Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

A decade after the retirement of the last and original members of the Justice League.

New Schnee Manor, Outer Mantle

An old lady who's seemingly in her 50s to 60s, her long white with tibs of her hair being faded red, wrinkles that showed her age and currently in her pajamas and a wedding ring on her right hand as a lady of her age would usually have.

She struggles to open her eyes, as she is missing her husband, where did he go this time? Slowly she gets up and stretches her old bones, and the old woman wanders the halls of Schnee manor. Ah, she remembers her old teammates from Beacon and in the League, how she and him left everything and tried their best at something of a retirement thing going on.

"Good morning, Mistress Rose-Schnee." a familiar voice calls out. Ruby then turns to the source to see an old balding man with small bits of brown in his hair who's outfitted with a casual Schnee worker uniform, and a cane to help him walk. He also looks to be in his 80s and 90s as he approaches the lady of the manor.

"Klein…you've known me for decades now. Call me Ruby like usual." Ruby Rose-Schnee smiled up at her butler, no, her friend who's been there for her other former co-workers throughout the years.

"Very well, Ruby. Why are you wandering down the halls this early in the middle of the night?" Klein wondered gently.

"Whitley didn't wake up beside me, I'm getting worried…" Ruby sighed, this was the third night this week, Klein silently agreed as he looked away from the older retired huntress.

"Well…maybe you should check the old hideout, you might find him there." Klein offered, Ruby could only smile in gratitude. Klein was always there with Whitley when his uncle and aunt died infront of him, when he came back from his journey around the world, when he got married, when he raised their children, when he comforted the two when their children were leaving for different universities and Huntsman Academies.

It's a wonder if he's still with them after all these years.

"Thank you, Klein. When should we expect you to take that vacation in Nanda Parbat Whitley offered you?" Ruby cheekily asked.

"Hoho, what makes you so certain I'm not in retirement now?" Klein jokingly said.

"Hehe, true, true. I'll see you at breakfast then." Ruby said as she left the still smiling Klein alone, but the moment she turned and walked, that's the moment when Klein's smile turned frown.

"I just pray to the Table Breaker that it's not what I believe it is." Klein sombrely wondered.

"Whitley? Are you there?" She calls out to her husband, and unlocks the secret passage behind the old grandfather clock Whit's uncle used to own back during Nicholas Schnee's era.

The clock then moved sideways to an entrance into the Batcave, she took the makeshift elevator down, she walked down the edge where she was welcomed by the sounds of the local bats that lived in this part of the cave, screeching at the sound that disturbed their slumber.

But Ruby didn't flinch nor was scared away, she was used to it by this time whenever she came down here on missions or moving some stuff away. She could still remember the first time she discovered this place by accident, she nearly thought Batman was coming to steal her blood or something.

She was glad she did meet Whitley first before she met Batman, happily married with three children and coming soon, a grandson who have gone their separate ways working in different parts of the world. Some as Huntsman or Huntresses, some as regular workers, and rarely ever as Vigilantes.

Ruby still wonders if they'll ever visit them again, It makes an old woman think a lot. There is much to do as it was still the sixth decade after the Great War ended.

She then sees her husband on the edge of what used to house the old Batcomputer Whitley used for his operations. All of the lights were on and he was just standing there with the moonlight gazing over him, what was he doing she wondered?

"Whitley?" Ruby called out, her old husband then cranked his head tensely to her like he saw an approaching. He looked like he saw something he wasn't supposed to see, what happened?

"Are you okay?" She asked as she reached out, and cupped his cheek. Whitley tensed again but reached his hand to hers, relishing in relieving comfort. This still causes the old huntress to worry even more.

Whitley Warden Schnee, a man looking around his 70s or 80s, short yet messy white hair with light blue eyes as with the Schnee family traits usually are. What was supposed to be a beard there similar to his grandfather, was a clean shave

"Yeah…I'm perfect now that you're here." The sound of older Whitley's deep voice and old said somberly as he then pulled her into a hug. His wife more than returned it but that doesn't mean she believed him.

"Are you sure? You looked like you saw something…" Ruby said worryingly, he then looked retracted from the hug and looked at her with a confident look and nodded.

"Sure....c'mon, let's go back to bed." Ruby then kissed him as he then dragged him by the hand. "...also, when did you shave? I was kinda liking the whole beard thing you have going on." she asked.

Whitley's eyes widened as he touched his beard area where it's supposed to be. 'He didn't notice? Does that mean he was subconsciously doing it?' Ruby thought, what's going on? Maybe she'll drill him later, it's the middle of the night.

"Alright you old fart, let's go back to bed, mama needs her beauty sleep like usual." The retired Huntress then slung her arm around his as they both walked towards the make-shift-elevator of the Batcave.

"Beauty sleep? I still remembered what a big snorer you were when we first started." Whitley smiles cheekily as this causes his wife to pout lightly.

"I got better didn't I?" Ruby flatly stated. This caused the old Schnee to grimace.

"Well…" Whitley hesitated, this then made Ruby smack him by the shoulder a bunch of times as it caused him a hearty laugh. What the Rose-Schnee didn't know was that Whitley at the back of his mind was wondering if he really did walk away.

He has a wife, children who share their eyes, and soon to be a grandchild coming soon with the first and yet…and yet…something inside was calling him…Whitley was happy but what was missing?

He couldn't tell…maybe a good night's sleep is what's best…

Hopefully…

Chapter Text

Schnee estate Ranch, Outer Mantle

Walking along the snow a blond man with blue as well as a muscular and daunting build, he appears slightly aged with a few wrinkles. His hair has grown longer, with some strands having faded to white, and is tied into a ponytail with a torn piece of red fabric.

He's outfitted with a flannel button up shirt, blue jeans, a black winter coat and dark blue gloves.

The man walks along the cold snow covered forests of the Solitas territories.'What does he have to say now?' The man wondered as saw he was finally approaching his destination.

Further ahead he sees his old friend and former co-worker, Whitley Schnee, who happens to be dressed in more winter garb and appears to be tending to the Frost wolves.

Frost wolves, as they are, native to the Northern Vale, some of the Vytal Islands, and Mistral. They not only make great mounts but also good hunting dogs and sometimes large pets as some were taken to Solitas before Mantle was formed by colonists and frontiersmen in order to trek the known and unknown. Some of the clans have labelled them symbols of their culture though to this day.

Whitley as he is was busy scratching behind one of the Frost wolf's ears after cleaning her with a brush. Said wolf seemed to appreciate she had her tongue out and a happy grin. With a final pet, he moved on to attend the Frost wolf next to her.

But not before getting an appreciative lick to Whit's hand, the old Schnee could only giggle.

"Finally decide to visit after all these years, Jaune?" The old Schnee spoke while continuingly brushing the dust covered big wolf.

Jaune could only look away in guilt, it was true, he hasn't seen his old friend since the Justice League disbanded decades ago. Whitley then continued to brush the Frost wolf's other side and spoke.

"And by the way, you nearly cost me an extra hour of work. I may be healthy but I'm still very much old." The Billionaire old man flatly said as he then looked at the Kryptonian.

"So you don't mind if we get down to business then?" With encouragement, Jaune pressed on.

"Sorry to be the one to say this but you need to go back into retirement, Ruby as well. A lot of people are upset right now." The adopted Arc stated.

"Mhm." Whitley hummed calmly as he finished brushing the two frost wolves. Soon he began to guide them back by the leash to their kennels.

"Why are you like this? Even when the UKR and the PTA came after us as you just stood there staring." Jaune slightly angered, followed Whitley as they began walking. "By the time we tried to explain ourselves, you made things worse on us by acting like the criminal they want you to be."

"We are criminals, Jaune, we always have been." Whitley giggled slightly at the remark, how many times have they done this dance?

"So by technicality, you're still one too. Only difference is that you have more than one boss who tells you what you have to do." Whitley tried to bite back the sarcasm in him but old habits die hard as they say, he then unbuckled the leashes and left the two wolves to join their family.

"And you answer to no one except yourself, correct?" Jaune said as he narrowed his eyes, Whitley had to held back a glare as he didn't want Arc to see it just to not prove him any more right than he is.

The old Schnee then closed the kennel garage door. Jaune knew him for years by now, and then continued.

"Y'know, this reminds me of when we had this talk a decade ago, when everyone else agreed only you didn't go along with the deal we made." Jaune then began to slouch his back towards the nearby wall.

At the corner of his eye he sees and nearby Snow Owl circling the area, looking for prey

"M'gann, Maia and Arslan left the planet, Neptune and Pyrrha went back to their people, Cyborg and the others enjoying life in retirement as well as-". Jaune continued to explain an event that happened years ago.

"What about Ruby and Tristan Jr? Did they get to choose?" Whitley crossed his arms and asked as the Arc of Steel then the Snow owl snatched a nearby squirrel, Jaune could only wince in guilt, he knew the answer to that.

"Believe me when I tell you that I didn't want that to happen…" Jaune uttered.

"He's a bit torn up about it right?" The Schnee Billionaire questioned. "And what about Pyrrha? I can't imagine the look on her face when you went back to this dangerous life of ours and not live quietly like a normal family-".

"I wanted it too, but Tristan, he made it necessary. Like-"

"Like I'm about to?" Whitley cut him off and stared Jaune right dead in the eye. Both parties could be silent, Jaune didn't want to focus on this subject as it brought a lot of bad memories.

"Whitley, do you remember why you retired?" Jaune asked sincerely while crossing his arms, trying to ease the tension he accidentally created for himself.

" 'Never did forget." The old Schnee said with a somber look in his eyes, arms down on his side, that he remembered everything, for Ruby, for his life with their family they built together.

Leslie, Flynt, Penny, Ozpin, Oscar and so many more have lost their lives to this occupation. Whitley never forgot why as those deaths were his fault, his responsibility.

Jaune took a deep breath and sighed for a bit before gaining composure.

"Look…either you or Ruby shut the whole thing down or the higher ups are gonna send me to stop you...if that happens-" The Alien Arc was then cut off again.

"WHEN that happens, may the best man win." Whitley then looked at him determination, the cold winds of Solitas blows for while longer

If Jaune knew anything about his former co-worker and old friend after all these years that's still the same, it's that when Whit says he wants to do something, it's not just a statement but a promise that he will somehow. Jaune understood too well but he still wanted to argue his case.

But then he heard a crying noise in the distance. Something only someone of his hearing can hear.

"I've gotta go, we'll finish this later." Jaune Arc then zoomed past Whitley, leaving a trail of cold snow and wind that nearly blew a nearby Patch flag post with it and alerted some of the frost Wolves to bark in worry.

"Oh hurry…" Whitley muttered as he failed to not sarcastically comment. Pretty sure he heard that