Chapter 13—Never Again

Ilia didn't even notice Blake and Yang crouched in the cafeteria. When she came in sight of the building, her gaze focused only on the girl unconscious between them.

"Weiss!" she blurted, rushing into the cafeteria. She was forced to bring her attention to the others when they stood between her and Weiss. They looked as bad as Ilia felt, but they still drew their weapons. Blake, however, froze halfway when she recognized who was running toward her.

"Ilia?" Blake asked. "This . . . this is real? You and Weiss actually survived?"

Ilia nodded. "It's a long story. But what happened to Weiss?"

Blakes eyes darted to the girl behind her, then back to Ilia. "I—"

All three of them jumped at a sudden ring. When their hearts stopped racing, Yang scowled and pulled out her scroll.

"It's Jaune," she said. She looked toward Blake. "You know this girl?"

"I do," Blake said.

"Can we trust her?"

Rather than respond to Yang's question, Blake looked at Ilia.

"I can't defend what the White Fang did tonight," Ilia whispered. "I've fought them at every turn since the train, and I can never support their cause again."

Blake, somehow too paranoid and too trusting at the same time, stared into Ilia's eyes. Whatever she saw there, it was enough for her to step aside, letting Ilia crouch next to Weiss.

You look terrible, Ilia thought. Her dress barely clung to her frame, which was far skinnier than when she had put it on. Blood—Adam's—mixed with dirt that was weeks old. Then there was her face. The lines of exhaustion showed even in her sleep, and her breathing was that of someone who had run a marathon without aura. If she had been wearing black, Ilia wouldn't have blamed someone for mistaking her for a Grimm.

Not that Ilia looked much better. How long had they been away from civilization now? Surviving in the dirt and on limited rations? Ilia could barely remember life before that day on the train, even though it was barely a month ago. If that.

"You two were together this whole time?" Blake asked.

"We were stranded." Ilia's voice came out hoarse, barely above a whisper. It was all she could manage. "We couldn't get back to the tracks safely, so we had to go underground. We learned what Adam was planning, and rushed to stop it." She sighed. "Guess we were too late."

Ilia jolted at the unexpected contact on her shoulder. When she looked up, Blake was reaching down with a soft smile. "You kept her safe. You saved all of us. Thank you."

The weight of all that had happened had already caught up to Illia, but it was that act—Blake showing Ilia support despite everything, that finally opened the dam. Ilia pulled Blake down and wrapped her arms around her old crush, burying her head in her shoulder.

It's over, she thought. We might not have stopped the tragedy, but we made it. We limited the damage Merlot could do. We kept the White Fang from ruining the Faunus' reputation.

That wasn't entirely true. There would be damage, with the White Fang seen letting Grimm—even normal ones—into the school. Still, with Merlot's monsters limited in number, the destruction was at least contained to the school. If those things had spread . . . Ilia shuddered at the thought.

"It's Jaune," Yang said. Ilia hadn't even noticed her back away to take the call, or return. She pulled away from Blake, who stood up.

"What's going on?"

"Pyrrha," Yang said. "She went after Cinder on top of the tower."

Ilia's eyes widened, and she forced herself to stand. After one more glance at Weiss, she spoke. "This girl, could she move an elevator that's damaged and missing support cables?"

Yang raised an eyebrow. "She can. Why?"

Ilia's stomach fell. "I saw her, but there was no way to reach her. I was going to get Weiss' help, but by the time I got here—"

A loud crash had them rushing outside, Yang carrying Weiss. They made it out just in time to see the last pieces of the headmaster's office fall from the tower, having been rammed into by a dragon.

Ilia's eyes found the floor. "It was too late."

Ruby stumbled at the boom of thunder, almost getting her head ripped off by a Beowolf in the process.

She barely ducked out of the way, then sliced the Beowolf in half. Wiping sweat from her brow, she saw that the noise hadn't been thunder. The source was easy to spot, being a giant dragon emerging from where it had crashed into Ozpin's office.

Ruby's eyes widened, and her lip trembled. Jaune, Pyrrha, Blake, Yang. They were all still missing. What if they were up there?

No. Remember what Velvet said. She saw Yang run to the cafeteria.

Despite every impulse of her body screaming otherwise, Ruby ran in the opposite direction of the tower, instead heading for her teammates. She'd already lost one, she could lose more. Still, she couldn't help feel as though she were making a mistake.

That was, until she reached the cafeteria and saw those standing just outside. Blake and some other girl walked on either side of Yang, helping her support the girl in her arms.

When Ruby saw the unconscious figure, her eyes widened, and her hands flew to her mouth.

"Weiss!"

Waking was a slow process. She would fade in and out of consciousness, only getting glimpses of the world around her.

A white room. Concerned voices. The ring of a machine. All unknown, all equally frightening.

And yet, Weiss didn't feel afraid. Through all of that, there was one voice. And while it wasn't the only familiar one, this one was warm. It gave Weiss that same feeling her mother's voice had as a child.

As long as that voice was near, Weiss would never be afraid, or alone, ever again.

Finally, her eyes opened. Her vision was blurry, but she could still make out the room around her. It was a hospital room, though not Beacon's. It was a standard hospital, likely on the outskirts of Vale. One designed to take in Huntsmen and Huntresses injured after leaving Vale's borders.

Faintly, she could hear a rush of voices, none of which she recognized. How busy was the hospital?

It was that thought which got Weiss' mind back on track. Of course, every hospital would be crowded after—

Weiss gasped, her body jolting. The noise, along with the movement, was enough to wake the girl clutching Weiss' hand.

"Ilia?" Weiss asked, tightening her grip on Ilia's hand. Ilia blinked drowsily at first, until she recognized Weiss' voice.

"Weiss!" Before Weiss could register it, she was locked in a hug with Ilia. It was only when there was no smell of grime to follow the embrace that Weiss realized it had always been there before.

To think, I had gotten used to that. The faint scent of perfume on Ilia, along with the casual shirt and pants she wore, far better suited Weiss' tastes.

Ilia hadn't been the only one cleaned, though. Someone must have washed Weiss while she was unconscious, because she felt more human than she had in months. Even being in a hospital gown, and still drowsy herself, was a hundred times better than being stranded in those underground tunnels.

"How long has it been?" Weiss asked.

Ilia separated from the embrace. "It's been two days since the Fall of Beacon," she said. "Your aura needed time to recover, so it left your body unconscious."

Weiss nodded, accepting the explanation. Then, the events that had caused her aura to deplete in the first place came back to her.

"Blake and Yang!" she finally found the strength to sit up. "Are they okay?"

Ilia raised her arm to ease Weiss down if she stood, but it proved to be unnecessary. "They're okay," she said. She lowered her eyes, and the next word came out as a whisper. "But . . ."

"But?" Weiss asked.

Ilia was spared having to respond when the door slammed open, and once again Weiss was dragged into a hug. That seemed to be happening a lot recently.

"Weiss, I'm so sorry!" The words came out in a tidal wave, and Weiss was barely able to keep track of them. "I'm sorry I exploded at orientation! I'm sorry I didn't take my homework seriously! I'm sorry I fed Zwei your breakfast that one time! I should have been a better partner! If I had been a better leader . . . I'm sorry!"

"Ruby!" Weiss said, because who else could it be? "It's okay! I'm fine, and I don't care about any of that." She wrapped her arms around Ruby. "Are you okay?"

Ruby squeaked. "Am I okay? You died!"

Weiss smiled. "It seems the reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated. Really, Ruby. Ilia told you what happened, didn't she?"

Ruby nodded, almost knocking Weiss' head back in the process. "We should have gone back and searched more! I'm sor—"

"Alright, that's enough," Weiss said, pushing Ruby back. She smiled at seeing Blake and Yang behind her. "I'm glad you're all okay."

"Thanks to you," Yang said, putting a hand on Ruby's shoulder. She mimed speaking with her hand and raised her pitch. "'I'm not here to stop you. I'm here to kill you!' You always have to be overly dramatic, don't you, Ice Queen?"

Weiss snorted. "Don't be jealous because you're not as amazing as me."

Yang put a hand on her chest, leaning back dramatically. "Excuse me?"

Blake pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed. "This is our first time talking in over a month. Can we try to be serious?"

"I don't know," Ilia remarked. "That doesn't seem much like you four."

"Weiss!" Ruby leaped out of Yang's grip to stand beside Weiss. "You have a girlfriend now? Awesome!"

Were Weiss any less tired, her response would have been different. Now, she smiled. "She is."

"A Schnee and a White Fang member together." Blake seemed in awe at the thought. "You do know what that will mean in the future, right? When you were admitted into this hospital, they contacted Jacques immediately."

Weiss sighed, taking a moment to look around the hospital. Focusing, she could hear all the voices outside her room, no doubt nurses rushing to take care of Huntsmen and Huntresses injured while defending Beacon.

"I've had plenty of time to think of how to deal with my father," she said. "It will be fine." She met Ilia's eyes and nodded. After a moment, Ilia nodded back.

"As for everything else," Weiss said, "we'll figure it out."

"I'm so glad you're here," Ruby said. "Especially after—" She paled.

"Penny," Weiss whispered.

"And Pyrrha," Blake said, her voice almost as low.

Weiss jerked at the name, her eyes widening. "Pyrrha?"

"I'm sorry." Ilia had spoken the words, and Weiss turned her way. "I saw her go after Cinder, but I couldn't chase her. By the time I found your teammates, it was too late."

Pyrrha . . . Pyrrha was dead. Weiss couldn't even begin to process the thought. She hadn't just approached Pyrrha that first day out of selfishness. She had truly respected the warrior, and in time, came to be close friends with her. Her connection with Pyrrha, while not on the same level with that of her team, was still one Weiss treasured. She liked to believe Pyrrha had felt the same.

"I need more rest," Weiss said. "Can you guys . . ."

Yang, fortunately, got the message, grabbing Ruby with one arm and Blake with the other. "Come on, guys. Let's get something to eat."

They left, but Ilia, bless her, stayed behind.

"Do you need anything?" she asked.

Weiss shook her head. "Nothing, except maybe . . . she shifted to the left side of her bed. "Stay with me?"

Ilia smiled and climbed into the bed beside Weiss. The moment she was settled, Ilia started stroking Weiss' hair.

"I'm here for you," Ilia whispered.

Weiss smiled. There would be time later to grieve for what she had lost: her school, her friends, and the time she could have spent with them. Now was the time to treasure what she still had. Her team had survived, and their bonds would grow to be stronger than ever. Weiss' girlfriend was by her side, and Weiss was prepared to give up everything she had left in Atlas for her.

She would never be a victim again.

"I know."

A/N: This chapter ended up tying the story together nicer than I was expecting. I mentioned there would be two epilogues before, but I'm thinking one will be enough, since I don't want to drag out the conclusion. This chapter could be considered the ending of the story, but for those of you who want to see more romance, along with an idea of where Weiss and Ilia's journey may take them after this story, look forward to the Epilogue.

Oh, and for those curious, I do have an idea for a sequel, but no plans to write it anytime soon. College has taken up much of my writing time, and I still need to work on other fics and original stories. Still, I hope to return to this story someday.