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Chapter Text

Her body woke before her eyes could open, and the scream that tore from her throat was cut short by the unforgiving impact with the floor that followed.

Her ears were ringing and she was sobbing.

...

"Ruby!"

"Let me go! Let me go let me go, please, please!"

Yang knew when Ruby was serious.

So the fact that she had no choice but to keep holding her pained her greatly. She smoothed Ruby's hair out of her face and her hand shook as she accepted the damp washcloth Blake had rushed to them, dabbing at her sweating forehead and cheeks, the perspiration that beaded down her neck and the front of her chest.

"Ruby, you fell-you're hurt, you need to hold still-" Blake tried to explain, unsteadiness seeping through the cracks in her voice where she'd tried to keep it calm.

"It's no use-don't, she can't hear you-" Yang held the flailing, shrieking girl as still as she could manage, "-It's always like this, all we can do is wait it out-"

"'Always'?"

Ruby screamed louder and Yang pushed a fierce, protective kiss to the crown of her head.

"...Night terrors." Yang admitted. "She gets them from time to time and-tends to sleepwalk-Ruby, I'm sorry, baby, I'm sorry, I know, I know-t... tends to sleepwalk and I think that's why she put her bed like this when we got here but I guess it didn't work-she's not herself when this happens and-oh Ruby, Ruby I'm right here, I'm right here-" Yang interrupted herself to go against her own advice and Blake held her shoulder firmly.

"Let me hold her. You've done it for so long-let me, Yang-"

"-I didn't say anything because I knew she was trying to handle it herself and-if I'd-if I had just-"

"-Yang." Blake's voice was firm but her expression was soft. "You don't want her to see you like this when she wakes up." Lacking anything else, Blake plucked her hair bow from her ears and handed it to Yang. "Use that. You're crying. It's okay. She'll be okay. She's been through worse. She'll go through worse. We're here for her right now and Weiss will be back any minute." Yang swallowed thickly and nodded, made sure that Ruby was safely wrapped in Blake's embrace before holding the ribbon to her eyes, squeezing the bridge of her nose as she tried to get a grip on herself, her heart slamming at the inside of her chest with every pained, terrified shriek she heard. The crying was intense and frightening to her-she could only imagine how Ruby was feeling, what she was seeing-her baby sister-

There were voices from out in the hall. Team JNPR was awake, and it sounded like the rest of the hallway was soon to follow.

"Ren, Nora!"

Pyrrha's voice had a certain effect on people.

"Go tell everyone else to stay in their rooms! Jaune! With me-!"

It was the kind of voice that no one argued with, though Nora's gave her a run for her money.

"PARK YOUR HEINIES BACK INTO BED, NOTHING TO SEE HERE, GO GO GO-!"

There was a distinct, wobbling twang followed by a sharp, girlish squeal.

Pyrrha's voice again.

"I'm sorry! Inside voice, Nora! Ren, would you-?"

"-Understood."

Yang glanced between Ruby and the door and realized that Ruby's eyes were starting to stay open longer.

"Sis-! Wake up, it's us!"

...

She needed to run.

Run, flee, escape, far and fast away-

She needed to find her again, the one who'd left her, the one she'd been torn from-

The word dragged its nails down her insides and she screamed with mortal terror-she couldn't move, she would suffocate, her head was ringing-

She needed to find her again-

The door slammed open, a figure clothed in white and red appearing in the doorway, backed by the light in the hallway. Her eyes went huge and her mouth dropped open, chest heaving as she pulled towards her-

...

"Professor Goodwitch is on the way!" Weiss called from the doorway, slamming her scroll shut and nodding to Pyrrha and Jaune, waving them ahead after handing them the hastily-scrawled combination to Ruby's locker. "How is she?! Still not awake, or-?!"

"Summer!"

Ruby flung herself into Weiss, dragging herself down her body until she was on her knees, arms locked tight around her hips. She wept sorely, obviously spent from her ordeal, shaking, red-faced and hysteric.

"R-Ruby-?!"

"Don't go, don't go don't let me go no no no please, please-"

No one moved. No one spoke.

"Don't-" Yang croaked, pleading, "-whatever you do-"

Slowly, unsteadily, Weiss sank into the embrace, holding her as close as she would allow, and Ruby did not resist, in fact clawing her way back up until her arms were around Weiss' shoulders.

"Dolt- Ruby-" Weiss stammered, trying to stay as calm as she possibly could.

She didn't do hugging, but-

"I'm right here. Don't you dare cry anymore." In a lower voice, she added, "I can handle anyone's tears but yours."

"...S'mmer..." Ruby's voice was weak and strained with exhaustion.

They sat on the floor together and Weiss swallowed, looking between Yang and Blake over Ruby's shoulders, breathing hard through her own cold sweat as Ruby went limp and peaceful, breathing normally once more.

"...Yang. Blake." Weiss exhaled, feeling keenly the creasing space between her brows as the headache of their whirlwind of an experience caught up with her.

"...Who's Summer?"

Chapter Text

It had been the first time in her life that Weiss had truly panicked.

When it came to herself, she never found the time to feel worried; no, she spent he efforts remaking her situation and emerging victorious. But this-

-There hadn't been anything they could do except get her help, get her through this.

She cradled Ruby close to her, with no regard to the strain that was her virtually dead weight. To be honest, she didn't even feel it.

"Students-to your rooms, now, if you please-"

If Pyrrha's voice had been authoritative, Glynda's was totalitarian: indeed the sound of everyone scurrying back to their rooms was uniform, no doubt having weighed their curiosity against Glynda's temper and unanimously deciding that it either wasn't worth it or that they'd find out through the grapevine tomorrow anyway.

Or so they thought. Weiss silently vowed not to let anyone spread schoolyard gossip about her partner, no matter what truths it contained.

It wasn't anyone else's business, and she felt herself getting preemptively angry on Ruby's behalf.

Glynda came inside the room, shutting the door behind her to keep out prying eyes before she began firing questions to assess the situation. They explained as best they could, though Weiss was troubled by the way she looked at Ruby all throughout.

"-and she was hallucinating, you've gotta help her Ms. Goodwitch-" Yang choked, only having just finished winding down with crying herself, and undoubtedly feeling renewed worry at having to recount everything that had transpired.

"I see. Did anyone notice whether or not the impact hit her head? If there's any possibility of concussion or blunt trauma, I'm afraid I must insist that she stay in the nurse's office for the night, at least." Her gaze flickered to Ruby's bed, suspended in the air and lopsided from the amount of activity it had seen on this particular night. "She certainly can't stay here. I want her bed taken down within the day and placed firmly on the ground."

Yang and Blake exchanged nervous glances: it seemed Glynda hadn't noticed their own haphazard arrangement and they weren't about to bring it to her attention. Blake nodded her head.

"I think I woke up first. From where I was, I saw her fall and she hit the ground pretty hard."

"Understood." Glynda snapped briskly, "Miss Schnee, please turn her over to me."

Ruby was clutching Weiss desperately, even in sleep. Weiss hesitated.

"W-Wait, Ms. Goodwitch, I need to know something first-" She quickly turned to Yang, raising her eyebrows as if to denote that she expected an answer this time, no excuses, "-Why did she call me 'Summer'?"

Yang opened her mouth to speak, but closed it the moment Ruby stirred sleepily.

"Yang-" Weiss ground out warningly, urgently. Glynda was not very patient and wouldn't wait forever.

"-It's...complicated. Ruby's the only one who can tell you-"

"...Tell...what?"

All eyes were back on Ruby as she woke slowly, shaking, from either fear or cold or something else Weiss could not tell.

"Miss Rose." Glynda interrupted swiftly, adjusting her glasses. "I'm glad to see you awake. It bodes well for your recovery. But we must make for the nurse's office immediately. I want you to stay there and sleep properly, understood?"

Ruby clung to Weiss with trepidation. "I don't wanna go alone-I can't-"

"We'll come with you, sis, it'll be okay-"

"You will not." Glynda cut in harshly. "She is going there to recover, and needs peace and quiet-"

"G-Glynda please-" Ruby croaked, a damp sweat coming in on her forehead, "-I need... I, need-"

Glynda narrowed her eyes at Ruby as she nuzzled into Weiss, who had embraced her protectively.

"Ma'am-" Yang entreated politely, "-with all due respect, I don't think you understand, she needs a little bit of comfort right now and I... I of all people know how hard these nightmares are on her-"

"If Miss Rose is qualified to come to Beacon," Glynda interjected icily, "then she is qualified to speak for herself and explain why exactly she had to scream bloody murder and wake the rest of the building for something she hasn't grown out of-"

Weiss swallowed, not out of any fear of Glynda, no-she could see the way Yang's expression changed, and looking between them, in that moment, she understood something, and felt it spark a hot flash of rage inside every drop of blood in her body.

Glynda's mad at her. She's mad at Ruby for getting hurt.

Yang blew her lid first.

'Exploded' would be an understatement.

"WHAT IN THE WORLD IS YOUR PROBLEM?! THIS ISN'T AN ISOLATED INCIDENT YOU CANTANKEROUS OLD WITCH, HOW DARE YOU, HOW DARE YOU-?!" Yang looked as though she might punch Glynda-and the moment Weiss thought it, she swung-

Blake was on her in an instant, holding her back. By the way Glynda hadn't even flinched or made to move out of her way, Weiss could sense that it was largely to Yang's benefit that Blake had stopped her. Her touch seemed to calm Yang in ways that couldn't otherwise come to be.

"Yang, stop. Once people are set in their ways," Blake hissed with obvious vitrol, "they become cold and insensitive to those that need kindness most."

"How- how dare you-" Yang repeated, sagging into Blake's arms, furious tears on her cheeks, "How dare you treat Ruby like a coward, how dare you-"

Glynda adjusted her glasses, completely nonplussed.

"I will collect her now. Miss Schnee is permitted to stay with her, as she is her partner. But you both are to remain here."

Apparently Glynda had had a change of heart, albeit a small one.

...

They gathered little of Ruby's belongings-even in her groggy state, Ruby insisted on taking her cloak with her, and Yang helped her slide some slippers onto her feet as she held onto Weiss for support. They followed behind Glynda, Weiss holding Ruby by the hand and keeping her steady all the way.

She couldn't take her eyes off of her.

She'd never seen Ruby do anything like that before, and-

It had scared her.

Her heart twisted uncomfortably the more she looked at Ruby, so exhausted, so helpless and childlike with her cloak draped partway over her shoulder and held fondly to her cheek like a security blanket, even though she looked like she could fall asleep standing up any moment-

"We're here."

They helped Ruby into a cot and Glynda exchanged some words with the nurse in private.

Weiss never let go of Ruby's hand.

She didn't know how to deal with how she felt right now. It had been easier when there was something to be doing, but now, just looking at her spent partner and knowing that she'd be fine but not being able to do more for her?

She hated waiting.

She hated it.

The nurse ran some simple tests, and Glynda watched with folded arms. Weiss felt as though she wanted to ask her something, but even if she did know just what to ask her, she looked deeply pensive and she wasn't so sure even she wanted to chance it.

The only reason she hadn't risen to Ruby's defense with a fury was because Yang had beaten her to it, had articulated perfectly everything Weiss had wanted to scream.

"I trust you'll be fine if I leave you now, Miss Schnee?"

"Yes." She replied flatly, feeling slightly more venomous out of the heat of the moment, wanting to spitefully make up for the missed opportunity of responding unpleasantly to her for how she'd talked about Ruby.

But she swung on her heel and left without any further announcement, leaving Weiss stewing in her discontent.

What had gotten into her? She wasn't like this. Professor Goodwitch had been her favorite teacher: cunning and serious, tolerating no nonsense and-

-She reminded Weiss of her father. Now more than ever.

"...Weiss?" Ruby's voice was soft and worried, and Weiss squeezed her hand. "I'm not tired. Promise...." Ruby assured her, but she interrupted herself with a yawn that betrayed her.

"...Dolt." Weiss couldn't help but smile, finding her voice again. "You're not allowed to scare us like that. You owe us big time, you know."

Ruby giggled and reached her arms out, inviting.

"I'll make it up t'you-" She slurred sleepily, "-honest-"

"You're the worst. Shut up." Weiss leaned in and allowed her the embrace, meaning for it to be brief, but it seemed Ruby had other ideas, and it lingered and dragged on as she let the weight of her arms sag around Weiss' shoulders.

"I'll tell y'a secret-" Ruby taunted, and before Weiss could react, she pulled herself up until their faces were even closer, and mumbled near her ear, "-I'm kinda relieved to have you scolding me again, heh-"

Weiss felt her face heat up, ridiculously fast, and she pinched at Ruby's cheeks with a pout of her own. "You have no idea, I'm not even getting started, dunce-"

"Awww, how cuuute!"

"Yang! Blake!" Ruby called out, overjoyed, "What're you doing here?"

"Shhh! I don't want Glynda jumping down our necks!" Yang waved her hands, "But like hell I was gonna let her tell me I can't see my baby sis when she's in trouble-"

Weiss silently berated herself for not having asked Ruby what she'd wanted to ask her while they'd still had some privacy.

She'd ask the very next time they were alone. She swore it to herself.

Blake whirled around, ears twitching at something only she had heard.

"Yes, it'd be a shame if the cantankerous old witch caught you all outside past curfew."

"Professor Ozpin...?" Ruby squeaked, drawing her cloak up under her chin.

"Oh geez-I'm really sorry you had to hear that-" Yang apologized reflexively, though everyone knew that if it had happened all over again, she'd have reacted the exact same way.

"...How did you hear all that anyway?" Weiss probed suspiciously, an eyebrow arching with accusation.

If there were a picture in the dictionary next to the word 'nonchalance', it would be of the exact look on his face as he took a sip of his coffee in that moment.

"I have my ways."

"You're not going to tell Goodwitch, are you?" Blake's eyes narrowed warily.

"No, I don't believe so. At least, not any time soon." He chuckled as if he'd said something particularly amusing and approached Ruby's bedside, setting down the plate of cookies he'd been balancing in his other hand. "I simply wanted to come and let you all know not to take Professor Goodwitch's words too personally. The meaner she is, the more she cares. I would know. And besides-" His expression shed some of the lackadaisical nature that went with bringing rule-breaking students cookies in the middle of the night, "-nightmares are somewhat of a... personal matter for her."

Before he had the chance to elaborate further-if he'd even intended to-Jaune and Pyrrha slipped in quietly, shuffling over in their pajamas and having a very animated, whispered conversation.

"Jaune, if you... need assistance carrying it, I would suggest sooner rather than later-"

"Pyrrha... hoo!-I got this. It's good. It's not that heavy-"

"You're... straining. And Ruby might be upset if you drop it-"

"I promise! I'm not going to drop-!"

Jaune squealed aloud as Crescent Rose dropped from his arms, and Ruby cringed and squeezed her eyes shut, awaiting a loud sound that never came.

She opened them in time to see Pyrrha's outstretched hand floating her prized weapon into her lap, and with a peal of delight she scooped it into her arms and cradled it close.

"My baby-!"

"Ohh crap. Is... that the headmaster?"

"Is... that rhetorical?"

"...Are you rhetorical-?"

"You're not in trouble, don't worry." Ozpin waved them closer and beckoned for them to take a cookie. "At least, not until exactly four minutes and... twenty-seven seconds from now, unless you're Miss Schnee."

"Whuh-? Hwy?" Jaune asked through a mouthful of cookies.

"That's when the good witch finishes her rounds of the dorms she's checking before yours. I suggest you all keep your visit brief."

"Wait. Is she really gonna come back in four minutes and twenty-seven seconds-?"

"Well no. Now it's four minutes and ten, nine-" Ozpin flipped open a pocket watch, "-eight-"

"Yikes! Okay, uh-we better scram. Ruby! Take care okay? We'll see you tomorrow!"

"Goodbye again!"

Yang and Blake exchanged glances as Jaune and Pyrrha hastened outside. Blake gave a polite incline of her head as she went for the door, where she waited for Yang, who took a moment to muss up Ruby's hair and plant a kiss on her forehead.

"Thanks, teach! Really appreciate the whole, 'not-telling-Goodwitch' thing!"

"Indeed." He gestured his mug towards Weiss as he turned to her. "And now, I'll really leave you to it. Good night, children." And he disappeared almost as quickly and as quietly as he'd come.

Weiss looked at Ruby as the younger girl stretched and yawned.

Now.

"It was so nice of everyone to visit-"

Now.

"I don't know how to make it up to everyone for standing up for me-"

"There's... something." Weiss started hesitantly, looked into Ruby's eyes, and kept talking before she'd have half a mind to stop herself.

"Summer. Who is Summer, Ruby?"

Ruby stilled, and for a moment, Weiss had worried she'd done something horrible by asking after all.

But she only smiled sweetly back at her.

"...Summer?"

"Yes. Who is she?"

Ruby's smile didn't quite reach her eyes anymore, and there was something about it that made Weiss' breath catch.

It had meaning. Pain.

Ruby laid down again with a tired sigh, squeezing Weiss' hand in hers.

"Ruby-"

"No one would believe me if I told them."

And before Weiss could try to convince her otherwise, she was asleep again.