Author's Note: Welcome, everyone! I've gone and made myself comfortable in the realm of RWBY fanfiction! I really like the series, and I want to see more from Monty and crew, so I went and bought Volume One and the soundtrack on my phone! C'mon, support them and stuff!

Okay, enough with the introductions. Time to get this story rolling. I intended to write the whole thing at once, but it ended up being more serious than I expected. So yeah, expect a few more chapters of this stuff! This chapter is more for setting up the... setting. Also, this story is tinged with a bit of sappy White Rose. Yup.

Read and review, got it? Cool, thanks!

THE BIGGEST EDITED-IN NOTICE OF THEM ALL!: This story has its ups and downs. There's a truckload of drama, an elephant's worth of humor, and a whole lot of dated references! Remember when Velvet and Team CFVY were such a mystery? Remember the time where Volume Two was both the best and the worst Volume? Yeah, that all sounds loadsa fun, huh? XD Also, several month-long delays, this is the end. Edited 12/24/2015

As for everyone else, let's carry on. Thank you for your time.

Disclaimer: RWBY is the property of Monty Oum and Rooster Teeth. I do not claim ownership of anything pertaining to RWBY or any related properties. Any other references to non-related things are also not owned by me. This is a nonprofit fan work.

Rated T for: Language, suggestive themes, and some Semblance of insanity. Get it?

Original Post Date: 12/25/13

Weiss Schnee was a prim and proper girl.

The ways of business and etiquette had been drilled into her from a young age. Taught to never show weakness or display emotion, her childhood could reasonably be considered to be a less than joyous one, all to groom her for the role she would assume when she came of age. Despite rebelling against her restrictive upbringing in her own way, Weiss inevitably fell back on her teachings, for those were the only lessons she knew, and wasn't in a position to say otherwise.

These were the truths she would carry on through her time at Beacon, to adulthood, and to a time when she would assume control of the Schnee Dust Company. This would be her future.

So when Weiss would wake up one Christmas morning, she never expected her day to end up a whirlwind of crazy and emotions.

Her partner for throughout her Beacon years, one youthful Ruby Rose, was straddled over Weiss at the foot of her bed, her gray eyes shimmering in anticipation.

"MERRY CHRISTMAS, WEISS!" Ruby shouted at the top of her lungs to a groggy Weiss. The heiress was not amused.

"Ruby?"

"Hmm?"

"Get off of me!" Weiss made an effort to lift Ruby up and over the foot of her bed using her legs. She may not be a physical powerhouse, but Weiss was never to be underestimated when she just woke up.

Ruby took a spill onto the floor. "Ow... What was that for? I didn't do anything!"

Taking some time to wake up, Weiss climbed out of bed to really see what her partner was up to, only to look perplexed at her partner's curious choice of clothes. Ruby was dressed in what looked to be a reindeer outfit. A brown full-body suit, sans head, with a collar that had a red bell on it. The only real indication that she was a reindeer was a headband with antlers on it, as well as a red rubber nose over Ruby's real nose. Of course, she was wearing her trademark red cloak over the whole thing, making the ensemble look like some kind of awkward superhero. "Ruby, just what exactly is that supposed to be?"

No sooner did Weiss speak those words, Ruby sprang up to her feet and posed, her right arm extended in front of her with a handful of candy canes, and her left holding a full sack of... something. Weiss didn't really care. "Do you like it? I'm Rubolph, the magical Christmas reindeer! I'm here to grant your wishes, since you were such a good girl!"

As Ruby was exuberantly showing her Christmas spirit, Weiss stared blankly at her, unable to grasp the meaning behind this display. So instead, she decided to ignore Ruby. Weiss walked to the counter, where her slightly stale coffee was waiting for her. The younger girl took offense to her being ignored. "Hey! Not so fast, Missy! You're going nowhere until your wish-granting reindeer hears what you want today!"

Taking a sip of her coffee, Weiss looked at Ruby as if she wore her homework on her head and handed in her cloak for Professor Oobleck's class. In other words, like she was stupid. "I'm pretty sure that's not how it goes."

Ruby pouted. "Well, duh, I know that! It's just that there weren't any Santa suits in my size, so I decided to improvise!"

'Where did she even get that costume?' thought Weiss as she finished her coffee. She gave her partner a once-over. 'Well, it's not like she doesn't look cute in it, but still...' "Ruby, that costume makes me physically ill just by looking at it! I can already feel its scratchy, third-rate fibers giving me goosebumps!"

"What, no it's not scratchy! It's silk, see?"

Ruby unceremoniously dropped everything she was carrying and held a sleeve up to Weiss's cheek. Before she could instinctively recoil and complain, however, its soft feel had silenced her. She wrote the quality of the suit off too soon as she struggled to suppress a shudder. But it wasn't the surprising material that drew her in, it was the person who was wearing it. Ruby always seemed to inspire a strange feeling from within Weiss, and the close contact only brought it out again. She wanted to write it off as annoying and be done with it.

Unfortunately for her, a slight moan had escaped her lips, and Weiss was now frozen with embarrassment. Ruby had on a dopey smile. "Sounds like the spirit has finally awakened inside you! Wanna Christmas cuddle?"

Normally, Weiss would admonish Ruby in no uncertain terms, but the heiress couldn't find the strength to speak, her embarrassment still taking hold. Instead, she decided to seperate herself from the offender. Ruby yelped as she was being dragged by the collar as Weiss opened the door and threw her out. "Ow! What's going on? Weiss?!"

Said girl was so red in the face, steam could be seen expelling from her ears. She finally found her voice and said in no uncertain terms, "Outside. Think. Shower. Now. Dolt!" before locking the door and stranding Ruby outside the dorm. Weiss leaned against the door, trying to catch her breath and keeping her heart from beating out of her chest.

Ruby managed to sit up looking quite confused. When she realized how she ended up outside the team's dorm room, she scrambled for the door and knocked on it with the speed of five rolling Boarbatusks. "Wei~ss! What about your magical reindeer wish?! WEIIIII~SS!"

After a few minutes of listening to Ruby rap on the door, Weiss managed to calm herself down. Ruby followed suit shortly after, hopefully calm as well, at least that's what the heiress had hoped. Weiss noticed that the other half of Team RWBY weren't present. They would have made themselves known, what with all the commotion Ruby was causing. 'Whatever, they're big girls, they can handle themselves.' Pushing any and all thoughts of the morning to the back of her mind, Weiss decided to get ready for the day.

Weiss exited the bathroom, all robed up and squeaky clean, when a slight breeze snapped her out of her warm comfort. "What in the world? Has this been open all this ti—" She noticed a few wispy rose petals around the windowsill, leading to where Ruby had dropped her candy canes and burlap sack. They were gone. Weiss quickly put the pieces together.

"Sheesh, is this holiday so important to her that she would scale the building for... whatever it is she's planning?" She buried her face in her hands and continued talking to herself. "Ugh, I didn't even mean to snap at Ruby like that!" Weiss let out a muffled yell into her hands. "I just don't do well with Christmas, that's all."

She then looked off to the side, where a tall mirror laid. "Not like I told anyone or anything, except you." She walked up to it; the only thing it showed was a reflection. There she was, a girl who was all too willing to shoulder a future burden, unable to be truly honest with herself and find what makes her happy. "Can I really find something that can make this all worthwhile? Am I meant to be happy at all?" She somberly spoke to the girl who was staring back. She was the only one whom she can trust with her life.

Beacon had done wonders for Weiss's life. Not only will her skills as a Huntress be tempered here, but she will learn valuable knowledge that she can apply toward her future as the head of the Schnee Dust Company. At least, that was the plan. Not long after her becoming partners with Ruby, along with the formation of her team, Weiss's attitude was reined in due to feeling superior to most, especially her partner who became the team leader despite her age and lack of experience. She had been forced to reevaluate herself, and after having a heart-to-heart with Ruby, Weiss agreed to try to change for the better.

Old vices would keep flaring up, causing no end of strife for the heiress, such as the incident with Blake and the White Fang, the Schnee Dust Company's business practices, or Ruby's lack of focus on anything that didn't involve weapons or slaying the creatures of Grimm.

Ruby...

Every time the two of them interacted, Weiss would usually explain in detail what her leader had done wrong, incorrect, indecent, unsavory, or any other permutation of an undignified concept. Every time, Ruby seemed to deflect her bits of wisdom and act like it was no big deal, only to find her the next day struggling to stay awake during one of Professor Port's long-winded spiels on the joys of trapping animals, all while taking the time to smile at Weiss whenever she would check up on her. Ruby was innocent, perhaps a byproduct of her age and her early admittance to Beacon, but she always looked for the positives in life, and wanted to share them with everyone. With strangers, with her sister, with her team, and especially with her partner.

Ruby and Weiss couldn't be more opposite if they tried. Ruby was impulsive, untempered, and willing to lend an ear to anyone who asked. Weiss was trained, sharpened, and unwilling to listen to anyone, even herself. Despite insisting otherwise, Weiss was glad Ruby wanted to get to know her. The two eventually grew from a shaky partnership to a stable friendship, one covering the other's differences in life and during battle, and perhaps meeting in the middle. Everything was going right.

Where did it go wrong?

Over time, Weiss's feelings of gratitude had become something much more complicated. What used to be glances meant for checking up on Ruby became stares filled with the twinkling of daydreams. What were once friendly conversations were now awkward sessions of tiptoeing around her true feelings. When did Weiss Schnee fall in love with Ruby Rose?

The younger Ruby was always so kind to Weiss, and she was always looking for her approval. No one could really refuse Ruby's attention, and that was especially true for the heiress. She always convinced herself to forget such feelings and move on. All the memories of Team RWBY would mean nothing to her when she takes up the role she was raised for. Yet every time she looked at her, it all comes flooding back. It beckoned her to abandon everything she had worked hard for, for a life of potentially nothing but Ruby. Although it was a stressful upbringing, it was all she had, and one girl had managed to open up a whole new world for her.

Weiss was scared. Scared of failing, of her future, of rejection, of loneliness. For her, it was not an easy choice to make. If she went for Ruby, the Company would come crashing down on them both, a balance would never be reached, all for the sake of love. If she chose the Company, she would doom herself to a life of expectations, with no room for anything Weiss had to say, all for the sake of success.

Not willing to spare the heartbreak, Weiss convinced herself that she did not deserve to be happy. And that's why...

"Christmas is a holiday for those who can afford to be happy. I can afford anything in the world, except... that." Looking at her reflection, Weiss saw herself, still in the bathrobe she wore, her hair a mess, and her eyes were bloodshot, having long since emptied of tears. Christmas could only be another empty day to her. "I'm truly the loneliest of them all."

At the very least, she could apologize to Ruby, but that would cause everything to fall apart, Weiss just knew it.

Just as she was about to resign herself to her supposed fate, and pretend she was ill as to not raise suspicion amongst her teammates, a few loud knocks on the door brought Weiss back to reality.

"Hey! Open up! Ruby tells me you need some cheering up! I've got breakfast for ya right here!"

At the mention of breakfast, Weiss's stomach rumbled clearly for her. "I knew I should have made Ruby get me breakfast. That counts for my wish, right?" she mumbled. There was only one person could be so loud, so obnoxious as to eclipse her sister on the headache meter. "Rrr... I'll be right there, you thundering clod!" Weiss quickly applied any make-up to conceal any signs of crying and made her way to the door. The moment she turned the knob, it swung open very hard, knocking Weiss to the floor.

"Here's your food, Princess! Courtesy of the Yang Express!"

Yang Xiao Long had burst through the door, carrying and balancing an array of trays and plates filled with plenty of food. She took a moment to look around for the "princess" before finding her sprawled out face-up on the floor.

"Agh! Damn it, Yang! You unsubtle, impulsive bull! Watch where you're going, you almost gave me a heart attack! Wait, why are you looking at me like that?"

Yang's eyes were wide and trained on Weiss, which unsettled her in a major way. It only got worse when the blonde's face changed from surprised to playful in an instant. "Well, Ruby told me you needed cheering up, but I never figured you would be so happy to see me!" She gave her eyebrows a good shake as if she knew something.

"What are you talking about, you oaf? Why would I be happy to see y—?" She cut herself off and froze in embarrassment as she saw what Yang saw: her robe had been unraveled, exposing... everything from her open reclining position.

"AaaaaaaaAAAAAAAHHHH!"

A/N: After a heavy drama dump, some laughter is in order, wouldn't you say? Don't worry, the future drama-to-humor ratio will balance out better for the most part.

Also, I doubt anyone cares, but I'll put up a proper MSPaint icon for this story come next chapter. It's kind of my thing.

What's the next chapter about? More of Team RWBY, that's all I'll say on the matter. The first name of this story had to be changed, because moments after I started writing this, everyone started making stories with the "Weiss" Christmas pun!

Well everything turned out great! I mainly wanted this to be started on Christmas, and so it is done. All the way into 4 in the morning! Remember, read and review! Merry Christmas, if that applies! If not, then see you next time!