the risk," she said.

"I..."

"Yes?"

"I...I'm so, so sorry. I'm so, so, so, so, so, so sorry!" Yang shot up from the couch, her speed shocking Blake, and threw her arms around the faunus in a crushing embrace. She buried her head in Blake's shoulder, tears falling from her eyes and loud sobs escaping from her lips. Instead of looking uncomfortable at Yang's uncharacteristic display of sadness and humility, Blake held her just as close.

"Don't you dare apologize to me. You have nothing to be ashamed of." Ruby and Weiss looked on as their two friends embraced, smiling at each other. They, too, had been waiting for this moment to come. Team RWBY was finally back together. It had been so long since the four had been in the same room together, and it gave everyone a feeling of renewed strength and vigor. It was just like old times. Even for Blake, whose world had changed so much within the past days, there was a sense of familiarity and being with her team. That was one memory, one emotional response, that would never change.

Blake and Yang sat on the couch together, and Ruby was next to them. Weiss stood nearby. They were all somber and serious now, listening as Blake talked.

"...The man never got to do what he'd intended. I...I have no idea how I'd feel if he did. Just thinking about what could have happened, what he could have done, it makes me..." Blake shivered involuntarily, finding herself unable to continue speaking, and Yang immediately grabbed her hand.

"Then don't think about it. It's over," the blonde said. Blake looked at her and nodded.

"Yeah. I have a lot to look forward to." Weiss nodded, but looked concerned. Blake had told Ruby and Yang what she'd said to Weiss and more, unnervingly calm as she did so. Obviously, she was scarred by what had happened. She'd woken up multiple times during her rest, often crying out. She couldn't bring herself to directly say what the man had wanted to do to her. But she also seemed eager to push the incident aside, a little too eager. Weiss couldn't help but feel a creeping sense of unease, slowly making its way into the cracks in her mind left by doubt. She was scared for Blake, scared of what she might do. She was out of prison, and Weiss wanted it to stay that way. For the first time in a while, team RWBY was back together. Part of it felt too good to be true; with all that had happened, she wasn't eager to accept that her life and the lives of her friends were really changing for the better.

"And yet, we haven't been together like this in so long. Honestly, it feels odd. To have that man...abuse me one day, only to be surrounded by my closest friends the next...it's weird. A part of me feels like it can't last. It's hard to look forward to a future I don't trust." Blake felt the same way Weiss did. She found it hard to be happy when she had so recently felt like her world had come crashing down around her, and yet being with her friends really did lift her spirits.

"I understand how you feel. All of this...it's what we wanted. After everything that we've been through, together and apart, the idea of getting what we want feels fragile. It feels feeble," Weiss said. Ruby, to the surprise of no one, took a more positive view. She smiled slightly at her teammates, trying to encourage them.

"We should hold onto this moment that much harder, then, if we're so scared of it slipping away. Why would we talk about everything that's happened when we have so much ahead of us?" She asked, looking around. Yang chuckled.

"If you weren't around, thee two would be doom and gloom all the damn time."

"Hey!" Weiss snapped her telltale word of objection in the tone that her friends had come to know so well. Blake cracked a small smile.

"We can't exactly deny it."

"Well...yes, but..." Weiss found herself unable to make a rebuttal, and fell into a reluctant, grumpy silence. Ruby flashed her a grin, and then turned to Blake.

"Look, we can either mope or we can enjoy what we have now. I, personally, vote for the latter. Blake...if you have any more you want to say, you can go ahead and say it. I don't want to stop you. Just remember...you're with us now. Things are gonna change. For the better." The faunus looked at her, nodding.

"Of course. Although, I do have some things I'd like to say." No one in the room failed to notice that she looked at Yang as she spoke. It had been a very long time since the two women had talked, and Blake had been eager to see her blonde friend for quite some time. As Ruby had suggested, she wouldn't let herself waste the moment.

"Hey, Weiss...you think we should go make some refreshments?" Ruby asked the former heiress. She nodded knowingly, and the two women left the room. They felt it appropriate to leave Blake and Yang to themselves, to try and bridge the gap that had formed between them.

As seconds passed by and Blake and Yang stared at each other, each trying to find words to say, the sounds of Ruby and Weiss rummaging around in the kitchen could be faintly heard. It was the only noise that cut into the thick atmosphere of quiet, at least for a little while. Eventually, Blake succeeded in her search, beginning by stating the obvious. Unusually for her, it was in a serious tone, no coyness intended.

"It's been a while."

"No kidding," Yang replied.

"I...I heard about everything going on while I was in prison. About your incident a month ago," Blake said. She looked at Yang with regret, trying to figure out from the blonde's expression whether she said the right thing. While pained, her expression wasn't angry, so the faunus could only assume that Yang was comfortable talking about it to some extent.

"You missed a lot."

"I know; I want to get caught up on what's been going on with you. Your life." Blake sounded sincere, and she was, more than Yang knew. She'd been absent from her friend's life for too long, and Blake was ready to re-enter it.

"How much do you know?" Yang asked, a little hesitant.

"I know the major bits. I wished you'd come to talk to me back then. I hated hearing about you from others, Yang. I really did," was the reply. It sounded more bitter than she had intended, and she remembered how desperately she wanted to hear news of the blonde's life from her directly. Yang's eyes left those of her friend, finding random objects in the room and fixing onto them.

"I know. It was horrible, what I did."

"I'm not angry at you; you had a lot going on in your life, and...after what you saw me do, I can't blame you for distancing yourself from me." The statement was true; Blake could see full well why Yang had done what she'd done. She knew the blonde well; she may have been headstrong and confrontational, even a little violent, but never murderous. Not when she was in her right mind. Blake had no regret for her actions. She only regretted that it had affected one of her most important friendships. At her words, Yang looked back at her, and she snapped out of her brief contemplation.

"I can, though. I knew what you were going through. You were angry. Funny that I should get all pissy about that, of all things. And at least you went after a psychotic crime boss. I almost hurt my own sister," Yang told her. Blake sighed, realizing that she may have made Yang feel even more guilty about her actions, and decided to keep some of her thoughts private.

"I attacked you when you found me. We've both made mistakes," she said with authority, trying to settle the matter. Her tactic worked, and Yang sighed, relenting.

"After that, I went to rehab for a month. It was a nice place. I came out feeling...sobered. Eh? Get it?" Much to her surprise, Blake found herself unable to contain her laughter. Yang's silly pun filled her with a feeling of lightheartedness that seemed to brighten up the room around her. Yang, looking proud of herself, flashed a smug smile, waiting for Blake to calm down.

"Heh...oh, wow. That was...that was really something. Much better than Weiss' puns, for sure."

"I heard that!" Came Weiss' voice from the kitchen. It was clear that the crossness in her voice was faked. Blake could tell that she was happy to hear her laugh, too happy to be annoyed. Following her outburst came a delighted chuckle that could only have been from Ruby.

"Yeah, I just have a way with words. It's a gift," Yang said in a mock attitude of haughtiness.

"And here we are now, just like the good old days," she continued. Blake, at the comment, looked a little forlorn. Yang seemed concerned, but the faunus changed her expression so quickly that the blonde decided to think nothing of it.

"Yeah...just like the good old days." She wasn't sure how true the statement was, even as it left her mouth. A lot had changed, and the past was behind them. Despite Ruby's optimism, Blake found herself unable to tear her eyes from the uncertainty of the shadowy future. She supposed it was habit, checking the shadows cast by the light. She'd lived in them for most of her life, after all. It was only natural she'd keep her mind fixed there. Those who had seen what lurked in those shadows firsthand, who had made their home within them, where the ones who truly feared it. What had happened to her in prison filled her with a sense of fear, of insecurity. She had to take her life back from her tormentors, one way or another. This was something her friends wouldn't understand. This was something she had to keep to herself.

Roman paced around his office, staring into the night sky, his heart racing. He felt as if he'd injected himself with drugs. He was twitchy, seeing monsters out of the corner of his eye. He tried to calm himself down, to have a drink and smoke a cigar, but nothing worked. He could hardly keep his drink down; he felt sick. Everything looked distorted, and the world seemed to close in on him. The television in his room was shattered, as was the remote he'd hurled at it, which had gone through the screen and smashed into the opposite wall. Blake was back. She was out of prison. In the Trenches, yes, but Roman couldn't keep his fear down. It rose in his throat like bile, flowed into his mind like blood. He had thought himself rid of her and the fear that she brought. He had thought that she would never be allowed in the Trenches, not with the former heiress as the commander. He didn't even think she'd escape with her life or sanity. His hired thug hadn't had the chance to reach the climax of his torture, and Blake was able to escape with less physical and mental scarring that Roman had hoped for. Yet, he was satisfied. He'd hurt her and it felt good, knowing that she'd be unable to retaliate. At least, that's what he thought. Now, his hopes were dashed. Arrogant as he may have been, he was no fool. He had not stayed free while Cinder was imprisoned due to his idiocy. He knew when he was outmatched, when to cut his losses and run. That was what he had to do. He had to find a way out of the city, yet there was nowhere for him to go. His influence, while incredibly strong in Vale, didn't spread anywhere else. Even worse, Blake was now reunited with her friends, two of whom had no Semblance and Aura restrictions, all three of whom where Heroes of Remnant. Blake herself was among their ranks, and Roman knew that even alone and without her Semblance, she could still give him a good fight; for all his prodigious skill, he had never unlocked his Semblance. Some may have thought him foolish to fear a woman under constant watch and who would be forced to go on dangerous missions into the wild, but he knew who Blake was. He knew what she'd done and how she'd lived. Like him, she had inhabited a shadowy area, where moral lines were blurred or outright gone. He knew people like her; he'd known her mentor. Roman was one himself, although more often choosing to walk across moral lines than not. He knew that Blake had taken one such step before; she'd surely do so again.

Blake walked towards the door, a feeling of contentment resting in her stomach. Ruby and Yang accompanied her, and Weiss trailed behind to see them off. They had enjoyed a very fun meal, reminiscing about the past and anticipating the future. They had all promised to get together again when they could, inviting over team JNPR, Sun, and Neptune the next time they did so. Guards waited outside to escort Blake to her new living quarters, and so she parted from her friends reluctantly and went with them. Ruby, Weiss, and Yang waved to her and she waved back, smiling more widely than she had all day. Yet, when she turned her back, her smile faltered a little. There were still nagging doubts in her mind. Pushing them back, her thoughts quickly drifted back to her friends.

Aaaaaand...another chapter. I should really work on my other story, but I'm so close to wrapping up Ever After!

I tried to make things a little happier this time, yet also leave some hints of foreshadowing that Blake has been changed by her experiences. She's not the young woman she was at Beacon, that's for sure. Anyway, I hope that I struck a good enough balance between depression over her experiences and joy over meeting her friends again; I didn't want it to be too lighthearted, considering what happened to her, but Blake's a serious person (although she'll occasionally whip out some of her patented Belladonna sass, which we haven't seen since volume 1, sadly), and some humor in her life would be much appreciated. Hence, there was lots of Yang in this chapter. Bumblebee fans, rejoice! The Monochrome lover in me felt a little bad, but Yang and Blake deserved a heartfelt, happy reunion after all that's happened between them.

Criticisms are more than welcome, and...yeah. That's it. Also, I watched the Rooster Teeth podcast about Monty (podcast #309), and it made me cry. The peeps are RT were more than friends and co-workers, it seemed. They were like a work family.