Chapter I: One thing ends, the other begins

Weiss was proven correct in the assumption that trying to remember the events that had left her so sore would do nothing to ease her migraine, but she had also hoped that she would at least partially regain her peace of mind. Instead, she found herself to be only more worried and confused than she had been before, and one could call it a hunch, but for some reason she was afraid that the worst realization was yet to come.

'Oh well,' she thought bitterly, 'at least that would explain why I feel the way I do. At first mauled by a Beringel, then in a daze almost got gutted. Smooth, Weiss, really smooth. If Ruby wasn't there to save you three times in a row in a matter of seconds... I really, really need to thank...' And then it clicked. '...her.'

In a flash, Weiss broke out in a cold sweat, the realization she had feared that would come hitting her with the force of a runaway train. 'Just... Just what has happened while I was out cold...?'

She could feel the icy grip of panic tighten around her neck as she considered every possibility that would come to her mind, each more chilling than the last, the little cogs of her brain whirring at top speed. The only reason they had ventured into that accursed land was to take down Salem...

'Oh Dust, Ruby!'

Without as much as a second thought, she quickly sat up in her bed and immediately regretted it, as her sudden movement caused her poor nerves to explode with the pain that showed her all the stars and almost knocked her lights out.

"Fucking Beowolf..." she hissed through her teeth, then gasped for air when she was finally able to breathe again.

With her eyes closed and her jaw clenched, she waited for the pain to subside, now excruciatingly well aware that the wound on her abdomen had not yet healed completely. Other than that, she'd also realized that there was an elastic bandage that she felt around her chest, giving her a sneaking suspicion that at least one of her ribs was in more than one piece. 'Good thing I didn't try to bolt out of the bed; I'm pretty sure that I'd just end up on the floor, if I was lucky.'

Eventually, two pale feet carefully slid out from beneath the sheets and descended onto the ground, and the cold to the touch tiles sent a shiver up Weiss' spine. She took a deep breath and then slowly, gingerly tried to stand up; she winced as her stomach spasmed in protest, but didn't collapse.

Her legs were weak and wobbly, but she could walk — steadying herself against the furniture whenever she could at first, but as she toddled through the moonlit room, some semblance of confidence returned to her movements, her worries regarding falling to the floor slowly receding. Determination drove her onwards, and though a part of her feared the truth, she still wanted to know. She needed to know.

As she was slowly making her way deeper into the room, Weiss took a better look at her surroundings, finding herself in an infirmary of sorts. The place seemed to be the size of a classroom, with multiple portable privacy screens dividing the space into a few sectors; the shattered moon was peeking inside with interest, visible through the windows on Weiss' left side.

The place seemed familiar, somehow, but she couldn't quite put a finger on it. She had never been in there, that much she knew for sure, but she could swear that she had seen a similar place somewhere — but where?

She looked at the floor and the walls illuminated by the light of the moon, trying to remember where she had seen similar architecture; then, a spark of recognition appeared in her eyes, the answer suddenly becoming so obvious. 'Beacon? One of the classrooms, if I'm correct... professor Goodwitch has mentioned that some of them were turned into temporary infirmaries...'

Every time she left an empty bed behind her, she felt a weird mixture of disappointment, relief and dread, all those feelings growing in strength with each passed bunk. Weiss still carried on, however, as if drawn by some kind of force to the opposite end of the room. And when she walked past the last curtain and looked to her right, her heart skipped a beat.

"Ruby!"

Despite her wounded state, Weiss closed the remaining distance in a flash, running up to the bedside and to her unconscious partner, her mind racing, the pulsing of her blood echoing in her head. She leaned over the girl — ear hovering an inch above Ruby's parted lips, eyes focused on the motions of her chest — all the while ignoring the pain the position caused her.

After a few seconds, Weiss straightened up, raised her hand to her heart and released all the air she'd been holding in her lungs in a long, loud sigh of relief, a tiny smile appearing on her face. She could hear Ruby's breath, feel its soft breeze on her cheek, and see the sheets covering Ruby's body rise and fall in rhythm.

'Thank Dust, you're alive. But what happened to you...? Are you hurt?' Weiss wondered, then began circling around the bed and looking at Ruby's form with worry in her eyes; searching for any damage, she was too focused on the task at hand to notice either the quiet clacking or the sound of footsteps that were progressively getting closer. 'And where are Yang and Blake?'

It didn't take her long to finish her examination — in the end, she hadn't spotted a thing. No wounds, bruises, dressings, casts — literally nothing, bar a single IV attached to Ruby's arm. And for some reason, Weiss found it all the more concerning. 'Should I try to wake her up...?'

Suddenly, a calm, amiable voice spoke up from just behind her. "I take it that you're worried about your team leader, miss Schnee?" it asked, making Weiss jolt and turn on her heel in an instant, scared half to death. "I was just passing by and I thought that it might be a good idea to check if one of you has woken up. I was not mistaken, it seems."

"Professor Ozpin?" Weiss muttered, pressing a hand to her stomach after her startled movement had caused a bit of a painful flare-up. She eyed the familiar silhouette of the old Headmaster briefly; it was somewhat surprising to see Oz waste energy on maintaining that form, but Weiss brushed the thought aside, having much bigger concerns on her mind.

"It's good to see you back on your feet already, Weiss. But you really shouldn't strain yourself. Please, take a seat." He spoke with a sincere smile, a mug in his right hand, the cane in the other pointing at the chair next to Weiss. She plopped down on the seat, feeling too tired and overwhelmed to disobey, and looked at Ozpin, both question and worry clearly visible in her eyes.

"As for your leader..." Ozpin started as he pulled up another chair, seating himself on the opposite side of Ruby's bed. "I assure you that Ruby's life is not in danger. The injuries she has sustained were not that serious, and most of it should've already healed by now. She just... overexerted herself, for lack of a better term — and that's why she's asleep," he explained, putting a very clear emphasis on the last word. Seeing Weiss relax a little bit at that, he continued. "In fact, I suppose you could try and wake her up, should that be your wish; I won't stop you. I ask you only for one thing: bear in mind that Ruby needs rest."

Weiss cast a quick glance at Ruby and then shook her head, grasping the girl's hand and giving it a gentle squeeze.

"No." She sighed. "If she is going to be okay, then I can wait for her." Ozpin simply nodded at that, apparently satisfied with her answer.

"Seeing as you're now awake, I suppose you have many questions."

"That's one way to put it, yes," she deadpanned. "For starters, how long was I... out? And where are Yang and Blake? Are they alright...?"

"Yes, they are, at least in terms of body; their night at the infirmary was more of a check-up than anything else. Aside from smaller cuts and bruises, Blake suffered a concussion, while Yang had some problems with her right arm; both of those issues were taken care of, and after one night in here, your teammates were allowed to leave and join miss Xiao Long's father. That is, after Yang had pledged to keep Blake away from reading, and to make sure that miss Belladonna would get enough rest."

Weiss winced at the mention of keeping Blake away from her books, feeling sorry for the girl. Ozpin noticed it and chuckled under his breath, but shortly after that, his face took on a more serious expression and he continued. "Your wounds, however, were far more severe. Two broken ribs, dislocation of the right shoulder and multiple cuts to the abdomen that caused an intensive external bleeding, among a few other things. If not for the immediate intervention of miss Rose, we wouldn't be holding this conversation, I'm afraid."

Weiss nodded, her eyelids closed, a tiny, grateful smile tugging at the corners of her lips. "Yes, I know. She saved my life threefold in a matter of a minute. It will take a lot to thank her enough." A small laugh escaped her mouth. 'Not that I'm not going to try.'

After a short while, she looked at Ozpin. "So, how long was I out cold?"

"You got wounded three days ago, in the morning, and were unconscious for the most of the day. You woke up for a short while in the evening, and though you were almost completely unaware of your surroundings at the time, it was enough to take care of your basic needs. The situation repeated itself a few times over the course of the next two days, and now it seems that you've finally come to yourself." He finished his recounting with the corners of his mouth pointing marginally upwards. After a short while of silence, he leaned forward on his cane and looked at Weiss with interest. "Speaking of which, how do you feel?"

"Honestly? Like shit."

Ozpin tilted back in his seat a little and stared at Weiss with an expression she found incredibly amusing for whatever reason, brows high and lips slightly parted, obviously in shock. It was funny, but she would've lied if she said that she didn't know where that surprise was coming from — three years ago, she'd have mentally scolded herself for even considering such a choice of words. She blamed her team for that — not that she minded.

Oz knew, of course, that those times were long since gone, and that Weiss couldn't care any less about being prim and proper at all times — especially not when it got in the way of fully expressing what she actually wanted to say. Still, her deadpan, unapologetic delivery had clearly taken him by surprise.

"I'm disoriented and starving, my stomach hurts every single time I bend myself in any way, and merely breathing causes me pain, never mind the hellish migraine…" she exhaled in a single breath, before averting her eyes and adding in a small voice: "Or the fact that I wasn't there when my team needed me."

After a short while of silence, she looked up at Ozpin — who by then had managed to collect himself — and finally asked him the question that would've been the first one on her agenda, if only she hadn't been so worried for her teammates… nor afraid of the answer. "So, about Salem... are we waiting for the end of the world, or is she...?"

"Dead?" Ozpin suggested, getting a meek nod in response. A small, tired sigh escaped his mouth. "As dead as she can be."

Weiss didn't like that answer, not even a little bit; something about those few words was making her uneasy, giving a rise to a cold shiver that traveled down her spine. The way he had said it…

"What... what does that mean, exactly?"

"It means that the concept of death as most understand it does not apply to her, I'm afraid. She's not too unlike me, in that regard." Ozpin's voice was somber and really quiet, barely above a whisper, making his answer all the more grave. "It might take her a few decades, or even couple hundred years to regain her physical form, but yes — one day Salem will be back. And no matter how many times a hero will rise and save the day," he spoke, turning his eyes towards Ruby's sleeping form, "she will return, over and over again. And in the end... she will win."

In that moment, Ozpin seemed older, somehow — impossibly old, and tired beyond measure, with the crushing weight of lifetimes of hopeless struggle resting heavily upon his shoulders. His brown eyes were of a person tormented by the memory of all the souls he sacrificed, by his countless mistakes and untold millenia of regrets. There was a sense of defeat in the way he spoke, but at the same time Weiss sensed a firm, defiant flame burning brightly within him. Doomed though his quest might've been, he was still determined to continue his futile resistance, even if just to preserve the light of humanity for just a little while longer.

"But there must be something we can do?" Weiss questioned with an inkling of frustration, firmly refusing to accept the hopelessness of the situation just like that. After all, she was a Schnee, and they were nothing if not driven.

Ozpin put on a wry smile, slowly reverting back to the old headmaster Weiss remembered. "All we can really do is delay. But yes — it is not to say that we can't make a difference. The answer is quite simple: if we wish to stave off another crisis, we as the mankind must stay united and thrive, for as long as we possibly can."

Weiss just snorted at that, amused by the way Ozpin made it sound so easy. "Simple, right. Just on paper, perhaps," she said. Ozpin just chuckled.

"Very true," he admitted. "Although we have prevented the outbreak of a war that would doom us all, the peace we now enjoy is still fragile. The struggle against Salem may have brought us closer together, but the memory of Atlesian robots attacking citizens of Vale is still fresh in people's minds, just as is that of the many other incidents that followed. It will take us years to restore the trust and kinship between the Kingdoms, but it is a goal worth striving towards. And just like I have believed back when I first suggested the idea, I still do believe that the example of Huntsman Academies will play a big part in rebuilding said trust and kinship — even if our reputation has been tarnished somewhat in the past couple of years."

Ozpin noticed Weiss' raised eyebrow and the sad look she had given him at the mention of the Academies, but decided not to act on it, instead opting to take a sip of his coffee; when it became clear that she had no intention of using that opportunity to speak up, he carried on.

"It shouldn't be our only focus, however — we need to stay vigilant. Creatures of Grimm will not cease to be a threat with Salem's temporary defeat, and though White Fang separatists are now mostly pacified, they were not the only ones that fed off the misery of others. So we, the Huntsmen and Huntresses of Remnant, must continue the task we've been at for the past century — protection of mankind from its enemies, both external and internal."

He ended at that and took another sip, watching Weiss' reaction for a few seconds in search of a sign that would show she was satisfied with his response. When he found none, he sighed softly and asked, a little bit crestfallen but not at all surprised, "But that still doesn't answer your question, does it?"

"No, I'm afraid," Weiss affirmed. "Although I appreciate the insight, I had a more... specific group in mind when I said 'we'."

"I see. As for you and your team…" Ozpin paused for a while and ruefully shook his head, then turned his attention towards the girl lying in bed between him and Weiss, fast asleep; sorrow was clearly present in his eyes as he looked at Ruby. "I put you in the harm's way and there are no words that could possibly express how sorry I am because of that. You've been dragged into this invisible war, and after all you've been through, all the burdens I put on your shoulders, especially Ruby's… I do not want to ask you for more."

"With all due respect, sir, but it was never about you," Weiss replied — politely, but in a manner that compelled Ozpin to look her in the eye. "You did not force us to do anything. Salem did. When she took our lives, our friends, our… our innocence away. The day Beacon fell, this war of yours became as personal to us as it was to you. We fought for a cause we believed was right, for everything we've lost, for the lives we wished to live," she asserted with conviction, before lightly squeezing Ruby's hand and adding: "For the people that we hold dear. It was our choice."

There was a peculiar intensity behind her unblinking stare, almost bordering on a challenge. Ozpin weathered it without flinching, simply watching her back for a spell with a pensive look in his eye.

"My answer remains the same — I don't want to ask you for anything more." Before Weiss could cut in and protest, Ozpin lifted his hand placatingly. "If your heart doesn't change in the following days, we may revisit this conversation, once you've rested and had some time to think it over. In the meantime, just know that the doors of Beacon will forever be open to you, and we'd be more than honored to have your team enrolled as our students once again, should that be your and your teammates' wish."

Weiss let out a sigh; she would have lied if she said that the answer completely satisfied her, but she nodded her head in acknowledgment nonetheless. She looked to Ruby, wondering what the sleeping girl would've thought. Neither her nor Ozpin spoke for a longer while, and so a comfortable sort of silence descended upon the room, disrupted only by the soft background noise of quietly working machinery.

Weiss was the first one to break it. "Professor Ozpin?"

His gaze returned to her at the sound of the name, meeting her blue eyes and giving them his full attention. She looked… thoughtful; distressed, even. "Yes?"

"Do you really think it's possible for people to trust us the same way they used to?" she asked, her brow raised; both sadness and doubt were clearly present on her face. "Academies might have cleared their names, but I'm afraid that the damage has already been done."

Ozpin understood her worry, and truly felt for Weiss. He was more or less aware that, at least initially, the reason why the heiress had wished to become a Huntress was to redeem her family's name in the eyes of society. It was his understanding that the profession was no longer a mere means to an end to Weiss, and hadn't been for a while now, but he could see why she would be distraught over the occupation of a Huntress losing its previous credibility.

"Indeed, it may seem to be a rather bold assumption, seeing that the schools have been used to plant the seed of doubt in the first place," he agreed, "but then again, it was the Academies and their students that worked together in a world gone mad, giving a living proof that not all hope has been lost. And later, when the Second Negotiations of Vytal were underway and the four Kingdoms all held their breath, fearing the worst, something unexpected happened: instead of declarations of war, all of Remnant heard Ruby's speech. After that, people didn't know what to think. Many of them still don't, and, truthfully, it should come as no surprise."

Ozpin chuckled and leaned forward on his cane, hands clasped on top of it. "But what they did know was that the mysterious voice that spoke to them at the end of Vytal Tournament had lied to them, aiming to turn them against their defenders. It will take a lot of effort and goodwill from both sides, that's true, but yes, I do believe that this wound can be mended. Just give us all some time," he finished, putting on the most reassuring smile he could.

Weiss remained silent for a while, her gaze fixed on the floor, a small frown appearing on her face as she considered Ozpin's words. After about half a minute, she looked up and offered him a grateful smile and a nod, which Ozpin accepted with a nod of his own. "Thank you."

"You are most welcome," he replied before standing up from his chair. "If that's all, I shall take my leave now."

"Yes, that's all. Goodnight, Professor."

"I'll make sure that someone brings you something to eat, as well as some painkillers. Goodnight, Weiss." With that, he started to walk away and soon left Weiss' field of view, disappearing behind a privacy screen; the quiet sound of a door closing shut reached her ears not long after that.

Weiss leaned back on her chair, turned her face to the ceiling, closed her eyes and let a heavy sigh of relief to slip past her parted lips. At that very moment in time, she would describe herself as 'overwhelmed' — that is, if she actually believed that the term 'overwhelmed' still applied to her state in the first place.

A small giggle echoed in the room. She felt... giddy, for lack of a better term, and the thought that they had changed the course of history and lived to tell the tale made her want to laugh for some reason. Oddly enough, even though she'd just learned that their victory was only temporary and their cause was doomed, the looming shadow of Salem's return did little to bring down Weiss' mood.

They had time; a few years, decades or centuries, be it as it may. Their group had fought against the odds for a cause that seemed to be a lost one, and yet after a long night they emerged victorious, to witness a new dawn together. She was determined to make sure they enjoyed it.

'We made it. We truly made it. I'm alive. Yang is alive. Blake is alive, and even didn't run away for a change. Ruby will be fine, too. Speaking of whom...'

Her eyelids opened and she stood up to check up on her slumbering partner. She looked for any wound or the slightest sign of pain, but once again found nothing. Ozpin hadn't lied — Ruby looked fine, just... tired, in a way Weiss couldn't quite explain.

She looked so peaceful, bathed in the soft light of the shattered moon, with her lips slightly parted as she breathed; a lone strand of crimson had strayed onto her nose at some point, only to get gently brushed aside by a friendly hand.

Ruby's hair was a few inches longer than it had used to be back when they were first-years, but otherwise mostly retained its old shape. One could even argue that Ruby kept the same haircut, if not for one key difference — on the back of her neck, where she had used to keep her hair short, a long ponytail appeared, now resting on top of her bosom, rising and falling in sync with the tides of her breathing.

Weiss still hadn't gotten used to that ponytail, even after a year. She really liked it, however, the way it usually flowed down Ruby's left arm and well past her collarbone; somehow, it managed to make her look both more mature and more innocent at the same time, all the while highlighting the girl's still blossoming beauty.

With nothing better to do, Weiss found herself absentmindedly playing with Ruby's hair, not even knowing how or when the dark tresses had found their way into her hand. She knew, however, that they were warm and soft, and that she really liked the sensation. It was embarrassingly sentimental, but she didn't want to stop; besides, there was no one there to see it. As such, she just ignored the slight burning of her face and focused on Ruby's sleeping form, all the while twirling the dark strands between her fingers.

Ruby had changed in so many ways since the two of them had first met. The most obvious change was in her looks — aside from the differences in the way she styled her hair, she had grown in size, both in stature and her assets; while still lagging a bit behind Blake in terms of height, she was taller than Weiss, even when the latter wore high heels. Much to her surprise, Weiss found herself a lot less annoyed by the fact than she had thought she would be; not that she was terribly fond of it, either, but she considered herself to be perfectly fun sized.

Those changes all seemed superficial and insignificant, however, when one considered the bigger picture. Truly, Ruby had grown, but above all else it was her growth as a person and a leader that made the difference.

Somewhere along the way, she had gotten rid of most of her naiveté — or life had done that for her, perhaps — all the while managing not to succumb to cynicism, not to lose her ability to see the good in people. She was still that sweet, caring person she had used to be, but she'd also developed into so, so much more.

The time she had spent within RNJR Dust-knows-where, away from her team and her sister, really had done wonders to her. She had become more reliable, not once letting her team down ever since they had reunited, always putting them before herself and no longer pulling her lone-wolf-style stunts that often times had bordered on death wishes. Without Yang to lean on as a crutch, she had learned to be more self-reliant, gained confidence and a way with words that made people follow her without a question — a trait that had shone through during the Second Negotiations of Vytal, likely playing no small role in delivering them all from a war that would tear Remnant apart.

Her tactical skills had improved considerably as well, and though Weiss would be the first one to admit the Dolt had talent since day one, nowadays Ruby simply excelled at her job. Ever perceptive and thinking out of the box, Ruby could swiftly and decisively come up with a plan for virtually any situation — even if it often proved to be a little bit on the crazy side. 'Disturbingly so, at times,' Weiss would be tempted to say. Then again, when all was said and done, Ruby consistently proved to be a good judge of situation.

Ruby was always there to uplift the spirits, treat a wound or say a word of comfort. Even in the moments of strife, she could always find it in herself to muster a smile, her energy apparently endless. She had become so strong for her teammates, and for the people she cared about… but on rare occasions, Weiss could see through the small cracks that appeared, and the sight broke her heart time and time again.

She knew that Ruby was hurting, and that the girl had opted to hide it from everyone. Even though Ruby had been devastated over Penny's and Pyrrha's deaths, she had chosen to suffer in silence and loneliness, unwilling to let the weakness take hold — after all, if she had not remained strong, who would have? Who would have been their driving force? Their hope? Keeping it all bottled up had taken a toll on Ruby — that, and all the other deaths she had witnessed, all the suffering… even killing Cinder had left its mark on her.

Compared to her teammates, Weiss was in a rather privileged position in the sense of having a much better knowledge of Ruby's struggles — even better than Yang's, and by a good margin at that. It took a lot of effort on her part, and a lot of nagging, but, eventually, Ruby had let her in, and Weiss never let her go.

'With all the weight of our world on your shoulders,' Weiss thought, looking at Ruby with a sad smile, 'how did you not crumble?' She was worried about the girl, but also proud of her, and she felt like she had a damn good reason for both.

Sure, Ruby was still silly and annoying at times, showed off, had instances of being reckless, and ate more sugar in a month than Weiss did within a year, but she wouldn't have it any other way.

Maybe except for the sugar part — that was just unhealthy.

Weiss' expansive vocabulary seldom failed her, and yet she was pretty sure that she had no words that could fully express how happy she was that the Red Riding Dolt had accidentally found a way to explode into her life. She wouldn't admit it aloud, of course, because — honestly — where was the fun in that? Besides, she had a reputation to uphold.

She couldn't help but smile, however.

'How did you do that, Dolt? How did you become so dear to me?'

In hindsight, it seemed pretty funny. The way their relationship had started — and look where they were right then. A long and bumpy road was behind them, but there were so, so many more paths to tread... Weiss could only hope they would explore them together, the once-lonely heiress and her best friend.

She thought she had lost Ruby once. She knew she would not bear losing her again.

Author's Note:

Well, here it is — my very first Author's Note. This story — hell, RWBY in general — is a LOT of my firsts, actually. RWBY was the first anime-like thing I've ever watched and was hyped about and the first (and only, so far) work of fiction that got me into shipping and reading any fanfiction. This story? It's my first romance-focused (somewhat?) story, my first future fantasy, my first try at fan fiction, my first story to be published on the Internet, it's cover artwork was my first attempt at drawing manga, et cetera, et cetera...

Oh, right, it's also my very first story written in English — so yeah, mistakes are going to happen; I just hope they won't be many and that my skills are sufficient to write a fan fiction that makes for a decent read. If you've spotted any mistakes, don't hesitate to point them out — I promise I won't bite! To be honest, I actually could use some beta readers.

Now, off to the important questions. Where am I going with this fanfic? How long are the chapters going to be, and how much time will it take to update? Will there be smut? And finally, the most vital question of them all: what ships are going to proudly set sail, and which ones shall disappear in the depths of oblivion?

Starting with the last one: my OTP of all ages and part-time obsession is Ruby x Weiss, while its sister pairing Yang x Blake takes the second place. As such, the fine vessels Whiterose and Bumblebee are going to rule over these seas. What's about the rest of the flotilla? Let's see... Renora is a safe bet, that's for sure, and I suppose we might pay a few short visits on the Wall in the future, just to see how the Night's Watch is faring. Aside from that... I dunno, honestly. Some mentions of Cross Hares, maybe? An ounce of other pairings, just to enhance the taste?

Oh, in case you're curious: both Bumblebee and Renora will be already established relationships.

Will there be smut?

...perhaps.

How canon is this story going to be?

Hm. That's a good question. I think it's safe to say that it's going to stay relatively faithful to the canon as of the end of Volume 4 — if something happened in the show then it also happened here, but the exact circumstances may differ a bit.

As for the length of chapters: I have no. Flippin'. Idea. Writing fan fiction is a totally new experience to me. The chapters will probably be of the similar length as this one — about five thousand words, maybe more, maybe less.

How often am I going to update? Well... I wrote "Forget me not" and "One thing ends, the other begins" over the course of... about six days? Considering that this was my very first story written in English (my native language being Polish), I think I can pretty safely assume that writing will take me progressively less time as my skills improve. I'm hoping to post at least one chapter each month (or two chapters, should they be short-ish). I'll try to squeeze one every two weeks, but... we'll see about that. If you liked the story, please, let me know — it will make me smile and keep me going with the story.