Keyboards (ch13)

2-DAY EARLY RELEASE FOR ALL MY PATRONS!

This will be our final main chapter, with a climax to boot!

Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY.

-----------

														Chapter 13.

For the next several days, it was the same routine for Weiss: wake up, eat breakfast, then go to the park to meet Blake. They'd start at a slow walk, rest for a few snacks or sips of water, and then start some light jogging.

Weiss suffered a few more minor bouts of breathlessness, but never pushed herself hard enough to warrant anything bad. Whenever she needed to stop, Blake never got short-tempered or impatient with her. She was always understanding and ready to help Weiss get back on her feet with a kiss.

Presently, they'd just begun their morning jog at a slow, controlled pace. It was flurrying slightly, and the girls had decided to make a quick round so they could retreat back to Blake's house for some hot chocolate.

Weiss kept pace beside her girlfriend, re-adjusting her scarf a bit as they jogged.

"We just passed one minute!" she declared with a glance at her wrist watch beneath her glove. "That's the most I've jogged so far without stopping!"

. . .

Blake had gotten caught up in the thrill of the run like she often did when practicing for track. She was always sure to keep an eye on Weiss to ensure she was doing well. But she didn't even realize how long they'd managed to go today until her girlfriend spoke up.

Blake slowed herself and turned around to give Weiss a hug.

"I'm proud of you, Weiss! You've made so much progress!"

. . .

Weiss hummed happily, nuzzling closer into Blake's coat. "Thank you! I feel a lot better about everything, that's for sure!" She stepped back, then kissed Blake's cheek sweetly. "Let's keep going!"

Looping her elbow around Blake's, they started off again, walking at a slower pace this time, going for endurance. They kept to the sidewalk, where, past a stretch of grass, was a small road. A few cars passed them on occasion, but for the most part all was quiet. There didn't seem to be very many people in the park today, likely because they were staying home due to the snow.

It was only a few more minutes before Weiss began to shiver. Her mouth was dry, and she was getting a bit too cold. Therefore, she soon tugged on Blake's arm.

"Can we head back soon? It's getting a bit chilly…"

. . .

Blake could feel Weiss shivering against her side, holding tighter to her to stay warm. Blake pulled her a bit closer and wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

"Yeah, let's go. Do you want to come to my house or go back to yours?"

As much as she didn't like making the offer of having Weiss go back the house where that awful excuse for a father lived, Blake didn't want to have her own house be the only option. Even so, she hoped Weiss would choose to come back with Blake.

. . .

"Hm," Weiss pondered. "I think it might be best to just go back to your house, if that's all right. I'm still not sure about how my father will react if he sees us together, even if he doesn't know we're dating."

Her father hadn't yelled or gotten angry with Weiss since the day Blake had saved her life. Weiss' household had been somewhat peaceful since then, and she didn't want to ruin it now, even if it was by accident.

She could tell that Blake was relieved with her choice, too.

They continued to walk for several more minutes, following the sidewalk that cut through the snow-covered grass just beside the street. Weiss clung happily to Blake's arm all the while, watching her breath as it rose up in white puffs.

And then something caught her eye.

Weiss froze as her gaze caught sight of a familiar white car not far away, parked on the side of the street.

Her grip on Blake's arm suddenly turned to a vice. Her voice tumbled out on a thin wisp of air.

"No… oh, no…"

. . .

Without warning, Weiss was suddenly clutching her arm tightly as she came to a dead stop. Blake instantly felt herself tense up.

"Weiss? What's wrong?" Blake looked her over, trying to detect any signs of distress. But she could tell right away that Weiss' breathlessness this time wasn't due to the cold.

She followed Weiss' line of sight to the street, where a white car was parked. Blake felt her chest tighten. She'd seen that car before, passing by her whenever she'd dropped Weiss back off at her house. She had a sinking feeling she knew who it belonged to.

"That... That's not..."

. . .

Weiss didn't hear her. The blood was roaring in her ears, her heart pounding so loudly she thought she might go deaf. Her hands clutched tighter still to Blake's arm, her eyes locked on that familiar car.

"No…" she whimpered again. "No, B-Blake we've got to get out of here-"

She jumped slightly as the door of the car opened. Weiss only kept herself up due to Blake's support.

The man who stepped out of the car was exactly who she feared it would be.

And he wasn't happy.

Weiss shook her head and backed another step away.

"No, F-Father..." she whispered. Then, her voice raised in panic. "Blake, you should go..."

. . .

Blake could see the blood drain from her girlfriend's face as the driver revealed themselves. Blake hadn't ever seen him before, but she knew right away who he was.

He was a stern-looking man with grey hair, and he was wearing a very professional business suit. He was already looking directly at them. And then he started walking their way.

Blake felt a lot of things in that moment. The initial instinct was to run as Weiss said, but Blake stood her ground. That fear was gradually replaced by an angry defiance.

This was the man who had treated Weiss horribly enough to make her consider taking her own life.

Blake wasn't about to run from him.

She steeled herself and stepped in front of Weiss to shield her. Her voice was firm and unflagging.

"I'm not going to run, Weiss. Whatever he has to say, he can say it. I'm here because you need me, and because I need you too, remember?" She turned to look back at her frightened girlfriend with pacifying eyes. "He won't hurt you anymore. Not while you have me."

. . .

"B-But, Blake!" she cried. "That's my father! He doesn't know about us - about anything! He's going to be furious seeing us together!" Again, she made an effort to push Blake away, urging her to run, but the dark-haired girl didn't budge. "Blake, please-"

But her father was already upon them.

"What is all this, young lady?" he demanded.

Weiss stepped to Blake's side in order to face her approaching father.

"D-Daddy-"

"You told me," he growled. "That you'd be going to a classmate's house to work on a project for school. Is this-" he motioned to the two girls disgustedly. "-what you've been doing these past two weeks? Going on walks latched onto some random girl?"

"She's not just some random girl!" Weiss snapped. "She's a classmate, and she's my-"

She cut herself off, but it was too late. Her father had understood what she'd been trying to convey.

And he didn't like it.

"What?" His voice was low and colder than the air.

"Daddy, listen-"

"All this time, you've been dating this girl? My daughter dating without my permission? How disgraceful. Come here this instant! I'll give you a stern punishment when we get home."

Weiss couldn't move. She'd been too scared of him for too long, but she didn't want to go with him now...

. . .

Blake had heard enough. This man had about as much respect for his daughter than Blake had thought he would, which was about as much respect as he probably had for a stray dog. Blake puffed up her chest and squared up to him, forcing him to look her in the eye.

"No, Weiss. You don't have to go. You don't deserve to be punished just because you have a girlfriend." Blake emphasized the word and watched the fire in Mr. Schnee's eyes burn with anger.

There'd once been a time when Blake had been timid and non-confrontational, and perhaps even nowadays she tended to be that way most of the time. But this was an outstanding case. The fact he was yelling at Weiss and treating her so horribly changed things for Blake.

Blake looked back to Weiss for a second and squeezed her hand, then glared back at the man in front of her.

"Mr. Schnee, what's your problem exactly with Weiss finding someone who cares for her?" There was an edge to her voice as she stared him down.

. . .

Blake wasn't listening to her pleas, and Weiss was becoming desperate. She didn't want her father to go off saying even more horrible things to Blake.

"Blake, don't-"

But it was no use. Blake had put herself between Weiss and her outraged father, shielding her with her own body. Weiss clung to her girlfriend's hand, trying to prevent the ensuing argument that was bound to follow, but to no avail.

As soon as Blake started hurling accusatory questions at Weiss' father, he snickered harshly.

"Care for her? You think you can do that, girl? You're a teenager in high school. You don't care about anyone but yourself. Your relationship with my daughter won't last more than a few months at best. You'll find someone else and drop her like a rock."

"Daddy!" Weiss cried out. "How horrible!"

"How dare you raise your voice at me?" he snapped. "I'm not wrong. No two kids who are dating in high school last as far as college or beyond. Especially when they don't have permission to date in the first place." He glared at his daughter again. "Now come here."

. . .

Blake grit her teeth when he insinuated their relationship was merely a phase. It stung and only served to make her blood boil hotter.

"I care about Weiss," she growled. "Enough to help save her life three times now. But you're right Mr. Schnee. If your idea of caring about someone is to keep them locked in the house, yelling at them and abusing them, then you're right. I don't care about Weiss like you do, and I never want to care about her like that."

Blake spit out the words, and as she did so, her hand curled into a fist around Weiss'. Her breath seethed white as she held his gaze with a challenge in her own.

. . .

Weiss could sense that this argument was about to turn physical if something didn't stop it quickly. If she let that happen, she'd never forgive herself.

But Blake's words warmed her heart, and the things she said were things Weiss hadn't realized until now. Blake really had saved her life several times within the short time-span since she'd known her. And even before she'd known who Weiss was, Blake had messaged her blog repeatedly telling her all kinds of nice things.

Weiss really wouldn't have been here without her.

When her father was confronted with such things, he was speechless. His eyes were still angry, but he didn't have any words to refute Blake, proving that she was right about him.

Weiss held her breath as her father thought of what to say or do next.

But before he could speak, Weiss noticed another person rushing to them from the car. Her grip on Blake's arm slackened just a bit.

"Winter?"

. . .

Blake smiled as she saw that her words have an affect on Weiss' father. He stood in silence staring at her. His eyes still smoldered with fury. Blake could see the muscles in his jaw clenching as he thought of something to say.

But then a fourth person joined the scene, running towards the group from the car. The young woman shared the white hair and blue eyes of the Schnee family.

"Who's that, Weiss?" Blake asked warily. She assumed this person was on Mr. Schnee's side, being she came out of his car.

. . .

"She's… my sister…" Weiss mumbled, eyes glued to Winter. But she didn't seem to be angry at Weiss; rather, she seemed upset at their father.

Before he could say anything more, Winter reached them. She glanced at them each in turn, her expression a mixture of confusion and outrage. But ultimately she rounded on her father.

"Father, what is going on here?"

He snorted and glared at her. "Your sister is dating this girl, evidently, instead of doing her schoolwork."

Winter looked up at him, then back to the other two girls.

"I'm glad I came along after all," she said. "Father, this is ridiculous. Stop this at once. It doesn't matter who Weiss dates so long as they make her happy. And she certainly doesn't need your permission." She stepped closer to Blake and Weiss, putting a supportive hand on her sister's back to indicate she was on her side. "And how do you know she is sacrificing her schoolwork? She's still got grades at the top of her class."

Winter looked to Blake and met her eyes sternly.

"Do you love my sister?"

. . .

When Winter looked Blake in the eye and asked her this so calmly, Blake was taken aback after her shouting match with their father. Winter's clear-headedness was surprising, but welcome.

"Honestly…" Blake took a moment to think of her answer, to be sure she fully expressed herself. "Yes, I do. Weiss and I haven't been dating long, and I didn't even mean to fall in love with her. But I have, and I can't imagine the world without her."

She said it without wavering or faltering, clearly enough for all of them to hear.

. . .

Weiss whimpered at Blake's confession, instantly clutching onto the sleeve of her coat and burying her face in her girlfriend's shoulder. She started to cry shortly afterward, touched beyond words by Blake's revelation of her truthful and heartfelt emotions.

"Blake…" she mumbled. "M-Me, too. I didn't mean to either… but you've helped me so many times. You're always there for me. You're so kind and warm and loving. I love you so much…"

Winter watched the two girls with silent, fond eyes. She knew exactly what they were feeling.

It was then she turned her gaze on her father, who had fallen silent with an unreadable expression on his face.

"Do you see, Father? Do you see how badly Weiss needs this?" Winter kept her hand on her sister's back to help keep her on her feet. "Why is this such a horrible thing, Father?"

She wasn't surprised when he didn't give an answer, and Winter pressed on.

"I've got a girlfriend, too, Father. I'm only telling you now, but we've been dating for months. I hid this from you because I knew how you'd react. Are you going to tear me away from her as well?" she challenged.

. . .

Blake turned and wrapped her arms around her girlfriend warmly.

"I love you too, Weiss."

When she withdrew, she kept close to Weiss. A smile had formed on her lips as soon as she'd realized Winter was on their side, and the confession of her feelings for Weiss only made Blake feel all the more giddy. Mr Schnee didn't scare her at all.

Hearing that Weiss' elder sister had been hiding the exact same secret only made Blake all the more delighted.

"Weiss!" she whispered. "Did you know about that?"

. . .

Weiss lifted her face from where she presently was in Blake's arms. Her gaze went to her shocked father, her defiant sister, and then back to her shook her head, speaking softly as not to interrupt her sister.

"No…" she mumbled. "I had no idea she was dating someone..."

Clearly, her father hadn't the slightest clue either. Until now.

Winter tapped her shoe on the sidewalk, waiting for a response from him. Weiss watched as their father put a hand to his face and sighed.

"You… you are dating someone as well?" he muttered.

Winter nodded calmly. "Yes. And she's the only reason I'm able to do my work and continue making an income. Without her, I would never be able to concentrate or have the motivation to do anything. Are you going to make me break up with her?"

Their father looked to Winter and then to Weiss, sighing in disbelief.

"Then… if your sister is dating someone, I presume you may as well..."

Weiss couldn't believe her ears. In a way, she was upset because he'd only said she could have this if her sister did, because in their father's eyes, Winter was perfect and could make no mistakes.

But at the very least, this meant Weiss could continue seeing Blake from now on without fear.

. . .

Blake scoffed softly when she heard the man's answer.

"Oh?" she grunted under her breath, only loud enough for Weiss to hear. "So you're only allowed to do things if your sister does them first? I'm sure she's a wonderful person, but it's not right to let her actions set the guidelines for your life."

. . .

"Blake," Weiss said softly, squeezing her hand. "It's all right."

Her father gave them each one last disgruntled glare, clearly miffed about all of this. But he said nothing more. He merely turned away and headed back toward his car.

Winter lingered for a moment, sticking close to Blake and Weiss as they watched him go. She soon turned back to her younger sister, and pulled Weiss into a brief hug.

"I'm sorry," she murmured. "I never knew he was being so harsh on you. I won't let him do that any more. And... I'm sorry for not paying attention, Weiss. I'd get so caught up in my work I never even left my office half the time. I never let you know you could've come to me..."

"Winter..." Weiss sniffled softly as Winter embraced her, and it wasn't long before she was clinging to her sister, sobbing hard. "Thank you, Winter..."

She didn't know why, but she suddenly felt that - at long last - she was going to be all right. With Winter now on her side and unafraid to stand up to their father, Weiss knew she didn't have to do this alone anymore.

And of course she had Blake, too.

When Winter released her, Weiss went back to her girlfriend and hugged her as well, breathing sigh after sigh of relief as she finally started to calm down. Winter shared a glance with Blake and smiled.

"Thank you for looking after her when I couldn't."

. . .

Blake felt the adrenaline simmering down as she watched Mr. Schnee turn without a word and start walking back to his car. Weiss' warmth at her side allowed Blake to breathe easily again.

It was over. Now with both Weiss' and Winter's secrets revealed, their father wouldn't be able to suppress or control them any longer.

Blake was glad to let Weiss go into her sister's arms. But as soon as Winter let her go, Weiss returned to Blake wasting a second. Both girls breathed a sigh of relief before their lips came together softly.

When they parted, Blake looked up to Winter.

"I'm just happy I could be there for her, and that she's going to be all right now. I promise I'll keep doing everything I can do make her happy."

. . .

Winter seemed satisfied with that. She gave Blake an appreciative nod before turning and heading off.

Weiss watched her go, still clearly baffled by everything that had just happened here. She was still shaking a little bit and clung to Blake for support.

"My… My father just… approved us," she mumbled. "A-And Winter, she… has a girlfriend, too?" After a minute, Weiss finally shook her head, gladly accepting the reality at hand. With another sigh, she leaned into Blake."So this means… maybe I can live my dream after all…"

She reached up to cup Blake's cheeks.

"Rather… I've got a new dream. And it's already come true."

She kissed Blake's lips tenderly and hugged her tight.

. . .

Blake smiled into the kiss and returned it fully.

"I'm glad it's come true. Mine has, too."

She returned the embrace with just as much warmth and affection.

When all was said and done, they walked back to Blake's house on the snowy winter path, keeping comfortably warm in spite of the season.

-----------

A/N: Who saw that coming? I mean, most of you guessed there'd be a confrontation with Papa Schnee, but I remember my friend and I had wanted to include Winter in it too.

We'll wrap it up next week with a little epilogue!