Schnee women were not easily broken by the harsh troubles of the world, they were often stubborn in nature and a hurricane in human form when provoked, but after enough time even the strongest of mountains could be withered down into dust. Willow Schnee started out strong when dealing with her husband, a man she thought she loved for many years until the reality of what he was smacked her right in the face, and even after that she made sure to stay strong for her little Winter and Wiess. The first crack in her foundation came when Winter left the house in a fit of rage to join Atlas Academy, not returning until four years later right after she graduated and only to grab what few possessions she still had. The second crack came when her son, her gentle Whitley with his big smile and happy laugh, began acting more and more like his bastard of a father; he hardly even visits her anymore in the garden. Finally, the last crack to send her spiraling into a never ending depression was when her middle daughter, the one who did still love and visit her, left for Beacon Academy after yet another argument with her father. Willow knew she should have been strong, stood like an unmovable mountain just like her father had been when she was growing up, but a depressed mind has many ways of twisting such things.

Barley three days after Wiess left and Willow broke completely, spending time in her garden with a glass of her favorite wine and a full bottle of sleeping pills. She just sat there for who knows how long, her mind going back and forth as her innate survival instincts battle tooth and nail against the demons whispering in her ear. In the end it was one simple thing that pushed her over the edge, a single action that shattered her will to go on. At her lowest moment, when she needed them, when she pulled out her scroll and called each of them with shaking hands, none of her children picked up. Winter's had rang until going to voicemail, her answering machine message as stoic as she'd become over the years. Wiess' rang maybe three times before going dead; she'd been dismissed. Whitley's picked up on the first ring, a small strand of hope blossoming in Willow's hurting heart, only for it to be shattered when the line went dead not a second later.

"I can't stand this place anymore," Willow's voice was as lifeless as her eyes, her hands moving to the pill bottle sitting next to her and she popped the lid to reveal several blue pills staring up at her.

The voices pushed her forward, her hand bringing the bottle up to her lips as her mouth slowly opened; her shaking grew even worse. Her lips slammed shut just moments before the first pill could roll into her mouth, her eyes were wide as the reality of what she was doing set in. Her father would be ashamed, but what would her children think? Her children? The ones that left her? The ones that ignored her? Did they even still love her? Was she really all alone?

Yes…

The first pill went down her throat, then the second, a third, a tenth, a fifteenth, and finally a thirty-second. Willow was panting by the end of it, gasping for breath as she leaned back on the bench, before her eyes landed on her glass of wine. Maybe, just maybe, one more drink before the end. Slowly her hand reached out, wrapping around the expensive glass and bringing it up to her lips; the bitter taste of pills wasn't the last thing she wanted to remember before the end. A single drop was all she managed to get, the red liquid just barely managing to touch her tongue before everything went dark. She heard the sound of glass breaking, felt her body collapse, and for one beautiful moment there was peace.

Then her eyes opened again, only there was something wrong now. Instead of fading away or going to some form of afterlife, Willow was back in her garden and was now staring down at her own corpse. It wasn't regret that she felt next, well really she was having a hard time feeling anything at all, but near soul crushing sadness. It took her hours to speak, not that she thought anyone could hear her.

"Even in death I can't escape this place," she wept into her hands, never noticing a man appear out of thin air and stare directly at her with the kindest of smiles on his face.

"Because death is not an escape," his words were soft, yet cut deep into what was left of her soul, "And it is not your time to die, Willow Schnee."

Willow's ghostly form lowered her hands from her eyes and gazed upon a man no doubt her eldest daughter's age; he even had the same shade of blue eyes that she did. Yet there was something else about him, something unnatural in his appearance that put him at odds with the rest of the world. As if his body wasn't right, it didn't fit the image her mind was telling her should be there. Her next words weren't her own, but that of her soul's.

"Are...Are you my death?" everything began to glow white around Willow, her last thoughts being this man's words.

"Not today. Today, I am your life."

Well...my muse came back for this chapter. I know it's been a minute but what can you do? Sorry if it was a bit depressing in the beginning, but I hope the end lifted your spirits a bit. L.A.W. out!