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Willow Schnee stared at the black-haired man lying comatose on the hospital bed, his stomach rose and fell as he breathed. He had a bandage wrapped around his head to cover a wound he had gotten when he fell. He also had different machines next to his bed that monitored his health and kept him alive, at least functionally. The comatose man, her husband, was a far cry from the usual image he presented himself. He looked so weak and vulnerable. And if the doctor that monitored him were to be believed, he was also a stone's throw away from death.
It was rather pitiful and she, Willow Schnee, would have pitied him. But she wouldn't. Not after what had happened.
She could not bring herself to pity the man that had ruined her life. She could not pity the man that had stolen her right to control her father's business. She could not pity the man that manipulated her children as if they were not his blood. She could never pity the man that dared strike his own children.
Horror and shock came upon her as she watched Winter take a step back from her father, a hand nursing her stinging cheek, eyes widening in realization that her own father had hit her. Weiss also gasped, a hand covering her mouth.
"You will STAY here and OBEY!" roared Jacques Schnee as he towered over his eldest, fury in his eyes. "I will not have my heir nurse dreams of adventure like a child!" growled the man as he turned from Winter. "Weiss! Come!"
Her daughter, afraid of what her father might do next, quickly scrambled and ran to join his father, leaving Willow alone to comfort a weeping Winter.
When she saw her daughter crying her eyes out in shock, in pain and in hurt, something in her snapped. She had taken the full brunt of Jacque's abuses, letting herself be the shield to protect her sweet children for the worst of Jacques. She had thought that if she were to put up with the abuse then he would leave their children alone. It was taxing. It was degrading, her will slowly whiting away but it was necessary. The only thing thing that kept her up was wine and the desire to see her children protected. But when her bastard of a husband hit Winter, the gloves were off.
She had to do something to protect her family. Even if it meant losing a piece of herself.
So for three years, Willow worked hard. She dug up old board members that still lived and who were loyal to her late father, she contacted journalists and lawyers and secretly fed them sensitive information regarding Jacques policies, most notably his increasingly discriminatory treatment of faunus workers. She had done the leaking as to make all SDC decisions for the past few years look as if they were his personal choices and not the choices of the company. What information she could not give however was then used to secure the loyalty of certain board members close to Jacques. When they laughed at her attempts at intrigue and threatened her life, she promptly reminded them of one single fact.
"I have lost my company. I have lost my marriage. I have even lost my children. I have nothing to lose, sir. But what about you?"
For three years, she spent her time trying to regain her company back all the while playing the defeated drunk Willow as to not get Jacques suspicion. And playing her act also meant that there were certain things that she couldn't do. Fortunately for her, she still had friends willing to back her even if it meant murdering Jacques.
When she first broached this idea to Gerard and Alena during one visit to their home, her children playing with their heir in the background, Gerard simply rubbed his fingers and asked when they would start.
She was surprised at their eagerness to do what was basically an assassination. Seeing her confusion, Alena promptly explained to her.
"Since we are all being criminals here now, my husband and I must be honest with you as well. We saw the way Jacques had been treating you and we have had...considered removing him from his position...permanently so that you could take over until Winter was ready at least." Her eyes widened in shock, unsure how to react to her admission. One hand, she was delighted that she had friends like Alena and Gerard.
On the other, they were considering murder for her sake.
When she looked lost, Alena reached out to grasp her hands and looked deep into her eyes. "Willow. You are a dear friend both to me and Gerard. If we were simply business partners then we would have left you to your fate. But we are not just business partners now. We are family. And family sticks together, in good time and bad." she declared.
At that, Willow reached out and pulled Alena into a deep hug. Jovial laughter soon arose and Gerard came around his chair to join them, yelling "Group hug!" as he did.
Willow thought that it was strangely heartwarming if a little morbid considering they were planning and were going to enjoy the death of the father of her children. But then again, they were planning the death of Jacques Gele.
She stood from her seat and looked out the window of Jacques's room, uncomfortable with her train of thought. She tried to think of something else but all her mind sent her were details that occurred a night ago.
One innocent push down the stairs had been enough to draw blood from Jacques but the bastard had survived the fall. Luckily, the fall had impacted him enough that it had left him in a coma and if the doctor was to be believed, it was a permanent one. It was not the result she expected but she figured she could still work with it. If he had died, it would have made taking control of the company difficult and made her too suspect. If he was merely brain-dead then she could assume control as the heiress until Winter would come of age.
She heard stirring and she momentarily feared that Jacques had woken up somehow. She turned around to see that it was instead Weiss who sat next to her father, her head resting on his legs while her arm was out grasping his.
The visit to the Friedlich household had affected Weiss deeply. Willow could see that her daughter was envious of the warm relationship her friend had with his own father. And so, Weiss decided to do her best to earn her father's affections. She became even more studious, worked to perfect the tasks her father gave her and even badgered Winter to simply follow the man's instructions.
And it had worked, for a time. Jacques had become attentive, affectionate even. He started to be present at meals more and had even taken the time to play with Weiss even for a few minutes. The development shocked Willow. Where had this man been her entire life? She was almost convinced that he had turned a new leaf and would become a rough if not affectionate father.
Then he hit Winter. After that had happened, Willow was promptly reminded that he would never change.
Her heart sank when Weiss stifled and began to her hold her father's hand even harder. Willow turned away from the display, doing her best to not tear up there and then.
Even when he had hit Winter, Weiss still defended her father, even calling Winter's decision to leave for Atlas selfish and childish. They quickly reconciled a few days after their argument but their relationship was never the same. They still acknowledged each other as siblings but they treated one another as if they were strangers.
Then Jacques had his little fall. Going along with a story that a faunus assassin intended to kill him, Weiss began to ask some uncomfortable questions. She and Klein spoke as best as they could without revealing anything too incriminating but their answers did not please her. So she dialed Winter and asked her why anyone would want to kill their father.
"Because he is the worst, most arrogant, most disgusting leech to have ever existed." replied Winter.
Needless to say, their relationship took an even worse turn. Weiss then staunchly defended her father while Winter attacked him. Both then threw accusations at one another. Weiss called her sister an arrogant blowhard. Winter called Weiss a spoiled snowflake that wanted attention. She hadn't caught on the rest of their conversation but Willow knew the end of a friendship if she ever saw one. And in the middle of it all was poor little Whitley, scared and alone while his sisters feuded.
She had called Winter first about what had happened. She expected her to be surprised, to be a little sad even. But instead of any of those, she only found cold-hearted disdain.
"Good riddance." said Winter, her lips parting into a sneer before she closed the scroll call.
Willow stepped back and found a seat, her eyes stabbing daggers onto Jacques unconscious body. It was all his fault. It was because of him she was like this. It was because of him that her children were fighting. It was because of him that the Schnee name was curseword instead of a name that would bring hope.
She grit her teeth and clenched her fists.
When the SDC would finally be returned to its proper owner, she was going to make changes. She was not going to be like the man now comatose on a hospital bed in front of her. She was going to restore the Schnee name and by extension, her family, to its former glory. And she would not do her mission as Willow the Drunkard. No, she would have to be something more.
She was going to be Willow Schnee, firstborn of Nicholas Schnee, and heiress to his kingdom.
And she would protect her family whatever the cost may be.
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When Weiss first heard what had happened to her father, she couldn't believe it. It was a situation that one could even call an improbable event. After all, father was smart. He was clever, funny, and quick on his feet. There was no way that he would slip down the stairs like that!
Klein had said that Father was pushed by a faunus assassin. When asked why the faunus would hurt her father, Klein said that father had done very bad things to them. When she pressed what sort of bad things, he would look distant and say that she'd understand when she would be older. Seeing that Klein wouldn't answer her, she then went to the next person that knew more than her.
"Sister. Why would the faunus want to assassinate Father?" she asked her sister. A feeling of foreboding came upon her when she saw her sister's look.
"Because he is the worst, most arrogant, most disgusting leech to have ever existed." explained Winter, her tone dismissive. "He has been cruel to them and to us. It was only a matter of time until his cruelty came back to him."
Weiss could not believe what she was hearing. "How could you say that Winter!? He is our father!" Winter sneered. "The very moment he hit and berated me, that man lost his right to be my father!" Weiss shivered at the sheer venom that laced Winter's voice. But she couldn't back down. After he had finally been more active in her life, the least she felt she could do was to defend his honor.
"He might have hit you, Winter, but that hardly warrants you the right to stop calling him father." commented Weiss. Winter scoffed. "Sister, you really need to stop defending that…that…man. He has been cruel to mother ever since I was born and he has used all of us! Look at how he has wrapped you around his finger, defending whatever pathetic excuse passes for his honor!"
Her eyes narrowed at her sister's accusation. "Maybe he wouldn't have been cruel to mother if she just followed what he said." She argued. Father was kind and loving to her if she did what he said. Maybe mother would have been loved if she followed him!
"Weiss. You are only proving my point. Are you really so starved of love that with one little act of affection, you'd suddenly dance to whatever music he plays?" mocked Winter. Weiss did not know what hurt the most. Her sister mocking her or the truth that was in her words. Her then turned to anger, for pain immediately gives way to it. She was angry that Winter was being uncaring. She was hurt that Winter would hurt her. If that what her older sister wanted, then that is what she would get!
"You're a bitch Winter! A bitch!" seethed Weiss. She had never sworn before since Winter would have scolded her. She did not even know what that word meant, only that it was insulting. If Winter was going to belittle her, then it would only be proper to reply in the same manner. Her sister's face darkened.
"What did you say, Weiss?" she said slowly, and dangerously. Weiss smirked smugly as she crossed her arms.
"When you insult our father like this, when you act like this, then you are being a bitch!" she said haughtily. "A sad, upstanding, arrogant bitch!" she later added, injecting her voice with all the frustration, anger, hurt, and emotion she could muster. She expected her sister to be hurt, to be shocked even. When she looked at her sister, she found none of those.
Instead, she only found ice.
"If this is how you want to play it, Weiss. Then I shall leave you to it. From now on, you are no longer my sister you spoiled and love-starved brat!" glowered Winter. "Goodbye, Weiss." hissed Winter, saying the last word as if it were a curse.
The call was immediately cut, leaving Weiss to sit in her room alone.
For a few minutes, she sat in silence, unmoving and still. Even as Albert nuzzled her side to get her to move.
Father had told her that Schnee's must never cry. It was not graceful and undignified. Only those below them did that.
But with all her words coming back to her and her coming to a epiphany that she would never see her sister in the same light again, Weiss couldn't help it.
She fell back on her bed.
And cried.
She cried and cried until her sobs became nothing more than whimpers in the dark. But in her mind, she knew what to do next. A faunus assassin had hurt father. She was still young and weak. She would have to train. She would train until she would become powerful, even more powerful than her sister and any other in the world.
She was Weiss Schnee, next in line to inherit the Schnee Dust Company. She was going to follow her sister's example and become a huntress. Whatever her original goal was, she was going to forget it. She had a new mission now.
When she was going to become big and strong, she would use her power to hunt down the assassin and the people that were responsible in hurting father.
And she would make them pay
+++
Winter threw her fist into the wall next to her, her mind was racing and her heart sank in her.
First the attack on the man she had to call father. Then she and Weiss had an argument she felt that permanently damage their relationship. When she told Weiss that she would never call her sister again, she did not mean it. Despite her shortcomings, she adored her younger sister more than any other. When she said those words, she was merely frustrated. She was angry…upset…hurt.
Her mind and heart screamed at her to call her sister back and tell her that she hadn't meant the words she said. She didn't mean to mock her and to belittle her. Her entire soul told her to call Weiss immediately and apologize. But she couldn't.
Not after what she did. Not after what she said.
No apology could ever make up the words she had said.
'Coward!' a voice in her head screamed her. When she moved to defend herself, the voices continued to mock her. "First you failed to shield your sister from the manipulations of your father. Now you burn your bridges with her. Excellent showing, Winter Schnee!"
"What was I suppose to do?" she turned and yelled, expecting to find someone in her room but when she turned, she only faced the wall.
'You could have been the older sister you made yourself out to be' the voice whispered. 'You could have been brave, you could have been supportive, you could have been loving. But noooooo~!" drawled the voice, its tone mocking. 'You ran way instead! You left your sister to your father's tender mercies!'
Winter tried to find a reason to justify her actions. But she found nothing.
'What was that Winter? Nothing?' the voice chimed. 'What a very appropriate word to describe what you are!'
"W-what! I'm n-" She moved to protest, but the voice had cut her off, singing.
'Winter's done nothing, she is nothing! Little, pathetic Winter!"
Winter fell on her bed, a pillow wrapping around her head to stop herself from bearing the voice's taunts. Her eyes were wide and manic, tears starting to form. Her breathing was haggard and her heart was heavy. Her mind was tossing and turning. She felt…pathetic.
She was Winter Schnee. Heiress to the Schnee Dust Company. She was going to join the military and be a Specialist. She was going to be making a name for herself free from the Schnee name and from the expectations of her father.
In a single night, her entire world was turned upside down.
And on her bed, in her room, there was only one thing left for her to do.
She wept.
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A/N: Willow's inner mama bear was unleashed, Alex's dad is being a dork, and Alena is the perfect friend to have if you are a disturbed person.
Anyway, there will be some deviations from canon but those deviations are still manageable enough to fit what had happened in the show. To list the deviations I've made, Jacques is a vegetable, Willow is taking over and will turn the SDC into a kinder and gentler company, Weiss's new reason for coming to Beacon is to learn how to kick the ass of a non-existent faunus assassin and her new parent figure to not like is going to be her mother instead of Joq the cock. And finally, Winter won't be having a pleasant relationship with Weiss.
So, what do ya'll think? Is it ok or do I need to hang myself from a tree?
