I don't even know, man. I had an image in my head and since I can't draw for shit, I had to write it instead. I've never written anything this dark before and I have to admit, it was fun as hell. Sorry not sorry. Cinder is creepy as hell and I love writing her that way.

This wasn't supposed to happen. This was exactly the opposite of what was supposed to happen. She was a Huntress in training. Preventing this was the only thing that had convinced Father to allow her to attend combat school in the first place.

"I can't depend solely on bodyguards, Father, and if I ever go to inspect the Quarry, I need to be able to fight off any Creatures of Grimm that might show up. Business school will have to wait. I need to be able to defend myself. From anyone and anything."

Now Weiss wished she had gone to business school; now that she found herself gagged and bound tightly to a chair in a warehouse full of Dust crates. Her family's Dust. The Schnee crest stared down at her from all directions, judging eyes that said, "You've failed."

She whimpered as she desperately pulled at the cords drawing her wrists behind her, with only more blisters and chaffing to show for it. The bonds were so tight that she couldn't even form the simplest glyph.

A sliver of light appeared and disappeared on the other side of the building, accompanied by the loud bangs of a door being opened and then swiftly closed. Weiss's breath hitched and her tears became silent as four distinct footsteps echoed through the warehouse toward her. Soon, the bearers of the footsteps came into view. The four criminals who had made life a living hell for Team RWBY since day one.

And Weiss was their plaything.

"Poor girl," Cinder said. "Mercury, be a dear and take that gag off, won't you?"

Mercury nodded and sauntered over to Weiss's chair. He grabbed the corner of the duct tape over the Heiress's mouth and yanked.

Weiss cried out as miniscule bits of skin were ripped away with the tape. Face still stinging, she watched him back away and could see them all too clearly. The smiles of her kidnappers seared into her like hot coals. The soulless red eyes of the Grimm paled in comparison. Emotionless: that's what the Grimm's eyes were.

Not so here. These eyes were hungry. These eyes were gleeful. These were eyes that would terrify the most hardened Hunters. Even someone like Yang or Ruby would—

Ruby. Ruby Yang Blake oh god her team her friends Yang Blake Ruby Ruby please oh God no one was coming nononono—

"Please," Weiss choked. All pretenses of dignity were abandoned. "Whatever it is that you want, you can have it. My father will pay any ransom." Her eyes darted around the warehouse. "You're interested in Dust? You can have all the Dust you want. Money is no object, just— don't hurt me, please. Please, I'm begging you."

Roman's laugh was horrific. It was cold and hard and cruel. "She begs! I've never known a Schnee to beg for anything." He took a step toward her chair and lifted her chin with the tip of his cane. "Look, sweetheart, this isn't about money. And it isn't about Dust, either. In case you hadn't noticed, we aren't exactly lacking." He released her chin and gestured to their surroundings.

Weiss swallowed thickly. "Th-then what do you want?"

Their smiles never faltered.

Emerald walked over and leaned onto her knees so that she was eye-level with Weiss. She playfully pinched her cheek. "Nothing, really. Just for a lark."

"Emerald." It was quiet, but firm and scolding, and Emerald immediately backed off. "It isn't 'nothing.'"

"…Yes, ma'am."

Weiss began to hyperventilate as Cinder sashayed over to her chair. The woman looked down at her, eyes betraying the thirst behind her sympathetic smile. "Oh, Miss Schnee," she crooned, stroking Weiss's cheek with one long nail. "You'll know what we want soon enough." She pulled a small, ornate butterfly knife out of seemingly nowhere and began to flip it idly. Some part of Weiss's brain briefly pondered the kind of distasteful jokes Yang would make about where she was hiding that knife—

Yang. Yang Blake Ruby where were they oh god her team should be here where were they where were they—

Something cold stopped her panicked thoughts in their tracks. Back in reality, the flat of the blade pressed ever so lightly against her cheek. "Pretty little thing." Cinder's voice dripped with sensuality. It made Weiss's skin crawl.

Slowly - so very slowly - Cinder lowered herself onto Weiss's lap and straddled her. Her nails traced jagged lines down Weiss's throat before her hand came to rest on her collarbone. "But so somber. I think I've only seen you smile once or twice."

"When—" Weiss's voice trembled. Her chest heaved and her heart raced, blood pounding in her ears. "When would— w-when would you h-have seen…"

"Shhhh…" Cinder silenced her with a finger on her lips. "I see a lot of things, Weiss." Weiss's entire being shuddered at the sound of her name on those red lips. It was wrong. Absolutely wrong.

And the others simply watched with unabashed delight as Weiss's tears became rivers.

"Weiss," Cinder said, "why don't you smile for me?"

Smiling. Smiling again. Cinder traced the blade slowly and lightly in the shape of a grin on Weiss's face. Her mouth tried to form words, but only breathy whimpers escaped. Weiss gasped in pain as the tip of the knife finally found purchase at the right corner of her mouth and cut into it ever so slightly as her lips moved.

"Please? Just a little smile?" Cinder's grip on the knife tightened. "For me?"

Weiss forced the corners of her mouth to rise.

"Ah that's hardly a smile at all." The blade pressed harder into her lip. "Can't you go a little bigger?"

She smiled as wide as her tear-streaked face would allow, until her eyes were forced shut.

The tip of the blade moved to the other side of her mouth to make a matching cut, tiny but excruciating. "I like it when you smile. Eyes open, please."

Weiss obeyed and opened her eyes, squinting tearfully at her tormentor through the pain and the fear and please someone come get her save her save her please please where was her team where was her partner where were they Ruby Ruby please—

There was a yell from somewhere outside the warehouse, followed by gunshots and the clank of metal on metal.

"Looks like the rescue party is here ahead of schedule," Roman said, pointing his cane in the direction of the door. "We've sent enough of a message. Time to make our exit."

"So soon? That didn't take long at all." Cinder stood and flipped the knife closed, then placed it gingerly on Weiss's lap. "Pity. We were about to have some real fun." She kissed the top of her prisoner's head before gliding away to join her partners in their hasty escape. "Remember to keep smiling, yes?"

And with a chorus of laughter and a final click of glass heals, Weiss was left alone again, tears streaming down to mix with the blood beading at the corners of her mouth.

Somewhere Weiss managed to register more shouting and gun blasts, and then she was brought completely back to the real world by a great metallic crash as the warehouse doors were blown in.

"Weiss! Weeeiiiiiss!"

That voice was unmistakable, and she desperately shouted back until her team ran to her. She collapsed out of the chair as Gambol Shroud bit through her restraints. Ruby caught her up in her arms as she fell to her knees, and Weiss clung to her shirt and quietly sobbed.

"God damn…"

Weiss sniffed and looked up. Yang had picked the knife up from where it had clattered to the floor and was staring at it with disgust, holding it away from her like it might turn around and bite her. She growled and threw it across the warehouse. "What the fuck is wrong with these people?"

"Yang, look."

All three girls looked to where Blake was pointing and the world went silent. Scorched into to the far wall was the word "smile" in letters that reached to the ceiling.

Weiss buried her bloody, tear-stained face in Ruby's shoulder once more.