It's been a long time since I posted a chapter in this story, huh? Sorry 'bout that, I've been lacking motivation as of late and I just can't bring myself to open my computer since I'm too lazy. Regardless of that, here's another chapter of 'A Promise to Keep'. But I wouldn't get my hopes up if I were you. 'Coz the next chapter's gonna be... indefinite. But I'll try to write just as much when I was back then.

Anyway, enjoy that chapter!

DISCLAIMER: I do not own RWBY.

Chapter 7

Winter stepped off of her own personal bullhead, with a grace befitting that of a Schnee. A warm breeze wafted over the platform with a salty scent from the sea up north. It was just as Weiss had told her about Vale. She reveled in the sun shining down on Beacon, "It has been an awfully long time since I've set foot on this place..."

The soldiers behind her tensed when she stepped into the Beacon courtyard. They briskedly followed after her, matching her pace while keeping their distance. Her stern expression gave no emotions away while she emitted a heavy atmosphere. The students in the courtyard stopped their activities and froze in place.

Many people were looking on to her in fear while those that recognize her had looked at her with eyes of admiration. But amidst all the attention she was getting, Winter was unfazed through it all as she continued her trek towards the headmaster's office.

However, her slow trek came to a stop when someone blocked her way.

"Miss Schnee, it's a pleasure to see you again..." Glynda Goodwitch, the deputy headmistress of Beacon, was in her usual garb as a teacher of academy. Unlike the instructors in Atlas Academy where they all wore the same uniform – be it, a student or a teacher, Beacon was a bit more lax regarding their dress code.

Winter watched Glynda for a few seconds before nodding along, "Yes, Professor Goodwitch. It has been a long time since we have met. I believe it was during the time team JLIB were involved in the White Fang incident." She said, a hint of regret marring her looks for a brief moment. "The fault lies in my actions that night."

Shooting a glance at the soldiers behind them, the two men got the message and moved a bit farther away from them, giving them a little bit of privacy. "There is no one to blame for what had happened. Bartholomew and Jaune does not blame anyone for the deaths of their teammates – and that includes you and James as well." Glynda's hand fell down on the younger woman's soldier. "I'm sure Jaune would say the same in the matter."

Winter wasn't visibly shaken and while her mind had not been cleared of any doubts, it was somewhat manageable to keep her composure. "Speaking of which, how is he? I've never gotten much details from the general."

Glynda regarded her for a moment before confusion settled on her visage. "He is well. Did he not call you himself?" When Winter raised a fine brow and looked straight into Glynda's eyes, the deputy headmistress nodded with frown. "I'm starting to believe that he didn't do much for your end, has he?" With the shake of her head, Glynda sighed. "Of course, he didn't. Well, I'm just glad that Ozpin is keeping him occupied while I take you to him."

"Really?" Glynda nodded and motioned for her to the headmaster's tower. The rest of the trip to Ozpin's tower was spent talking with Glynda. When they reached the base of the tower, Winter's men were ordered to stand by at the tower's lobby.

The elevator ride up was spent in silence until Winter asked, "He doesn't know I'm here, does he?"

"I am sure he does, but doesn't know if it will be you that will be coming from Atlas as their liaison." She turned to Glynda for another question but she was interrupted when the elevator opened to reveal Ozpin's office. It wasn't the first time she visited the headmaster's office with her being the commander of the specialists and a head of Ironwood's security details. But it still does not fail to amaze her of the clockwork of a bygone era. The constant ticking of gears nearly drowning out the entire room.

On one side of the room, there was a cupboard, a book shelf and a table with a set of cups and a thermos – which she assumed would be coffee, considering that every time she saw the headmaster; he was always holding a cup of coffee.

On the other side, a small table with a vintage chess board and polished wooden pieces on top and a set of chairs on either side of the table. Jaune and Ozpin were in the middle of playing chess – both of which were wearing unreadable expressions at the moment.

Each of them only had a number of pieces left and all of them were strategically placed on the board. Though, they didn't have to wait long for Ozpin to call out, "Checkmate." She heard Jaune groan, "That's my third straight win of the day, Jaune."

"Yeah, yeah, rub it my face, why don't ya..." Jaune grumbled, running a hand down his face. "I swear to the gods above that you're cheating whenever we play."

"On the contrary, I believe it has something to do with impatience in your part. While you are a great combatant and a good tactitian, you do not make use of those whenever we play a game of chess." Shaking his head, Ozpin glanced towards the two women in the room.

Jaune sighed, "This is one of those things that I really don't like about you, Oz. I'm sure Qrow would say the same." Ozpin gave a mirthful chuckle. "You don't believe me? Why don't we give Qrow a call now and let us know what he thinks."

"As much as the idea of trying to prove yourself right seems interesting, we both have guests to attend to." Giving Ozpin a quizzical look, Jaune followed Ozpin's gaze behind him and saw what he was referring to. Eyes widened in surprise and his face has gone down several shades paler.

In truth, Winter took a hidden pleasure in seeing his panicked expression. Taking a glance at Glynda and one look at the smirk adorned on her face suggests that she did, too.

Ozpin moved from the seat by the chess table to the oval desk that he kept in his office. It was a glass table with several holographic interfaces displayed. There laid several musty old books on top that seemed worn off by time and not by use, none of which had any titles to indicate their topics or subject matter.

The soft clank of metal striking glass reverberated throughout the office amidst the clicking of the large gears above. She knew for a fact that the cane that he was holding was his weapon – a detail that Jaune shared to her when she met Ozpin the first time around.

The headmaster sat down on his reclining chair as he looked at her and gestured to the chairs adjacent to the oval glass desk. "I prefer to stand, headmaster." To which, she replied. Being trained to be disciplined with proper military etiquette, it was by habit that she took to her military training.

"Please, we would be here discussing important details and it would be better if you are comfortable to inform us when seated." Winter hesitantly nodded to the headmaster's words and sat down – albeit, rigidly on the chair. She glanced at Jaune's form, which was leaning on a column on one side of the office. Slate blue met ocean blue – Jaune was the first to look away with an almost bashful expression. She will keep that tiny tidbit in mind for later.

"It is a pleasure to see you again, Headmaster." She said, more to keep appearances than truthfully meaning it.

"The pleasure is all mine, Miss Schnee." Ozpin said, "Before we begin, is there something that James wants to relay towards me? I haven't spoken to him in months, now."

"At the moment, there is no information regarding the details of the White Fang in Solitas and Anime or anything else related to the threat of the Grimm." She paused before directing her attention to Jaune. "However, sources indicate that White Fang activity will increase in the coming months here in Vale."

The headmaster adopted a thoughtful expression, "From which sources have you gathered this?"

"Unfortunately, due to compartmentalization of information, it has been deemed classified by General Ironwood and the other council members until such further notice that it is needed to be shared to other kingdoms – only those in the upper echelon know who it came from." Winter said, almost robotically. It was another habit of hers whenever regaling information. She could already see the gears running in the headmaster's head when he didn't drop his thoughtful visage.

On the side, she heard Glynda groaned in exasperation – not in disgust or resentment but in knowing annoyance that Jaune shared. "Still the snake that they are, aren't they?" Glynda said, with a hint of venom, not directed at Atlas or herself but to the council members – including the General.

However, she didn't refute the statement, knowing full well how corrupted the council are these days – and it wasn't limited to Atlas, itself. Almost all members of the council in every part of Remnant are like that.

"It doesn't matter for now." Jaune began, "What matters is that the White Fang are operating in Vale, and someone needs to keep an eye or two out on the streets. We need to call Qrow for thi-"

"No," Ozpin interrupted, making Jaune frown. "Qrow is on an important mission at the moment. We must not be a nuisance to him." She heard Jaune huff.

"This is Qrow we're talking about – he'll gladly take any chance he could get to take a break." Ozpin shook his head with an amused glimmer of a smile. "Who do you want in the city to keep an eye on things? I'll gladly go – but since you put me in this position," Jaune added with a non-threatening glare directed at Ozpin. "I can't spend all of my time in Vale."

"There is no one that will be more suitable than I in this task." Jaune and Ozpin were interrupted by Winterand looked at her with questioning looks. "I have been sent by the general to keep the White Fang in check in an undisclosed time frame."

"That means you will stay here until the White Fang threat in Vale is gone?" Glynda asked, with an incredulous widening of her emerald eyes. "James allowed this?" Winter nonchalantly shrugged her shoulders while giving her a glance.

"It was his orders for me to do so. He also told me that it was a way to redeem himself, he says." She said, though she didn't know what the general meant by what he said. But she thought that it had something to do with Jaune and his team.

Winter remembered the day before his team set out for the escort mission. His partner had ask the general for a favor but that was it. Maybe, there was something more to it than that. Or maybe, she was reading too much into it.

"James is paranoid, Glynda." Ozpin added, "He would do anything to stop the White Fang threat whether it would be in any part of Remnant. And once he heard wind of White Fang activity here in Vale, he sent one of his best agents to investigate." A nod from Winter confirmed his words.

"In any case, I will be staying in Vale for the foreseeable future and hope that I can be of service in case of emergencies while I try to find any White Fang activities in the area." Winter stood from her chair and nodded at the headmaster, "If you have any need of me, headmaster, Miss Goodwitch knows my contact details and I will be staying in Vale."

"Won't you lodge here in Beacon? We have spare and clean rooms that you can have a use for..." Glynda said before she could leave.

"I believe that would be much appreciated. However, I must contact some of the local informants that we have stationed in Vale, first. I will try to keep in touch and come back here before sundown." Glynda's smile and nod was enough of an acknowledgement. Winter turned to the headmaster and said her farewells and headed towards the elevator.

From the peripherals of her vision, she saw Jaune whisper into Glynda's ears before moving towards the elevators himself. When she got in, Jaune followed

In the meeting, she was already doing her best to be composed in front of the headmaster and Glynda, she knew that he knew she was feeling agitated from having to see him for the first time in years and for this conversation to not be the first in her agenda.

It was all business inside Ozpin's office but when it came to be just the two of them, it was already personal. She remembered those days when Jaune had lost his teammates, he was cold and bitter – damning the world as he see fit without any regard for the people that were close to him.

Winter understood just what Leona and Iris meant to him. He was supposed to propose to her for godsake. She knew that it'd hurt him but never to the extent of what he and she went through. Not to mention, the way their last conversation ended – heated words were exchanged with no filter, feelings were more than just hurt and their friendship was almost severed when both of them acted the way they did.

It was her fault for prodding too much when he didn't want to, but the fault doesn't fall just with her. He wasn't really helping with the way his cold attitude and frayed nerves were doing to his emotions. It was a combined effort at most...

So when he just stood there looking at everything but herself, it got to her nerves.

"Well?" Winter started. "Is there something you want to say?" Her voice sounding almost too cold and bitter.

His hand unconsciously scratched the back of his head and nape – a habit of his whenever he's feeling a bit agitated or extremely nervous. "I guess an apology is in order." Jaune meekly said, earning him a raised fine brow. "Okay, a lot of apologies." He paused taking a chance to glance at her ice blue eyes again. "Where do you want me to start?"

Jaune heard Winter hum in thought – a finger tapping her chin. "How about the way you left without saying a word to anyone? How about the way my closest friend had almost cut ties with me for being so stubborn?" He flinched and grimaced at the blunt words that Winter sent his way. "Did you know what I felt when you left the way you did? The way you casted me and everyone away for your own selfish reason?"

Her tongue was sharp but it didn't compare to when he gave her a reprisal for her prodding back then.

"I'm sorry for everyth–"

"You should be!" His eyes widened and his body was stiff as he was forcefully turned to face her, cold icy blue eyes bored into his. Winter never shouted – their voices whenever they banter would occasionally rise, but she never shouted. Neither in anger or embarrassment, this was new to him and her. "But that's just it, you say it like its the magic word for everything everytime you fuck up!" Nor did she ever swear, even in the most dire of situations. "Did you expect that if you say sorry when you come back everything is forgiven? That everyone you know would be expected to accept every wrong thing you do?" Her finger jabbed into his chest but she made no more move to do anything besides that. "I thought that I lost a friend when you left – in more ways than one..." She muttered and it was quiet enough the she was sure that it was heard.

"I know..." Icy blue glared at ocean blue. It was a stare that made even the toughest of her soldiers flinch the moment their eyes made contact. However, there was a serene gaze that looked down to her. It was those eyes that made him stand out the first time they met. "I was an asshole – a fool for mistreating my friends the way I did. I still am... and you didn't deserved it. You were only there to help me grieve but I pushed you and many others away." He sighed and grabbed the hand that was jabbing him with a finger. "If it's any consolation, I regretted everything that I've done. And if given a chance, I'd do anything to make it right again."

They stared at each other for a few more long moments, before Winter broke eye contact. "Gods, Leona did warn me you were such a sweet talker... even if it is cliché and cheesy." A humurous laugh resound in the small room of the elevator. It was melodic and nostalgic even. "Please don't tell me that was how you roped Leona into a relationship with you?" It was bordering the territory where topics shouldn't be discussed, but Jaune didn't seem to mind one bit or at least, it was a topic that was on a tolerable level. And he smiled – an infectious one, as Winter's lip curved into a broad and genuine smile. One that she hadn't done in years.

"Believe it or not, it was because I serenaded her back then in our last year." The smile on his face brightened, "Iris said that I was horrible – even Bart said something along those lines. But Leona, oh, she laughed. Laughed harder when I started to sing. Well, I wasn't really trying, though. It was one of the things that I like about her."

"Yes, yes. I know." She rolled her eyes when he told her. It was a story that Leona often talked to her about and kept repeating. "Even I can attest to that..." She trailed off, when Jaune's eyes clouded with an emotion that she was more than familiar with. "Jaune?"

He shook his head and closed his eyes, "No, it's nothing. Just thinking that maybe it's time to move on from their deaths." Unconsciously, Winter's hand reached up to cup his face but the hesitation was evident when she stopped midway. "Many people told me to move on. And I've been grieving for a long time... but I can only have that peace of mind when that son of a bitch is either behind bars or on the other end of my blade." Her hand dropped to her side, instead, she took a step closer to him – barely any space in between them. It surprised Jaune but didn't comment on what she did.

Her gaze met his for another time and she held it firmly. "We will find him, Jaune." Her eyes softened and for a moment, she wasn't the hardened, trained, and cold soldier that she was. "I promised you before that I will help you find him and I will do everything in my power to do so. They were my friends, too."

"Thanks..." His expression returned to the amused one earlier. She saw a brief twinkle in his eyes – it either meant that he had a brilliant idea to anything or he was just planning something mischievous. Back when his entire team was still alive, he had quite a mischievous streak despite being a cunning and brilliant leader – no, maybe, because he was like that that he was full of mischief. "Though, I didn't think that the Winter Schnee of Atlas with the disposition of an cold hearted ice queen would have friends." The grin he held wasn't mirrored. Instead, she drew back her arm and threw a fist towards his shoulder. An aura-enhanced one at that.

His cry of pain was brief and he sent her a glare – she didn't back down from it. It was just the same old Jaune doing his usual antics.

—O—

The dark room that he's in didn't hide the way he scowled when he heard the news from Neo. Trembling fingers reached for a cigar under his coat's pocket nor did it stop when his lighter sparked into life. Puffing once, twice – three times, his nerves seemingly calming when the tobacco smoke entered his lungs.

Neo was in the corner of the dimly lit room, deep into her own thoughts on the matter. His deal with his boss was almost called off when Adam Taurus got back into the picture – it seemed that replacing the previous leader of the White Fang from her position had done wonders on the already inflated head of their favorite psycopath. Was it Selina? Serina Khan? Well, it didn't matter and when Roman's skills were in question, his boss thought that they still had a need for him and that was preventing him from being another body in the Vale Docks.

Thank the gods for small mercies...

"This is way beyond our heads..." He muttered under his breath, but when he glanced at Neo – who surprisingly had a look that said, 'Way to go, Captain Obvious.' in a not-so condescending way. "Hey, you try to make a deal with the devil and let's see how things will go for you." He thought for a moment before a metaphorical bulb lit in his head. "Why don't we just tell the Arc kid about this? He's had a grudge on Taurus for years now. This tidbit of news should get rid of him for us." Before he could stand up, grab his scroll and call Jaune at that moment, a thin blade that he was very familiar with was drawn to his throat and a threatening shimmer of light flashed at the blade's reflective metal.

His eyes slowly sought after brown and pink eyes and saw an unamused glare directed at him.

"What?" An eyebrow was raised and her eyes rolled, "You think that telling Jaune is a bad idea, somehow?" When she agreed, it only managed to confuse Roman more than it should. "Dear, dear Neo. If siccing Adam with Jaune is a bad idea, then please do tell what your amazing reasoning is for it." Her response was a sharp stiletto to his foot. Hearing his yelp of pain brought a satisfying grin to her face as she sashayed towards the unoccupied couch opposite of his.

He knew Neo wasn't a sadist by nature but she rather liked to play around with her prey and she would prolong their torture by driving a blade to their kneecaps and... okay, maybe she was a little sadistic. So, he shouldn't really be surprised by how she was taking pleasure on the pain of her boss.

"If you weren't such a kleptomaniac, I would've kicked you out by now." Neo gestured with a mock bow with a pleased expression on her. "So, care to tell me why, now? Because I'm sure the kid would want to tear that asshole a new one – I mean, isn't that the point why Jaune-y's gone after the White Fang for two years? Taurus is here in Vale and Jaune's here, too. I think setting those two up would be a matchmade in Heaven." Wasn't this nice of him to think of his acquaintances like this? Setting them up – almost feels like he was a matchmaker, ugh.

However, Neo definitely had something else entirely on her mind. Heaving out an inaudible sigh, Neo pulled out her scroll and began typing. There were times when even Roman – himself – couldn't distinguish what Neo would say through all of her gestures and hand signals. Sometimes, it was best to just let the other party read out loud what it was she was thinking or trying to say.

As Roman started to read, he gradually comes to an understanding of what Neo was trying to say... somewhat. "So, you don't want that to happen because you think the Arc would go ballistic about this and try to go for a manhunt in Vale and try to kill whatever goes in his way... ?" Roman looked up for a moment to study Neo who was not annoying for once. "Sentiment, huh?" Neo shrugged while looking away. But Roman had let out an amused chuckle, "You've always been attached to him, right? Okay, I won't tell him but if he finds out that Taurus is in town, I'll point where that crazy is. If he asks, we'll give him a hand."

Neo snatched her scroll from his hands and typed, 'That much should be obvious.'

No A/N here. Though, I'm surprised you still read through this. I hope you enjoyed this chapter.

Bloodycow, out!