Chapter 10

Weiss wandered the abyss alone, naught but a spec of gleaming light in the distance to guide her path, frigid winds brushing past the exposed skin of her face, like an endless torrent of icy water. But still she pressed on, gloved hands raised to deflect the onslaught. The light held sanctuary, beckoning her forward even as her skin turned numb. The ground beneath her feet turned to ice, the ice collected snow, sparkling gently beneath invisible moonlight, and the light ahead came into focus.

A mirror, tall and ornate, stood before a tree. Weiss...saw her reflection approach, her reflection...but...she could see herself, her red cheeks and perfect teeth, normal teeth, no fangs in sight. It was beautiful.

"Hello my sweet." Cindy's voice whispered in her ear, and she found herself frozen, ice cold limbs sliding across her skin, her clothing drifting away like snow upon the wind, and Cindy's smirking visage appeared over her shoulder. "You are beautiful, so perfect, so warm...oh...my mistake!" With a snarl, Cindy buried her fangs once more into Weiss' neck, that ice cold agony flowing through her body, but this time, she screamed and struggled and shook, sobbing and begging to be freed. All the while Cindy continued to feed on her lifeblood, frigid hands once more stroking her most delicate areas with loving precision. Her reflection changed, her skin lost its luster, her eyes grew sullen, her bones jutting as she was bled dry.

"Please...not again...help me." Weiss pled, trying to meet Cindy's gaze in the mirror. But the vampire was too far gone, so much so she was moaning...humming...a melody? A familiar one, one she had not heard since...she was a young girl...cradled in her mother's arms. "Mama?" Weiss croaked. But when Cindy's eyes snapped open they were lilac, glowing, warm, the warmest sight Weiss had ever seen, burning, Cindy's skin turning black and flaking away as embers, her hair glowing gold, her mouth no longer feasting but planting gentle kisses along her throat, perfect lips burning red marks as they went. "Yang?"

"I'm here Weiss." Yang soothed.

"Is she gone?" Weiss whimpered.

"She is." Yang confirmed.

"How are you here?" Weiss asked.

"You let me in." Yang replied.

"In?" Weiss pressed.

"You asked for my help." Yang answered.

"But...this is...this is a dream." Weiss stammered.

"Hmm...are dreams any less real because they're in your head?" Yang countered.

"I...ah Yang!" Weiss yelled in alarm. The world became bright, brighter than she had ever experienced. Her skin turned red, bubbling and blistering, blackening. The flesh on her fingers turned to dust before her very eyes, and as the world faded to black, she screamed herself awake, sobbing, phantom pains running through every inch of her body. But two familiar arms remained wrapped around her form, the soothing melody humming in her ear, gently driving away the pain and fear. "Yang." Weiss whispered hoarsely.

"I'm here Weiss." Yang responded.

"It hurt." Weiss whimpered.

"I know Weiss." Yang nodded.

"I saw it...I saw it happen again, she…" Weiss sobbed, her entire body shaking. "S-she took me...she took everything, m-my soul, my heart, my b-body." She shuddered barely able to breathe. "I loved her, s-she was my first and only love and she killed me Yang."

"And we will find her Weiss." Yang promised. "We will find her and drag her into the sun, and starve her until her skin boils and melts from her bones, I swear this to you."

"Killing her won't bring back what she stole from me." Weiss sighed.

"And nothing will, but you're strong Weiss, so strong." Yang tightened the embrace, her heat rising. "You can heal from this, and move on, embrace this new life, that will be the biggest fuck you to that bitch. You can be better than her. You can set an example for all of your kind, and Ruby and Pyrrha and Blake and Glynda and your sister, even if she's uptight, they'll all be by your side to help that happen."

"And you." Weiss added.

"And me, duh, though more at your back at the moment, not that I mind, you're comfy." Yang admired. "The perfect little spoon."

Weiss laughed at that. "You can't stay by my back forever Yang. You have to recharge on occasion."

"And I'll be right back as soon as possible, I promise." Yang whispered.

Weiss nodded, taking several deep, shaky breaths clutching at Yang like a lifeline. "It's stupid. I've barely felt real pain since I first awoke, but the one thing that keeps aching is my heart...I thought I'd found it Yang, I thought I'd found that...that happiness so many people find in each other. I thought I'd found my equal, I thought I'd found my companion, my soulmate...but I was wrong...and it hurts, a cold ache deep in my chest, throbbing, on the occasion that my heart decides to beat...and I'm reminded of what love made me."

"Love is a screwy thing Weiss." Yang observed. "My dad loved my mom, my mom loved my dad, but she doesn't love me, even though I was born of that love...it made me feel incomplete, like half of me wasn't meant to be. No one else seemed to think it was that special. Some of our kind just don't care for their creations. I like to think that if I ever make a child, it'll be with someone who will give them the love they deserve."

"I won't ever have children...the cost is too high...just another thing Cinder took from me." Weiss lamented.

"There is more than one way to skin a goat Weiss." Yang suggested.

"Hah, yeah, Weiss Schnee, vampire mom." Weiss scoffed. "Hey Weiss, raising a snack?"

"I think you'd do great." Yang encouraged. "Hey, how about we make a deal?"

Weiss huffed, shifting to the side, her hand lay upon one of Yang's breasts accidentally, but she merely looked up at the blonde aspect with interested eyes. "What kind of deal?"

"Humans make marriage pacts." Yang noted. "I always found them a bit silly. If you wanna' marry someone, you marry someone. Why don't we make a reproduction pact?"

"A repro...alright, how would that work exactly?" Weiss inquired.

"We don't need compatible bits and bobs to make babies Weiss." Yang explained. "I have a soul, and you have a soul, no matter how wounded it may be."

"Oh...I wasn't aware that was how it worked." Weiss admitted.

"Well hey, you learn something new everyday." Yang beamed.

Weiss found herself laughing. "Alright Yang." She sighed, shaking her head. "What kind of pact?"

"Someday, might be next week, might be next month, might be fifty years from now, you might want to have a baby." Yang replied. "If that day comes, I'll lend you my soul."

"That's an awfully large offer Yang, to make someone you've barely known for a fortnight, and met less times than you have fingers." Weiss warned.

"Technically I can have as many fingers as I like." Yang smirked.

"Yang." Weiss groaned, angling her face down to hide her smile. She noticed her hand's position and made to remove it, but Yang held it in place. It was just as warm as the rest of her, if not moreso.

"Weiss...I will live for hundreds of thousands of your human years, I'll meet many humans, many vampires, werewolves and all manner of creatures, and just as many aspects." Yang said. "I will have children with some of them...and I will love every one of them, until the day my spirit dies. At least I know if I have one with you, I can count on you loving them too."

Weiss felt her eyes sting, and it occurred to her she must be covered in bloody tears. Sure enough when she looked down her nightgown had large red tear stains around the collar. She sighed, and slowly pushed herself up to straddle Yang. "I assume you saw everything when you brought me home." She mumbled, grasping the hem of the gown and pulling it over her head. She shivered at the frigid air of the room on her skin, quickly using the gown to wipe her cheeks and eyes, and tossing it to the side.

"You're beautiful Weiss." Yang admired.

Weiss laughed. "I'll take your word for it...you're a literal goddess after all."

Yang beamed, resting her hands on Weiss' hips. "That's right, and my word is law where I come from."

"Hmm, maybe you could take me one day." Weiss suggested.

"That would be a bit of a bad idea." Yang warned.

"Maybe." Weiss chuckled, laying back down on Yang's warm chest, the feeling of her skin on her own was heavenly. "Maybe it'd be worth seeing before I die."

"Ask me a hundred years from now...I don't want to kill my new friend just yet." Yang laughed.

"Friend?" Weiss challenged. "After the reproduction pact and sleeping together nude...we are strange friends Yang."

"You humans love your labels Weiss." Yang shrugged. "I prefer to exist, and go along with whatever life throws at me."

"Luck huh...are you lucky Yang?" Weiss joked.

"You tell me Weiss." Yang smirked.

Weiss felt her smile falter, laying still as emotions swirled around her head. "I'll...I'll get back to you on that." She finally murmured, feeling Yang plant a kiss on her hair.

"Take your time Weiss." Yang advised. "We have forever."

Ironwood and Winter walked up the hill toward Glynda's house, Penny following close behind. Their trip from the airship, through the town and to the house had been made in awkward silence. Adding to the unease, the townspeople were clearly skittish around a Templar general and his automaton, staying well clear and speaking in hushed tones. One child had followed them for a time, clearly curious about Penny, but had fled when she turned to address him. Their fear was hardly surprising. Patch rarely saw Templars of any rank, and never Atlesian robots.

A sudden crash interrupted the silence of the walk. Ironwood and Winter turned toward the sound to find Penny lying face-down in the grass. "Penny, are you alright?" Ironwood asked.

"Yessir General Ironwood!" Penny replied. "But it seems my systems are resetting."

"Has this ever happened before?" Winter asked.

"No, this is-" Ironwood started. A sharp whooshing sound drew his and Winter's attention back toward the house. Glynda and Blake had teleported to the spot, now placing themselves in the group's path.

"General Ironwood." Glynda greeted flatly.

"Master Witch Glynda." Ironwood extended his hand but it was ignored. He sighed and returned it to his side. "I assume one of your wards is responsible for my android's current distress. Hmm...my shield prevented similar interference…"

"I neglected to activate my shield General Ironwood sir!" Penny called.

"What brings you and your death squads to my village?" Glynda hissed.

"I invited him." Winter answered.

"And why would you do that?" Glynda pressed.

"Because he and his men hunt beasts like the one that attacked my sister." Winter replied. "And he's more of a father to Weiss than Jacques ever was. Now, if you don't mind, I'd like to go see her."

"Go ahead." Glynda stepped aside, allowing Winter to pass. Ironwood attempted to follow but found his path blocked by Blake. "State your intentions."

"Right now, I intend to see Weiss, to do what I can to support her." Ironwood took a step back.

"And after that?" Glynda inquired.

"My soldiers and I will hunt the rogue vampire that attacked Weiss." Ironwood explained. "I will position troops at the port to prevent her escape from the island, and send squads into the wilderness to locate her lair. As the hunters sent by Ozpin no doubt informed you, she is extremely dangerous. I cannot risk her slipping away to kill again."

"I don't want your men causing trouble." Glynda growled. "And I don't want them making the people nervous."

"They will maintain a low profile." Ironwood promised. "I understand the port has been damaged by the recent storm. They will assist in the repair efforts. As far as anyone will know, we're just a humanitarian assistance mission."

"Very well." Glynda allowed. "But as soon as the vampire is apprehended, you and your men will leave."

"Now, may I see Weiss?" Ironwood requested.

"That depends." Glynda resisted. "Do you come as a Templar or a private individual?"

"What's wrong with being a Templar?" Ironwood huffed.

"Oh, I don't know, all the killing non-humans." Blake finally spoke.

"Templars do not indiscriminately kill anything that's not human." Ironwood countered. "We hunt murderers and bring them to justice."

"So the Forever Fall Coven were all murderers then?" Glynda challenged.

"It's not that simple." Ironwood sighed. "You know that. They weren't all killers, but they were protecting killers. If they'd just given them up...I didn't have a choice."

"Neither did Weiss." Glynda snapped.

Ironwood frowned. "I know. I will not do her any harm, nor will I harm anyone under your protection. You have my word, as a Templar, and a man. Now please, may I speak with Weiss?"

"Fine." Glynda relented. "Blake, show him to her."

"What about the robot?" Blake asked.

Ironwood turned around, finding Penny still face down where she had fallen. "Penny, are your systems online yet?"

"No sir General Ironwood!" Penny replied. "It seems the ward is interfering with the reboot process."

Glynda rolled her eyes and snapped her fingers. "How about now?"

"Why...yes Master Witch Glynda!" Penny cheered. "It will take some time before motor function is restored to a degree sufficient to allow for locomotion."

"I can't leave her out here." Ironwood noted.

Glynda sighed. "I'll teleport her to the house."

Winter soon arrived at the house, letting herself in just in time to see Glynda and Penny materialize in the lounge, Penny held in the air by a levitation spell. With a few snappy hand gestures, Glynda flipped Penny around, and set her down on the couch in a sitting position. Winter found the sight amusing and a bit encouraging. If Glynda was taking Penny into her home, if only for a short time, she must have come to some understanding with General Ironwood.

Winter did not linger to eavesdrop on Glynda's conversation with the android, instead jogging up the stairs. She hardly slowed before reaching the door to Weiss' room. A smile on her face, Winter slipped inside, quickly closing the door behind her so as not to cause Weiss any unnecessary discomfort. The smile quickly disappeared. The scene before her made her blood boil. Instead of being tightly cocooned in blankets, Weiss only had a single one draped over her, and it was low enough to reveal her bare back. Her nightgown was crumpled on the floor at the foot of the bed, so Winter could guess that Weiss was nude. She was snuggled against the fire summon Yang's chest.

"What in the name of...get away from her demon!" Winter growled.

Yang propped herself up on an arm, revealing that she too was nude, and pressed a finger to her lips to shush Winter. Weiss was sleeping soundly for the first time in days, and the last thing Yang wanted was for that rare slumber to be interrupted. "Quiet." Yang whispered.

"Up, now." Winter demanded. She drew her silver saber, pointing the tip at Yang's face,

Yang sighed. "Fine." Rather than further upsetting the bed by moving in physical form, she transformed, her now ethereal body vacating the bed and solidifying beside it, still nude.

"Clothes." Winter instructed, now lowering her weapon.

Yang rolled her eyes and flames erupted around her, dying down to reveal newly formed clothing. "Happy?"

"Wha...what's going on?" Weiss asked groggily. She looked up at Winter, then at the sword. "Winter...what are you doing?"

"What are you doing in bed with this demon?" Winter snapped.

It took a moment for Weiss to grasp the situation. "Oh for the love of…" Weiss grumbled. "I wasn't having sex if that's what you're asking. She was just keeping me warm." Winter hesitated, still eyeing Yang, but sheathed her sword.

"She's not lying." Yang insisted. "She's been cold, so I was warming her up. Skin-to-skin contact happens to be the most efficient method."

"I don't like you." Winter hissed.

"Really, I never would have guessed." Yang sneered. "You made that pretty clear the last time we met. Maybe if you got the stick out of your ass-"

"Yang, Winter, behave." Weiss cut in. "Winter, Yang's my friend, she was helping me out. Yang, Winter is just being protective, like a big sister should. And she can't help that the Templars trained her to mistrust summons. Now apologize, both of you."

"No." Winter refused.

"Winter." Weiss insisted.

"Oh fine...Yang, I'm sorry for pointing my weapon at you." Winter relented.

"And I'm sorry for saying you have a stick up your ass." Yang responded. "Even if it's true."

"Yang." Weiss admonished. Yang just shrugged. Weiss sighed and rubbed the bridge of her nose. "Winter, what brings you here today?"

"I've brought General Ironwood." Winter replied. "He'd like to speak with you."

"Oh...alright." Weiss nodded. "I'll get dressed...and make myself presentable."

"Let me guess, he's a Templar general." Yang suggested.

"He is indeed." Winter confirmed.

"Wonderful." Yang grumbled.

"I'll be going." Winter noted. "We have another guest, and I must show her due courtesy. I love you sister."

"I love you too." Weiss declared. Winter managed a smile before she slipped out of the room.

"Just what we need, another trigger-happy-" Yang started.

"Give General Ironwood a chance Yang." Weiss requested. "He's been very good to my sister and I."

"That was before you were turned." Yang warned. "Who's to say he'll be supportive now that you're not human?"

"He's a good man." Weiss insisted.

"He's a Templar." Yang countered. "I won't let him harm you."

"He won't." Weiss threw off the covers and stood to begin dressing.

Yang handed Weiss her underwear. "Well I'm taking his weapon anyway."

"If that'll make you feel better." Weiss rolled her eyes. "Just be nice."

Yang smirked. "Nope."