Hello everyone! Firstly, I just wanna say thank you to everyone who read/reviewed/favorited/followed this story last chapter. The response I've gotten was the best for any first chapter I've posted, and I want you to know everything you do is appreciated greatly. Anyway, sorry for the long wait. Life hits hard, and often, but I persevered and wrote this chapter for all of you. Enjoy!

0o0o0o0o0

"Y'know, when you asked me to help you, I figured you had a plan in mind to help with."

"If I had a plan already, why would I need your help in the first place?" Jaune had to admit, that was a good point. He sighed and took another bite from apple in his hand.

It had been three days since he had agreed to help Weiss figure out Winter's situation, and they had come up with nothing. Even several brainstorming sessions hadn't yielded any promising results. The despair of impending loss was slowly eating away at Jaune's resolve. There was only so much you could try and figure out how to climb an unclimbable wall before you gave up.

They sat in his room, him on his bed and she at his desk. Their move had been completed the day before, and his room had already managed to look lived in with his usual organized mess.

It felt weird to live with three whole new people, but it wasn't unpleasant. Meals became a family thing, which was nice. Jaune didn't have to cook or go get takeout by himself anymore. He had yet to get used to it, but it was easy to see himself getting used to the extra help.

There was also a lot more hands to help with chores. Weiss and Winter were paragons of cleanliness, and so the house was near-spotless at all times. Except, of course, his room, which would remain a mess if he had anything to say about it. It was a hill he was willing to die on. Unless Winter decided to give The Look, which probably meant Jaune was about to die anyway.

He finished up what remained of his apple and tossed it into the small garbage bin, narrowly missing Weiss. She fixed him with a glare, which made her look all the more like her older sister.

"Must you be a slob?"

"Must I? No. Should I? Probably not. Will I? Absolutely." Jaune grinned when she rolled her eyes and grumbled under her breath.

Hands now free of food, he rested them under his head as he stared at the ceiling. Despite sitting there for almost an hour, neither of them had come up with any way of proceeding. Saturday was supposed to be a day of fun and relaxation, but instead they had spent the morning moping about.

"We're not gonna get anything done sitting around like this," Jaune said as he got up and put on his shoes. "Let's go."

Weiss looked surprised at his sudden energy. "And where, might I ask, are we going?"

"Figured we'd explore the neighborhood a bit," Jaune said, shrugging. "You don't have to come if you don't want to."

"No, no, I'll come. It's not like I have anything else to do," Weiss said with cough.

0o0o0o0o0

Even though it was already approaching summer, Vale's cloudy weather kept the city from ever being too hot. This made winter's especially nasty once in a while, but the overall year was pretty mild. It was just another of Vale's strange quirks that set it apart from most places in the United States.

Another of those differences was the unique school year. Most districts start sometime in August or September and end in May or June, with a long summer break to split the years. However, the academies in Vale's school district began the first week of January and ended mid November, with December breaking up the years and a break during June. Jaune had been born and raised in Vale, so he was used to the irregular system, but he understood why many people who moved to the city found it confusing.

Lastly, Vale's layout was odd compared to most cities. In its center was what Vale natives called 'downtown', which was where skyscrapers, malls, and freeways created a tightly packed urban jungle. Surrounding downtown was a large swathe of land, unoriginally called 'uptown', that held the academies and the various homes and small businesses of the city. Though streets didn't even have two lanes, the bus routes and railway system kept traffic surprisingly sparse.

The combination of these two areas, plus the forests to the north and east and the ocean further to the west, made for an odd living experience. In the matter of a few hours, you could feel like you were in New York, then some small midwest town, then the backwoods of the south, and still somehow end up at a beach. Jaune loved it. It was like they had a small slice of the whole country right here for them to enjoy.

Their new home was placed about halfway from downtown to the edge of Vale, and Jaune figured that put them in the best spot to access everything the city had to offer. Walking around their neighborhood had been a good idea. He already felt more at ease.

Judging from her barely noticeable smile, Weiss seemed to be enjoying herself as well. Jaune was glad he had suggested the walk.

"I think I solved our problem," Weiss said, breaking their comfortable silence.

"You did? Do tell." Jaune acted calm, but he yearned to hear it. He wanted nothing more than to break Winter up with this mystery man.

"The reason we can't come up with anything is our lack of information," Weiss said. "We know next to nothing about this whole situation. So, logically, our next step is reconnaissance."

Jaune rubbed his chin in thought. "Makes sense, but how do we even do that?"

Weiss sighed. "That will be the difficult part. The way I see it, the best place to find out more would be from...Winter's phone."

"Oh," Jaune said with a gulp. That would not be an easy task.

"Exactly. And trust me when I say that Winter's phone is almost never out of reach or eyesight."

Jaune didn't doubt it. Winter was the type of person who's phone was their life. Just from what he knew of her as his teacher, she used it to keep track of anything and everything.

"So basically we just have to wait for an opportunity to present itself."

"Yes," Weiss said. "Until then, we can try and come up with an artificial way of separating her and her phone."

Jaune nodded. "Sounds good to me. Nice job, Weiss." She preened at the praise, and they lapsed into silence once again.

They came upon a convenience store and decided to go in. Jaune bought an energy drink, while Weiss got a coffee. He memorized how she made it, for future use.

His phone buzzed in his pocket while Weiss was paying for her drink, and he pulled it out to see he had gotten a text message from Sun in their group chat.

From: Sun

To: Jaune, Neptune, Nora, Ren

Hey fam. There's these twins, Melanie and Miltia, that graduated from Haven last year, and they're throwing a huge party at their place tonight. Nep and I knew them before we transferred, and they told us to invite a bunch of people from Beacon.

Anyway, lemme know if you're down!

It had been a while since Jaune had gone to a major party. Usually, he didn't care for events like that, but this was the perfect place to unwind from all the stress he had been under recently. His phone buzzed again.

From: Sun

To: Jaune

Yo bro. Just wanted to say you're welcome to invite Weiss. I know you have her number, and this'll be a good place for you to make your move. ;)

Jaune chuckled to himself. If only Sun knew the full details. Actually, Sun would definitely still tell him to go for it, the sick bastard. Either way, Jaune would extend the invitation. Weiss probably wouldn't go, but it wouldn't hurt to try.

They walked out of the store, drinks in hand, and decided to head back to the house. By the time they returned, it would be time to start prepping lunch. Everyone else was out of the house, busy with work, errands, or meetings, so it would be up to the two of them to make something.

Seeing how busy Nicholas, Willow, and Winter were made Jaune appreciate the time he had left as a young adult. In five years or so, he wouldn't have the same freedom he did now. It was important then, he decided, to enjoy that freedom while it lasted.

"Sun knows some chick who's throwing a party tonight," Jaune said when they were halfway back to the house. "Would you wanna go?"

"I'm not really big on social gatherings, if you haven't noticed."

"I know, but it'll be a chance to see people you know from Haven and also meet new ones from Beacon." Despite her icy exterior, it hadn't taken Jaune long to figure out that Weiss was a softie underneath. It wasn't that she didn't want to go to parties and the like, but much like himself, Weiss wasn't well-versed in that area of teenage life, and thus tried to avoid it.

Weiss' mouth twisted and she thought about it. "Will...you be going?" Her eyes were glued to the floor.

Jaune chuckled. "Why else would I ask you to come?"

"O-Okay then."

"Don't worry, if it gets to be too much, just tell me and we can leave whenever," he said as he bumped her shoulder with his own. "Okay?"

She smiled her thanks, and Jaune shot a text to Sun.

From: Jaune

To: Sun

I'll be there, and she said she'll come, too. And it's not like that.

He'd probably reply with an innuendo or some other remark, but Jaune would just ignore it.

His stomach rumbled, and his paced increased the slightest bit. Lunch sounded fantastic.

0o0o0o0o0

"You and Weiss are what?"

Jaune coughed into his hand. "We're going to a party in a bit. Is...that okay?"

Winter stared at him for a bit before shaking her head. "Of course, I was just surprised. Weiss doesn't usually go to events like this." She brought a finger to her lips.

"I figured it'd be cool to her some of her friends from Haven." Jaune shrugged as he leaned back into the sofa. Winter's reaction made sense when he thought about it. Neither he nor Weiss were the party type.

"May I ask a favor of you, then?"

"Uh, sure," Jaune said.

"Keep an eye on Weiss. She's not used to things like this, and I worry that she'll...I worry." Jaune tried to read Winter's face, but failed, as usual. She had one of the best poker faces he had ever seen.

"I was gonna do that anyway, so that's not even a favor." Though Winter owing him was a tempting prospect, he could never cash in. He was too scared of what he might ask.

"Thank you, Jaune," Winter said. She looked away. "For more than just that." He raised an eyebrow and waited for her to elaborate, but she went back to sorting through some papers in front of her.

Weiss emerged from the hallway at that moment. "I'm ready!" She wore a wavy black skirt and a white shirt with a tan cardigan over it. Her smile dimmed the tiniest bit when she saw Winter sitting at the dining room table, but her excitement was still visible.

Jaune stood up and walked to the front door. "See ya, Winter," he said. To Weiss, "Let's go." The cool night air felt pleasant on his skin as he heard Weiss say her goodbye and lock the door. She caught up to him near the sidewalk. "Someone dressed up, eh?"

Weiss blushed. "T-Thanks. You don't look so bad yourself." Jaune looked down at himself. Form fitting jeans, shirt, and jacket weren't the fanciest things he had, but neither were they very casual.

"I guess," he said with a shrug. He pulled out his phone and started up a transportation app. "I'll call us a car."

Weiss tilted her head in confusion. "Why don't we just take my car?"

"How're we gonna get back then?" Jaune didn't want to leave her SUV at the Malachite twin's house overnight. It was gonna be a pain to get it the next day.

"We'll just drive back, you dolt."

Jaune looked at her sternly. "Weiss, I'm not gonna let you drink and drive. I don't care how well you think you can do it."

Weiss seemed taken aback. "Why would I drink and…" She facepalmed. "I see. There's going to be alcohol there."

Jaune laughed. "Of course! I expect we'll both at least have some, or else we'll never hear the end of it from Sun. Which means no driving."

Though she seemed a bit apprehensive, Weiss seemed to accept it. The car that was supposed to pick them up rolled down the street and picked them up. The driver was mostly silent, which was fine by Jaune. The ride was less than ten minutes. It was rare for anyone to live too far.

As soon as they got out of the car, it was easy to tell which house was the one. Teenagers and young adults loitered around the front and music reverberated from within. As they walked up, a figure ran up to them, waving his hand.

"You guys finally made it!" Sun said excitedly. "I've been waiting out here forever for you. Follow me, I'll take you to where the gang is."

He led them into the house, where pockets of people hung out with drinks in their hands. Mostly everyone that Jaune could see was inebriated to some level. That both scared and excited him.

They got to the backyard, which had the most people by far. Sun practically dragged them to where their friends were. Nora and Neptune greeted them with gusto, and it was obvious they had already had a few drinks. Ren was as composed as ever, and Jaune knew he rarely drank alcohol.

"Jaune-Jaune, let's take a shot!" Nora said. She dragged him along by his arm to a foldable table with various drinks on it. She poured what Jaune thought was vodka into a few red plastic cups, gave a couple to him, and walked back to the group. She handed one each to Sun and Neptune.

Jaune offered his spare to Ren, though he wasn't surprised that his best friend declined with a wave of his hand. He looked to Weiss and held it out to her.

"You don't have to," he said when he saw how apprehensive she looked. Jaune was never one to pressure anyone into drinking.

He pulled it back a bit but she snatched it from his hand. "I just don't like the taste, that's all." They all clinked their cups together in the middle and all downed it at the same time. Jaune felt a surprising amount of liquid burn down his throat.

"Damn, Nora, do you know how much a 'shot' is?" Jaune sputtered.

A wicked grin spread across her face. "I only pour double shots."

Sun snickered as Jaune rolled his eyes. "Come on, J-man, let's go get another. I'm not feeling a buzz yet."

The next few shots went by in a blur, though Jaune remembered taking a few with Weiss. A buzzing warmth blossomed in his stomach and slowly spread throughout his body. When it reached his fingertips, Jaune was pretty sure he was drunk. Not entirely positive, but definitely within the realm of possibility. Probability? It was probable. Possibly probably.

Jaune blinked and realized a great deal of time had passed. The party was still in full swing. Neptune was hitting on a blonde bombshell a few feet from his right. He saw Sun in the middle of a group of people dancing to the rhythmic beat of the song. Ren and Nora were nowhere to be found, and Jaune hoped something was developing, because he was tired of them skirting around the issue.

Weiss was nowhere to be found, which worried Jaune. Why did it worry him? He felt a strong urge to go look for her, but didn't understand why. He groggily got up, and the world spun. And spun. And spun.

And spun.

It settled after half a minute, and Jaune realized he might have had a bit too much to drink. Probably. Possibly?

Jaune shook his head. I have to...find Weiss. Inside the house was his best bet. Step by careful step, he made his way inside. He scanned the room he was in, though it was a slow process to get from one end of the room to-

Jaune hurried to a nearby table. He gasped.

"Mini corn dogs." He shoved three into his mouth and all was right in the world for a very brief moment. He grabbed one in each hand and continued his search.

None of the rooms he looked in held a head of white hair, so Jaune took a peak at the front yard. Still no Weiss.

That's...worrying? Yeah, worrying.

Jaune made his way back to the backyard to ask his other friends if they had seen Weiss, but before he could find any of them, he realized his mistake.

"Technology," he said as he pulled out his phone to text Weiss.

Weis, whhere are tuou?

Wow, that looked bad. But he had already sent it, and Jaune wasn't the type to correct his texts. He probably couldn't, even if he wanted to. He felt his phone vibrate.

At the side of the house.

He lurched over around the corner and turned. The lack of any nearby lights made it a bit dark, but he saw Weiss sitting on a short brick wall that held up a small garden, behind which was the fence that ended the property. Further down, up against the house, were three trash containers, black, blue, and green, and past that was a gate that led to the front yard and the street. From this secluded cove, the ambient sounds of the party felt distant. It was like Jaune had stepped into a different dimension.

"Hey," she greeted simply.

"Whatcha doin out here?" Jaun stumbled over beside her. He tried to sit next to her, but missed the bricks and landed on the floor. He snickered, but decided getting up was a waste of effort.

Weiss' legs dangled next to him, and when she spoke, it was disembodied. "I just needed to be someplace quiet for a bit."

Jaune nodded as if she had said something profound. "I feel you, I feel you."

Though he couldn't see most of her, he heard he lean forward, most likely to take a look at him. "How drunk are you right now?"

"Very," Jaune said. Even as he said that, he felt himself sober up a bit. The mini corn dogs were taking effect.

Weiss hummed and they stayed like that for a bit before she spoke up a bit. "Jaune, what do you think of all of this?"

"It's a pretty nice party, I guess. Could use more snacks."

"No, you dingus, I meant our situation at home. Your dad and my mom marrying, us moving in together, being thrust into this on such short notice."

"Oh," Jaune said. He hadn't given any of that much thought, mostly because he had actively avoided thinking about it. But with alcohol flowing through his system, it was hard to stop himself.

"It's...it's fine, I guess. I mean, your mom is really nice, and she makes my dad happy. I like the new house. Overall, I'd say it's an improvement."

"I'm sensing a 'but' in there."

Jaune frowned. "But...but…I really didn't want to be r-" He froze. Had he really been about to spill his guts about liking his teacher? To his teacher's sister? Who was also his stepsister? That was multiple levels of stupid.

Weiss put a hand on his shoulder and squeezed comfortingly. He swallowed his trepidation.

"It's all a bit much to take in," he said quietly. "That's all."

Weiss prompted him no further, though he suspected she knew that wasn't the whole story.

"Weiss," he said, "what's wrong with me?" Before she had a chance to respond, a hushed sob escaped his lips. Jaune couldn't hold it in any longer. Tears flowed as he wrapped his arms over his head and buried it between his knees. He wept as softly as he could.

Jaune felt Weiss slip her hand into his, and it almost felt like he would injure her with how tight his grip was, but she voiced no complaint. Her other hand ran through his hair periodically.

For how long they stayed like that, Jaune didn't know, but at some point his cries died down. With his emotional energy spent, Jaune felt drained. The dam that had barely held back his frustration had needed only the slightest crack. His unrequited feelings for Winter and the sudden change in his family situation had built up. Jaune was not the type to unload his troubles onto others, and this was the price.

"Jaune…?" Weiss said hesitantly.

He lifted his head with great effort to look at her. "Hey," he managed with a fake smile. Her pained expression told him she didn't buy it.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

Jaune sighed, and swallowed the lump in his throat. "No," he lied. He very much wanted to talk about it, but Weiss was one of the last people on Earth that should know about his feelings for Winter, second only to Winter herself.

"Jaune, please. You're helping me with Winter, so it's only fair that I help you." Her genuine concern touched him, but the irony was thick in that statement. Winter was the reason he was helping her. In a way, he was trying to help himself. So in the end, it was selfishness, not selflessness, that drove him.

But still, something compelled him to speak. "I...have a crush." He hesitated, and could almost feel tomorrow's regret already. "On a t-...an older woman." He waited for teasing or laughter, but it never came. When he looked up at her, her expression was one of sympathy.

"How much older?" Weiss asked.

"I'm not sure exactly, but enough that it would be frowned on by most people. And there are other factors that are barriers, too." He took a breath. "It would never work out."

Weiss rubbed his back soothingly. "It's okay, Jaune. You can't help who you fall for."

Jaune was glad she didn't try to say he had a chance, or do the opposite and discourage him. She just spoke the simple truth.

"Thanks," he said, "I feel a lot better." And he was surprised to find that he meant it, too.

They left the side of the house, that small alley where emotions had flowed free, and decided it was time to go home. They called a car using Weiss' phone after saying their goodbyes to their friends. The ride back home had a comfortable silence, and it passed by quick.

The house was quiet and dark, signalling that everyone else was asleep. Jaune turned to go upstairs where his and Weiss' rooms were, but she tugged his sleeve.

"I'm hungry," she said in a low voice at his questioning stare. "And I don't wanna be alone in the dark." She sounded a bit childish until Jaune remembered she had drank too, and was likely still buzzed, same as him. He silently chuckled at the thought.

"I can always eat," he said.

The adjustable light in the kitchen was set to low, and they made sure to keep quiet, though Jaune knew his dad's room was on the opposite side of the ground floor. Willow Schnee's sleeping habits were unknown to him, but his dad slept like a rock.

Jaune whipped them up a few sandwiches and set one in front of Weiss as he began scarfing down his own. She took a bite and made a noise of surprise.

"This is amazing!" she said after she swallowed the first bite. The surprise in her voice irked Jaune just the tiniest bit.

"Thanks," he said with an embarrassed chuckle. "When my dad was in the worst of his slump after my mom died, I had to make all the meals, so I got pretty good at it." That sobered Weiss a bit, and Jaune regretted bringing it up, but she said nothing more and ate her sandwich.

The lights suddenly flared up to their maximum, forcing Jaune to squint his eyes for a few moments. Before his vision could adjust fully, he heard a voice speak out.

"You two are home late," Winter said. "Very late." Jaune gulped. He had heard that tone many times, had been on the receiving end of it, and was sure Weiss had, too. It was Winter's lecture voice.

"Technically, I never said when we'd be home," Jaune said with a wince, regretting the words as soon as they left his mouth. She turned her full attention onto him, and a single eyebrow arched up.

"Oh, we're playing semantics now?"

Jaune lowered his gaze, heat rising to his cheeks. "No, ma'am. I'm sorry." In his peripheral, he saw Weiss with her head practically between her shoulders, trying to look as small as possible. Jaune didn't want to know what would happen if Winter knew they had drank alcohol. At best, she'd give them a talk about responsibility, and specifically berate him for not watching over Weiss. At worst, she'd tell their parents. And that would not be fun.

Winter sighed. "Go on, get to bed." Weiss scrambled out of her chair, and Jaune tried to do the same when an iron grip pushed him back into the seat. "Not you." For a brief moment, Weiss stood there, frozen, looking torn between wanting to help Jaune and getting out of Winter's line of fire, but another glare from her older sister sent her scampering. Distantly, the sound of Weiss' door opening and shutting signalled her final departure. There would be no help coming. No one to save him from the scolding he was about to get.

"Jaune," Winter said. He kept his eyes focused on the floor. "Jaune, look at me." With great reluctance, he lifted his head. Surprisingly, she didn't look angry.

"Maybe I should have asked Weiss to keep on eye on you."

"Huh?" Winter grabbed him by the face and leaned in, and Jaune almost had a heart attack. When their faces were almost too close for him to bear, she sniffed. She let go of him and leaned back, nodding to herself as if she had confirmed something. She smelled my breath to see if I had drank.

"I'm not stupid, Jaune. I think I know you well enough by now to know something is up. I've only been your sister for a short while, but I've been your teacher for a good amount of time." Her eyes softened, and her voice became gentle. "You can tell me what's wrong."

Jaune tasted ashes in his mouth. "Guess that doesn't work both ways, does it?" She recoiled as if she had been struck. He stood up, and she seemed even small than usual compared to his height. "You shouldn't expect others to do what you yourself can't. Didn't you try to teach us that in class one time?"

Winter was pale with shock. "Jaune, I-"

Jaune let his anger and frustration boil to the surface and be magnified by his tipsy state. "I never took you for a hypocrite, Ms. Schnee." The hurt on her face was both euphoric and agonizing. Without another word, he stalked past her. The door to his room slammed shut, and he flopped down on his bed face first.

That was for the best, he told himself, as his heart broke. If he had been there any longer, under her caring tone and soft gaze, he might've confessed everything. He thought back to the way she had leaned toward him. How natural it would have felt to press forward and meet her lips with his. How he had almost grabbed her by the shoulders at the end, when he had towered over her, and kissed her roughly.

Definitely for the best.

0o0o0o0o0

Welp, there it is. A much shorter chapter, for two reasons. One, not really much else I could've added without it seeming like it dragged on. And two, this chapter already took too long to come out, so I didn't want to delay any longer than I needed to.

Anyway, a review is always appreciated, even if it's a word or two. And feel free to tell me what you did and didn't like about the chapter! Healthy criticism is always welcome. Remember, part of the reason I'm writing this is to grow as a writer, and I can't do that if no one's telling me how I should do that.

I'll try to work on the next chapter as soon as possible, but I wanna get the next one out for one of my other fics before I write chapter 3 for this. We'll see what my muse wants, though. As always thank you for reading!