They didn't care about her name. They didn't care about her money.

No matter what she said or how threateningly she said it – the doctors would not let Weiss go with Ruby into the emergency room. No, she had to wait. She would only get in the way.

It was Violet, the girl she had literally paid to be here, that finally grabbed Weiss by the arm and pulled her away.

Only when she said Yang's name, did Violet assure her that Yang and Blake had been notified. Weiss was thankful not to have to make that phone call, but she knew they would be here soon – as fast as Yang could get them here.

Though Blake may not let Yang drive, not with fire in her eyes and fear in her heart for her baby sister. No, Yang wasn't steady when she was scared. Weiss knew that all too well. Yang had trouble handling her emotions in situations she couldn't control.

It would mean terrible things for anyone who stood in her way – or anyone who had kept this from her.

Yang…Yang was going to hit her, Weiss knew it. Weiss had known Ruby wasn't okay and said nothing. Yang might hurt her, but she didn't care. She was too numb to care. Too numb to think straight – the whole world revolved around Ruby now. Ruby needed to be okay, she needed –

"Ms. Schnee?" Violet broke through the uncontrollable train of thought as Weiss resettled and the florescent lights above her shone down, the noise of the others waiting for strangers came into focus. Then Violet, watching her with genuine concern. "You're very pale. Maybe we should take a quick trip into the bathroom and splash some water on your face."

Weiss shook her head. "If they have news about Ruby –"

"It'll only be for a second, okay? Your hands are shaking."

"Because I'm terrified."

Violet smiled – not a smirk or anything sarcastic. This was genuine and strangely comforting. "I know, but you're no good to her like this. You need to relax."

That sounded almost impossible. Her stomach felt like it was being stepped on by an Ursa Grimm. She could barely move without a tightening pain her chest and the way her throat was closing felt like suffocation.

"Come on, Yang and Blake will be here soon." Violet said as some sort of reassurance, but Weiss knew better.

Still, she let Violet take her hand and practically drag her from the chair she was sitting in. Like a small child, Violet guided her into the bathroom and the door clicked behind them.

The bathroom was large, but very quiet. There was a long mirror that overlooked three sinks all stuck into one large, marble countertop. Behind that were four stalls, each with the door slightly ajar.

Nobody else was in here but them and Weiss took that opportunity to exhale.

Nearly stumbling, she moved to the mirror and looked at herself. The first thing she noticed was the blood – there was blood on her top.

Ruby's blood.

A moment later, bile rose into her mouth. She bent forward and vomited into the sink.

A pair of hands were immediately pulling at her hair and tucking it away behind her head. The liquid burned in her throat and made tears stream down her face – some of it escaped from her nose and made it hard to catch her breath.

Trying to swallow, Weiss felt something pat against her back and a moment later, more came out and splashed into the sink. The faucet turned on gently, to help clean out the vile release and flush it down the drain before splashing some onto her face to clean.

Taking a deep breath, Weiss begged her stomach to settle down and ate a mint from the small bowl next to the sink to remove the taste from her mouth.

This was only going to get worse, long before it was ever better. She needed to be able to handle it, as she had with every other challenged that had been thrown her way.

"We should return the the waiting room," she said and started for the door.

Ever dutiful, Violet trailed along behind her and Weiss felt a pang of guilt to go on top of everything else. Violet never asked for this – to be in a hospital and dealing with vomit and all of this.

Yet she never said a word. Just followed Weiss and helped when she could.

Violet was getting a massive raise when things settled down.

As soon as they left the bathroom, Weiss heard the shouting.

"Her name is Ruby Rose! Where is she?! I know she's here, she's my sister and I want to see her right now!" Yang could be incredibly scary and Weiss saw her blonde hair swaying, arms flying around and Blake trying to keep her grounded.

"She's being evaluated right now," the woman at the front desk said very carefully. "I've been told to restrict anyone from seeing her at this moment – the doctors need space."

"What happened to her? Is she going to be okay?!"

"She's taken a fall and has a deep laceration along her forehead, I don't know anything other than that."

As much as she hated to admit it – Weiss was terrified of saying anything. She was afraid of what Yang's reaction might be. Would Yang be mad at her? Would Yang attack her? There was no kinder or protective person in the world than Yang Xiao Long – but when it came to her sister she could be…unreasonable.

An awful thought of racing out the door and running back to Atlas crossed her mind. She hated it, hated the very thought of it – but fear was burrowing into her mind like a poison.

Still, she dug a little deeper and found her courage.

"Yang," Weiss finally spoke and a pair of deep red eyes darted to her.

They were gone a moment later, replaced with purple and worry as Yang leapt over a pair of bench seats and pulled Weiss into her arms. "You found her! You brought her here! Weiss, thank you." Yang pulled back, holding Weiss by the shoulders. "What happened to her? Did she say anything? Your text only said you were coming here – she hit her head." Yang pointed back at the receptionist desk. "The lady said she hit her head."

Weiss swallowed the lump in her throat and nodded. "She fell down the stairs and struck her head, yes." Yang's grip on her arms tightened. "She was unconscious when I found her."

"But…her aura…why didn't it protect her?" Yang asked – though it wasn't directed at anyone.

That was when Weiss realized Blake was glaring at her. She locked up under the scrutiny of those piercing yellow eyes and took a step back.

"Yang," Weiss couldn't look at her – but she had to say it.

"Ruby Rose?" A voice called and all of them turned to see a doctor coming towards them with sweat on his brow and a very tense face.

In that moment – Weiss feared the absolute worst. Her mind seemed to move in slow motion. It was as if she could see her life flashing before her eyes. A life without Ruby in it and it made her want to sink into the darkness and never come back. It was the scariest feeling. One she'd never forget.

"That's me," Yang blurted. "I mean, I'm her sister. She's my sister. Is she okay?"

"She's stable, and we've stitched up the cut on her head. Though she probably has a concussion from the impact. We've got her on stimulants to regenerate her aura – it was dangerously low and…why was no one informed of her fractured hip?"

Weiss could see Yang's face curl up in confusion. "Fractured…what?" Worse than that, she saw Blake shake her head in disappointment. "She has a fractured hip?!" Yang's eyes flickered again and the doctor took a step back. She must have noticed. "I—I…" taking a breath, she drew back. "I'm sorry – this isn't directed at you, at all. I didn't know she had…" Yang turned as tears spilled down her cheeks and Blake pulled her into an embrace.

Yang's emotions had a tendency of going into overload.

"Can we see her?" Blake asked over Yang's shoulder.

The doctor nodded. "We're moving her to a room now, but I don't see why not. She's still asleep from the fall and the medication but we'll have someone take you to her."

Blake smiled and thanked the doctor. Weiss was ready to follow him to Ruby when someone grabbed her wrist.

Turning back, it was Blake – who had a death grip on her. "Violet, can you go with Yang to see Ruby. Weiss and I are going to let her father and uncle know what's going on."

Blake's eyes never left her own and Weiss heard Violet hesitantly move behind her.

"O—of course." She said before slowly guiding Yang through the waiting room and down the hall where a nurse was waiting.

Before Weiss could process another thought, she was being dragged away.

True to her word, Blake did put in calls to both Taiyang and Qrow. It was quite the sight to see her talk to them and handle them. Blake really had grown to be a part of this family. From comforting Taiyang to calming Qrow, she managed to settle them both down enough to safely make there way here to be with Ruby.

Ruby was going to be so upset when she woke up and saw all of this attention and worry.

Not that Weiss could deter it now – the truth was out.

Which was clearly evident by the very angry cat Faunus currently pacing back and forth in front of her.

"This…this was what you were talking about that day, wasn't it? When you asked about Ruby and if she was okay? It was this. You knew she was hurt."

Taking a deep breath, Weiss nodded. "If you recall, that was only a few days ago and that's when I saw the bruises on her back. I didn't find out about her actually injuries until just last night."

"Weiss, why didn't you tell us? Clearly you wanted to or you wouldn't have come asking questions. We could have helped."

"That isn't what Ruby wanted!" Weiss said with an elevated voice.

Blake did not deter. "Ruby doesn't know what's good for her!" Blake screamed and Weiss was the one to reel back. Seeing this, Blake pinched the bridge of her nose – ears pressed down atop her head, and sighed. "Ruby pushes herself too much – to the brink. When Yang had to pick her up that one time, it was because Ruby had physically drained herself and could barely get out of bed. She wants so badly to be on her own that she is terrified of asking for help with anything. Even though Ruby lacks so many day to day skills, she won't ask for help – she won't take help. She is stubborn and terrified and inconceivably frustrating."

"She doesn't want to lose the life she's built!" Weiss felt her voice crack as she pleaded for Ruby.

Unfortunately, it didn't seem to tempt Blake's sympathies. "What has she built, Weiss? Yes, Ruby has money – but she doesn't even know how to manage it. She's got no food in her apartment. She keeps all of her money in a safe in her home. Everything is in lien bills and she bought that house with it. Entirely up front. We trained, for years to become soldiers – Ruby two years earlier than the rest of us. Not once during out time at Beacon or the war did anyone ever teach us how to live as normal, every day people. We adjusted." Blake gestured to herself and Weiss. "I learned how to live when I was on my own before Beacon and I'm certain you had dozens of etiquette teachers showing you every day." Weiss could only nod – it was true, she grew up with every sort of instructor to teach her how to handle expenses and dealing with people. She had to be proper from the moment she was born. "Ruby and Yang didn't have that. Their parents were hunters – Yang's mom abandoned her and Ruby's died. I love Taiyang but we both know he's not the best example of a functional adult and don't get me started on Qrow."

Blake was going on and on so much so that Weiss wondered exactly what buttons had been pushed to upset her this much.

"Blake, where are you going with this?"

Exhaling, Blake suddenly wouldn't look Weiss in the eyes. "I'm saying…that I helped Yang adjust. I was here for her when the war ended and we got through it together. You had your company and your responsibilities and you've done well with them. Ruby…she didn't have anyone and when she drove Yang away she was truly alone and now…this." Blake took a shaky breath and wiped at her eyes. "Yang and I have discussed this and we knew that if Ruby couldn't take care of herself that we'd…"

"You'd what?" Weiss asked, though she already knew what was coming.

"We're going to have Ruby move with us to Vale. There's a job for her and Yang and I can help her sort her life out and get back on her feet. After this – she'll be in no condition to live on her own while she recovers anyway."

Weiss felt her pulse start to race and her blood start to boil over. This wasn't right – it didn't feel right. She was angry for Ruby, angry for herself.

"You can't do that! You can't make her do anything! She's a grown woman!"

"Is she?" Blake didn't raise her voice. It was as if she didn't have to to levy her point. "Weiss, if you hadn't been here – if you hadn't shown up and Ruby fell down those stairs on her own – she would have died." Those words hit her like a punch in the stomach. "We're not trying to stop her from living a life, Weiss. We're just going to try and help her make a better and safer one. Ruby has to grow up at some point. She has to learn how to adjust and take care of herself. It's not like we'll trap her in a cage and never let her leave. We just want to be closer so we can help her."

Weiss had no return. There was nothing she could find to say or even felt like she had the right to say. Blake wasn't wrong. If the hotel had come through and Ruby had fallen without Weiss being there…

"Come on," Blake spoke quietly as she walked past Weiss. "Let's go see how they're doing."

By the time they returned to the room Ruby was in, Weiss was just glad to see that the blood was gone from her face. She looked peaceful – clean and comfortable. It was calming to Weiss who had spent the last two hours holding Ruby's hand and screaming at paramedics to make sure she was okay.

She was exhausted, but as she sat and watched Yang lingering by Ruby's bed, Weiss had no intention of sleeping any time soon.

It was painful to watch Yang. She sat by Ruby's bed with her prosthetic arm resting against the wall by the door. She'd taken it off and was holding Ruby's hand with her left and gently stroking a thumb against the back of it.

There were still tears pouring down Yang's face, but she seemed more composed than she had been in the hallway. The guilt that sat in Weiss' stomach made her feel physically ill. If she hadn't thrown up earlier, she would probably be doing that right now.

"Ms. Schnee," Violet spoke softly and Weiss jumped – having forgot her assistant was still there. "Sun is coming to pick me up and take me back to Mr. Xiao Long's home. This is a family matter and I don't wish to intrude."

Weiss could only nod, she knew it had to be extremely uncomfortable for Violet to be here. She was still basically a stranger to all these people. "Okay – I'll keep you updated and speak with you this evening."

With a soft smile, Violet started for the door, stopping momentarily to give her best to Yang who thanked her, but couldn't find the strength to look Violet's way.

As she watched Violet leave, her eyes found Blake outside the room, speaking with a nurse in the hallway. Blake was always insistent on gathering as much information as possible, no matter the situation. Being with Yang required it – Yang was so unpredictable at times, Blake liked to maintain as much control as she could.

Weiss had a sinking suspicion it was because Yang was the only force in the world that could make Blake lose that control – so she made up for it in every other aspect of her life.

"I messed up so bad," Yang finally spoke through the silence, though Weiss was certain the words weren't directed at anyone but herself. "I should have come for her sooner – I should have tried harder."

"Yang," Weiss couldn't help herself. "This isn't your fault. We all know Ruby puts everyone and everything before herself – that's why she was always our leader."

Yang nodded, but Weiss could tell she didn't agree with the sentiment. Looking back to the door, Weiss watched Blake step back inside with a tentative look on her face. She stood nervously behind Yang, one hand running up and down her other arm and her ears matted down.

"Hey," Blake called and Yang turned to look up at her. Weiss watched two of her best friends interact so effortlessly as Blake knelt down next to the chair Yang sat in and reached up to brush the tears from under Yang's eye. "She needs surgery. She's needed surgery for a while now – but they're going to schedule it for tomorrow."

Weiss knew it was coming, she knew the minute they were in the ambulance that this is where it would go. Ruby would have the surgery and the world would be put on hold for her and she would hate it.

Yang seemed to barely react to the news, but she again nodded in understanding and leaned into Blake's palm against her cheek. "The wedding…" Yang said and Weiss could see Blake smile at her.

"It'll keep."

"Blake," she sniffled and this earned her a kiss on the forehead.

"Yang, it's okay. Family comes first – always."

The moment between them was so intimate that Weiss wondered if she should have left with Violet. After all, she was still a bit of a stranger here – having not been around her team much in the last five years. The past couple days hadn't really washed away all that time and distance.

Still, Weiss felt the need to speak up. "I'll cover the cost," she said because it was all she had to offer. "Whatever it may be, don't worry about it."

"Weiss, you don't have to do that – we make good money and so does Ruby."

She was defiant. "It's the least I can do, Yang. I don't want Ruby to—" she stopped herself as she realized what was happening and what they were doing.

Exactly what Ruby didn't want them to do – they were making decisions about her life without her. Ruby couldn't speak up for herself and Weiss was just assuming she would pay for this and that would be that. It wasn't fair to Ruby, who was an adult now.

"Weiss?" Blake spoke up at her silence.

"I—I'll speak with Ruby about it when she's awake. We'll discuss it with her."

Yang turned back to Ruby. "It'll help – at least while Ruby is making the transition to Vale she can have some money saved up."

She tried so hard to bite her tongue. "She doesn't want to move to Vale."

"It's for the best," Yang said – almost dismissively and Weiss clenched her fist.

"Yang, you can't make her leave her home."

That grabbed Yang's attention. "She can't stay here by herself, Weiss. I think she made that pretty clear today."

"She does not want to move to Vale. She's told me. In fact, the idea of it is why you didn't learn about her injury until today!" She'd crossed the bridge already – there was no going back.

"What does that mean?" Yang stood up from her seat and Weiss could see Blake holding onto her arm.

"It means that every time you talk to her you bring up Vale and this magical job you have for her and it makes her feel bad!"

Yang shook her head in confusion. "I—how does that – I want her to move to Vale to be closer to us. So we can be closer to her! Her life here is so alone and she's driving herself into the ground!"

"Yang," Weiss kept her voice calm and stayed seated. "I'll agree that Ruby is not living the best life here. She needs a little help learning to be…functional and take care of herself. But she's an adult – a grown woman and if she wishes to live here…you cannot force her otherwise. What you want doesn't matter."

"Weiss," Yang closed her eyes and ran a hand through her hair. "Why do you even care?" There was a flicker of anger in her voice and Weiss swallowed the lump in her throat. "You'll be gone in a week and go back to radio silence. Ruby won't be your problem anymore – that's what you wanted…wasn't it?"

Taking a breath, Weiss uncrossed her leg very meticulously and rose to her feet. She could see Blake inching slightly in front of Yang – prepared to step between them if necessary.

The thought of smacking Yang across the face and trying to knock some sense in her did cross Weiss' mind – but she restrained herself.

"No," she spoke evenly and put her hands behind her back. "You're wrong, Yang. I won't be gone in a week…because…I'll be staying in Patch and seeing Ruby through this."

Both girls in front of her looked shocked. Yang's defensive position settled and Blake's ears perked up.

"You…what?" Blake stammered and Weiss nodded.

"You're right, I've neglected my duties as Ruby's partner and friend. If she's going to go through something like this, she's going to need help. Moreover, if Ruby really does wish to stay in Patch then she'll need someone to help her sort her life out a little. I…I would be extremely unproductive back at the Schnee Dust Company if I knew Ruby was dealing with this alone or living in Vale because she had no other choice." Yang looked even more confused, so Weiss drove on – touching parts of her past she'd long wished to let go. "You think you failed Ruby? Get in line. I left her when she was at rock bottom because I was too scared admit that…I didn't know how to help her get over what happened on that mountain. Jaune died and she killed Salem and I think a part of her never left that place." Unwavering, Weiss took a step towards Ruby's bed. "Look at her, she's done so much on her own and it isn't perfect and it's most certainly in need of tidying up but Ruby suffered so much and still rebuilt her life as best she could and now…now we have to help her maintain it."

The fire in Yang's face was gone, replaced now with contemplation and perhaps…regret. She looked back to Ruby in the bed and started chewing on her bottom lip. Blake was still close – still ready to step in when needed.

When Yang cast her head down, Weiss knew she'd broken through. "Why didn't she tell me?"

"Because she was certain that you would only make her move with you," Weiss turned to Blake. "Both of you."

Blake winced and hugged herself slightly. "She was…afraid to tell me?" Weiss nodded in confirmation and Yang seemed so utterly defeated at that. "I'm such a stupid…jerk."

"You're not," Blake cut in. "You were only doing what you thought was best."

"Best for me," Yang shook her head. "Best for us so we could stay in Vale and keep our lives."

"Well now you know," Weiss knelt moved closer to Yang and smiled as best she could. She saw a flicker in Yang's eye and rolled her own. "Now we know and we'll do better. Ruby…carried all of us through the war – now it's our turn."

Yang was wearing a very pretty pout. "How long are you going to hold winning this argument over me?"

With a beaming smile, Weiss hugged Yang tightly. "Oh Yang," she sighed. "Until the day I die."