Against All Odds (ch4)

FOR HIGHER-PLEDGING PATRONS! THANK YOU!!

We'll be covering a lot in this chapter, so buckle up!

Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY.

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												Chapter 4. Strangers At Home

That night proved to be their most difficult yet.

Weiss kept stirring and whimpering in her sleep, which always resulted in Blake's waking up. She tried to soothe Weiss as she slept by stroking her fingers through her hair and peppering little kisses over her cheeks and forehead.

For the most part, the little ministrations seemed to work.

But at one point of the night, Blake woke to the feeling of Weiss jolting in her sleep. Her skin was warm with sweat, and her chest was throbbing with her pulse. Blake had no choice but to wake her up that time in order to save her from the nightmare.

Weiss gasped as she opened her eyes, and tears started dripping down. But the fear and the pain were replaced with relief when she realized it had all just been a dream.

Blake kept her close, and Weiss burrowed into her chest as she mumbled about her nightmare. As expected, she'd dreamt about being taken away from Beacon, forced to live with some man she'd never even met before for the remainder of her life. Blake just held her a little tighter.

"It wasn't real," she reassured her with a kiss to her ear. "It wasn't real. And it never will be."

Somewhere along the lines, they both fell asleep once again, until a few hours later when the room was flooded with sunlight.

Blake woke first and did her best to shift about, using her body to block the sunlight so it wouldn't hit Weiss' face and wake her. At the very least it was Saturday, and no classes meant they could all sleep in a little. And Blake definitely wanted her girlfriend to rest as much as possible after last night.

That morning, Blake contented herself with kissing Weiss softly whenever she could. She ducked her head beneath Weiss' chest and pressed an ear to her collar, listening to the steady beat of her heart. It was clear that she wasn't suffering from any nightmares now, and Blake was grateful for that.

Eventually, Yang and Ruby began shifting about in their beds, and inevitably, Weiss opened her eyes with a small moan. Blake brushed their noses together and greeted her softly.

"Good morning."

Weiss smiled for a second, but then sighed as it faded.

"Blake..."

"Don't worry," she murmured. "It'll be okay."

The four girls started to rouse themselves. Being that Weiss and Blake had fallen asleep in their uniforms, they took their turns in the shower first. When Weiss went in and the water started running, Blake felt Yang's eyes upon her from across the room.

"Blake... I don't wanna be nosy, but...?" She trailed off, allowing Blake to address or ignore the question.

While Blake didn't want to reveal too much personal information without Weiss' permission, she knew it wasn't fair to keep Ruby and Yang in the dark about everything. They deserved to know what was happening. So Blake just explained things briefly.

"Weiss' father... doesn't approve of us, as you can imagine. He said he's going to send for her and take her back home."

"What?"

"No!"

Yang's growl and Ruby's wail were met with subdued silence. Blake heaved a sigh before continuing.

"I told her I wouldn't let him. And I plan to keep that promise."

"We won't let him either," Yang vowed.

"Yeah!" Ruby made a fist. "If he wants Weiss, he'll have to go through us first!"

"Damn right," Yang agreed.

Blake's ears lifted up in just listening to them. She'd been foolish to ever think she and Weiss were alone in all of this.

"Thanks, you guys."

Yang hopped down from her bed and sat beside her partner in Weiss'. She pulled Blake into a tight hug by means of reassurance.

When Weiss stepped out of the bathroom a moment later, Ruby jumped down and zipped across the room to hug her too. Surprised, Weiss tried to paw her off.

"Ruby! What are you doing? You're going to get your clothes all wet."

"That's okay~ We've gotta do laundry today anyway! Will you help me with it, Weiss?"

And the heiress realized that question was a lot more than just what it sounded to be. They wouldn't be able to do their laundry until this evening, therefore Ruby's asking Weiss to help her with it meant that Weiss wouldn't be leaving today.

Weiss peered over her partner's shoulder and looked to Blake. The Faunus girl gave a tiny nod, ensuring Weiss that all three of them were on her side.

So with a small smile, Weiss returned Ruby's hug.

All throughout the day, the four of them went about their weekend activities as per usual, though there was an undeniable sense of tension in the air.

Weiss just couldn't stop anticipating the sound of a call on her scroll, informing her that her air ship was here. Or worse, a summons from Ozpin to inform her she'd been withdrawn from the Academy.

Blake and the others did their best to take Weiss' mind off of things and enjoy themselves; at the very least, if this did end up being Weiss' last day at Beacon, they'd make it a good one.

And Blake still wholeheartedly planned to go with her, should they force her to leave.

But as the hours passed by, Weiss received no calls or messages.

She really did get the chance to help Ruby with her laundry that evening. She enjoyed dinner with her teammates, then retreated to her bed without hearing a single word from her father.

Blake didn't want to say anything out loud for fear of inviting the possibility of being wrong...

But she opted to believe that maybe – just maybe – Weiss' father had opened his eyes a little bit.

While she highly doubted that he fully accepted what Weiss was doing, maybe at the very least he just didn't care anymore. And if that meant Weiss would be able to keep living her own life, then so be it.

Blake kissed her girlfriend to sleep that night, overjoyed that all had gone well today.

And Weiss fell asleep with a lot less weight on her heart.

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The next day, and the day after, and the day after that, still no air ship was sent to take Weiss back to the Schnee mansion.

With each passing day that she was able to stay with her friends at Beacon, Weiss smiled a little more.

After a week had gone by without so much as another word from her father, Weiss was able to safely assume that he'd given up on trying to control her as he'd planned to.

That weekend, Ruby deemed they all celebrate by going out to Vale for the evening.

The four of them enjoyed a nice walk around the park. At one point, Yang took Ruby over to an ice cream truck, and gave Blake and Weiss a little time alone together. When they were finished there, they went out to dinner and enjoyed themselves immensely.

By the time they got back to Beacon, Ruby was half asleep, and Yang needed to carry her piggyback to the dorm room. Weiss leaned affectionately into Blake's side and held tenderly to her hand.

Blake kissed the top of her head.

Weiss was staying.

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About a week after that, Blake realized it was time to start making some arrangements of her own.

With the mid-semester break approaching, Ruby and Yang were going back to their home on Patch to see their father. But obviously, Weiss didn't plan to go back to hers.

Blake considered staying at Beacon with her; after all, it could've been nice with just the two of them together for an entire week. However, she didn't want things to get awkward between them.

Therefore, Blake made the decision to go back home to Menagerie.

And she planned to take Weiss with her.

The hard part would just be posing the idea to her girlfriend. She took Weiss aside that evening and proposed the idea to her outside in the hallway.

"Weiss... you didn't... have any plans for the break, did you?"

Weiss lowered her gaze.

"Not particularly."

"I thought so." Blake reached out to take both of her hands, coaxing Weiss to look up at her again. "Then I was thinking... since Ruby and Yang are going back to Patch together... why don't you come to Menagerie with me?"

She couldn't help but bite her lip as she finally got the words out. Her ears flicked a little as she waited for Weiss' reaction.

Her girlfriend's eyes went wide, but Blake couldn't tell if she was more shocked or flattered.

"You mean... back to your home...?"

Blake nodded coyly.

"Yeah."

Weiss frowned, a mixture of doubt and nervousness swirling in her eyes.

"Blake... I don't think anyone on that island would want to see me."

"Who cares what they think of you?" Blake squeezed her hands a little tighter. "If anyone has a problem, then I'll explain everything to them."

Weiss was still unconvinced.

"What about... your parents? If they saw me with you? Surely they'll think you've gone mad, to be together with someone like me. They'll chase me out-"

"Then they'll chase me out, too," Blake decided. She didn't hesitate, even at the prospect of willingly disowning herself if it meant she'd be able to stay with Weiss.

And Weiss was both terrified and happy that Blake would go that far. But she didn't want her to have to.

"Blake... thank you for the offer. Really. But I don't think-"

"Weiss, please." Blake leaned in to peck her cheek gently. "They aren't going to chase either of us away. I know my parents. They'll probably be shocked, but when they hear our story and we explain everything to them, they'll understand. I know they will.

"Maybe they won't... accept it right away, but they'll try to. And just think. If word's already gotten back to your father in Atlas, then it's probably on its way to Menagerie, too. I want my parents to find out about us from us, not from some rumors."

She flicked her eyes back to Weiss gaze imploringly.

"Please, Weiss. They'll listen. They'll understand. I want to show you that... that even if you can't go back to your own home, then you can come to mine."

Her words brought tears to Weiss' eyes. She thought it all through, took a deep breath, and nodded.

"All right." She lifted her face and offered a small smile. "I'll come with you, Blake."

Blake kissed her and smiled back against her lips.

"Thank you, Weiss. Thank you."

And so that night, while Ruby and Yang packed up their things for Patch, Blake and Weiss packed for Menagerie. They all went to bed early that night since they'd have a long day of travel ahead of them.

And when dawn broke, the four of them ate a quick breakfast together, then grabbed their bags and headed out to the ship docks. A lot of other students were there as well, preparing for their flights home.

When Patch's ship arrived, Ruby and Yang exchanged hugs with Blake and Weiss. The four of them wished each other well.

"We'll miss you guys!"

"Be safe."

"Good luck."

"Text us anytime!"

And with that, they parted ways.

The ship bound for Menagerie arrived soon afterward. Blake and Weiss got seats next to one another, their hands entwined.

The flight was a long one, and they spent it chatting, dozing, and watching movies on the little screen in front of their seats.

When they finally did land in Menagerie, both of them were well-rested. It was mid-afternoon, and the slanted rays of golden sunlight brought a special kind of charm to the humble little houses there.

Blake relished the scent of the air here, her senses taking everything in. This feeling of peace, tranquility, belonging...

But of course, on an island full of Faunus, Weiss stuck out like a sore thumb.

As they walked, Blake kept close to her side, blocking Weiss from view whenever possible, not because she was embarrassed of her, but because she feared for her safety. Blake knew not every Faunus would be willing to accept a Schnee setting foot on their island, and she didn't want to risk any harm coming to Weiss if any of them were in a bad mood.

She kept the atmosphere light by talking, explaining everything she could to Weiss, talking about the architecture, the marketplace, the clothing styles...

Until at last her house was in sight. When Weiss glimpsed it, her jaw dropped, and Blake chuckled.

They hauled their bags up the steps to the front door and put everything down. Weiss fussed over her dress, wanting to look as presentable as possible. Blake kissed her cheek fondly.

"You look lovely."

Weiss smiled, hoping she didn't appear to be as nervous as she felt.

Once both of them had gotten their bearings, Blake lifted her hand to the knocker and pushed it against the door. The ensuing sound that rang out made her ears twitch a little, and Weiss stepped closer to her side.

A moment later, the door was opened from the inside.

And then it was confusion all around.

Blake vaguely heard her parents' surprised call of her name, and their shocked questions about her sudden arrival, and her guest.

But Blake couldn't even spare the second to smile and greet them. Her eyes went past her mother and father, to the low table in the back room behind them.

Someone was seated there - someone horribly familiar.

Blake's heart seized in her throat, and she staggered as his name fell from her lips.

"Adam...?"

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A/N: Oh boy, what have we here? I was certainly intrigued when the customer asked for this.