The heavy frosting on the windows made it difficult to see outside. It was uncharacteristically heavy snowfall, even for this time of year. Equipped with a plough attached roughshod to its front, the bus roared through foot high snow on the road along its usual route. The inside of the bus was warm and cozy, a sharp contrast to the freezing temperatures of the outside world. A couple of passengers still wore their coats and boots even inside, ready to alight at a moments notice as the slow going in this weather made the bus awfully late along its schedule. Most of the passengers looked like factory workers alongside a few military men in their fatigues and even a few women carrying groceries. Weiss paid them no mind, staring at her Scroll to look at the weather reports. It was already in the afternoon and the weather wasn't getting any better. She counted herself lucky as the freak snowstorm was even worse the day before she arrived. She had only been in Atlas a mere few days before, and all this travelling to and from her home country had really worn her out.

But here she was, determined. She needed to talk to her father, and make a choice.

As the frost on her window cleared, the heavy snowfall began to subside. The cleared glass projected a landscape covered in in white. In the distance was a lone grey structure poking out like a sore thumb, a drab color in a sea of endless snow. The road beyond the bus began to clear ahead as a dedicated street plougher in front of them carefully scooped and pushed the fresh snow to the side. The road in front of them cleared and the bus made its way through the countryside, carrying its precious human cargoes.

"Atlas Central Security Prison Stop! The last bus going back to the city will arrive in 2 hours! Make sure to get on and not get stuck out here overnight!"

The conductor's voice rang through the vehicle. Aside from Weiss, only the military men got off at the stop. Putting on her mittens and zipping up her coat, she approached the door and thanked the conductor.

"Visiting someone, miss?"

"Yes. You could say that."

"Well like I said, be sure to be here at the stop in 2 hours. There aren't any places to sleep here for the night."

"Don't worry sir, I'll be quick. Thank you."

The icy wind bit into her pale skin the moment she got off. The soldiers whispered to themselves as they headed up into the guard post. Weiss walked behind them at a distance. Presenting her ID, the guard on duty checked her in and opened to heavy steel gates in front of her, commenting under his breath that it was a rather strange time for visitors. Weiss paid it no mind as she stared up onto the imposing structure where nearly a quarter of the nation's criminals were held. This was, in fact, her first time here. The prison was divided into the minimum, intermediate and maximum security wings. Her father, despite his status and the recent stabbing incident, was held in the minimum security wing. The large central receiving hall was itself empty except for the rare visitor and a few prison guards. She turned left down the hall into the minimum security wing, which given its nature, was a lot more well maintained and furnished than what she typically thought a prison would be. The guard at the checkpoint inspected her IDs and, realizing who she was and who she was visiting, merely smiled at her as he let her through. Weiss was led into the visitor's chamber, which like any other prison, separated the visitors from the inmates with a plexiglass divider and a phone. Weiss sat there, nervous, awaiting her father.

Within minutes her father was brought into the room. Wearing an orange jumpsuit and his hands in cuffs, the former head of what was once one of Remnants most powerful families shuffled into the room with a slight limp. Weiss could tell he was still reeling from the stabbing incident a few days ago. The elder Schnee sat down and picked up the phone.

"Never expected you to visit your father in prison since you yourself said you didn't want to see me like this. Of course we just saw each other the other day.:

"How are you feeling, father?"

Walden Schnee reached for his still bandaged wound at his side.

"It stings a little sometimes, but overall I have been doing well. Weiss... I heard from your sister about what happened to you..."

Weiss sighed, trying her best not to worry about the events of the past few days.

"I'm fine father. I mean... it was rather stupid of me to go out on my own, but I'm still a trained Huntress, and I was rescued just a few hours after I was taken."

"I see. You have great friends. Wonderful friends. Always keep them close."

Weiss averted her gaze for a split second, but enough for her father to notice.

"Something wrong my dear?"

"Father... how did you deal with this?"

Weiss looked her father in the eye.

"Father... how did you deal knowing that those closest to you would be in danger the longer all this went? I mean I understood because I'm your daughter, a Schnee, active in the family business. But... what about your friends? Mother? People who aren't really involved in any of this?"

"... Is this about your friend? The one you call Ruby?"

Weiss looked away from her father. She stared at her fidgeting hands, alternating with looking at the cold steel floor.

"She is... the one you were with in Beacon right? The one you left behind when our family chose to go down this road?"

No response.

"I see... I understand now. That's why..."

No response.

"Weiss..."

Walden Schnee leaned forward on the table, getting closer to the glass divider between them. She smiled a very fatherly smile, enough to surprise even Weiss.

"My dear daughter... do you remember that night when we all decided to finally go public?"

"Yes... the memory replayed in my mind for weeks after that."

"Yes. Remember when I asked you and your sister to leave me and your mother in my study so we could talk alone?"

"I did. You discussed something important you didn't want either of us to know, right?"

Her father leaned back in his chair. A glanced up into the ceiling as the frost of his breath ascended. He sat up straight again and looked at his daughter, who was still fidgeting in her seat.

"The truth is... I gave your mother some papers. Divorce papers."

Divorce. Merely hearing it almost made Weiss drop the phone in her hand. She was flabbergasted as her heart pounded, unable to form a coherent reply."

"In Atlesian law there's a loophole regarding liquidation of assets in cases of restitution. Legally speaking, all the properties of the defendant, their spouse and children would be seized in order to pay the damages. However... if a married couple is divorced at least 2 years before the verdict is handed out, the divorced partner's assets cannot be seized."

Weiss jaw hung loose. She was slowly trying to process this shocking turn of events.

"I wanted to divorce her because I wanted to at least hand over to her some of our assets not related to the company, enough at least for her to live comfortably without me if I ended up being locked away for a long time. I knew that there was no way I could pass on anything to my children, and at least you and Winter had your skills to survive. I was deeply worried for your mother."

"She... cried?"

"Hahaha... no. She took the papers from my hand, tore them in half, and punched me in the face. We've had our arguments before, and in fact I never raised a hand to your mother. We've been married for almost 30 years, and this was the first time either of us struck the other."

Weiss knew that her mother was a feisty woman, a distinct trait people had always said she and her sister inherited but, it was quite a surprise to her that their mother would even strike their father, with a punch of all things.

"As I lay on the rug, you mother knelt beside me and said:"

Til death do us part. For rich or for poorer. Does that mean anything to you Walden? Do you remember the vows we made all those years ago?

"Your mother's words echoed in my mind. That moment I remembered the day we walked down the isle in the central cathedral here in Atlas. I remembered how it took years to convince my own father that this was the woman I was going to marry. I remembered how she even got into a shouting match with your grandmother. I remembered it all.

I remember it all Walden. All the details. All the good and the bad. Didn't we promise we'd all ride it out no matter what?

"As I lay there I pondered all the ways your mother could get hurt, scandalized, or even worse... killed."

Walden... I'm not just a housewife. You forget we were classmates in the very same combat academy, the place where we first met! Being a housewife doesn't mean I've forgotten to take care of myself.

"Your mother was a... feisty thing. Could go toe to toe with the best of them. I remember how her... never say die attitude was always there. Always the optimist. Always there to pick me up whenever I was down."

With that last sentence, a faint image came into Weiss' mind.

"I knew she was a very capable person. I knew that deep in my heart. And yet... I loved her too much to let her be part in any of this. I thought that divorcing her would spare her the indignities of all this."

Walden... I love you with the entirety of my being. I'm with you until the end of the line, no matter what, and beyond that if I have to. I really don't care what they do or call you. You are still you to me.

The faint image in Weiss' mind slowly became clearer. She started to make out the figure creeping its way into her consciousness.

Walden... do you love me?

"I was afraid. I was torn. I could not bear the thought of being with your mother and subjecting her to what was about to unfold... but I could not bear to be without her either. Her words... hearing them... the answer became plainly obvious. I answered with no hesitation."

Then trust me, as I trust you. Like I said, I'm with you until the end of the line, and beyond.

"And with that, all doubt and hesitation in my mind ceased to exist. I took the papers she tore up in half, and that was a thick stack of papers I tell you, your mother is one strong woman, and dropped them into the paper shredder. We decided not to speak of this to you or your sister so as not to worry you. In the end, we did as we agreed to. Until the end of the line, and beyond."

The image in Weiss' mind became clear, like a fog that lifted. Everything became bright. The woman in her mind became clear as day. Walden stared at his daughter who was now rather lost in her own mind, as if realizing something she should have years ago. It took a minute for Weiss to come back down from wherever she was, and looked at her father intently.

"My dear daughter... I know you have someone like that in your life."

Weiss, quiet as a mouse, merely nodded.

"Weiss... do you love her? Do you trust her?"

She nodded.

"And... does she love you? Does she trust you?"

Se nodded, this time with even more earnest.

"Then ask yourself... can you live with... or without her?"

Weiss looked her father straight in the eye, with the same determined look her father had seen in their mother whenever the going got tough. The same look she had when they were married. The same look she had the day he wanted to divorce her.

"Then why are you still here? I believe the last bus leaves in a few more minutes."

Walden removed the phone from his ear and hung it up. He gestured to the guard that their meeting was over. Weiss stood up as the guard placed the cuffs back on her father. While he was being led away back to his cell, he could see Weiss' lips move through the glass, as if to say something.

Thank you... dad.

The snowstorm had almost all but died in the short amount of time she was inside with her father. The snow on the road had been cleared by the plough. The sun's outline could be seen faintly peeking out from under the clouds. Weiss bowed to the guards on her way out and made her way to the iced-up bus stop, the only man made structure along a near endless stretch of road. She sat on the rusty bench, contemplating her father's story. Within minutes, right on time, the last bus to the city arrived. It was the very same conductor driving a now empty bus. Weiss got on and sat on a seat in the farthest back, hanging her mittens on the seat in front of her. She looked at her Scroll to see that the last flight out of Atlas for Patch was leaving in an hour. Barely enough time for her to make it to the airport.

If she wanted to be on that flight, she'd have to reserve the seat on her Scroll. This would entail her using her real name using real credentials. When she first left Atlas something like this would have been unthinkable, risky even. Now... she didn't care. She didn't even think about it. She just casually pressed the button, and the seat was hers, damn anyone who would find her out and where she was going.

With the roads cleared and the weather cooperative, the bus arrived in the airport with timne to spare. Wishing the driver well, Weiss headed into the terminal beside other weather and travel weary passengers. She approached the flight counter and presented her ID, a real one this time. The receptionist's eyes widened a bit, but decided to keep her realization to herself. This did not stop her choice for banter though.

"Patch, is it? Heading there for vacation? Visiting someone?|

"Something like that."

Handing back her ID, the receptionist smiled at Weiss. She walked towards the landing area, passing by the old VIP lounge formerly used by SDC executives, now an executive lounge for other high class passengers. Weiss' ticket was for standard coach and didn't really care for such luxuries any more.

The passenger Bullhead slowly loaded with passengers. Weiss was one of the last to enter, seated in a tiny seat near the back. This time, however, she didn't feel exhausted, physically or emotionally. Throughout the flight, though it was the middle of the night, Weiss would occasionally glance outside the window to see the world outside. The flight followed the northwest coast of Vale after crossing the ocean in between. The ground was littered with the lights of the skyline in the towns and cities that they passed. They eventually passed over the city of Vale, its massive buildings littered with lights that seemed to reach into the dark heavens. Beacon Academy lay in its center, the CCT dwarfing its halls and training fields. Within a few hours the Bullhead landed at the island's airfield, the sun beginning to rise in the east.

As Weiss stepped out of the passenger hall, she could not help but notice how Patch felt different. The island felt more... alive. A backwater island province to some, but it now felt more familiar, more comforting to her. The old style houses and wide streets lined with flowers exhumed a quaint, rustic charm. Signal Academy, where she is now employed, still loomed over the low rise buildings., yet gave her the same sense of familiarity as Beacon did so many years ago.

She hailed a taxi. The kindly old taxi driver popped open the rear door and let the young lady in. She smiled, and he smiled back, exchanging wordless morning greetings.

"Number 7, Abethon Road please?"

"Abethon Road? That's all the way in the edge of town... in fact..."

The kindly old man looked at her through his rear view mirror.

"Oh! Aren't you the young lady I drove there some weeks ago?"

The old taxi driver stroked his chin.

"What was your name again? Miss-"

"Schnee. Weiss Schnee."

"Ah yes. Daughter of of the SDC chairman. Shame what happened to your father."

"Yes. Thank you for your concern."

"Abethon road was it?"

Pushing on the gas pedal, the kindly old driver in his kindly old taxi slowly made its way towards the edge of town. Unlike Atlas, Patch now enjoyed some rather pleasant weather which afforded Weiss the opportunity to enjoy the sights and sounds. The old man, looking at the rather excited young woman, couldn't help but chuckle to herself.

"You know, Miss Schnee, you look very different now then when I drove you last. More... upbeat... alive, I guess."

Weiss smiled at the old driver through his rear view mirror.

"Things have changed sir. A lot. Thank you for noticing."

Weiss exuded an Aura very much different from the first time she came to the island, enough for even an old man like the driver to notice. She too could notice how the scenery of the tiny rural island felt so different from the first time she saw them. Everything felt more real, more vibrant, more soothing and even comforting. It felt like she knew this place since her childhood, familiar yet new at the same time. She could clearly hear the shouts of the children playing outside, the banter of the women going about the chores, the men as they carried on with their work. Everything felt like they were in place, at peace.

As the taxi drove on, the houses and other buildings became even sparser. The bumpy road twisted and turned along the coast for the next half hour. Eventually she caught sight of a small cluster of houses by a clearing inland with a sign saying "Abethon Road" along a small street entering the main road. The taxi turned into the road and the clearing. They eventually reached a a house by the end of the road. A quaint cottage with a second floor, lined with orange tiles with a few of the tiles missing. Beside the house was a small open garage, inside of it the remains of a very mangled and torn up motorcycle. The front lawn needed a bit of cutting and trimming. Grey-white smoke came out of chimney, with it the smell of freshly baked cookies.

Paying the old driver and getting out of the taxi, Weiss took a deep breath and took out her keys. She slowly turned the lock on the door with a slightly audible opened the door. Inside was a young brunette wearing a pink dress and a purple apron. She wore a frilly skirt up to her knees, her hair properly bunched up into a hairnet. Cookie dough was slathered on her face.

The young brunette turned around to the figure by the door. In an instant she dropped the whisk she was holding an, in a flurry of rose petals, leapt into Weiss' arms. Weiss, already used to this, easily caught the leaping brunette. Both women spun around with a laugh, The young brunette placed her face close to Weiss cheek with a kiss.

"Ruby... I'm home."

"Weiss... welcome home."

Author's Notes:

And that, as they say, is that.

This chapter goes up less than two hours before the premier of Volume 4 for RT for sponsors, as sort of promised. It's been almost a year since I began this project and it's had its ups and downs in the process. It took a lot longer than I anticipated due to IRL commitments.

Now, well, it's on to other projects. The promised work I wanted to do based on the new episodes of RWBY are currently in limbo due to it allegedly being partially against the rules, so I'll need to check up on that if I can really work on it. In any case, my new AU work will eventually start and probably be up by mid November.

Thanks of course to everyone who stuck by me with this project and left their reviews. Please continue to leave your reviews and hopefully, time willing, the AU story titles Somewhere Only We Know will come into reality in November.

Thanks everybody!