The moment Weiss saw a mural dedicated to Winter, her heart stopped.

All this time, she had been wondering where her sister was ever since she returned from the Ever After. Indeed, the first sign of trouble was that she never returned her calls or texts.

Neither did Whitley or Willow.

Nor Klein.

To see Winter's image painted on a wall saying "Remember Her Sacrifice"? To see headstones planted for Willow and Whitley right in front? To then see a separate one for Klein, who was celebrated as a Mantlean doctor who did all he could for the sick and dying poor?

It was already too much.

And then she heard that Jacques was waiting for her. In the city prison.

. . .

Weiss entered the city prison of Vacuo. Just like most of the buildings, it had a distinctly brutalist style to go with the city's usual theming. Huntsmen and militia members alike stood together, ready to protect the place and thwart a breakout, just in case.

She requested to speak with Jacques Schnee. She flashed her ID.

"Right this way, ma'am," one of the receptionists said, pointing towards an armored door with two guards standing by.

"Thank you."

Weiss went to the door and opened it before walking inside a hallway, accompanied by one of the guards. On both sides were cells—some empty, others occupied. The hallway branched into three different directions, the leftward way being the one the guard guided her towards.

Her question was ready. So was her course of action.

Eventually, they arrived where Jacques was; in a not-so-glamorous cell like everybody else.

The guard knocked on his cell door. "Someone would like to talk to you," he said.

"Go ahead," he replied, his tone as chilling as ever.

The guard unlocked the door. The man himself—the hateful excuse for a "father" that she was stuck with for years—showed himself in a rather disheveled state that revealed a far cry from the man he once was. Miraculously, he didn't appear hurt. Weiss wondered how much restraint the prisoners held.

Of course, he glared at her. Not that such a thing mattered anymore, though.

"Room for two, please?" Weiss asked the guard.

The guard answered, "Sure, right this way," then led the two to an interrogation room.

Soon enough, Jacques and Weiss were alone together in that room.

For minutes there was silence. Not even a cough. The two of them kept their gazes on each other, but Weiss's glare, somehow, had started to overpower Jacques' own. Eventually, it reached the point where his hands trembled.

Finally, the silence broke.

"Can you tell me everything?" asked Weiss.

"Y–" Jacques's pupils shrunk. "Y—Yes, Weiss." For a brief moment, he instinctively reached for a glass that... wasn't there. "You see, your mother Willow and your brother Whitley..."

Weiss continued to stare, her eyes remaining fixed on him.

"...they... they perished while they were trying to get to safety," he confessed. "Your old butler Klein, too—"

Suddenly, a dark Glyph materialized with the familiar shimmer. Soon enough, he'd been launched into a wall. "AGH!" He violently recoiled, collapsing to the floor. Then, as his head jerked upwards, he saw his remaining daughter lunging at him mid-air, with her rapier radiating with fire at the blade.

. . .

She emerged from the interrogation room, Myrtenaster's blade drenched in a burgundy red and its Fire Dust vial empty. The guards were horrified, but had wisely decided not to interfere. Jacques would no longer bother her at long last. Freedom from that devil for good. No longer would she have to think of what he'd say, let alone what he'd do. Instead, she could be the woman she's wanted to be, free from his influences...

But was it worth it?

Weiss tried to shake that thought away, but it continued to linger. She managed to keep her calm face the whole journey from the jail cell all the way to Team RWBY's own living quarters.

When she arrived, it was dead quiet in there; Ruby and Yang were away on a Search and Destroy mission, while Blake was doing some reconnaissance.

Once again, the thought of, "Was it worth it?" returned, but no longer could she ignore it.

Jacques was no more. But the parts of her family that actually mattered had to suffer one last time. All of that, while she was away from them. And she never got to say her final goodbyes.

Before, the Schnee family name was besmirched by a vandal who had married into the family name. Weiss had vowed to restore its honor.

Now, it was one step away from ceasing to matter.

If she went now, the Schnee family name would end with a whimper.

She dropped Myrtenaster to the floor. She dropped to her knees.

Then she collapsed to the floor in a fetal position.

Then she screamed for what felt like forever.

And then she cried.

AN:This had been sitting for months, but I've decided to publish it because why not. Cleaned it up a bit as well. Anyways, hope you enjoyed reading (or suffering. Whichever you prefer)!