Happy Thanksgiving!

Chapter 8

Ruby left the room and shortly there came a knock at the door. "Come in." Weiss called. The door slowly opened and she shielded her eyes until it closed again. Pyrrha stood before the door, hands clasped in front of her, seemingly unable to decide what to say or do. "Hi Pyrrha."

"H-hello Weiss." Pyrrha responded. "How are you feeling?"

"Cold, depressed, angry, but happy to be alive...sort of." Weiss replied. "Blake told me you were the one who figured out I was in danger. Thank you."

"I wish I would have realized sooner." Pyrrha sighed.

"There was no way you could have known." Weiss declared. "I should have been more careful. Looking back...it's so obvious…"

"You shouldn't blame yourself." Pyrrha advised. "I know a thing or two about that."

"I don't." Weiss noted. "I blame that monster. Have you been able to track her down?"

"No, I'm afraid not." Pyrrha shook her head. "The Huntsmen and Yang have been searching, doing everything the can to track her, but they've come up empty."

"It's an island, she can't have gotten far." Weiss said. "I can hear the wind and rain, there's no way they could get to the mainland in a storm like this."

"Right now, I care more about you than catching her." Pyrrha refocused the conversation. "Is there anything I can do to help you?"

"No, not really." Weiss replied. "Blake said you donated blood already. I'm just...so cold. Has anyone been covering my Huntress duties?"

"Yang has." Pyrrha answered. "She had a bit of a run-in with Winter, you know. We sent her to watch your house, take care of your commitments, that sort of thing. When Winter showed up...well, suffice to say they didn't get along. She says she cleaned up your place though, so when you're ready to go back, you've got that to look forward to. She brought your clothes over, Glynda and Ruby managed to get the blood out...mostly Ruby."

"I'll have to thank her." Weiss noted. "I take it Winter has taken over my duties now?"

"Yes, for the time being." Pyrrha confirmed. "Though once she departs, I will be taking over."

"You mean you're-" Weiss started.

"Yes, I've resumed my Huntress training, in addition to my magical studies." Pyrrha nodded. "Take as long as you need to recover."

"Thank you that's...I appreciate it." Weiss struggled. "Hopefully I'll be back on my feet soon."

"I don't doubt it, but that's not really what we're worried about." Pyrrha admitted. "This all must be a terrible shock...I can't imagine what you're going through, none of us can. There needs to be more to your recovery than just the physical aspect."

"With everyone's support I'm sure I'll be fine." Weiss declared, managing a smile for Pyrrha's benefit.

"I know, you're so strong." Pyrrha smiled back. "I just...I worry and...can I have a hug?"

"Of course." Weiss agreed. She turned a bit and leaned forward to allow Pyrrha to embrace her. Pyrrha was usually a strong hugger, but this embrace seemed weaker, perhaps because Pyrrha feared hurting Weiss who was still in a frail condition. Weiss rested her chin on Pyrrha's shoulder.

"We just want you to get better." Pyrrha sniffled.

Weiss barely heard her. Instead Pyrrha's heartbeat pounded in Weiss' head. She could sense Pyrrha's pulse, so close to her neck. She found herself stricken by a desire to strike, to bite, to feed. "No!" Weiss pushed Pyrrha back.

"Weiss, what did-" Pyrrha gasped.

"Sorry I...damnit." Tears formed in Weiss' eyes. "I could feel...I was…"

Pyrrha realized what was happening. "Weiss, it's okay, it's fine, really."

"No, it's not okay." Weiss sighed. "I need to read more." Weiss traced the cover of the book on her lap. "There must be a way to suppress…" The door opened and Weiss was blinded by the light. She shielded her eyes, but this time the door did not close. She forced herself to look, and as her eyes slowly adjusted, she was able to make out a tall figure, a familiar figure. "Sister."

"Weiss." Winter said. "It's good to see you're awake." She turned to the others. "Blake, Pyrrha, could you leave us?"

"Oh, of course." Pyrrha nodded. "Weiss um...get well soon. If you need anything, just ask." Pyrrha headed out and Blake followed her without a word.

"Weiss, how are you feeling?" Winter asked, remaining near the door.

"Cold." Weiss replied.

"I mean emotionally." Winter clarified.

"I think you can figure it out." Weiss groaned.

"Yes...yes I can." Winter sighed. "I'm...I'm sorry I wasn't here to protect you."

"It's not your fault." Weiss said.

"I know but...you're my responsibility." Winter countered.

"I'm old enough to look after myself." Weiss insisted. "At least I should be able to look after myself."

"You're still young Weiss, you'll always be young to me." Winter declared.

"It seems so, vampires do not age after all." Weiss gave a tight smile, then sighed. "Could you close the door? The light hurts my eyes."

"Oh, yes of course, I apologize." Winter hastily closed the door.

Weiss was able to get a good look at her sister for the first time. She looked sickly, pale, with deep bags beneath her eyes. Even her hair was not in perfect order, a far cry from her usual, neat appearance. She stood in place, stiff and uncomfortable. "It's no problem, you didn't know. Pyrrha tells me you have taken charge of my duties."

"Yes, after I removed a rather rude demon from your home-" Winter started.

"Yang?" Weiss asked.

"Yes, Yang." Winter scowled.

"You didn't do anything to her, did you?" Weiss pressed.

"I was tempted." Winter grumbled.

"She has her uses." Weiss noted. "Have you met Ruby?"

"I have." Winter replied. "She visited, requesting to take some of your things. I sent her away. Her aura is...wrong. I cannot put my finger on it, but I do not approve of her presence."

"Ruby...is an enigma, but a well meaning one." Weiss suggested.

"Where did she come from?" Winter inquired.

"Pyrrha summoned her, by accident." Weiss answered.

"How?" Winter asked.

"A ritual went awry apparently." Weiss explained.

"That does not inspire confidence." Winter scoffed.

"She's a clueless little girl, and I've treated her poorly enough for the both of us." Weiss frowned. "Please treat her with kindness."

Winter opened her mouth to respond, but snapped it shut when Weiss fluffed her blankets, shivering and pulling them tighter around herself. "Very well...are you really so cold?"

"I'm f-freezing because I no longer generate much body heat." Weiss snarled, glaring a hole in the wall. "It should pass within a few days, but until then I'm resigned to being a bloody marshmallow." Winter tensed as Weiss paused, taking a very long, drawn out breath. "Gods this is just...I hardly need to breathe, Winter. If I still sang it would do wonder for my career, but right now it just keeps reminding me of what I am now and it's...jarring."

"And what will you career be now?" Winter asked.

"I will continue to hunt, after I recover." Weiss replied.

"You can no longer effectively hunt during the day." Winter warned.

"Pyrrha will handle the daylight hours." Weiss responded.

"And what of the people?" Winter pressed. "If they find out your condition-"

"I will cross that bridge when I get to it." Weiss cut her off.

"What if something happens, what if you're attacked, what if you lose control and...and…" Winter persisted.

"Then you will kill me." Weiss stared at Winter. "As you are no doubt prepared to do."

A sharp pang of guilt cut through Winter's chest. Weiss' solemn gaze led downward, to the hilt of Winter's sabre, grasped tightly by her gloved hand, to still the tremors that ran through her extremities. She did not even realize she was holding it, it was a reflex, something she always did around supernatural creatures. A wave of grief welled up inside her. "Weiss…" She whispered, closing her eyes.

Winter willed herself to move, untying the straps that held the sheathe to her belt. She held the weapon before her for a moment before tossing it aside. Winter had been a seasoned Templar before she fled the order. She had banished demons, expelled aspects, burned witches and hunted down werewolves and vampires like vermin. The silver-infused steel had tasted the blood and essence of many a creature. But Weiss? Her beloved sister?

"I could never harm you." Winter admitted, wearily. She slowly approached her sister, kneeling beside the bed and reaching out. Weiss' hands were cold, stone cold, like a corpse, yet they were still so soft, blood flowed through them, kept alive by whatever curse resided in her body. What remained of her sister, of Weiss Schnee, what fought onward in the face of this great adversity, Winter could never bear to kill. She would sooner die, and be reunited with their mother. "I'm so sorry Weiss." Winter choked, tears stinging her eyes. She bowed her head in shame. "I couldn't protect you, and I could never bring myself to kill you. I'm a failure of a sister...and a Templar."

"Winter...look at me, please." Weiss begged, ignoring the ache in her heart and the tremble of her lips as her sister obeyed. "I don't blame you for anything. You're my sister, and you're not perfect. Neither of us are, and we never will be. I love you."

"I love you too, little sister." Winter sniffed, managing a smile, which Weiss returned.

"If the worst comes, I'll have a plan, and that's if the worst comes." Weiss continued. "I refuse to lose myself to this curse." She smirked. "I still have commissions to complete."

"And all the little ones came out and climbed all over me…" Ruby vibrated with excitement, recounting her encounter with a family of rabbits while exploring the surrounding woods as Pyrrha gathered ingredients. "And the mama used my...boobs? Boobs! As pillows! It was so cute!" Ruby was snuggled into Weiss' side all the while. Over the covers of course, Weiss was not in the habit of inviting women into her bed...anymore. But Ruby was warm, and kind, her presence pleasant, her smile infectious.

It was a far cry from Weiss' attitude toward the summon just days prior. Perhaps it took a deathly experience to make her see the value of good company. Perhaps death softened her hard soul. Or what was left of it. "You must be related to a natural force of some kind, perhaps some kind of spriggan?" Weiss speculated.

Ruby hummed. "Pyrrha thought so too, but my blood is human, and my essence resonates with dark. Glynda says spriggans are beings of light, and have chlorophyll instead of blood. I'd be all green."

"Yes, I suppose green wouldn't be your color." Weiss smirked.

"Yang says I look hot in red, but she's the hot one, she's made of fire!" Ruby rambled. "I'm just a little warm, I'm not made of anything, just blood, and bones, and flesh." She lamented, oddly sad.

Weiss rolled her eyes and poked the girl in her side, eliciting a squeak. "You are more than flesh, bone and blood Ruby, and there is nothing wrong with being warm. Warmth is life, you only have one. Cherish it." Weiss trailed off, staring into Ruby's eyes. The silver seemed to glow in the dark room, they drew Weiss in, offering warmth and cold in equal measure. Then she blinked, and Weiss felt an odd sick feeling passing over her, a shiver running through her being.

"Weiss, are you okay?" Ruby asked, worried.

Weiss lay back on her pillow, sighing. "I don't know Ruby...just...be patient with me, please?"

"You know I will." Ruby grasped Weiss' hand in both her own, hugging it close. "You're my friend, I'll do anything for you."

Weiss did not respond, but for a firm squeeze of her hand. They merely lay there, enjoying the silence. A gentle knock on the door roused them. "Come in." Weiss called, and the door was opened, slowly and gently, to reveal Glynda, normally passive expression tense, a soft smile flickering at the edge of her lips. Weiss stared at the odd sight, until a dark blur materialized on the foot of her bed as Blake's cat form made its way towards her.

"Hey Blake!" Ruby chirped. "Hey Glynda!" She reached out to run a hand down Blake's voil-like fur.

Weiss did the same, smiling as Blake nuzzled her hand, and purred when her ears were scritched. "Hello Blake...Glynda, are you well?" Weiss asked, eyes trained on Blake, the light from the doorway still bothersome.

Glynda hastily stepped inside, shutting the door. "I am, thank you Weiss." She lied. Glynda was never the type to wear makeup, and the bags beneath her eyes spoke the truth. "And...yourself? How are you...adapting?"

"Slowly, but surely." Weiss looked over and tapped the tome on her bedside table. "I have you to thank for this...it has been a rather...interesting read."

"Yang believes it requires more pictures, and for once I do agree with her." Glynda noted.

"Hmm, a cross section of vampire fangs would be of interest." Weiss suggested. "An organic syringe is an inspired comparison, but I imagine the actual biology makes for a far more striking image."

"I have contacted several colleagues in search of more sources." Glynda added. "Hopefully I shall receive more research, scattered though it may be, within the month. I would appreciate assistance searching through it, when the time comes."

"I would appreciate the opportunity to learn more...Ruby." Weiss turned her attention.

"Yeah?" Ruby asked.

"May we have some privacy please?" Weiss requested. "Blake?" Blake froze, golden eyes glowing in the dark. "I'm not going to bite." Weiss whispered, smirking. Blake stared blankly at her, before rolling her eyes and padding over onto Ruby's chest and into her arms.

"Can I get you anything?" Ruby asked.

"No, Ruby, thank you." Weiss replied. "Tell Yang I said hello." Weiss cupped Ruby's cheek, squeezing it playfully before pushing her away.

"I will, Glynda?" Ruby asked, standing, Blake turning her gaze towards her mistress.

"No, thank you Ruby." Glynda answered. "Pyrrha will be back soon. She was just visiting Velvet."

"Ooh, she might bring back cookies!" Ruby squealed. "I'll save you one Weiss!" She rushed to the door, slipping through as hastily as possible, and closing it behind her.

Finally, Glynda and Weiss were alone. "I see you have grown closer to Ruby." Glynda quietly observed.

Weiss could not help the smile that came to her face. "Friends...we are friends." She stated. "It's strange. Before now I considered Blake a friend, and I considered Pyrrha a friend, but I was rarely friendly with them. I never...craved their presence. I enjoyed it at times, tolerated it otherwise, and I thought, this was normal. This is friendship. I was not impressed."

"You feel differently now?" Glynda inquired.

Weiss nodded. "Ruby is innocence Glynda, pure, untainted, not a slight upon her soul. I think once I realized that, and stopped searching for...something less, I allowed myself to feel real friendship for the first time. And I see it reflecting in the actions of others. Blake, Pyrrha, even Velvet, meddling aside…"

"I have Pyrrha keep an eye on her." Glynda noted.

"I know, and that should have been enough for me." Weiss said. "But as per usual, my upbringing had tainted my worldview. I should have trusted the others. I should have trusted you."

"Yet you do not name me among your friends." Glynda observed, for once a hint of emotion finding its way into her voice.

Weiss met Glynda's gaze. "No." She declared. Glynda looked crestfallen. "You're more than that. You took me in, provided me with the opportunity to realize my greater potential, opened my eyes to wonders I could scarcely have dreamed of, all the while giving me the space and patience I required. You gave me a new life Glynda...and now you have given me a second chance at that life." Weiss shut her eyes, feeling the sting of emotion behind them, swallowing the lump in her throat. She felt the bed dip down, and the warmth and jasmine scent of Glynda's perfume prevailed over the flowers.

"I'm proud of you Weiss." Glynda's voice was thick with unfettered emotion. Weiss opened her eyes as she felt Glynda's hand on her left. She tried to keep it still, she tried not to think about it, the IV feeding vital essence into her starving veins. "From the moment Winter brought you to me I knew you would accomplish great things. You would accomplish them on your own, but with the right guidance, you would be all the safer for it. Winter made the first step, drawing you from your father, and you made the second, accepting me as a mentor."

Glynda smiled warmly, if a little watery in the eyes. She reached up to the blood bag, two thirds drained, the letter G marked on a scrap of tape. "I have had apprentices before you Weiss, before Pyrrha, but none who so reminded me of myself as you." Glynda continued. That got Weiss' attention. "You wanted to carve out your own path, free of the corruption of your lineage. And you wanted to do it via your own merits. I didn't need to mentor you. I needed to provide guidance when desired, and the resources required. The rest was up to you, your intelligence, and your drive to do good in the face of adversity.

"And so you flourished...and when Pyrrha told me that you were in danger I...I was terrified, that such a brilliant light would be snuffed out, under my watch...and then I had to make that decision, to damn you to life, or concede you to death." Glynda took a shuddering breath. "I just want to know I did the right thing Weiss. Not right by me, right by you. Given the choice, is this what you would have wanted?"

"Glynda, I won't deny this was a huge shock." Weiss squeezed Glynda's hand, reaching over it to hold it in both her own. "I awoke, when I thought myself dead, only to find myself...somewhere between. I won't deny I was angry, I felt violated, in heart and soul both...it took some time for that feeling to cool. But I believe that given the choice, yes Glynda, I would have chosen this. I have expressed as much to the others, and I did not lie. I have far too much to accomplish in this world, and now it seems I will have many more years in which to do so. And I hope to spend many of them by your side." Weiss finished with a smile.

Glynda matched it. "You will outlive me for certain." She chuckled. "Perhaps that is fate's punishment."

"As if you won't conquer death before then." Weiss joked.

"Who's to say I haven't already?" Glynda smirked. "Perhaps I will simply choose to ascend unto the next world once I have accomplished all that I wish." Glynda flourished her hand dramatically, before she and Weiss descended into giggles.

"Then you would never leave us." Weiss chuckled. "Not until humanity stopped being morons and achieved world peace, as you put it so eloquently once."

"Yes, I suppose that is true." Glynda nodded. "It seems I must resign myself to being a glorified nanny for magical children...speaking of which, have you memorized the passage on vampiric sustenance?"

Suddenly serious, Weiss found herself tense once more. "Yes, it was...fascinating."

"We have collected donations from those aware of your condition, including Velvet and Port." Glynda noted.

"Port?" Weiss scoffed. "I'm surprised he didn't break in to put me down himself."

"You give the man too little credit." Glynda smiled. "One of his closest friends is a vampire. If you listened once in a while, you would know this."

"Let me guess, they met on the field of battle, bloodlust fueling their actions as they carved swaths toward each other, engaging in glorious combat even as their allies fell around them-" Weiss started.

"So you do listen?" Glynda interrupted.

"No, I have heard enough imitations over the years to know better." Weiss explained.

"Well then, glorious warrior Port was perfectly understanding, and donated blood himself gladly, alongside Velvet, Pyrrha, Winter and myself." Glynda said. "If you are feeling a sensation of magical euphoria, that would be my blood running through your veins." Glynda gestured to the blood bag. "Of course, this is the lesser method of ingestion. Drinking is far more healthy, as you body can properly absorb, digest and filter it. Not to mention it is far more efficient. But I'll understand if you are uncomfortable with doing so for the time being."

"Yes, the idea is...unnerving." Weiss admitted. "Perhaps another time."

"Very well." Glynda allowed.

"When can I go home?" Weiss asked.

"I would prefer you stay for another week, until your body has completed its transformation, and you can withstand exposure to sunlight without being blinded." Glynda advised. "We will also need to prepare your home, sealed shutters, curtains, removal or suppression of certain artifacts, silver objects, garlic, etcetera." She listed.

"Very well, another week it is." Weiss agreed. "I'm sure Ruby can keep me entertained once I've finished reading your book...why not call it How to Train Your Vampire?"

Glynda stared blankly at Weiss. "No."

Author's Note: This chapter is a bit of a Thanksgiving gift for all you readers. RealTerminal and I are not continuing this story just yet, but we plan to do so in the not-to-distant future.