Chapter 5

In a flash of light, Glynda, Yang, Ren and Nora appeared just in front of the tavern door. They burst into the busy establishment. A quick survey of the patrons indicated Weiss was not there. Glynda ran up to the bartender - a tall, bearded man - and grabbed him by the tie. "Was Weiss Schnee here?" She demanded.

"Uh yeah…" The bartender replied, confused by the sudden confrontation.

"Was she with someone?" Glynda asked. The man nodded. "Where are they now?"

"I think they went up to her room...2B." The bartender answered.

Glynda released the man and charged up the stairs with the others just behind her. Upon locating the door, Nora immediately kicked it in. There was the target, she could smell it. On the opposite side of the room, with their backs to the door, were two naked women, one with black hair, the other white. Nora rushed forward and leapt, transforming midair. Cinder spun around, holding Weiss in front of her as a human shield. Glynda acted quickly, casting a spell to place a shield in front of Weiss. Nora slammed into the shield and fell to the floor in a daze.

The vampire smirked, released Weiss ran for the window with inhuman speed. In a flash of color, Ren was at Weiss' side, catching her as she fell. At the same time, Yang followed the vampire, who had dived through the glass. Yang launched a fireball at the falling figure, but she burst into a cloud of mist just as the flames seared past, disappearing into the night. "Shit!" Yang raged. "Get back here you bitch!"

Glynda rushed to Weiss' side as Ren gently laid her motionless form on the floor. "She's very weak." He warned. "She doesn't have long." Weiss looked gaunt, deathly pale with sunken, lifeless eyes from which tears streaked her makeup. Ren took her hand in his own to reveal her fingers, tinged blue.

"We need to get her back to my house." Glynda declared. "I may be able to save her."

"We'll chase after Cin-" Nora started.

"No, you two stay here." Glynda ordered. "Yang?"

"What?!" Yang shouted. She was literally burning with fury, the flames almost entirely obscuring her figure. The floor beneath her and wall beside her began to char and crack, and the curtains around the window combusted from the heat.

"Get over here." Glynda commanded. Yang flew to Glynda's side, scooping up Weiss on the way. A glyph appeared on the floor beneath them, and they disappeared in a flash of light.

"I really hope we don't need to use this." Pyrrha declared as she and Blake set up the medical equipment around a cot in Glynda's basement. Ruby stood off to the side, near the stairs, watching with a mixture of curiosity and fear.

"You and me both." Blake agreed. She finished laying out various surgical implements and stepped back. "Now all we can do is-"

Light filled the basement. When it cleared Glynda stood beside Yang, who held a motionless and nude Weiss in her arms. "Is it all ready?" Glynda demanded. "Lay her on the cot." She ordered without waiting for an answer. Yang did as instructed, gently placing Weiss in position.

Blake immediately started connecting electrodes to Weiss. "Is she…" Pyrrha started.

"She's alive...but not for long unless we do something." Glynda replied.

"She's lost too much blood." Blake declared.

"I know." Glynda groaned. "Give me the syringe, the big one."

"What's the point?" Blake asked.

"I'm going to keep her alive." Glynda answered.

"You just said she..." Blake trailed off as Glynda reached for a vial of blood on a nearby shelf. "Gods…"

"Glynda, you can't." Pyrrha protested. "Not without consent."

"She'll never wake up unless I do it." Glynda noted. Blake handed her the syringe and Glynda began filling it from the vial.

"Then ask Winter." Pyrrha begged. Ruby edged forward with tears in her eyes, starting to reach out her hand toward Weiss.

"There's no time." Glynda shook her head.

"You can't!" Pyrrha shouted.

"I'm taking full responsibility." Glynda declared. "Now shut up and let me concentrate."

"But…I...you're right." Pyrrha relented. Ruby drew even with her.

"Yang, get Ruby out of here." Glynda ordered. "She's in the way." Yang nodded, grabbed Ruby by the hand, and guided her out of the basement. "Pyrrha, send a message to Winter."

"Yes ma'am." Pyrrha hung her head. She walked to the stairs, looking back one last time before climbing them.

"Blake, you can sense her heart, correct?" Glynda asked.

"Yes." Blake nodded.

"Guide me." Glynda requested. She held the syringe over Weiss' torso. Glynda took a deep breath before puncturing Weiss' pale skin. Blake put her hands over Glynda's, guiding the needle to Weiss' heart.

"There." Blake said.

"Gods forgive me." Glynda sighed. She pushed the plunger, injecting the red liquid directly into Weiss' heart. "Weiss, please forgive me."

Glynda slowly strode into the living room, Blake in tow. Pyrrha sat on the couch, Ruby curled into her side looking lost. Yang blazed in the fireplace restlessly. Coming to a stop, Glynda took a deep breath, straightening her posture. "Is she still alive?" Pyrrha asked.

"In a manner of speaking, yes." Glynda nodded.

"Is Weiss gonna' be okay?" Ruby pressed.

Glynda clenched her teeth at Ruby's tone. She had already been subdued after the earlier incident, now she sounded unsteady, like a lost child. "Weiss will need our support, Ruby, when she awakes."

"Why?!" Yang demanded, bursting from the fireplace in a flash of light. She glared at Glynda. "What happened? What did you do?"

"That vampire had fed far too long." Glynda explained. "The venom in her system was hastening her blood loss. The only way I could save her was by completing the process."

"You turned her?" Yang gasped. Glynda swallowed, closing her eyes and nodding.

"What does that mean?" Ruby asked.

"It means...Weiss has become a vampire, Ruby." Pyrrha answered.

"Oh...uh...is that a bad thing?" Ruby asked.

"Vampires feed on humans, Ruby." Pyrrha continued. "It's...not a good way to live."

"But she's alive right?" Ruby pressed. "Vampires aren't all like Cindy, are they?"

"She's alive Ruby, yes, and no, she won't be evil." Pyrrha replied.

"Then what's the problem?" Ruby struggled to understand. "We can help her, right?"

Pyrrha sighed, looking up at Glynda again. "A vampire...killed her mother, Ruby." Glynda revealed.

"And you still turned her?!" Yang raged.

"I made a decision Yang." Glynda's nostrils flared and her voice became stern. "Are you telling me I should have let her die?"

"N-no...just...fuck…" Yang backed down. "I need to burn something. We should hunt down that parasitic bitch and chain her to a tree for a dozen sunrises!"

"We will discuss the matter of Cindy after Weiss has awoken." Glynda suggested. "We will all be needed, Yang. I need you to keep watch over Weiss' home, in case Cindy returns or someone comes with a request. Waking up a vampire is one thing. Waking up a vampire with lost customers is another."

"And if the bitch comes here?" Yang asked.

"I am more than capable of exterminating a lone vampire." Glynda declared.

"She doesn't deserve a quick death." Yang muttered.

"It won't be quick." Blake growled. Suddenly everyone noticed the room had grown much, much darker. Blake was barely more than two slitted gold irises hanging in the shadows. "I'll save some for you, don't worry." Yang grinned, fiery teeth glinting in what little light was not being swallowed by Blake's rampant essence.

"Blake." Glynda admonished. The darkness receded and the room returned to its natural, warm light.

"I apologize." Blake bowed her head.

"Don't, we are all on edge tonight." Glynda waved her off. "We should retire. Weiss will not awake for several days, considering her condition. Yang, on your way to Weiss', please stop by the tavern to see Ren and Nora. They should have searched the vampire's room. I want to know if they found anything useful."

"Sure." Yang agreed. "Rubes, you gonna' be alright?"

"I think so, I just feel a little weird." Ruby replied.

Glynda took another breath, folding her arms behind her back. "I understand my decision may have shaken your faith in me. I only hope that, in time, it will work out for the better. Until then, I only ask that you remain strong, for Weiss. She is all that matters now." Glynda turned to leave.

"Can we see her?" Ruby asked.

Glynda paused, nodding. "You may."

Glynda left, and Blake followed, leaving the other three alone. Ruby looked to Pyrrha, who grimaced but nodded. Pyrrha stood, Ruby walking ahead of her, Yang in pursuit. Pyrrha made her way slowly, watching Ruby slip into the room, and Yang paused at the door before following. Pyrrha slowed to a halt herself. She had seen Weiss when she was brought in, her sickly and drained appearance chilling Pyrrha to the core. Never had she seen the ivory woman so weak. Weiss was a force of nature, going from calm, composed and elegant to a vicious huntress, slaughtering all manner of supernatural beasts with ruthless efficiency.

The thought of Weiss being at her prime, only to be seduced, violated and drained of life by the very thing she hated was terrifying to Pyrrha, and now Weiss was fated to become one herself. She wanted to be angry, at Glynda, at Cindy, and she was at first, but now she felt only misery and fear, feelings exacerbated when she entered the room to find Yang holding Ruby, who clutched Weiss' hand as her own shook.

"Pyrrha, why am I crying?" Ruby wept. "My eyes hurt, my chest hurts, I'm scared. Why does it hurt? Pyrrha!"

Pyrrha tore her eyes from Weiss' deathly visage, kneeling beside Ruby and Yang. She tried to smile reassuringly, cupping Ruby's face and dabbing at her eyes with her sleeve. "Human emotions can be overwhelming Ruby." Pyrrha explained. "We shiver when we feel fear, and we cry when we feel pain. Sometimes it's physical, sometimes emotional. You care for Weiss, and seeing her this way makes you sad. It makes me sad too. It's okay to be sad Ruby."

"The last thing I did was make her angry." Ruby sniffled, looking back to Weiss. "She just wanted to have a good day, and it only got worse."

"Hey, none of us could have known that this would happen." Yang encouraged.

"I just wanted her to like me." Ruby sobbed.

"She will Ruby, when she wakes up." Pyrrha promised. "We'll all be here for her, and when she's better, you two can try again. A little bit of bad luck can be forgiven."

"I think we've had more than a little at this point." Yang mumbled.

"Regardless, have faith Ruby." Pyrrha forced a smile, for Ruby's sake. "Things will work out, I promise."

Blake closed the door to Glynda's bedroom and again let her essence run free. What little light remained in the room was almost extinguished. Glynda, sitting on her bed, remained untouched. Blake would never willingly obscure her visage, she loved her far too dearly for that, her mistress, her partner for life, strong and beautiful, even as her defenses crumbled, stoic expression falling along with her blond hair, freed from its constricting bun.

"Did I make the right choice Blake?" Glynda asked.

Blake frowned, slinking forward to climb into her mistress' lap. Technically, Glynda was no longer her mistress, she forsook all power over Blake rather than compromise her morals. It was one of many things Blake adored about her, and it was the source of her current misery. Glynda took her vows to heart. She refused to compromise them when given the choice, and tonight that choice had potentially caused farm more harm in the process. And it was breaking her.

"Weiss is strong." Blake declared. "She will pull through."

"I didn't ask if she will pull through." Glynda pressed. "I asked if I made the right choice." Her voice cracked as Blake cupped her face, bumping their foreheads together, allowing her essence to wash over both of them. The void surrounded and caressed Glynda, like a thousand tiny feathers brushing away her pain. She felt her eyes sting, and Blake kissed away the tears.

"Weiss is alive." Blake noted. "Because of you she has the opportunity to choose her own fate. In my eyes you are her savior, just as you were mine."

Glynda stifled a sob, reaching to clutch at Blake's back, the shadows parting until bare skin made contact. Glynda felt her clothes dissolve beneath the soundless onslaught, and a gentle purring became evident. As they sat there in the dark, nought but shadow between them, Glynda allowed herself to break, allowing the essence all around her to consume her anguish. Outside, she had to be strong, infallible, an example and a role model to all, Glynda the Good, the very model of a Master Witch. But in here, in Blake's arms, she could just be Glynda the Human, pained, guilty, and so very flawed.

"I love you Blake, don't you ever forget that." Glynda managed.

Blake wiped away the last of Glynda's tears and kissed her, slowly and lovingly. "Not in an eternity, my love."

Pyrrha sat staring out the window. She probably should have been training, but she was not in the mood. She was not interested in doing anything really. The others in the house seemed to feel the same. Glynda had locked herself away in her study, and Blake and Ruby sat silently at Weiss' bedside. Ren and Nora had come and gone, returning to the tavern. They had reported their findings, or lack thereof, to Glynda. Their attempts to find any clues in Cindy's room had come up empty, the slightest touch causing her belongings to collapse into piles of sand. It also proved impossible to follow her, as her transformation into mist had successfully obscured her scent and left no tracks.

Everything was going wrong. Even the weather seemed unsettled by events. The sky was filled with dark and foreboding clouds, and the way the trees whipped about spoke to the high winds. The midday darkness warped any sense of time. Pyrrha could have been sitting by the window for a few hours as easily as a few minutes. Soon it would begin to rain and the temperature would drop precipitously. This sort of storm was common on Patch, though they usually came in the middle of winter rather than the end of autumn. It could be days before anyone saw the sun. The thought further dampened Pyrrha's spirits. Weiss would never get to enjoy its warmth again.

Before a long a lonely figure appeared on the path leading to the house. Tall, wrapped in a blue cloak, sword at the hip, it had to be Winter. Pyrrha felt her gut knot with dread. To say Winter would be unhappy was a massive understatement. She would be devastated, or livid, or both. Pyrrha had not told her much in her message, just that Weiss had been critically hurt and Winter should come as quickly as possible. Given her history, the truth would be particularly difficult. Pyrrha did not want to be the one to tell her.

Winter knocked on the door. Pyrrha, fighting the urge to flee, was already on her feet, heading to answer it. She stood just behind it and took a deep breath. She plastered on a smile and opened the door. It was hard not to gasp when she got a good look at Winter. Weiss sister looked haggard, her hair a mess beneath the cloak, dark circles surrounding her eyes, the usual intensity in those eyes absent. Pyrrha had never seen Winter in such a state. Winter lived what was essentially the life of a hermit, alone in her secluded cabin, only engaging with civilization when she was sought out. Even so, she took great pride in her appearance.

"Hello Winter." Pyrrha greeted, trying to sound as cheerful as possible. "How was-"

"Where is my sister?" Winter cut her off. Her voice was hoarse.

"Follow me." Pyrrha sighed. She started up the stairs to the second floor, Winter in tow.

Winter pushed the hood of her cloak back, letting her messy hair fall free. "What happened?" She asked.

"Weiss was...seduced and attacked by a vampire." Pyrrha replied. They arrived at the door and she paused a moment before opening it. "Glynda got there before she was fully exsanguinated but…"

Winter entered the room, ignoring Blake and the unknown girl who sat opposite. She approached the bed, looking Weiss over. Weiss looked disturbingly pale and gaunt. Her arms lie atop the blankets, one punctured by an IV that fed red liquid into her. Winter grabbed her other hand. Weiss was cold, so cold. "Will she recover?" Winter asked.

"In a manner of speaking, yes." Blake replied.

"What does that mean?" Winter pressed. No one said anything. Pyrrha and the girl looked away, but Blake kept her gaze locked. "What did you do to her?"

"Well...the thing is...she was very close to death…" Pyrrha struggled.

"She was going to die." Blake took over. "Dead already to all intents and purposes. She'd lost too much blood. Without extreme measures, she wouldn't have made it."

"What did you do?!" Winter demanded.

"There was already venom in her system." Blake noted. "We simply completed the transformation."

"You turned her?!" Winter shouted. She clenched her teeth. After giving Weiss' hand one more squeeze, she released her and stood, balling her fists. "Do you have...where's Glynda?"

"In her study." Blake replied.

Winter pushed past Pyrrha and out of the room. She stomped down the hallway, throwing open the door to Glynda's study. "You bitch." She seethed. "I trusted you...I trusted you to keep an eye on her, to keep her safe, and you...you turned her into a monster." Glynda was writing something and did not look up from her work. "You know what happened to our mother. And she wasn't just killed by some random vampire, she was killed by a trusted friend! A friend who lost control! What if Weiss loses control? Will you strike her down? Will you let her go on a rampage, let her spread the suffering to even more innocents? Answer me!"

"I wouldn't have done it if there was any other option." Glynda declared, her voice quiet and wavering. "It was turn her or let her die."

"You sentenced her to a fate worse than death!" Winter accused.

"That's for her to choose." Glynda sighed. "At least now she has a chance to decide for herself." Glynda finally put her pen down and turned to face Winter. "I'm writing her a guide to her condition. Now, are you going to keep yelling at me, or are you going to help make sure your sister knows as much as possible?"

"You know there's nothing I can add that you don't already know." Winter noted. "I'm going to her house. I'll take over her responsibilities until she recovers. Don't think this conversation is over."

"I don't." Glynda shook her head. "I just have one request."

"You're not in a position to ask anything of me." Winter hissed.

"I know." Glynda confirmed. "But that's the crux of it. Do not thrust any blame, any anger, any resentment, onto the others. What happened is my responsibility and mine alone. If you must scream at someone, if you must lash out, make me your target. I deserve it. They don't."

"Very well." Winter grumbled. She turned to leave but paused and turned back. "Who is that girl at my sister's bedside?"

"That's Ruby." Glynda replied. "She's a…peculiar summon. Her relationship with Weiss has not been a smooth one, but she's devastated by her condition. She has not left your sister's side since."

"Hmm…" Winter grunted. With that she made good her exit, not saying a word to any of the others.