This is going to be AU starting with the end of Volume 5, but the story as we know and understand it is canonical up until that.

So this idea got kicked around WiP's Winter-Knight Channel for a week or so. I am putting it together, but the original premise was purely proposed by Cursed Idiot. 264th Wolfgarde came up with a lot of the plot elements. DDRdrei, and Spooky Graves also threw in their own two cents. I merely put together a simple solution to get the ball rolling and collated the others' disparate ideas into a timeline. So yet again, this is a fanfiction written by me incorporating the ideas of smarter people.

PS- this is Winter-Knight. So they get together, so if the intro throws you a bit, understand I never intended the outcome to be in question.

The man was old. Not elderly, not seasoned, just… old. Time had stripped him of too much to be described with any other term. His shoulders were hunched, as he no longer had the strength to square them. He limped, not in pain, but because his spindly legs were too frail to support him. His breath whistled, his eyes saw little, and his heart was indeed broken. The massive cathedral waited in absolute silence for him to speak, but one glance of the ornate casket was enough for the man to completely forget their existence.

One brief moment, and he understood what the rest of his life would be.

"Friends," he began with a smile that was but a shadow. The old man had never felt less like smiling. His rheumy eyes blinked back tears, "Family, and loved ones. We gather today to mourn the passing of Winter Arc-Schnee. Beloved great-grandmother, grandmother, mother, sister, daughter…," he paused, let out a shuddering breath, "and wife."

The man had been many things in his life, including a hunter, a general, a diplomat, an ambassador, and even briefly a councilman during Mantle's re-founding. Public speaking had once been second nature for him. Here though, here he looked lost. Lost. Old. And now alone. Jaune looked at his meager notes. His failing eyesight not helped by his tears. He felt helpless frustration build. Then something in him, something he often lamented, responded.

The scattered remains of his prickly pride and ego came to the fore. And maybe, just this once, that was a good thing. Maybe they helped a small miracle happen. A small bit of magic in a world that was rapidly forgetting such things were ever more than fairy tales.

Jaune, his sparse hair as white as that of his beloved wife's, eyes so nearsighted the audience was little more than a blur, and now so frail he had to grip the podium to remain upright, tapped into that pride for strength. And it responded.

He briefly paused. Then he gently placed his notes in the pocket of his immaculately fitted black coat. Jaune was ninety-three years old, a survivor of the Secret Wars and the two wars they had spawned, and damned if he was going to fall apart here. Winter would never forgive him if he did, she had invested too much time piecing him back together.

He thought of his wife, not as she had been the last two months, or last two years, but as she had been when he discovered in which direction his heart truly lay. For the first time in a long time, Jaune Arc remembered what it was to be young and… in love.

"There are many words I could use to describe Winter." Everyone heard his voice firm. A smile that was much more than a shadow tugged at his lips. His notes, so painstakingly crafted over the last week crackled loudly in his pocket in one last desperate protest before they were forgotten. "I think formidable would come to most people's minds, and make no mistake Winter was that word personified more times than I could count. She could level a gaze that injured the soul when you were fool enough to cross her. General James Ironwood himself once stated he feared that gaze every bit as much as that of his own wife. If you never met the late Glynda Goodwitch, just trust me that is a powerful comparison indeed.

"Yes formidable is an appropriate word. Heroic would be how her beloved sister Weiss would likely describe her, were she still with us. Weiss could regale you with stories of the Secret Wars, including the time the two Schnee Sisters held out for two months in Mantle's Dust Mine. That feat was as much of a miracle as any I have ever seen, and believe it or not I once knew a bonafide wizard." Titters happened in the audience, most thinking he was joking and too very few left that knew better. "Sixty days against the Grimm, SDC, and the demented Arthur Watts himself before the indomitable Ruby Rose and I could arrive with a relief force. Weiss said Winter never once lost hope during that fight. More than three hundred of Atlas's soldiers and nearly five hundred faunus workers survived the siege as a result of that heroism." Jaune laughed, there was no wheeze in it, nor in his breath. Something that had not been the case this morning, yesterday, or any day for far too long. "Although those survivors might also describe her as heroic, I think I accidently cemented 'awkward' as their lasting impression of her. As I recall I made quite the scene when we were reunited. But I have no regrets. Much to her annoyance, and often to her hidden pleasure, making Winter blush was one of my great joys throughout life."

The audience laughed, as the old man really got into his narration. "Our daughters might describe her as loving. Our son, who had the misfortune to take after myself, would undoubtedly describe her as stern. Ruby would call her intimidating. Yes there was a time when the all-mighty Ruby Rose would flee in the opposite direction at Winter's mere appearance… a time that went on for some months as I recall." There was an indignant squawk from the audience, and Jaune smiled in the direction of his life-long friend.

"Bitch would be the word Qrow Branwen would choose to describe Winter. Although 'Frost Bitch' was the more complete title. If you ever met Qrow, you would understand that if I failed to include his favorite word for Winter he'd haunt my dreams until the day I finally die. And, no offense Ruby, I really don't want to dream of Qrow even if I miss him terribly. Also, and in fairness to the man's memory, it's not like Qrow was wrong. Winter could be a monster of a bitch when she was inclined." Jaune paused, tears threatened to spill from his eyes, but the look of contentment enraptured the audience. "Didn't mean Winter loved less, it more meant that Winter fought harder. Harder than anyone I ever met. It just so happened that if her opponent was named Qrow Branwen, she would fight a great deal meaner as well." Ruby laughed, even after all these years that laughter carried. Jaune couldn't see her. No miracle was that great in this day and age, but it was a blessed kindness that he could still hear it. One worth cherishing. "Winter was strong, too." Jaune's voice hitched but he quickly recovered, "So Strong that Raven herself refused to cross her, not after their first run in anyways. A meeting Raven rather quickly regretted. I think watching Raven run for dear life is what finally cemented Winter and Qrow as good friends." Jaune paused.

"Which doesn't really answer the question. What word would I use to describe Winter? What was Winter to me?" Jaune's smile was that of his youth, it looked strange on the face of the old man he had become. Strange, but not ill-fitting. "Not to others, but to the old man rambling before you. I honestly did not know, in my head. Not even when I took to the podium. But I've always known in my soul. Even if it is shattered now. My soul still knows. It will always know.

"Today, I face my first spring without her. As I feel the emptiness she leaves with her passing, I can only describe Winter with one word. Warmth."

/\

Weiss often moved like she was ice-skating. Graceful pirouettes, elegant hand motions, the beautiful sparkle of blue as she launched some other unblockable attack right into your face. Jaune sighed. He wasn't even really sure what hit him this time, it was just a white blurry beam of light that came out of nowhere and struck with the force of dust train. The impact blew him straight off his feet and halfway across the courtyard. He did see, and also recognize, the strange elastic black glyph he landed in, but was unable to move before it turned into a spinning red one.

He's been hit by this before, several times now. It was some kind of evil trampoline. "Damn it," he whispered when the trap sprung and the blond teen was slung the other direction with little say in the matter.

Tumbling through the air with his well renowned lack of grace, he was then hit by the weird yellow circle Weiss brought out when she wanted something sped up. Thus his leisurely tumble suddenly gained alarming velocity. He was at least fortunate enough that the stone wall of a helpful building cushioned his head-long impact… an impact a good thirty feet above the ground. He was grumbling as he fell.

Jaune hit the ground with a roll. Shaking the cobwebs free before he even landed. Depressingly, being launched head-first into things was something of a pattern in his life. Good thing too, since maintaining focus while fighting off concussions was proving a useful skill. One that enabled him to avoid the charge of a silvery-white Boarbatusk. It may have missed him by little more than a hair's breadth, but it did miss him. So he could be thankful for that he supposed. Jaune dispatched it before the Grimm, or more accurately the petite white demon that controlled it, could reorient on him.

Jaune briefly considered his options while Weiss's summon disappeared in silvery sparkles. The white huntress was smirking, and why not since all he had managed in the spar so far was denting the architecture. Even in that unfortunate achievement, Weiss was more responsible for that than he. I mean to you blame the rock that goes through the window or the person that actually threw it?

Jaune watched as she skated and danced her smug way to the other side of the courtyard, again, ready to unleash something else awful from her playbook of horrors. Jaune's playbook was significantly smaller. There was only real two plans of action he could come up with. Option one was Jaune to just wait until Weiss ran out of dust, which had honestly happened before. This option had the obvious drawbacks of taking a long time and including a rather hefty amount of pain and humiliation. So he chose option two. He charged. For the life of him, he couldn't think of a better plan.

The spinning Schnee glyph beneath the heiress's feet was Jaune's biggest problem. It kept her well beyond arm's reach, giving the huntress ample time for more glyphs, laser beams, summoned monsters, dust explosions… it wasn't really fair. Not having any kind of ranged option, Jaune was essentially forced to tank the myriad of angled and often bizarre attacks delivered by his so-called friend.

This really shouldn't count as sparring, it was more a one-sided shooting gallery.

A white crystalline Beowulf snarled from his left. Jaune had seen the glyph spinning, but like most times, there was precious little he could do about it. Especially given that Weiss had positioned it opposite herself, sandwiching him between monsters. Jaune focused on the greater danger, and tracked the Beowulf with his ears but not his eyes. It would assuredly come from his blind side, and probably hurt fiercely when it did, but turning your gaze from the little white hellion was nothing short of suicide… short, Weiss, damn it Yang.

The terrible pun proved distracting enough for Jaune to stumble into one of Weiss's mines. They were nearly invisible once the glyph faded, but he had noticed her setting it earlier. He felt stupid more than anything as raw electrical current danced all over is armor. His hair, notoriously messy, became even wilder, but it barely forced a stumble. He used his shield to block another white laser streak, having seen her prep it this time, the impact driving is forearm straight into his face. Ouch. Then he continued to do the one thing he could do. Jaune moved forward, closer to Weiss, in the hopes of cutting off at least some of her real-estate. Maybe, if he was lucky, he could flick blood at her as she zipped past. Take that dress! Stained forever! Take your victories where you can find them right?

Then Weiss had an unexpected moment of hesitation. Jaune took the opportunity to try and outguess her. The mine hadn't slowed him, but Jaune realized he still wasn't reacting to the Beowulf charging him from the back. He saw her focus shift ever so slightly as she altered whatever plan she had crafted. He hadn't honestly meant to bait her, but now he tried to sell it. Making sure not to smile when Weiss decided not to dance away but instead capitalize on what she obviously thought was a golden opportunity.

Jaune could almost feel the claws bearing down, but didn't turn. He was ready for the pain. Pain was kind of an old friend these days, and this pain lead to opportunity. This opportunity centered on one of Weiss's very few weaknesses. Weiss moved much slower when she concentrated on her summons, and a much slower Weiss at least gave him the faint hope of actually connecting with a swing.

The Beowulf jumped into his back, but Jaune bore the impact with a flare of Aura, rolling forward while doing so. This negated the damage from the impact as well as those first few moments when claws sought something softer than the steel of his armor. Against and actual Grimm, this would be much more dangerous, but Weiss's summons weren't nearly as vicious. Claws raked, and Jaune took a definite hit to his aura, but he rolled to his feet relatively easily. With a move Pyrrha had ingrained in him last year… a quick spin and a casual sweep of his sword, Jaune severed one of the Beowulf's legs at the knee. When he came out of the pirouette, his feet setting, his shoulders squaring, Jaune was closer to Weiss's body than he had been for the last ten minutes. Since their spar began.

Her smirk was far from comforting though. A chamber in Myrtenaster clicked, flaring blue, as she sprung her trap.

Believe it or not, and Weiss certainly had some difficulty doing so, it was Jaune's turn to smirk. He was completely ready for this.

Weiss sparred with Jaune almost daily now. He was leaps and bounds better that he had been while attending Beacon, and fighting him tested the limits of her endurance. This round had taken nearly ten minutes, an absurd amount of time. The length of the matches, dictated solely by the blond knight's amazing resiliency, were actually quite astounding. Jaune was nearly impossible for Weiss to put down. Sure Nora could do it, Yang as well, but Weiss didn't really have a method for launching Jaune briefly into low orbit which was their preferred method of dealing with him.

So Weiss peppered him with every conceivable thing in her repertoire. All the while running for dear life lest he catch her. She even had to use time dilation from time to time to maintain a safe distance. Especially when he did things like waltz through a glyph laced with enough electrical dust to explode an Ursa. Waltz through it and still get is shield up in time... Seriously? That move had slain an Armored Gigas and all she got out of Jaune was a muffled, "Ouch."

Seriously, if Haven wasn't supplying team RWBY's dust free of charge, Weiss didn't think she could afford sparring with Jaune. There was a distinct possibility her father might not be able to afford sparring with Jaune, at least not daily.

To Weiss's absolute surprise, Jaune had a vastly different reaction to the blast of ice dust she leveled at him. She expected a raised shield to become fully engulfed in a pillar of ice while she zipped past and readied her next series of remarkably ineffective attacks. That wasn't what happened.

Jaune's shield collapsed into it sheath form just as she unleashed. He chose to block her attack with his arm, a collapsed sheath, and nothing else. The dust attack encased Jaune's lead leg and most of his left side in a veritable pillar of ice. Weiss blinked, confused. What was the point of that? Then the ice shattered as Jaune's shield expanded again. Arc crest over a golden crown flared into the heiress's face as Jaune moved with a surge of strength Weiss had forgotten he now possessed. Weiss knew she had again underestimated him, and now the blond knight was upon her.

She was buffeted hard by a shield slam, but managed to duck a quick cut to her face. Only to realize the off balance swipe was more a feint. Jaune was easily a foot taller and weighed more than double what she did, and that was before he put on the armor. In close quarters, this was rather problematic. The knee to her thigh didn't hit all that hard. Yang would have shrugged it off, barely noticing it. But it hit hard enough to lift Weiss a few inches in the air. This separated her from the movement glyph at her feet, causing it to instantly disappear.

Up close and tight, Ruby could have vanished leaving him grasping nothing but rose petals. Blake could have confused him with a myriad of shadow clones. Yang could just punch him hard, or harder depending on how she felt at the moment. Weiss couldn't do any of those things.

She tried to step back, needing a half-second to reestablish her movement glyph, but Jaune paced her. He denied her. Mostly, when she fought Jaune these days, it was his unrelenting resiliency that concerned her. Here though, when she couldn't freely move around him, his strength became a more daunting concern.

The swing from Corcea Mors was measured, but well balanced and it caused Myrtenaster to ring painfully in her hand. Weiss's retreated further; Jaune kept up the pressure. She did notice his shield wasn't quite positioned correctly, being too high and too far to the side and so exploited that fact. Her rapier, being shorter than Crocea Mors, managed to score glancing hits around his out of place shield, especially at the right side of his chest and lead leg. It barely phased him, he just continued to press on recklessly. Never bothering to reposition his shield, himself, or to even parry anything that wasn't aimed at his face. Jaune just continued to come forward and shove her back.

Weiss's back foot felt something hard, and she instantly recognized it as the courtyard's wall. She wanted to move right, away from the very dangerous long sword, and then realized why Jaune's shield was placed so strangely. It was being used to coral her more than to protect him, he was willing to accept the punishing hits, just to make sure she couldn't move to is left. Well couldn't move without turning her back and risking a devastating blow from Jaune's heavier weapon. A weapon wielded by his vastly superior strength. Anchored by his greater mass. Sure she could likely score a hit herself, maybe two, but that wasn't a trade she wanted any part of.

He gloated. It was a brief foolish mistake. And it was enough.

"I finally got you."

Weiss disagreed. He had ALMOST had her.

Jaune's gloating allowed Weiss to plant her back foot on the wall, the better anchoring point allowing her to leverage a powerful thrust thrust at his face. To no one's surprise, Jaune caught the thrust with the bare hand of his shield arm. The attack was telegraphed enough for him to do so, and his face was obvious enough a vulnerability to be prepared for such a lunge.

His greater strength and weight stopped Weiss's momentum with ease. White aura flared around his hand as whatever small cuts that opened were instantly healed. But the lunge did make him step back to balance himself. This slightly delayed the timing of Jaune's strike. It was enough.

Crocea Mors started to descend, Jaune swinging like he meant it this time. Weiss smirked. It was already too late. After all, the dust she needed was only one cylinder over.

Checkmate.

Jaune's head briefly disappeared in the resulting fireball.

/\

"You burned off my eyebrows didn't you." Jaune deadpanned.

"Stop exaggerating. I merely lit them on fire." was Weiss's laughing response.

Jaune brushed the left side of his face, and his hand came back sooty. He also didn't feel his eyebrow. He looked at her and pouted. Weiss who was not known for being overly sympathetic to others, especially others named Jaune Arc, chose to keep laughing at him.

"I am so telling Ruby on you."

Ruby's puppy-dog eyes were a valid threat, but Weiss wasn't remotely worried. When Jaune had been laying there dazed, Weiss had been smart enough to snap a few pictures. Ruby forgiveness was absolutely assured. His left eyebrow was, in fact, completely gone. It honestly looked hysterical. If there was one thing team RWBY had taught Weiss, it was staying angry while laughing was a markedly difficult feat.

Weiss shook her head, "You are much better you know," she complimented him. Sipping water, and checking the astoundingly low levels of dust left in Myrtenaster. Drat, she was going to walk all the way back to the armory… again.

"Considering my skills when we met, not really difficult." His smile wasn't rueful. It was something else. Something darker.

Weiss felt her good mood pop the instant Jaune insulted himself. Jaune's self-mockery wasn't uncommon. It wasn't out of humility either, nor even a form self-depreciating humor. Such things were admirable in moderation. Jaune's words were simple self-loathing. Weiss was concerned. They were all concerned, but concerned as she was, Weiss was still hesitant to say anything. Make no mistake, Weiss wanted to call him on it. Given the fact he had saved her life, the huntress was almost desperate to do so. In the end, her hesitation led to her chickening out. They were becoming friends. Weiss was absolutely sure of it, but given how poorly the two had started, she wasn't quite comfortable enough with their relationship to criticize his behavior. Not now. Not yet. Weiss thought of how long it took her and Ruby to bond. Weiss was not going to repeat obvious mistakes. Weiss now understood true friends were too precious to risk driving away.

So she changed the subject.

"What supplies do we need to get in town tomorrow?"

Jaune pulled out his scroll. This put him in left profile to the huntress. The side covered with soot. The side that no longer had an eyebrow. It helped her mood immeasurably. Weiss's hands itched to take another picture, but that would give the game away. "Cold weather gear. Especially if what you've told me about Atlas in winter is true. You, Yang, and Blake need tents and sleeping bags as well. We also need whatever is on Ruby's list to keep our weapons from freezing solid out in the cold."

"She has a plan?"

Jaune smirked, "Ruby always has a plan."

"That is not always a good thing."

Jaune considered, "Well I can enlist Nora in the strategy sessions, she's the next most tech savvy among us."

Weiss paled. Weiss wasn't certain why, but Nora had recently become a vocal proponent of flamethrowers. "I withdraw my complaint." The huntress sighed, rather forlornly. "I don't supposed we can just stay in the Garden Palace Hotel?"

Jaune looked at her. "Well, you've seen our budget. You tell me."

Weiss thought of the beautiful hot springs and its amazing indoor tropical garden. A garden complete with a slide through the world's largest aquarium. She imagined, briefly, being able to stay there with her friends. Real friends. It would be nice.

She honestly had no idea what it cost to stay there, but being realistic, "Probably not."

Jaune nodded. "We need a few other things. I lost my pack and cooking gear when Ruby and I carried Qrow to Kuroyuri. Some maps will help. Also, you need new hiking boots, your footwear is frankly ridiculous."

Weiss didn't appreciate the comment, "My shoes…"

Jaune interrupted, "Will cause frostbite in the snow, be brutally tiring over irregular terrain, and if you insist on wearing them year round, will cause you to have a bad back before you're thirty."

Weiss harrumphed a bit, easy for him to say. In flats she wasn't even five feet tall. She'd be shorter than Ruby. "Blake wears heels."

"I know. She's going to need boots as well."

Weiss got a bit desperate, "Pyrrha also wore heels."

Jaune's voice hardened, "Yeah well, she's not making the trip is she?"

Weiss paled at her mistake, "I-I'm sorry."

Jaune looked at her, she watched his anger fade into his misery. The expression made her feel as good as his apology, "Don't worry about it, I'm the one that's sorry."

There it was again, the self-loathing. Desperate she opened her mouth-

"Ice Queen, trust me when I say you have no idea!" It took a moment to decide, but Weiss was… relieved.

/\

The Ice Queen was probably having a bad day. Well technically, she was probably having a bad year. The political aftermath of Jimmy losing control of his little machines, and then said machines tearing apart a friendly kingdom, probably hadn't been easy to deal with. And Ice Queen, who had obviously hitched herself to Roboprick's wagon rather thoroughly, couldn't have had an easy time dealing with the fallout. Schnee or not, the ensuing shit storm had probably stained her career thoroughly.

Qrow wasn't overly sympathetic. Actually, he wasn't remotely sympathetic. Jimmy had been the one to field his army, causing unrest. Jimmy had been stupid enough to have the whole ridiculous menagerie be controlled from one lousy access point. Then Jimmy had also been incompetent enough to lose control of that point to whatever psychopath had taken over. All with no contingency plans should the worst happen. When that psychopath had unleashed the Tin Can's tin cans upon everything and anything they could, there wasn't a damned thing anyone could do but stop them one at a time. Jimmy had played right into the hands of Salem's queen, in complete spite of Ozpin's warnings that he was doing so. Well over a thousand people died as a result of Jimmy being Jimmy, and they were all damned lucky it wasn't worse.

Well not lucky, Glynda Goodwitch was too prepared and too competent to be dismissed with a term like 'lucky.' Glynda had rallied the defenders, and was instrumental in leading a counterstrike against the Grimm spawning at Beacon. She had almost single handedly built the inner walls that further separated the destroyed school from the main city. The letters Port sent to Qrow were filled with nothing but his praises for Glynda. Port sent those... in letters... in which he had yet to mention himself... even once. As impressive as what Rubes did in the tower, Glynda was the ultimate hero of the hour. When all others failed, she had refused to do so. If luck came into the equation then everyone was just damned lucky that Oz had recruited her.

Yeah, in that way they were all lucky. Especially Roboprick who would be in chains if she hadn't been there to contain his monumental fuck-up. If Oz hadn't had a reliable fail-safe.

And now Jimmy, having learned nothing, was trying to take control. Qrow took a swig, ignoring the look from the stuck-up-block-of-human-shaped-ice.

"Want one?" he asked knowing the answer.

"Pass." She growled in response.

He shrugged, tipping it back until his flask was dry. The booze hit like that spark-plug's hammer. Hard, and with a mild hint of pink haze at the edges. Qrow burped in appreciation.

"Must you?"

Funny, booze usually made pains-in-the-ass a bit more tolerable. Maybe he just needed more. Yeah more sounded like a good plan, but more would have to wait for later. Still, a response would be polite. Right?

"I think I must." There politeness personified.

"Why General Ironwood continues to tolerate you and your foolishness is beyond me."

Qrow knew she had no idea what was really going on. Qrow even knew why Jimmy kept her in the dark. He even agreed with General Rustbucket's reasoning. Somewhat. So Qrow would normally be happy to just ignore the frosty bitch, at least until she was clued in. Problem was, Oz and Jimmy kept pushing the two of them together. Qrow guessed it was so they could have some sort of working relationship. Either that or Oz was still pissed about that time he paid back Tai for the skirt fiasco. Bastard had deserved it. Even if it had gotten Qrow one hell of a date to the dance.

Qrow decided to answer Ice Queen's question, he was trying to be polite after all.

"No idea, but if I had to guess…. It's probably to keep Jimmy from leading all you white-clad lemmings off the nearest cliff."

Frost bitch huffed. She did that a lot. Probably an Atlas technique that allowed someone to breathe while their head was shoved up their own ass. Roboprick had doubtless perfected it. It was probably required reading at his academy. Qrow put his flask to his lips, only to lament there was nothing left. It was kind of tragic in its own way.

"You could at least inform me where my sister's domicile is located?"

Qrow looked at her. Who uses a word like 'domicile?' "I wonder. How did they get it all the way up there?"

The least fun woman on Remnant looked like she wouldn't take the bait. Honestly, her and Jimmy really should just get over their hang-ups and commence with the joyless sex already, but then to his glee she grabbed ahold of that bait and swallowed it whole. "How did who, get what, where Qrow?"

Qrow blinked, he may have indulged a bit too much and his mind was bit fuzzy. That Mistali stuff really did hit like spark plug's hammer, "That's a lot of those question-type words."

"Interrogative words. Don't change the subject."

The fact she knew what those words were called helped Qrow remember. Channeling his best lecture voice, the one he used when teaching at Signal… he briefly wondered if he was still employed there… Qrow enlightened her as to the specifics of his question. "I was contemplating the methodology used during the insertion of the second largest stick to ever completely disappear into a human rectum." Qrow smiled as the Ice Queen's eye narrowed, "especially since I assume your anus isn't mechanical like Jimmy's is."

She reached for her saber, Qrow laughed and just kept walking. "So you know Ice Queen, I'm not nearly as drunk as the last time we fought. I think you'd prefer Kid Sis seeing you upright and not laid-out on a stretcher."

"You're an irredeemable ass."

Qrow kept laughing at her, "Ice Queen, you have no idea!" They rounded the corner only to bump into what the evil witch had been searching for. He kind of felt bad for Ruby's partner.

A feeling that was utterly lost on the smaller Schnee. The little snow princess piped right up. "Winter!" She radiated joy, and Qrow liked her a little bit more. He was growing rather fond of Ruby's partner. Sure the little princess sometimes tried to be a clone of Mistress Ice Cube too much for his tastes, but she never bothered to hide her joy. Not when it mattered anyways.

Qrow looked at the unblinking façade of bitchiness to his side. Ice Queen's face didn't soften. She didn't smile. All the little princess's warmth evaporated in the arctic gaze of her evil elder sister. Frost Bitch at least gave her sister a nod. Whoop-de-fucken-do.

Winter had come to despise the man beside her. The man took pleasure in the faults of others with a gusto that rivaled the worst of the Atasian high society. Drinking made her uncomfortable, and the man just reveled in getting smashed in her presence. Worst of all though, Qrow was less capable of being transparent than Jacques Schnee himself. That General Ironwood had insisted this man be the one to lead her to her beloved sister was a cruelty Winter didn't feel she had earned.

Winter badly wanted to see her sister, so much so she hadn't even uttered a protest at her unseemly guide. Weiss had nearly died during the White Fang's attack on Haven. An attack commenced with the complete complicity of the school's now deceased headmaster. Winter, who had seen the horror of Mantle's dust mines, did not hate the faunus… but she was now having difficulty trusting them and that was shaming in and of itself. Possibly damning as well.

Winter sighed as the jackass prattled away.

Of course Winter would have been content to just walk in silence, but the awful man beside her wouldn't grant her that kindness. He insulted, he teased…, he drank. When they finally rounded a corner and found her little sister, Winter's relief was a palpable thing. Both in seeing Weiss alive and well, but also that it meant Qrow could leave and crawl back to whatever rock he resided under. Although, being honest, seeing that Weiss was fine was the greater cause for relief. Hearing someone is safe is substantially different than seeing someone is safe. Incidentally, as Winter had almost failed to notice, there was a blond boy with her sister. The boy's face looked distinctly scorched, but otherwise she paid him no mind.

"Winter!" The unbridled joy in Weiss's tone hit her in a wave. One she cherished, but found difficulty acknowledging. Going your entire life where any show of emotion was subject to scrutiny, usually by a person who either wished to use you or harm you, made you armor yourself.

Winter wanted very much to hug her sister. To hold her and tell her she was loved, with only a little deserved chastisement for her being so careless. Winter wanted to make sure Weiss was okay, and for Weiss to understand how much that fact meant to the elder sister. But she didn't. Not with the unknown boy who may conceivably wish Weiss harm. Certainly not with the smirking 'former' bandit so close. A bandit who certainly wished harm upon Winter and General Ironwood.

So Winter nodded politely instead. She expected Weiss to pull up into a proper greeting. That was not to be the case as Weiss hit her chest high and hugged her hard enough to make breathing difficult. It was somewhat… overwhelming.

"I am so happy to see you!" Weiss beamed from her nest in Winter's cleavage.

Winter smiled, a soft smile, and squeezed her very briefly to convey the relief she felt, but appearances had to be maintained, "Weiss control yourself, this display…"

Weiss snorted at her, and then giggled. "Come! You need to meet Jaune." Winter was somewhat dumbstruck. Weiss had interrupted her. Wait! Was Weiss laughing at her?

The boy stood. He didn't really look like much, which was doubtlessly why Winter had nearly overlooked him. The most distinctive thing currently about him was the fact half his face was covered in soot… and was one of his eyebrows missing? A distinct possibility dawned in Winter's mind. Was this Weiss's chosen paramour? Was this why she had fled the safety of their father's estate?

The boy, to his credit, did show proper manners and waited for Weiss to introduce them.

"Jaune this is my sister, Atlas Specialist First Class Winter Schnee. Winter this is my good friend Jaune Arc, who was a fellow student at Beacon." Winter noticed Jaune Arc's less than subtle glance when Weiss introduced them as 'good friends.'

Paramour then. One Weiss wanted Winter to meet, but wasn't quite willing to acknowledge. Granted, Winter had not seen Weiss in nearly a year, and that year had been markedly eventful. Wanting to put off such matters, especially in front of the likes of Qrow Branwen, was understandable. Understandable, but It did not save the boy from Winter's scrutiny.

He needed a shave. He definitely needed a haircut. And why was that hair in such a wild tangle? He looked like he stuck his finger in a fully charged dust socket. His clothes were rather filthy, and from this distance she could definitely tell he needed a shower.

"Jaune was the one who saved my life." Winter swallowed. That… explained much. Weiss was likely infatuated with him do to trauma. Still, such a debt needed to be acknowledged.

Winter dropped into a perfect curtsy, "You have my gratitude and the gratitude of the Schnee family."

The boy had been scratching the back of his head; a physical tic Winter had already decided was annoying. But, to his credit, when she offered her formal gratitude, he instantly straightened. With a formal nod in acceptance of her thanks he simply added, "Weiss is a friend."

Winter noticed Weiss beam. The boy had picked-up on Weiss's chosen method of proceeding. Also he didn't seem hurt by it. No childish histrionics. Another decided mark in his favor. Still, Winter felt the need to address the goliath in the parlor.

"Mr. Arc, may I inquire what happened to your face."

The boy smiled, and he was rather charming when he smiled, "Specialist Schnee. In a spar with your sister, I made the decision to grab ahold of the wrong end of a veritable dust rapier. Weiss promptly demonstrated why that wasn't a sound tactical decision." Winter blinked and found it very difficult not to smile. "Also my eyebrows are missing aren't they?"

Winter laughed. It was startling to everyone present. Weiss, Qrow, and Winter herself. Everyone but Jaune… Mr. Arc apparently. He didn't react at all to a Schnee laughing at him. For that fact, Winter decided the boy had earned a rather favorable first impression. Even above the fact that he saved her sister.

"Only the left one," she commented dryly. Winter glanced and saw Weiss almost vibrating with happiness. Winter smiled at her sister, trying to convey that she rather liked Weiss's chosen romantic partner.

"Was Weiss responsible for your chosen hairstyle as well?"

The boy's smile turned sheepish, "Only indirectly. She did indeed plant the electrical glyph I stumbled into, but alas I saw her do it." His sigh would do Geoff Goldplum, the renowned over-actor of stage and screen, rather proud. "Thus my own stupidity lead to my hairstyle, Weiss having only indirect responsibility."

Winter smiled, but the smile was also a warning that he was being too much. "I see." The boy relaxed, quick to pick up the message. It spoke well of is intuition with women if nothing else. Although Winter wondered briefly if he was something of a philanderer given his charms.

Anyways, Mr. Arc dropped into what was likely his typical speech patterns, "Forgive my appearance. Sparring with Weiss is something of an adventure with all the strange lasers, explosions, time warps, not to mention vicious monsters…"

Winter interrupted, rounding on her sister, "You've gained control of summoning!"

Weiss beamed… again. Her sister's cheeks had to hurt from smiling so much and so hard. With that sunny expression on her face, a significant summoning circle formed right behind Qrow. Qrow, much to Winter's pleasure, yelped in surprise as a fifteen foot armored form rose from the earth. The Armored Gigas. It was a powerful Grimm Weiss had single handedly destroyed back when she was barely sixteen years old. That Grimm strode so it could stand before Winter, then dropped to one knee. The monster who had dared scar her sister, now stood subservient to that sister's will.

Winter had been smiling an unexpected amount over the course of the last few minutes, but this smile was wider than any she had worn in years. A smile that rivaled the one she had worn when she showed father her papers that formally and legally declared her intention for joining the Atlas military. It was a markedly difficult feat to squelch such a smile. Markedly difficult, but Winter managed it. When she turned back to Weiss, she was a professional soldier, not a sister. A sister would always love and support, a soldier would only give due credit. "I am proud of you Weiss. This is quite… admirable."

Weiss laughed happily, and Winter envied her sister's ability to be so open. Even if later she would have to admonish her for it.

"Admirable," Qrow's sneered, his unwelcome presence reasserting itself. "Never seen you summon a giant steel golem Ice Queen. You might actually stand a chance if you could."

Winter bristled. Not that Weiss had surpassed her in ability. Winter seriously doubted her little sister had grown so much, but Winter was happy to acknowledge the gap had significantly narrowed. Winter opened her mouth to reply, only for Weiss to assert herself first.

"Winter is one of the finest huntresses to ever come out of The Academy of Atlas. She won two Vytal festivals, graduated Valedictorian, and was granted the esteemed rank of Specialist the moment she signed into the army. She also serves as Adjutant on General Ironwood's staff," Weiss stepped right into Qrow's personal space, and stabbed him in the chest with her index finger, "And she can kick your feathered rear end any day of the week."

Winter blinked at the terrible pun. Weiss had once commented that a member of her team was rather prone to them, but she had never imagined such humor could be contagious. There was a certain horror to the idea.

Qrow barely glanced at Weiss, instead turning to stare over the head of her shorter sibling. Stare directly at Winter herself, "That so Ice Queen?"

Winter's hand went to her saber. Honestly she might as well just leave it there whenever she interacted with Qrow. Before she drew, three other people entered the scene. One was dressed in red and back and had dark hair tinted red at the tips. The second had bright orange hair, and wore primarily pinks and whites, although her jacket was primarily black. The last was a boy dressed in the traditional attire of eastern Anima… although his black hair had a bright pink streak in it for some reason. One person Winter recognized, two she did not.

"Uncle Qrow? What did you do to Weiss now?"

The girl that spoke was the one dressed primarily in red and black. Ruby Rose. Even though she was two years younger than Weiss, the red and black girl was in fact Weiss's team leader. Initially, Winter had considered this an absurd happenstance given the girl's age, immaturity, and lack of discernible leadership skills. Initially. Now, Ruby Rose was becoming quite highly regarded in certain circles. More so than even Weiss. There was honest speculation that the girl had been instrumental in the immobilization of the Dragon Grimm during the Battle for Beacon. There were also reliable reports that this girl had crossed the near entirety of Anima's Grimmlands on foot. And of course, the confirmed evidence RWBY's team leader had been instrumental in the defense of Haven, and the unmasking of Leo Lionheart, thus preventing another tragedy like Beacon. Winter could admit errors in judgement, but rarely had such a staggering amount of evidence been gathered to destroy her initial speculation.

"Hey don't look at me. I'm not the one jabbing fingers at people." Qrow responded to Miss Rose.

"No you're just the guy insulting Weiss's sister. The sister she hasn't seen in nearly a year." The voice came from the soot covered Mr. Arc. He was looking at Qrow with a fair amount of disdain, and it wasn't to curry favor. It wasn't feigned in any way. It was something honestly felt, and Winter (from long years of practice) could easily tell so. It was obvious Mr. Arc did not particularly care for the Qrow Branwen.

Qrow glared at the blond, evidently the feeling was at least somewhat mutual. The orange haired girl, the one that had entered beside Miss Rose, stepped in-between the two men. The pink and white clad woman had a smile that was alarmingly bright. Alarming because it was still rather threatening. "Want me to break one the birdie's wings Jaune?"

The other new arrival, the boy with a bright pink streak in his hair, rested what proved to be a calming hand on the wing-breaker's shoulder. "You don't have Magnhild with you." His voice wasn't chiding, more matter-of-fact.

"Who says I need it?" The girl's tone warmed even further, but her smile lost some of its menace. She also seemed to soften at dark haired boy's simple touch.

"Fair enough." He responded, moving to stand even closer to her.

"Uncle Qrow?" Miss Rose asked.

"Fine!" Branwen threw up his hands in surrender, "But you try spending five minutes with her. I don't think anyone's ever done so without General Rustbucket's explicit orders. Orders delivered at gun point…"

"Specialist Schnee," Mr. Arc interjected with a polite voice. "Tomorrow, we're going into town to gather supplies for our trip to Atlas. Your expertise would be greatly appreciated. Nora, Ren, Ruby, Weiss and I," he made sure to indicate each in turn, "would also enjoy the pleasure of your company as well."

Weiss beamed at the suggestion. The one called Nora actually cheered. The boy, Ren, simply shrugged. Miss Rose paled rather noticeably. Winter saw each of their reactions, but what convinced her to accept was the sincere invitation in the blond boy's eyes. Even if one of those eyes was missing an eyebrow.

"I would gladly accept the opportunity to spend more time with my sister and her friends."

The sincerity of the invitation convinced Winter, not the shocked expression on Qrow Branwen's face. That had absolutely nothing to do with it. It was just an unexpected bonus.

So I won't be watching Volume 6 until Christmas, as I like to do so with my niece and nephew. Who are awesome by the way. I will incorporate whatever elements I and Wolfgarde choose after I do so. Please comment, critique, and celebrate fandom if this story appeals.

Last thing. If you care, no I don't really ship Winter-Knight. I don't ship anyone in RWBY, but this pairing is kind of fun simply because Winter would be a difficult woman to date, marry, live with. So would Jaune honestly. Thus they are fun to write.

Incidentally, Plum is a tree, thus I keep the arboreal tradition of renaming actors. (If someone else came up with this specific one first, as it is rather obvious, I honestly didn't know).