Chapter 1: Back In Time
Commission that came from an idea. Jaune and Weiss being a bitter divorced married couple who both end up going back in time. Cue them both trying to fix things while falling in love again as they avert tragedies. Poor Ruby is caught in the middle.
Note: four of the five chapters are already done, so don't worry about this being unfinished.
For anyone interested in making a commission, email me at: storylover543 gmail . com
Weiss Arc-Schnee's heels clicked aggressively against the marble floor of the courthouse. Each step reverberated with the precision of a metronome and the fury of a woman scorned. Thirty years old, and already getting divorced. Her father would have had a field day with this if he weren't rotting six feet under where Atlas fell.
"Sign here, and here, and initial there," the lawyer droned, pointing at various lines on the document that would officially end five years of what Weiss was now categorizing as "matrimonial hell."
Jaune, the soon-to-be-ex-husband in question, slouched in his chair across the table. At thirty, he still somehow managed to look like that bumbling seventeen-year-old who had incessantly hit on her at Beacon. Except now he was a respected Huntsman, with muscles and confidence and a fan club of swooning girls who sent him cookies and cards addressed to "Beacon's Blond Knight."
"Could you please stop grinding your teeth, Weiss? I can hear it from over here," Jaune said, his blue eyes pleading for some semblance of peace.
"I am not grinding my teeth," Weiss lied, absolutely grinding her teeth. Her dentist would've cried.
The lawyer - a portly faunus with mouse ears that twitched nervously at every spike in tension - cleared his throat, "If we could proceed? I have another divorce at three."
"Popular day for heartbreak," Weiss muttered, snatching the pen and signing with the flourish of someone autographing hate mail.
She remembered how it used to be. The early days of their marriage when they would curl up on the couch, his hands in her hair, talking about their future. Before the new revamped SDC demanded sixty-hour work weeks from her. Before Jaune started taking Huntsman missions that lasted months at a time. Before they became two people who happened to occasionally sleep in the same bed instead of husband and wife.
And before she came home last week to find Ruby Rose - her partner, her best friend, her fucking homewrecker - walking out of Jaune's room wearing THEIR hoodie. The blue one with the bunny on it that Weiss had bought him for their first anniversary.
"It's just a hoodie, Weiss," Jaune had insisted, "She was cold, and it was the first thing I grabbed." Cold? In the middle of summer? In Vale? Sure. And beowolves were just misunderstood puppies.
"All done," the lawyer announced, collecting the papers, "Congratulations, you're officially divorced. The split is as agreed - Mr. Arc makes no claim to Schnee Dust Company assets, and Mrs.- I mean, Ms. Schnee makes no claim to Mr. Arc's Huntsman pension." Jaune hadn't fought for anything in the divorce. Not the house, not the vacation property in Vacuo, not even the ridiculous coffee machine he'd insisted they needed. It just confirmed what Weiss already knew - he had already moved on.
With Ruby.
Just like Summer Rose had done with Taiyang after Raven left. The Rose women apparently had a type: blonde, broken, and belonging to someone else. Well, not anymore. She could have him!
"So, that's it?" Jaune asked, standing and awkwardly pushing in his chair. The chair leg caught on the carpet, making a sound like a wounded animal. Clumsy oaf.
"That's it," Weiss confirmed, not looking at him. If she looked at him, she might cry, and Schnees didn't cry in public. It was practically the family motto, right after "Exploit the Faunus" and "Emotional repression builds character."
They walked out of the lawyer's office together, a final act of unity in their lack of it. The summer sun hit Weiss's face like an accusation, too bright and cheerful for the occasion, "Well," Jaune said, rocking back on his heels. He was looking anywhere else but her, "I guess this is goodbye."
"Guess so," Weiss replied, chin high, spine straight, heart breaking. But she refused to give him the satisfaction, "Say hi to Ruby for me. Tell her she can keep the hoodie. I'm sure she already marked her scent on it."
Jaune's face crumpled, "Weiss, there's nothing-"
"Save it," Weiss cut him off, "I'm not blind, Jaune. I've seen how she looks at you. How she's always there when we fight. How she messages you at two in the morning because she 'had a nightmare'." Weiss made aggressive air quotes, "Ruby's been circling like a vulture, waiting for our marriage to die so she could swoop in and feast on the remains."
"That's not fair, and you know it," Jaune argued, his voice taking on that reasonable tone that made Weiss want to stab him with Myrtenaster, "Ruby's our friend. She's been trying to help."
"Help herself to my husband," Weiss snorted. Ex-husband, she reminded herself bitterly.
A small crowd was gathering on the steps of the courthouse, several faunus with signs. Probably another protest about faunus rights - Weiss had been working on reforms at the SDC, but centuries of discrimination weren't erased in five years, no matter how many diversity initiatives she implemented. Without Salem, people didn't waste time going back to old conflicts.
"You know what? I'm done," Jaune said, throwing his hands up, "This is exactly why we couldn't make it work. You always assume the worst of people."
"And you're too naive to see what's right in front of your face!" Weiss shot back. The faunus crowd was getting louder, but Weiss was too busy systematically dismantling her ex-husband's character to pay attention.
"Maybe if you'd been home more than three days a month, you would have noticed how our marriage was falling apart!" Jaune's voice rose to match hers.
"Maybe if you'd focused more on your WIFE than your groupies, we wouldn't BE in this situation!" Weiss screamed, feeling her face flush with rage.
"FOR THE WHITE FANG!" someone suddenly shouted from the crowd.
Weiss and Jaune both turned, argument temporarily forgotten. Several faunus ripped open their jackets, revealing vests packed with Dust crystals wired to crude detonators. The red crystals glowed ominously in the sunlight. Her hands went to her side and only found air. She'd left Myrtenaster in her car because weapons were forbidden in the courthouse. Stupid, stupid, stupid!
"Weiss!" Jaune's eyes widened in alarm.
In that moment, as her ex-husband lunged toward her, Weiss had two thoughts:
First: Even in divorce, his timing is terrible.
Second: I'm going to die in last season's boots.
Jaune's body slammed into hers as the world exploded in a blinding flash of white.
Weiss woke up with a scream. Her heart hammered against her ribs like a trapped Nevermore, and she bolted upright with a gasp that felt like her first breath after drowning, "The courthouse-" she blurted to the empty room, her hand flying to her chest.
Memories crashed through her mind with the force of a derailed Dust train. The divorce papers. Jaune's sad puppy dog eyes. The Faunus terrorists. The explosion. Jaune throwing himself over her in one final, infuriating act of chivalry. Weiss blinked rapidly, trying to orient herself. This wasn't a hospital. It wasn't her penthouse in Mistral with its minimalist decor and view of the city skyline. It wasn't even the modest but comfortable home she'd shared with Jaune before everything imploded spectacularly (both literally and figuratively).
She was in a bedroom. A very specific bedroom.
"No," she whispered, her voice sounding wrong in her ears. Higher. Softer, "No, no, no." Weiss swung her legs over the edge of the bed, noticing immediately how much shorter they seemed. Her feet barely grazed the plush white carpet. When she stood, a wave of vertigo sent her stumbling, as if her body didn't match the movements her brain was commanding, "This isn't possible," she muttered.
The ice-blue walls. The ornate four-poster bed with its pristine white comforter. The framed oil painting of the Schnee family - looking miserable in their finery with only Whitley smiling - hanging on the wall. The silver hairbrush on the vanity that had been a gift from Klein on her twelfth birthday. The same one that had been lost in the rubble in Atlas' fall.
Weiss knew this room intimately. She'd spent seventeen years of her life trapped in it, after all.
She moved toward the bathroom with the cautious steps of someone crossing a minefield, bracing herself for what she might see. The marble floor was cold beneath her bare feet, familiar and alien all at once. When she flipped on the light and faced the mirror, the reflection staring back nearly made her knees buckle.
"By the Brothers..." she breathed.
Gone was the confident, poised woman of thirty with stress lines beginning to form around her eyes and a permanent furrow between her brows from years of boardroom battles. Gone was the distinctive scar that had bisected her left eye - a mark earned in battle and worn as a badge of honor. Instead, she saw a girl. A child, really. Fourteen, maybe fifteen at most. Pale, unblemished skin. Hair a pristine white, pulled back in a side ponytail that she hadn't worn since her Beacon days. Eyes wide with shock, showing far more vulnerability than Weiss Schnee had allowed herself in nearly two decades.
"This can't be happening," she whispered to her reflection, which perfectly mimicked her mounting panic. She pinched her cheek hard enough to leave a red mark. The pain was sharp and immediate.
Not a dream, then.
A high-pitched melody broke the silence, making Weiss jump so violently she nearly slipped on the marble floor. Her scroll - an older model, she realized with growing dread - was chiming from the bedside table. She approached it like it might transform into a King Taijitu, gingerly picking it up with trembling fingers that seemed far too small and delicate. The notification light blinked an urgent blue.
One new message from Winter. Weiss swiped the screen, her muscle memory still intact despite the years (or lack thereof).
Reminder: Training begins at 0700 hours. Do not be late. Remember what you're fighting for. Your place at Beacon Academy depends on your performance. I expect nothing less than excellence.
- Winter
Weiss sat down heavily on the edge of the bed, scroll clutched in her hand like a lifeline.
Beacon. She hadn't even started at Beacon yet. Which meant-
"I'm back before everything," she whispered, her analytical mind racing to calculate the implications, "Before the Fall, before Salem, before-"
Before Jaune. Before Team RWBY. Before the Fall of Beacon and the Battle of Haven and the Siege of Atlas. Before she knew what it meant to have real friends... and real enemies. She pinched her thigh viciously, harder this time, twisting the pale skin until tears sprang to her eyes. The pain was sharp, immediate, and utterly real.
"Time travel," she said, the words feeling ridiculous on her tongue, "Or I've gone completely insane. Either option seems equally plausible at this point."
Weiss stood again, more steady this time as she paced the length of her childhood prison. If she was truly back in time, before Beacon, that meant she had approximately two to three years before she would even meet Ruby, her homewrecking future(?) best friend. Before she hoped to be paired with Pyrrha Nikos - dear, doomed Pyrrha - during initiation, only to end up with Ruby as her partner instead. Before she would meet the bumbling, scraggly-haired boy who would someday become her husband.
Ex-husband.
"Focus, Weiss," she muttered, the habit of self-criticism coming back as naturally as breathing, "If this is real, then you need a plan." She walked to the window, pulling back the curtain to reveal the sprawling Schnee estate blanketed in snow. Atlas. Still floating in the sky, pristine and unbroken. A city that in her timeline had crashed into the ground, taking gods only knew how many lives with it despite their attempts to evacuate.
"I can change things," she realized, her heartbeat quickening with the enormity of the thought, "I know what's coming. The Breach. The Fall. The Relics. Salem." A strange, giddy laugh bubbled up from her chest. It was all so absurd, and yet- what an opportunity. To fix the mistakes of the past, to save lives, to prevent catastrophes.
And to absolutely destroy her father.
Jacques Schnee. Still alive in this timeline. Still ruling the SDC with an iron fist dripping with faunus blood and corruption. Still psychologically torturing his children while presenting a polished public image. A slow, predatory smile spread across Weiss's face. An expression that would have looked utterly foreign on the fifteen-year-old girl she appeared to be, but felt perfectly natural to the woman she really was.
"Oh, Father," she murmured, the word coated in ice, "You have no idea what's coming."
She had decades of corporate knowledge, insider trading information, and the exact details of every illegal scheme her father had ever concocted. She knew which board members were loyal and which could be swayed. She knew about the secret accounts in Vacuo, the backdoor deals with dust smugglers, the bribes to council members. It would be difficult to getk but not impossible. Not with the exact details she knew.
And most importantly, she knew exactly how to use all of it to systematically dismantle Jacques Schnee's empire and reputation, piece by precious piece.
The dizzying possibilities stretched before her like an open road. She could save Pyrrha. Prevent the Fall of Beacon. Expose Cinder's plans before they ever came to fruition. Protect Penny. Keep the Relics safe from Salem's cabal.
She could even, the thought came unbidden, avoid the mistake of marrying Jaune Arc in the first place.
"No," she said firmly, pushing away thoughts of blue eyes and clumsy proposals, "Focus on what matters."
First, her father. Then, saving the world.
Her scroll chimed again - a reminder that she had training in twenty minutes. Weiss straightened her shoulders, chin lifting in the practiced Schnee posture that had been drilled into her since childhood. She might look like a teenage girl, but inside, she was Weiss Schnee-Arc - no, just Schnee now - CEO of the largest Dust company in Remnant, veteran Huntress, and one of the saviors of the world.
"Time to remind Winter what a Schnee is truly capable of," she said with a smirk, heading to her closet to select an outfit for her first day in this second chance at life.
Another memory came unbidden. Their wedding day. Walking down the aisle, Ruby - that traitor - as her maid of honor. Winter, Whitley, Mother and the rest of their friends joining them for that one beautiful day. She remembered seeing Jaune standing by the altar looking at her swith a smile that could melt Solitas snow. She'd been so convinced back then that she'd found the one.
She thook the thought away and replaced it with another that crystallized with perfect clarity: this time, everything would be different.
Jaune's eyes snapped open to the sound of someone singing an off-key rendition of "Shine" by The Achieve Men. For one disorienting moment, he thought he was back in the JNPR dorm room with Nora belting out lyrics while Ren silently suffered beside her.
Then the memories hit him like a charging Boarbatusk. The courthouse, the White Fang terrorists, the explosion, Weiss's look of absolute fury turning to shock as he lunged to protect her...
"Weiss," he croaked, his voice cracking in the middle of the word.
Wait. His voice cracked?
Jaune pushed himself up, immediately noticing that something was very, very wrong. His arms felt too long for his body. His chest, which had sported well-defined muscles from years of Huntsman work, felt flat and unremarkable beneath his pajama top. Speaking of which. He glanced down. Was this his Pumpkin Pete onesie?
"What the hell?" he muttered, scrambling out of bed and promptly tripping over feet that seemed determined to betray him. He crashed to the wooden floor with all the grace of a tranquilized Ursa.
From down the hall, a female voice called out, "Jaune? Are you okay in there?"
That voice. It was impossible. It couldn't be-
"I'm fine, Mom!" Jaune shouted back automatically, then clapped a hand over his mouth. Mom? His mother had died during the Atlas evacuation. She'd been visiting along with Saphron when the city fell. The grief had nearly destroyed him, and only Weiss's quiet, steady presence had pulled him through those dark months.
Weiss, who'd just finalized their divorce when the world literally exploded around them.
Heart pounding, Jaune staggered to his feet and looked around. This wasn't his apartment in Vale. It wasn't the hospital room he would have expected after an explosion.
It was his childhood bedroom in Domremy.
Video game posters plastered the walls. A shelf of comic books sagged in the corner. The battered acoustic guitar he'd never learned to play properly leaned against the desk. On the bedside table sat a worn, dog-eared copy of X-Ray and Vav: The Ultimate Collection, "This isn't possible," he whispered, making his way to the small mirror hanging on the back of his door.
The reflection staring back made him stumble backward until his knees hit the bed.
The face that stared back at him made him release a strangled sound somewhere between a gasp and a squeak. Gangly limbs, narrow shoulders, a face free from the scar that should have run along his jawline (courtesy of a particularly nasty Beowolf during a mission in Vacuo). And most notably, not a hint of the beard he'd grown after the divorce. The beard Nora had described as his "divorced dad beard" (nevermind that he wasn't a father).
He was fifteen again. Maybe even fourteen.
"I've gone back in time," Jaune said to his reflection, which looked appropriately horrified at the prospect, "Or I'm having the most detailed dying hallucination in the history of dying hallucinations."
He pinched himself hard on the arm.
"OW!" he hissed, "Okay, so not a hallucination. Unless hallucinations can feel pain, which seems unfair."
He paced the small bedroom, nearly tripping over discarded comic books and a half-eaten sandwich that really shouldn't have been on the floor in the first place. His mind raced through possibilities, each more ridiculous than the last.
"Time travel. Actual, literal time travel," he finally said, running his hands through hair that was shaggier than he'd worn it in years, "Because apparently explosive divorce proceedings can tear holes in the space-time continuum. That seems reasonable."
Jaune sank down onto his bed, the ancient springs creaking ominously under even his negligible teenage weight. If he really had traveled back in time, that meant he was years away from Beacon. Years away from meeting Ruby and Yang and Blake. Years away from being paired with Pyrrha.
Pyrrha.
"She's alive," he whispered, the realization hitting him like a charging Boarbatusk, "Pyrrha's still alive." A complicated wave of emotions swept through him. Grief for his first partner, who had died far too young. Guilt for the year he'd spent oblivious to her feelings. And a strange, uncomfortable pang when he thought about Weiss; his ex-wife as of approximately thirty minutes and one temporal explosion ago.
"Weiss," he said, the name feeling different on his teenage lips, "Did she...?" No, that was impossible. Just because he'd been thrown back in time didn't mean Weiss was too. She was probably still on those courthouse steps. Or more likely, given the bombs, in some kind of afterlife. The thought made his chest ache. For all their fighting, for all the harsh words and broken promises, he did love her.
"Focus, Jaune," he muttered, channeling his inner Weiss with disturbing accuracy, "If this is real, you have a second chance. You can change things." He could save Pyrrha. He could prevent the Fall of Beacon. He could warn everyone about Cinder and Salem and the Relics.
He could even, the thought came with a pang of both relief and regret, avoid the mistake of marrying Weiss in the first place.
Their marriage had been doomed from the start, hadn't it? Two people with completely different priorities, trying to force a relationship work while the world pulled them in opposite directions. Weiss with her company, him with his Huntsman duties. Both of them too stubborn to compromise, too proud to admit when they were wrong.
And then there was the whole Ruby situation, which was a complete misunderstanding that Weiss had blown wildly out of proportion. Ruby had just been returning his hoodie after borrowing it during a mission when her cloak got torn. That was it. But try telling that to Weiss when she was in full ice queen mode.
"Nope," Jaune said firmly, cutting off that train of thought before it could spiral into another imaginary argument with his ex-wife, "Not going down that road again. This time, it'll be different."
He stood up with newfound determination, stumbling slightly as his gangly teenage limbs betrayed him. He caught himself on the edge of his desk, knocking over a stack of brochures for combat schools and Huntsman academies. Schools he'd never actually attended before faking his way into Beacon. He'd just been a lazy teenager with dreams of heroics without the drive to actually earn it.
The sight of them sparked an idea.
"No more fake transcripts," he said, picking up one of the brochures, "I know how to fight now. Well, my brain knows how to fight. My body's still..." He glanced down at his skinny arms and sighed, "...A work in progress."
But he had time. If he was truly back before Beacon, he had at least a couple of years to train properly this time. To build up the strength and skills he'd eventually developed under Pyrrha's tutelage - and later, as a full-fledged Huntsman. He could pass the entrance exams legitimately. No lies, no shortcuts, no endangering his friends because he wasn't prepared.
"And no Weiss," he added, trying to sound firm rather than wistful, "Definitely no Weiss this time around."She wouldn't remember their relationship. Their marriage. Their divorce. She'd just be that snippy heiress who looked down her nose at him from day one.
The thought was oddly depressing.
"It's for the best," Jaune told himself, reaching for Crocea Mors. Dad didn't really care for it and he let them take it out of the fireplace whenever they wanted. Really, it was just him, though. No one else in the family dreamed of being Huntsmen or fighters. The sword felt both foreign and familiar in his grip. Lighter than he remembered, but perfectly balanced,
He swung the sword experimentally, his muscle memory at odds with his underdeveloped physique. He nearly took out his desk lamp but managed to correct at the last second.
"Okay, so that needs work," he muttered with a grimace.
Jaune looked out his window at the pre-dawn sky, the first hints of sunlight just beginning to peek over the horizon. Most of the family would still be asleep for another hour at least. Plenty of time to start his new training regimen.
"Time to get to work," he said , changing out of his bunny onesie and into the closest thing he owned to workout clothes, "This time, I'm doing everything right."
He paused at his bedroom door, one last thought of Weiss flashing through his mind. Her face on their wedding day, snowflakes caught in her eyelashes as she smiled up at him. It had been the happiest day of his life.
Jaune shook his head, pushing the memory away. He slipped out into the hallway, Crocea Mors clutched in his determined grip, ready to begin rewriting history one proper sword swing at a time.
Ruby couldn't believe it. After years of training at Signal, after all those nights staying up late reading weapon magazines and practicing with Crescent Rose until her arms felt like noodles, she was finally here. Beacon Academy! Two years early! She almost wanted to thank Torchwick for being a jerk and trying to rob that store.
The airship landed, and Ruby was practically vibrating with excitement as she descended the ramp, silver eyes wide and sparkling at the sight of the towering spires and amazing architecture, "Oh my gosh, Yang! Look at that girl's collapsible staff! And that guy has a fire sword! Is that a gun-axe? IT'S A GUN-AXE! Just like mom!" Ruby bounced on her toes, pointing wildly at every weapon in sight, her enthusiasm threatening to launch her into the stratosphere. Yang, her long-suffering older sister, placed a steadying hand on her shoulder.
"Easy there, Rubes. They're just weapons." Yang rolled her eyes
Ruby gasped, clutching her chest as if mortally wounded, "Just weapons? JUST WEAPONS? They're extensions of ourselves! They're part of us! Oh, they're so cool..."
Yang chuckled, running a hand through her blonde hair, "Well, why don't you go make some friends instead of gawking at their gear?"
"Huh? Why would I need friends when I have you?" Ruby asked, suddenly feeling the familiar anxiety of being thrust into a new, ugh, social situation. Meeting new people was hard. Weapons were easy. Weapons didn't judge you or think you were weird for being obsessed with weapons. If they could talk, they would've been thanking her for being so nice to them.
"Wellllll," Yang drawled, backing away slowly as a group of her friends from Signal appeared behind her, "Actually, my friends are here now. Gotta go catch up. 'Kay, see ya, bye!"
And just like that, Yang was gone in a swirl of blonde hair and casual betrayal, leaving Ruby spinning literally and figuratively.
"Wait! Where are you going? Where are we supposed to go?! Yang?!" Ruby called after her TRAITOROUS sister, nervous dizziness overtaking her as she stumbled backward, "I don't know what I'm doing..."
Ruby teetered dangerously, about to fall directly into someone's luggage, when an arm shot out and yanked a briefcase away from her path. Ruby caught herself at the last second, narrowly avoiding a collision with the ground.
"Not this time," came a crisp, snobby voice. Ruby looked up to see a girl dressed in pristine white, with pale skin and hair like freshly fallen snow pulled back in an off-center ponytail. She was pretty in the way expensive statues were. A little cold, a little perfect, and a little intimidating. Even had the same color palette.
"Um, I'm sorry?" Ruby said, straightening her red cloak, "I didn't mean to almost fall on your... stuff."
The white-haired girl was staring at her with an intensity that made Ruby want to check if she had cookie crumbs on her face. There was something weirdly... knowing in that gaze, like the girl was seeing someone else when she looked at Ruby.
"Right. Well." The girl seemed to catch herself, smoothing invisible wrinkles from her combat skirt, "I suppose I should introduce myself. I'm Weiss Schnee, heiress to the Schnee Dust Company." She paused, then corrected herself, "Co-CEO, actually."
"Oh! I'm Ruby! Ruby Rose. It's nice to meet-"
"We're going to be partners for the next four years," Weiss interrupted, her tone leaving no room for debate. It wasn't a suggestion or even a prediction. It was a command, like a Queen telling some peasant an order.
Ruby blinked owlishly, "Wait, what? How do you know-"
"And I'll be keeping an eye on you," Weiss continued, narrowing her ice-blue eyes, "Homewrecker."
Ruby's mouth fell open. Of all the bizarre introductions she'd imagined having at Beacon, being called a home-destroying epithet by a total stranger hadn't even made the list, "What the heck is that supposed to mean?!" Ruby sputtered, her voice rising an octave, "I've never wrecked a home in my life! Well, except for that one time with Zwei and the blender, but that was an accident and it was only the kitchen, not the whole house, and I don't even know you!"
Before Weiss could respond - and judging by her expression, she had something planned - another voice cut in, "I'm surprised the new co-CEO of the Schnee Dust Company is attending Beacon at all," said a girl with long black hair, amber eyes, and a black bow perched atop her head. She stood a few feet away, arms crossed and expression cautious, "Shouldn't you be too busy exploiting faunus labor?"
Instead of bristling at the accusation like Ruby expected, Weiss merely smiled. It was a sharp smile, the kind that reminded Ruby of Uncle Qrow right before he sliced a Beowolf in half, "Whitley and my mother can handle the company for now," Weiss replied coolly. Then, without missing a beat, she added, "Oh, and by the way? Do take off that bow. You're not fooling anyone, Belladonna."
The black-haired girl gasped, one hand flying protectively to her bow as her amber eyes widened in alarm, "How do you-"
Weiss rolled her eyes dramatically, "You didn't even bother to change your last name. Who do you think you're fooling?" She adjusted the collar of her bolero jacket with meticulous precision, "And before you start on your tirade about faunus treatment under the SDC, I'm dealing with it, okay? I only took over three years ago. Decades of oppression can't be fixed with a snap of your fingers." She snapped for emphasis, "So if you have any lectures about how I'm draping myself in blood money? Shut it."
And with that, Weiss snatched up her briefcase, spun on her heel with military precision, and strode away, leaving behind the faint scent of expensive perfume and utter confusion. Ruby and the bow-wearing girl - Belladonna, apparently - stared after her retreating figure, then turned to each other with matching expressions of bewilderment.
"What. The. Heck. Was. THAT?!" Ruby shouted, throwing her arms up, "Did you know her? Does she know you? Why did she call me a homewrecker? I'M FIFTEEN! I don't even know how to wreck a home!" She knew how to wreck faces, but a home? Who did that?
The dark-haired girl shook her head slowly, amber eyes still wide with shock, "I've never met her before in my life," she said quietly, "But she knew..." She trailed off, hand still protectively hovering near her bow.
"Knew what?" Ruby asked.
"Nothing," the girl replied quickly. Then, as if remembering her manners, she extended a hand, "I'm Blake. Blake Belladonna."
"Ruby Rose," Ruby replied, shaking Blake's hand, "Did that Weiss girl seem... weird to you? Like, not just rich-girl weird, but like... she knew things she shouldn't know?"
Blake nodded slowly, "Very weird. It was like she was having a completely different conversation than we were." She glanced in the direction Weiss had disappeared, "How did she know about- ugh,never mind."
Ruby kicked at the ground with the toe of her boot, "Well, this is a great start to my first day at Beacon. My sister abandons me, I almost faceplant in front of everyone, and some random girl who's apparently a CEO calls me a homewrecker and decides we're going to be partners." She sighed dramatically, "At least it can't get any weirder, right?"
Blake raised an eyebrow, "I wouldn't count on that."
"So, uh, I'm gonna head to the auditorium," Ruby said, backing away from Blake, "It was nice meeting you! Good luck with your... bow situation?" She flicked her eyes upwards. Did...Did it just twitch?
Blake gave her a flat look, "Thanks."
"Cool, cool, cool," Ruby said, finger-gunning awkwardly as she continued her tactical retreat, "See ya around!"
Oh my gosh, she was such a dork, Ruby thought, cringing at herself as she speed-walked away. Finger guns? Really? Dad would be so proud and that's, like, the worst part. Ruby pulled her hood up, trying to make herself as small as possible. All she wanted was to find Yang, maybe hide behind her for the rest of orientation, and definitely avoid that scary Weiss girl who'd called her a homewrecker, whatever that was supposed to mean.
She was so busy looking down at her boots and mentally replaying her social failure that she didn't notice the tall boy until she slammed right into his chest. She grunted, bouncing off him like a rubber ball and landing flat on her butt.
"Whoa! Sorry about that," said a voice from above her. A hand appeared in her field of vision, "Need a hand?"
Ruby looked up to see a tall, lanky boy with messy blonde hair and blue eyes. He was wearing jeans and a black hoodie with armor pieces strapped over it, a sword slung over his right hip, "Thanks," Ruby said, grabbing his hand and letting him pull her up, "I wasn't looking where I was going. Too busy hiding from the crazy white-haired girl who thinks I'm going to destroy her house or something."
The boy froze for a split second, then laughed a little too loudly, "Crazy white-haired girl, huh? That's, uh, that's something." Ruby narrowed her eyes. There was something weird about the way he said it, like he knew exactly who she was talking about, "I'm Jaune," he said quickly, cutting off her thoughts, "Jaune Arc. Short, sweet, rolls off the tongue." He paused, wincing like he'd just said something embarrassing, "I mean, that's my name. Just my name. Not a pickup line or anything. Definitely not hitting on you."
"Okaaaaay," Ruby said. This day was just getting weirder and weirder, "I'm Ruby. Ruby Rose."
Jaune nodded, like her name confirmed something he already suspected, "Nice to meet you, Ruby. Are you headed to the auditorium?"
"I guess so. Wanna walk together? I don't actually know where it is, and my sister ditched me, and I'm kind of having the worst first day ever."
"Sure," Jaune said, gesturing ahead, "It's this way. And don't worry, my first day's been pretty weird too."
They started walking, and Ruby found herself relaxing a bit. At least Jaune seemed normal-ish, even if he was being super careful with his words. Like he was tiptoeing through a minefield or something, "So," she said, desperate to fill the silence, "I've got this." She whipped out Crescent Rose, the massive scythe unfolding with a series of satisfying mechanical clicks until it towered over both of them.
Jaune jumped back, but not as far as most people did. Actually, the way he jumped was weird too. Like he did it because he was supposed to, "Whoa! Is that a scythe?"
"It's also a customizable, high-impact sniper rifle," Ruby said proudly.
"A gun-scythe," Jaune said, nodding, "That's... exactly what I'd expect from you."
Ruby frowned, "What's that supposed to mean?"
"Nothing!" Jaune said quickly - a little too quickly, "Just that, you know, it's a cool weapon. Really fits your... aesthetic."
He was doing it again. Choosing his words super carefully, like he was afraid of saying the wrong thing. Like he knew her already, which was impossible unless... "Did Yang put you up to this?" Ruby scowled, "Is this some kind of prank? Send the socially awkward weirdo to talk to Ruby so she feels better about how she can't make any friends?"
"What? No!" Jaune protested, looking genuinely confused, "I barely know Yang- I mean, I don't know Yang at all. Who's Yang? Your sister, right? The one who ditched you? That's what you said earlier. Not that I know anything about her. Because I don't. At all."
Ruby stared at him. He was sweating now. Actually sweating, "You're being super weird," she said.
Jaune sighed, shoulders slumping, "Yeah, I know. Sorry. First day nerves, I guess."
"It's okay," Ruby said, expression softening, "I'm basically a walking ball of awkward myself. So what's your weapon?"
Jaune seemed to relax at the question. He drew his sword, the motion smooth and practiced, "Pretty standard stuff. Sword and collapsible shield. My great-grandfather used it in the war."
Ruby couldn't help the little snort that escaped her, "Retro." Not that she was AGAINST the classics, of coruse, but mechashift was just...it was the dream. Besides, what kind of weapon didn't have an explosive component nowadays?
"It gets the job done," Jaune said with a shrug, but there was something in his eyes that suggested more.
They continued walking, chatting about weapons and how overwhelming Beacon was. Ruby was just starting to think she might have made her first actual friend when a familiar, icy voice cut through the air.
"Getting started early, hm? Typical. Horny cheating bastard."
Ruby and Jaune both froze, turning slowly to see Weiss Schnee standing there, arms crossed and one white eyebrow raised so high it was practically touching her hairline. Her lips were pursed in an expression of supreme disapproval. Ruby suddenly felt smaller than she already was.
Jaune's face went from normal to tomato-red in about half a second, "I said nothing happened!" he blurted out.
Ruby's brows furrowed. What did he mean by that? She glanced between them, completely lost, "Uh, do you guys know each other or-"
But neither of them was listening to her. Weiss's eyes had gone as wide as dinner plates, and so had Jaune's. They were just... staring at each other. Not saying a word. But it was like they were having this whole intense conversation with just their eyeballs. It was the weirdest thing Ruby had ever seen, and she'd once caught her dad trying to teach Zwei to play poker.
The worst part? Dad was losing three hands in.
The silence stretched on for what felt like forever. Weiss's mouth opened and closed like she wanted to say something but couldn't find the words. Jaune kept making these little aborted hand gestures like he was trying to communicate in some secret code. Ruby took a step back, hoping to slip away unnoticed. This was clearly some kind of... whatever this was... that she didn't want any part of.
But the second she moved, Weiss's hand shot out and grabbed her arm, "No," Weiss said, her voice weirdly intense, "Let's go together. To the auditorium. I insist." She was still staring at Jaune, not even looking at Ruby.
"Uh, do you two, like, know each other?" Ruby asked, glancing between them.
"No," they said in perfect unison, still locked in their bizarre staring contest.
Weiss finally tore her gaze away to look at Ruby, "I simply have a very poor opinion of pathetic wannabe knights who think they're all that. I can see he's already imagining having fanclubs."
"And I think stubborn stuck-up rich girls suck," Jaune shot back, glaring at Weiss with an intensity that seemed way over-the-top for someone he supposedly didn't know, "She obviously thinks she knows better than everyone else."
Weiss's grip on Ruby's arm tightened, "Well, we should get going. Come along, Ruby."
"But I was walking with-"
"We're going to be late," Weiss insisted, already pulling Ruby away.
Ruby looked back at Jaune helplessly. He seemed torn between following them and running in the opposite direction, "I guess I'll... see you at the auditorium?" she said.
Jaune nodded, his face a complicated mix of emotions that Ruby couldn't even begin to decode, "Yeah. See you there."
As Weiss dragged her away, Ruby couldn't help but feel like she'd just witnessed something super important but had absolutely no idea what it was. Like walking into the middle of a movie where everyone knew the plot except her, "So, uh, that was awkward," Ruby ventured, trying to reclaim her arm from Weiss's death grip. It didn't work.
"He's an idiot," Weiss said, but there was something weird in her voice. Something that didn't sound like she was talking about a stranger.
"Okaaaay," Ruby said slowly, "And you know this because...?"
"I can tell," Weiss snapped, "I have excellent judgment of character."
Ruby wasn't convinced, "Then why did you call me a homewrecker earlier? I don't even know what that means! Well, I mean, I know what it means, but I've never wrecked anyone's home! I have, like, zero wrecking balls. No home destruction equipment at all."
Weiss finally let go of Ruby's arm, giving her an appraising look, "It was... pre-emptive."
"Pre-emptive home wrecking? Is that, like, a construction term? Are we demolishing buildings? Because that sounds fun, actually." What? She picked up a few things from Yang.
For a second, Ruby thought she saw the corner of Weiss's mouth twitch upward, but it was gone so fast she might have imagined it, "You're exactly like I expected," Weiss muttered, more to herself than to her.
"Is that... good?"
"It's predictable," Weiss said, which wasn't an answer at all.
They reached the entrance to the auditorium where students were already filing in. Weiss paused, looking back toward where they'd left Jaune. Her expression was impossible to read - part anger, part confusion, part something else entirely. Not the look you'd give someone you just met.
Ruby followed her gaze just in time to see Jaune approaching, his eyes locked on Weiss with the same weird intensity. It was like watching two cats about to either fight or... well, Ruby wasn't sure what the alternative was, but it was super uncomfortable to witness.
"Um, I'm gonna go find my sister," Ruby said, backing away from whatever tension-filled bubble Weiss and Jaune were creating, "You two can... continue your not-knowing-each-other thing without me."
Neither of them seemed to hear her. They were back to their silent staring communication, completely oblivious to Ruby or the crowd of students streaming around them. Ruby shook her head and slipped into the auditorium, taking her shot before Weiss grabbed her again. Whatever was going on between those two weirdos, she wanted no part of it. She'd had enough strange encounters for one day.
Weiss watched as Ozpin finished his little speech about team assignments, her face a perfect mask of polite interest despite the whirlwind of thoughts ricocheting around her head, "Ruby Rose, Jaune Arc, Weiss Schnee, and Pyrrha Nikos. The four of you retrieved the white rook pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as Team RJWP." Ozpin's eyes crinkled slightly, "Pronounced 'Rejewel.' Led by... Ruby Rose."
Ruby gasped beside her, silver eyes widening to comical proportions. Pyrrha clapped politely, red ponytail swinging as she beamed at her new teammates. And Jaune - the infuriating, impossible, apparently-also-time-traveling Jaune - had the audacity to grin like he'd seen this coming. Of course he had. Because he apparently remembered everything just like she did.
Rejewel. How fitting for their second chance. Ozpin couldn't have known that, of course, but the man always was absurdly prescient in the most absurd things. Couldn't figure out Cinder was a spy, but did know where Qrow kept his secret stashes.
Their do-over. Their opportunity to fix the colossal mess that was the future they'd left behind.
A future where they'd been unhappily married and then explosively divorced. Literally.
Weiss forced herself to smile as Ruby did an excited little hop beside her. She'd miss being on a team with Blake and Yang, but this was actually more convenient. She could keep an eye on Ruby and Pyrrha (and Jaune) this way, and she could still befriend Yang and Blake. Besides, Blake and Yang had made out like bandits in the future (past? time travel semantics were giving her a headache). Their relationship had been the only solid one in their friend group, disgustingly happy even when the world was crumbling around them. They'd be fine.
"This is so cool!" Ruby squealed, practically bouncing, "We're going to be the best team ever!"
"I look forward to working with all of you," Pyrrha said with that perfect, polite smile that Weiss now recognized as her public persona. The real Pyrrha - the one who would emerge with time and trust - was much more fun. And much more alive this time around, if Weiss had anything to say about it. She'd need to curb that sacrificial streak of hers.
"Yeah," Jaune chimed in, his eyes sliding to Weiss with a look that said far more than his bland statement, "Looking forward to getting to know you all."
"Indeed," Weiss said crisply, already planning her next move. She needed to talk to Jaune alone. Immediately. As they were led to their dorm room - the same one Team RWBY had occupied in the original timeline, which was just weird - Weiss waited for Ruby and Pyrrha to start unpacking before making her move.
"I'm going to take a walk," she announced, striding toward the door without waiting for a response, "I need some fresh air."
"Do you want company?" Pyrrha offered, ever the thoughtful one. Gods, she missed her. She'd tear all of Ozpin's carefully laid plans apart if it meant saving her.
"No, thank you," Weiss replied, voice perfectly pleasant even as she shot Jaune a look that could have frozen lava, "I prefer to be alone." She walked into the hallway, letting the door click shut behind her. Then she headed for the courtyard, her heels clicking an aggressive beat against the polished floors of Beacon.
The courtyard was mercifully empty this late in the evening. Weiss positioned herself by the fountain; the very one where she'd once screamed at Ruby about being a reckless child. But that was in another lifetime. One she had no intention of repeating.
She didn't have to wait long. Within minutes, she heard footsteps approaching. Deliberately heavy footsteps, like someone wanted her to know they were coming, "Took you long enough," she said without turning around.
"Sorry, had to wait until Ruby was distracted by her weapon maintenance kit," Jaune replied, his voice no longer carrying that careful, hesitant tone he'd used around Ruby. This was confident Jaune. Adult Jaune. Huntsman Jaune.
Ex-husband Jaune.
Weiss turned, crossing her arms as she took him in. He looked so young, just like she did. He was more muscular this time around, his body no longer the gangly mess of limbs of someone who expected skills to come to them. His face was more boyish than it had been in years without the stubble she suggested he grow out once they hit their twenties.
But his eyes... those revealed the truth. They were old eyes. Eyes that had seen war and death and heartbreak.
"You remember," she stated. Not a question.
Jaune didn't bother denying it, "Yeah. Everything."
A moment of charged silence passed between them, filled with fifteen years of history that hadn't happened yet and never would. Weiss was the first to break it, lips curling into a sneer, "Let me guess. You used your fake transcripts again? Couldn't be bothered to actually earn your place this time either?" She knew it was (likely) false, but she couldn't resist.
Jaune bristled instantly, stepping forward with a scowl that would have intimidated her if she hadn't seen him cry while watching soap operas, "No, I didn't! I earned my place here, Ice Queen! Fair and square!"
Weiss's eye twitched at the nickname. He knew exactly how much she hated it, the insufferable ass, "Oh really? So you spent the past three years training to pass the entrance exam?"
"Yeah, actually, I did," Jaune shot back, crossing his arms to mirror her stance, "Every single day, rain or shine. While you were probably having tea parties in your mansion."
Weiss let out a bark of laughter, sharp and cutting, "Tea parties? I've spent the past three years outmaneuvering my father and completely reversing his barbaric business practices while you were swinging a sword around in your backyard. I've created faunus employment initiatives, restructured the entire supply chain, and wrested control from Jacques with Winter's help." She lifted her chin, "What exactly have you accomplished besides the bare minimum of what you should've done the first time around?"
Jaune clicked his tongue, rolling his eyes, "Oh, I don't know, just hunting down bandit groups across Anima. You know, real tangible stuff, not just boardroom politics. I've saved actual lives while you've been playing corporate chess."
"Playing chess?" Weiss repeated, her voice rising dangerously, "I've revolutionized faunus labor rights! I've cut off Jacques' access to the company finances and ensured he couldn't weasel his way out of jail! I've-"
She caught herself, realizing they were both shouting now, their faces inches apart, so close that she could see the whites of his eyes surrounding those blue orbs. This was exactly how most of their fights had started during their marriage. The exact same pattern. And look how well that had turned out.
Weiss took a deliberate step back, smoothing her combat skirt, "This is counterproductive."
Jaune sighed, running a hand through his messy blond hair. A gesture so familiar it made something in Weiss's chest ache, "Yeah, it is." He looked up at the shattered moon, "I want to fix things. Avoid what happened the first time around."
"We can agree on that much, at least," Weiss said stiffly, "Penny and Pyrrha need to survive. The Breach and the Fall of Beacon must be averted. Lionheart should be exposed as the traitor he is. And Atlas..." Her voice hitched slightly, "Atlas can't be destroyed."
Jaune nodded, his expression grim, "I tried to find that Amber woman, the Fall Maiden that Cinder attacked. Thought maybe I could save her, change everything from the start. But I couldn't figure out where she was when she got attacked."
Weiss paused, genuinely surprised by his initiative. She'd expected to have to drag him along with her plans, not to discover he'd been working toward the same goals all along, "That was... not a terrible idea," she conceded reluctantly, "But it's actually convenient that you couldn't find her. If Amber isn't at Beacon, Cinder wouldn't attend disguised as a Haven student next semester. We can save her from her coma when we deal with Cinder."
"So we're going to work together, then?" Jaune said, not quite a question despite his tone.
"It would be foolish not to," Weiss replied, "But don't make a mistake. I have absolutely no interest in getting back together with you. That ship has sailed, crashed, and sunk to the bottom of the ocean."
Jaune scowled, crossing his arms again, "You took the words right out of my mouth, Princess. Our marriage was a disaster the first time around. I'm not eager for a repeat performance."
"Good," Weiss sniffed, "I'm glad we're clear on that point."
"Crystal clear."
"Excellent."
"Fantastic."
They glared at each other, the tension between them thick enough to cut with Myrtenaster, "You know," Weiss said suddenly, unable to help herself, "I've been meaning to ask. Why did you try to shield me? At the courthouse, when the bombs went off. We had just signed divorce papers. We hated each other. And yet, your first instinct was to throw yourself over me."
Jaune looked caught off guard for the first time in their conversation, "I- that was just- reflex. Huntsman training. See civilian, protect civilian."
"I was a Huntress too, you moron," Weiss pointed out, eyebrow raised.
"Well, maybe I just didn't want your death on my conscience," Jaune retorted, "It would have been a real mood-killer at the after-divorce party I was planning."
"You were planning a party? Of coruse you were. Asshole."
"Of course not! It was a joke, Weiss. Something people with actual senses of humor make occasionally."
"I have a sense of humor!"
"Name one joke you've told. Ever."
Weiss opened her mouth, then closed it. Then opened it again, "I don't have to prove anything to you."
"That's what I thought," Jaune said smugly.
"Oh, shut up. We need to make a plan for stopping Cinder."
"Always changing the subject when you're losing an argument," Jaune muttered, "Some things never change."
"I wasn't losing! And don't act like you know me, Arc."
"We were married for five years, Schnee. I think I know you better than I'd like to."
Weiss glared at him, "Clearly not well enough, since you thought it was appropriate to let Ruby Rose prance around in our bedroom wearing your hoodie."
"For the last time, nothing happened with Ruby!" Jaune exclaimed, throwing his hands up, "She was returning it after a mission! Her cloak got torn fighting an Ursa and she got cold and- you know what? I'm not having this argument again. You'd think trying to save your life would get a guy some leeway, but apparently not."
"Typical. Play the sacrifice card so I feel like a jerk for ever questioning. Classic."
"Oh, I'm sorry for trying to save your life!"
"I didn't ask you to!"
They were nose to nose again, breathing hard, eyes locked in mutual fury. This, Weiss thought distantly, was why their marriage had fallen apart. This exact pattern of escalation, of pushing each other's buttons with surgical precision.
Jaune seemed to realize it at the same moment she did. He took a deliberate step back, pinching the bridge of his nose, "We need to work together," he said, voice carefully measured, "For the sake of everyone else. For Pyrrha and Penny and all the people who died last time."
Weiss nodded stiffly, "Agreed. Truce?"
"Truce," Jaune echoed, "But you need to stop being such a princess in the bathroom. You always use all the hot water."
"I do not!"
"I still remember your hour long showers."
"A proper skincare routine is not negotiable, Arc!"
"Neither is hypothermia from ice-cold showers, Schnee!"
And just like that, they were arguing again. Some things, it seemed, were constants across all timelines. They were doomed, Weiss thought, even as she continued to bicker with her ex-husband about bathroom etiquette that wouldn't be relevant for another thirteen years.
Weiss keeps an eye on Ruby. Will likely drag Ruby into a throuple when she gets older, all while convincing herself this was Ruby's plan all along. Poor Cinder gets her plans ruined by bickering exes.
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