Rich in Spirit (Patreon)

This goes with What Defines Us.  Let me know if you have any questions!

BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP

“Jim…”

Groaning as sleep ended far too early, he rolled over and silenced the pesky alarm. Flopping back on his pillow and letting out a heavy sigh, he considered calling it a day and going back to sleep. 

Unfortunately, that wasn’t an option. So, even though the sun hadn’t yet risen and the room was still as dark as night, he sighed again and rolled out of bed.

“Sorry,” he whispered, leaning over to kiss his wife’s forehead while she tried to go back to sleep. Tiptoeing across the room, he picked up his work uniform from the top of the dresser where he’d left it last night. Clothing in hand, he opened the door as quietly as possible, but still heard Abigail rustle in the bed behind him.

“Have a good day…” she mumbled as he crept into the hall.

“You too - love you,” he whispered back before shutting the door and letting out a deep breath.

Free to make a little more noise, he walked into the bathroom across the hall to get ready for work. In such a small apartment, they only had one bathroom that was shared between the three of them. Fortunately, Riley wasn’t old enough to be hogging the mirror just yet, but in time it would likely become a struggle in the morning over who got to use the bathroom first.

There wasn’t much that could be done about that, however. Vale was expensive, but safe. Raising a small child, he’d quickly learned the lengths he would go to in order to keep his daughter safe. Sharing a bathroom, living in a cramped apartment, struggling to make ends meet - those drawbacks were accepted in favor of living without the constant fear of Grimm hanging over their heads.

After washing his face, he took a long look at himself in the mirror. His sandy-blonde hair had grown a little long - not yet shaggy, but not as sharply cut as he usually liked it. He would need a haircut soon, which Abigail would probably do for him again so they could save money. Other than that, he looked...tired. 

Which he was. Waking up before the sun had that effect on people.

Pulling on his work uniform - a dark blue, long-sleeved button-up with matching blue trousers - he sighed one last time before turning off the bathroom light and heading towards the kitchen for breakfast.

The light from the refrigerator filled the room as he grabbed a slice of leftover pizza from dinner last night. Closing the fridge and sitting down at the small table to eat his breakfast, he thought of how funny it was that as an electrician he voluntarily chose to eat in the dark. Maybe that was because he spent too much of his time staring into lights as it was, or because turning on the lights cost money.

After finishing the slice of pizza, he washed his hands at the kitchen sink and dried them on the towel hanging nearby. The gently illuminated clock above the doorway told him it was time to leave, but he had one last item on his routine that needed to be completed first.

On the way to the front door - across from the living room with a small sofa, television, and not much else - was another door. Slowly turning the doorknob until hearing a soft click, he pushed the door open and snuck inside.

The plastic nightlight - shaped like a Dust crystal - cast the room in a blue glow. Messy drawings covering a variety of themes, from family to Grimm to Dust to animals and trees, were taped to the walls. The assortment of books stacked on the small desk was nearly too sophisticated for him to read, yet Riley loved them. 

She was already too smart for her own good. Now the question was...would he and Abigail be able to foster her genius? 

Sound asleep in the small bed with light blue covers was the light of his life - his little sleeping angel.

Walking over, he crouched by the side of the bed and gently brushed some of her light blonde curls away from her eyes. When Riley slept, she looked so peaceful that he felt a wave of calm run through his veins. 

This little moment, when she was still fast asleep, made it all worth it. The early hours, the late nights, the endless work, the worries about the future - all of life’s stressors fell away in this moment while one of Remnant’s purest souls slept. Far away in whatever dreams she was having, she knew no fear, no stress, no anxiety.

It was exactly as he hoped it to be.

“Love you,” he whispered, leaning forward to kiss her cheek before regretfully leaving the room behind. Softly closing the door behind him, he grabbed his bag of tools from the entryway and let himself outside - careful to lock the apartment behind him.

The sidewalks were almost empty when he made it outside, save for one or two other early risers hurrying towards their own destinations. 

Even in the early morning darkness, he could feel that today was going to be a beautiful day. The air was cool, but comfortable. There was very little humidity, and what little there was would disappear as soon as the sun rose. He wished he could take Riley to the park today so they could play on the swings and jungle gym - unfortunately, he was destined to spend most of his day inside, crawling through dusty crawl spaces in search of faulty wires.

Several blocks later, he cut across the street and ducked inside a small storefront tucked between two middle-class apartment buildings. The door was nearly opaque from years of dirt and grime accumulating on the glass, and the company name was faded but still legible.

Branton’s Electric had called this location home for the past 35 years. Over that time, they’d fostered a reputation for quality service at an affordable price - distinctions Jim took personal pride in.

The door shut behind him as he walked into the tiny office filled with spools of wire, malfunctioning lights, and various tools. It took his eyes several seconds to adjust to the low light - for a space housing electricians, it was dimly lit inside.

“Good morning,” he called out to the shop’s only other occupant.

“You’re late.”

Turning towards the clock hung above the door, he found that he was exactly one minute and thirteen seconds late. Next to the clock was a sign that read ‘No time for excuses,’ which only made him sigh as he turned around.

“Sorry,” he replied, holding back any attempt to justify his late arrival. Receiving a disbelieving grunt in return, he sat down on the nearest stool and watched the elder James Branton move around the shop.

His movements were quick and purposeful as he found everything he searched for within seconds (pray for those who dared relocate any item without permission). Despite his blonde hair that had greyed with age, his mind was still sharp as a tack. It was his shaking hands that relegated him to this place, no longer able to meet the rigors that came with the job.

The door opened a second time, and two more men walked inside, already in conversation as their laughter filled the small room. They were also late, but no comment was thrown their way. Jim understood. He was held to a higher standard than Troy or Warren. They were hired to help, whereas he was expected to do far more than his fair share.

“Schedules for today,” James Sr. grumbled, passing out a list of appointments that had been scheduled from calls received yesterday or overnight. “Troy’s on call.”

Troy pumped his fist, excited for a light schedule that would most likely give him plenty of time to goof off on his own. Or, based on recent conversations, to spend more time on the phone with the new girl he was seeing.

“Try to fix it this time,” James Sr. added, handing Jim a schedule before disappearing into the back room without another word. 

Confused by the dismissive comment, Jim looked at the schedule in his hand and immediately found the issue. Sighing at the name written in as his last appointment of the day, he didn’t bother hiding the page while his co-workers read over his shoulder.

Troy immediately let out a long, low whistle.

“Schnee again?” he asked, giving Jim’s shoulder a teasing nudge. “What’s that - five times in a few weeks? Does she have the hots for you or what?”

While Troy laughed at his joke, Warren chimed in with, “Man, what’s Abigail gonna think of you being at a Schnee’s beck and call?”

“It’s not like that,” Jim replied, folding the schedule and putting it in his pocket. “The house has those Intelli-Lights, and they’re...not working properly.”

“Those things are so easy to fix! Just reset them and move on.”

“Unless she keeps breaking them herself,” Troy added, waggling his brow at Jim.

“That’s probably it,” Warren agreed. “Didn’t you know? Electricians are the new pool boys.” 

Rolling his eyes while the two ‘grown’ men laughed, Jim grabbed his bag and a set of keys from the hook on the wall before heading to the door. “See you guys later,” he called out, uninterested in continuing that conversation any longer.

Spotting an old work van with ‘Branton’s Electric’ painted on the side, he unlocked the door and climbed into the driver’s seat. Tossing his bag of tools on the seat beside him, he sent a prayer skyward while trying to start the vehicle. The engine, which was probably older than he was, protested the effort by making a horrible grinding noise before finally coming to life.

“Gotcha,” he muttered to himself, giving the steering wheel several grateful pats before putting the vehicle in drive and heading towards his first appointment.

Those damn Intelli-Lights were the least of his concern at the moment. His schedule before that appointment was full - so full that he’d be lucky if he found time for lunch. And, if he had to guess, the issues on his list today were the most difficult to solve.

Just another day of work at Branton’s Electric...where no electrical problem was too big or small.

Maybe they weren’t too big or small, but many electrical problems were giant headaches in the making. One-by-one, he showed up at people’s houses or businesses and provided solutions for issues ranging from serious to mundane.

An older woman managed to unplug her reading lamp, and couldn’t for the life of her figure out why changing the lightbulb did nothing. He didn’t charge her for the call, considering the help more of a public duty rather than a job.

A fired employee exacted his final revenge by locking access to the light timers in the office, turning on the lights at night but leaving them off during the day. The employees were doing their best to work in the dark, but he could they were all disappointed that they hadn’t been sent home for the day.

Several old houses had wiring so old and corroded that it was a miracle they hadn’t frayed into nothing by now. Jim had never been fond of delivering the news that yes, it was expensive, but yes, it was sometimes necessary to replace all the wires and start anew. The homeowners were considering their options, but those were big potential projects on the horizon.

Overall, it was another mixed bag of appointments for the day, but he would call them all ‘normal.’ His last appointment, however, was the opposite of normal. 

Multiple requests for service from a high profile family for an issue he’d already ‘solved’ several times - if he couldn’t fix the issue this time, it could severely harm the company’s reputation.

Miraculously, he was only a few minutes behind schedule by the time he pulled up to the massive home sitting on a piece of land as big as some parks. Stopping at the guard station near the closed gates, he rolled down the window as the guard stepped outside to greet him.

“Hey Chuck,” Jim said, leaning his arm on the car door. “How’s the house-watching?”

“Pretty exciting now that there are people around. I’ll tell ya though - my finger’s getting pretty tired of opening and closing the gates so much.” 

Holding up his index finger, Chuck grinned while Jim chuckled.

“Well make sure to stretch and switch hands once in a while,” he joked, to which Chuck gave a fake salute. “You can probably guess why I’m here though,” Jim added, waving towards the house. “Got called to work on the lights again.”

“Figured as much. Hold on a second.” Heading into the guard post, Chuck made a quick call before sticking his head outside and giving a thumbs up. “You’re good to go,” he said, making a show of using his pinky finger to push the button that opened the gates. “Good luck!”

“Thanks,” Jim replied with a chuckle, giving Chuck one final wave before navigating the vehicle up the long drive and pulling to a stop near the front door.

Up close, the house towered over him, making him feel very insignificant in the grand scheme of things. It was only a house - made of wood, bricks, and mortar like every other house, but its sheer size set it apart from any other building he’d ever entered. And while the materials might be the same, the quality and craftsmanship was night and day compared to the majority of the city.

One thing was clear - there was wealth, and then there was Schnee wealth.

Grabbing his bag from the passenger seat, he left the van and climbed the steps to the front door. Today, like the past days he’d been here, he couldn’t help but wonder if the entrance was intentionally imposing. To him, it felt like it was built with the express purpose of making him question his worth, but maybe those were his insecurities talking.

Even though his presence had been announced when he stopped at the gate, he walked up to the front door and pushed the doorbell. After hearing the chime echo beyond the door, he stepped back and waited.

The wait wasn’t long - as the door opened a moment later to reveal the house’s only occupant.

Weiss Schnee was slim-statured with long, white hair and clear blue eyes that reminded Jim of his daughter. She carried herself proudly - her posture straight and her chin held high - but she’d lost her air of superiority within the first few minutes of the first visit he made to the house. It was almost as if it was exhausting for her to keep up that facade within the confines of her own home, so she dropped it altogether.

She was a bit intimidating, a bit expectant, and a bit demanding, but overall she was actually...pleasant. With any other customer, rich or poor, he would expect to be berated for failing multiple times to solve the same problem. Instead, she only looked tired.

“Miss Schnee,” he said, dipping his head in respect. 

“Hello again, Jim,” she replied, opening the door further and waving him inside. “And you can call me Weiss - no need to be so formal.”

“Right, sorry.” Wiping his shoes on the doormat before stepping inside, he paused in the entryway until she gestured upstairs. 

“You know the way.”

“It’s the same issue then?” he asked, moving towards the staircase while Weiss trailed by his side.

“Unfortunately, yes.”

He’d expected the answer but still shook his head. These intelligent lighting systems were supposed to make their lives easier - no more flipping light switches, as if that was hard to do. When they worked, they were small features to brag about to guests. When they failed...they made life miserable, apparently.

“I’m sorry you’re still dealing with the issue,” he said, using the company line as they made it to the second floor and headed towards the upstairs living room. “Hopefully, we’ll fix the problem for you today.”

“Let’s hope so…” Weiss muttered, walking by his side until they stepped into the living room. 

Looking up, Jim found that the lights in the ceiling were on - just as they were every time he’d come here in the past. Heading over to the old-fashioned light switches hidden along one wall, he pressed the button that should turn the lights off and...nothing happened.

“Well aren’t you a peach…” he mumbled, pressing the switch several times as if it might miraculously fix itself. When it didn’t, he set his bag on the ground and knelt down to unzip it. “Guess I’ll have to reset everything this time,” he said while pulling out anything that might be remotely helpful in fixing the problem.

“I’ll leave you to it,” Weiss replied, walking out of the room without waiting for his response. 

Resigned to the quiet, Jim picked up his trusty tablet and headed over to the small electrical panel in the far corner of the room. Only several inches off the floor and tucked behind an oversized chair, the board was so well hidden it had taken him at least ten minutes to find it on his first trip. This time, he found it right away and used the proper screwdriver to remove the protective plating. 

Finding the computer hookups, he plugged in his tablet and launched a diagnostic check. For the life of him, he couldn’t figure out what was going on with these particular lights. According to every test he ran, they should be working perfectly fine - and they did work perfectly fine, but apparently only when he was here.

He’d tried everything short of tearing the walls apart to redo the wiring. His only guess was that there was a short in the lines somewhere, but the computer should be able to tell him exactly where it was. Instead, it told him everything was working.

When the most basic check came back with all green lights, he set up the most extensive diagnostic he had and pressed start. This one would take longer, but would hopefully find something. It sent out millions of tiny currents throughout the house, testing every connected line for responsiveness. If one of those currents ran into a dead end or even a slow patch of wire, it would let him know.

Of course, seeing as how he’d run this before and the lights were still broken, he wasn’t holding his breath for a magical answer this time around.

While the program did its thing, he held the computer in one hand and looked around the large living room with the gorgeous skylight up above. No matter how many times he was here, he couldn’t get used to how big the house was. This room alone was probably twice the size of his apartment, and it appeared relatively unused.

What would he do with so much space?  

That answer was easy. He would build Riley a giant playroom with plenty of room for her books and toys. He could even create a mini-laboratory for her and move in lab tables, microscopes - everything she’d need to study her magnificent Dust crystals.

Of course, that was assuming he also had the money to buy those things for her. But if he had this much space, he should have the money to buy anything else.

It was nice to dream, even if it was unlikely to come true.

Hearing a soft chiming noise as the test completed, he looked at the table to find more green lights. 

According to this, there was nothing wrong with any of the wiring in the house. If that was the case, why wouldn’t the switches work? Theoretically, those were wired directly into the lights.  If there was nothing wrong with the wiring, the switches should work.

Walking into one of the bedrooms next to the living room, he searched for another electrical panel to see if the results changed. It took him several minutes of scouring before he found the panel - this one smaller and concealed within the giant walk-in closet. Skipping the basic test, he jumped immediately to the comprehensive diagnostic and waited while green light after green light appeared on the screen.

This was probably another failed endeavor, but it was worth a shot.

After watching two more green lights pop up, he allowed his gaze to wander around the closet. It was empty at the moment, with beautiful dark-wood shelves that looked like they’d been polished just yesterday. Shoe racks made of the same wood ran along one wall, with probably enough room to hold dozens of pairs of shoes. The far end of the closet was a floor-length mirror, but not just a regular, flat mirror. The wall extended a bit in the middle with slanted edges, allowing a set of three mirrors to offer a full 180-degree view of any outfit.

Another wish of his was to give Abigail a closet like this. She would love the space to store her clothes properly, plus he could just imagine her twirling in that mirror over and over again.

A soft chime broke through his daydream and brought his attention back to the test at hand - which had completed with zero errors.

The result was expected, but he still sighed while disconnecting his tablet and walking back to the living room.

If he couldn’t tear apart the walls and pull out all the wires, he was left with only one option. It was the same option that worked each time prior, which was precisely why he didn’t want to use it again. Clearly, it was only a temporary fix, while the problem continued to linger somewhere else in the house.

However, at this point, he couldn’t think of anything else to do. So...he would try the hard reset one more time and hope that a miracle happened.

Plugging into the living room panel again, he was in the midst of setting up the reset when Weiss walked back into the room.

“Any progress?”

“I ran the most thorough test we have in this room and one the bedrooms, but no issues came up.” Shaking his head at the dead end, he tapped the edge of the tablet. “I’m going to reset everything again, so the lights will go on and off for a few minutes.”

“Alright,” was Weiss’ response as she sat on the dark blue sofa nearby. 

After checking and double-checking the settings, Jim pressed start and watched the progress bar appear on the screen. With the reset running, he glanced over his shoulder and saw Weiss staring off towards the far corner of the room, her brow furrowed while thinking about something. Her scroll was clutched in one hand, and she gently tapped it against her leg while lost in thought.

He wasn’t sure why she chose to sit here - whether to watch him work or because she didn’t want to walk around in the dark - but the sudden silence in the room compelled him to speak.

“So how’s your trip been?” he asked, attempting to make small talk based on their prior conversations.

“It’s been…difficult, but better than I thought it’d be.”

“That’s a good thing, right?” Glancing away from the computer, he watched her brow furrow even further.

“I suppose it is. But sometimes I wonder…” Trailing off, Weiss shook her head and waved a hand as if that might clear the words from the air. “Nevermind - it’s of little importance.”

“We have time though.” When Jim gestured towards the progress bar - which wasn’t even a quarter full - Weiss glanced at it before meeting his eyes.

He could tell that she planned on changing the subject and glossing over what she’d been about to say. It made sense - they were from different social spheres. The likelihood of him understanding her problems seemed rather slim.

“Always willing to lend an ear,” he added, but looked down at the tablet so Weiss wouldn’t feel any pressure to say anything she didn’t want to say - not that she seemed like the type of person who would do that anyway. She probably dealt with high-powered executives all day and said what she wanted, when she wanted. The only high-powered things Jim dealt with regularly were stadium lights.

After several seconds of silence passed, he was positive Weiss would say nothing - but then she spoke.

“Have you ever been faced with a decision where it seems like there’s no right answer?” she asked softly, not meeting Jim’s eyes when he turned back towards her. “Where, no matter what you do, someone could get hurt - including yourself?”

Thinking about the question for only a second, Jim nodded.

“I have.”

Weiss seemed genuinely intrigued by the positive response, so he nodded again.

“I have,” he repeated as the lights in the living room shut off. Both of them looked up at the sudden darkness, but the system quickly reset and powered back on - rolling through each room in the house as it was supposed to. While Weiss watched the lights flicker back to life, Jim continued.

“When Abigail found out she was expecting, I had an unpaid internship at Xavier Corp. - that big research firm downtown. I was hoping to use my background in electrical work to learn and, hopefully, become a junior scientist one day. If I made it, I’d make enough money to live a comfortable life and maybe even help out my parents. Then a baby entered the picture.” 

“Abigail never even mentioned me quitting,” he explained, making sure to clear Abigail from any possible suspicion. “I could’ve stayed, and we could’ve tried to scrap by...but we were starting a family - I needed a real job. I didn’t want Abigail to carry the weight while waiting for me to potentially get a better job in the future. So, I left the internship and went to work for my dad. He always wanted me to take over the family business anyway.”

Thinking back on that time in his life, he couldn’t help but smile - not because it had been easy, but because he’d learned a lot about himself and what he truly valued. 

“That sounds like a difficult decision,” Weiss replied, giving him a sympathetic smile. “I know what it feels like to plan a future and...have it taken away from you...but to willingly give it up? Do you ever wish you’d chosen differently?”

“Never.”

His answer held no hesitation and took Weiss by surprise.

“Never?”

“Nope. Never,” he said, shaking his head. “Riley is my light. I’d do anything to provide a better life for her, even if that means giving up my dream so she can pursue her own.”

He and Abigail made enough money to make ends meet. Maybe some bills were paid a few days late, and some purchases were delayed as long as possible, but they were fortunate in the grand scheme of things - blessed with their health and each other.

For the longest time, Weiss stared at him while mulling over the answer. 

Now it made more sense though. Weiss always seemed like someone with a lot on her mind, but he’d assumed her stressors had to do with work and familial obligations. That was wrong of him to think. She had loved ones just like he did, and with loved ones came decisions and sacrifices.

“What’s Riley’s dream?” Weiss finally asked - the question making Jim chuckle.

“She wants to be a scientist, too,” he answered, beaming at his daughter’s ambitious goals. “Except she wants to work with Dust.”

“That’s quite the career path,” Weiss replied, undoubtedly referring to how competitive any industry involving Dust was.

“I think she can do it.” He was fully aware that he suffered from a father’s pride, but he believed the words and said them anyway. “She’s smarter than me already, and every year for her birthday she asks for books on Dust - actually reads them, too.” 

After pausing for a second, Jim chuckled and shook his head.

“If I’d known how much I would love her, I would’ve tried to convince Abigail to start a family the day we started dating.”

He chuckled again - this time thinking about how well that suggestion would’ve been received. Life had worked itself out in the end, but now he knew what he’d always been missing - a piece of his heart that only grew with love for a child.

The lights in the living room shut off again, but this time Weiss hardly paid the temporary darkness any attention. 

“Isn’t it funny how our loved ones can make the hardest decisions worth it?” she finally said, the question seeming rhetorical by the way her eyes gazed off into the distance. 

She probably didn’t expect an answer, but, as the lights flickered back to life, Jim offered one anyway.

“My philosophy is that if you make the decision that benefits your family the most, you can never go wrong. No matter how hard that decision might be.”

“That’s very selfless of you,” Weiss replied, her clear eyes appearing to read right through him.

“Is it actually selfless when I’m rewarded every time Riley smiles, or laughs, or learns another word I can’t even pronounce?” he asked. As soon as he said the words, he was surprised when Weiss smiled in response.

“Are you saying that you’re actually selfish?”

“Incredibly,” he answered, smiling when he thought of his gorgeous wife and daughter waiting for him at home. “I want to be there for every smile, every laugh, every tear. I don't want to miss a single moment - isn’t that selfish of me?”

Her brow gently furrowing, Weiss looked at her hands before responding.

“I know the feeling.”

Before she could elaborate - if she even planned to - a soft chime rang out. Turning his attention to the tablet, Jim found that the reset was complete and the system was showing as operational.

“The easiest way to be selfish is doing anything to make them happy,” he added. “No matter what decision you have to make, put them first, and you’ll never go wrong.”

With that piece of parting advice, he left the tablet connected to the panel and walked over to the light switches to try them one more time. When he pressed the bottom part of the switch, the lights in the ceiling immediately turned off. When he pressed the top part of the switch, the lights turned back on.

“Looks like it’s working,” he commented, trying the switch one more time. When the lights turned on and off as soon as he clicked the switch, he nodded. Going back to the tablet, he ran the basic test and watched a string of green lights appear. Of course, they’d gone through this several times already - as evidenced by the disbelieving look on Weiss’ face.

“Let’s hope it sticks this time,” he said. Unplugging the tablet from the electrical panel, he screwed the plating back in place - casting a suspicious eye to the ceiling while waiting for the lights to turn on again.

“I’m fairly positive it will break as soon as you leave,” Weiss replied, and she actually smiled when Jim laughed at the dry humor. 

“If you want, I can wait around for a bit. Then, if it breaks again, I can see if there’s anything else I can find.”

But Weiss shook her head at the words. “If it doesn’t work this time, I’ll leave it be. There’s no purpose wasting more time trying to solve this impossible riddle.”

“I don’t mind -”

“But I do,” Weiss interrupted. “You have far better things to do - like spending time with your wife and daughter, not searching for solutions to this.” 

As she waved towards the lights, Jim reached down to pack his tools into his bag.

“If that’s what you want,” he relented, zipping the bag shut and standing up. “Honestly, I don’t think we can find the root of the problem without opening up the walls.”

“And the last thing I want is a demo crew in here,” Weiss replied, motioning for Jim to follow her away from the living room. “If I have to live with lights that are permanently on, I guess I’ll survive. At least it’s only in the living room.”

Trailing Weiss down the staircase and into the large foyer, Jim shifted his bag to his other hand while heading to the front door. 

He was happy the lights were currently fixed but disbelieving that the solution would stick this time. Fortunately, Weiss seemed more reasonable than most customers and was willing to accept that some problems weren’t worth the hassle. If the problem could be lived with, there was no point spending large amounts of money tearing everything apart. 

“I appreciate your help though,” Weiss added as Jim opened the front door and stepped outside.

“It was my pleasure. Really.”

When Weiss smiled and nodded once, Jim responded with a nod of his own before taking his leave - heading down the steps to the van.

By the time he unlocked the door and got settled inside, the front door was closed and Weiss had disappeared. He probably wouldn’t see her again, but that was ok. Some meetings were only meant to last for a short time.

As he drove down the drive and through the gates - waving to Chuck as he passed the guard’s booth - Jim looked in the rearview mirror at the sprawling mansion being left behind.

He couldn’t shake the feeling that he hadn’t fixed the issue with the broken lights. Maybe because everything else had failed so far, or maybe because he couldn’t find anything wrong to begin with. 

Electricians liked to call these problems - the unsolvable ones that appeared and disappeared at random - ‘ghosts.’ An issue would pop up out of nowhere, cause massive headaches, then fix itself with no outside help. 

They were maddening when they happened. At least, they were maddening to him. He wanted the feeling of success that came with solving a problem, and this was the opposite of that.

But it was late, and he needed to stop by the office to drop off the van before heading home. Another long day nearly complete - now he could start counting the minutes before he’d see his family once more.

Pulling into a parking spot near the office, he grabbed his bag, hopped out, and quickly locked the door before heading inside. Unsurprisingly, the door was unlocked and the lights were on inside.

“Still working?” Jim asked, hanging the keys on their proper hook and looking at the elderly man hunched over the cluttered desk.

“Just finishing up the books…” was the grumbled reply. His nose was inches from the account ledger while his too-big hands forced the tiny pencil across the page. When the tip of the pencil broke off, he sat back and sighed. “Your mother was much better at this,” he added as he grabbed another pencil from a cup full of them and started again. 

A pen would be easier, but the books had always been kept in pencil - so they always would be as long as James Branton was alive.

“Why don’t you come over this weekend?” Jim asked. “Abigail can make those ribs you like.”

His father thought about the invitation for several moments before finally nodding. “Sounds nice. I have something for Riley anyway.” Reaching out, he tapped a handmade nightlight - this one with a purple Dust crystal on top.

“Great! I’ll let them know - they’ll be excited.” Turning towards the door, Jim paused and added. “Don’t stay too late, Dad. There’s always more time tomorrow.”

Grunting, his dad waved him away. Accepting the response, Jim walked towards the door - and it wasn’t until his hand pushed it open that he heard the words “Good job today,” directed towards his back. 

He didn’t turn around - not wanting to embarrass his father over the rare compliment - but walked outside with a smile. Maybe he hadn’t fixed every problem in the world, but if he’d made his father proud...that was a good feeling to end the day with.

It was dark out now - nearly as dark as when he’d walked to work this morning - but with every step, his excitement grew. In only minutes, he would see the two most important people in his life again. He could send Riley off to bed with a bedtime story and a kiss goodnight. He could tell Abigail about his day while they cleaned and then sat together on the sofa, watching but not really watching TV while they talked.

His days were long and hard, but rewarding. He enjoyed the feeling of success upon a job well done, and he liked meeting and talking to strangers - sometimes learning a bit about them in the process.

That thought immediately steered his mind to Weiss, and the words she’d said today.

Everyone thought the Schnees were lucky, blessed with enough wealth to always be happy. But, from the interactions the two of them had shared, he could tell that Weiss had problems not even all the money in the world could fix.

They had more in common than he would’ve ever thought. She had loved ones that she was scared of losing, just like he did. She was afraid of disappointing them, just like he was. And she struggled with decisions that could potentially hurt them, just like he once had.

However, while Jim worried about money and what might happen if an unexpected expense came up, he went home to a tiny apartment bursting with love and laughter. Weiss never worried about money, but went home to a massive, empty mansion that was nothing but silence.

But he held hope for her...because the past few trips to Schnee Manor had been different. Weiss was more willing to talk, looked far less exhausted, and actually spared a smile. She was changing. Whatever or whoever brought her to Vale was changing her, for the better.

There was a bit of light in her starting to shine through. It might be dim, and it might need quite a bit of nurturing, but it was there.

He would know - he dealt with lights daily.

Several Months Later

Closing his umbrella - shaking water droplets all over the hall as he did so - he unlocked the door and wiped his feet before walking inside. As soon as he stepped across the barrier, he sighed in relief.

There was a certain warmth to the apartment - a warmth the torrential downpour outside couldn’t even dampen. Maybe it was the lighting, or the smell of whatever had been for dinner, or the sight of small pink shoes in the hall...whatever it was, it immediately wiped away any remaining stress from another long day.

“I’m home!” he called out, setting his bag down and removing his wet work boots to leave by the door.

“Daddy!!”

The word instantly brought out a smile as small feet padded towards him. Racing out of her bedroom, Riley leaped into his arms for a long-overdue hug.

“What’re you doing up?” he remarked, lifting her feet off the ground as he spun her in a circle, smiling at her delighted giggle. “Shouldn’t you be in bed already?” he asked, setting her on the ground and kneeling down to look into her eyes.

“Mommy said I could wait for you to get home!”

“Did she really?” Turning to the side as another pair of footsteps approached, he smiled when Abigail walked out of the kitchen to join them. “What’s this I hear about late bedtimes?”

“She had a good argument,” Abigail replied with a shrug and hardly-concealed smirk. Shaking his head, he turned back to Riley and tickled her sides.

“What was this argument, hm?” he asked, secretly grateful that he got to see her smile to end his day.

“It’s not fair that Daddy works late all alone, so Mommy and me have to work too!” 

When Riley puffed out her chest at the adorable reasoning, he reached out to pull her into a hug.

“That’s very sweet of you,” he said, releasing her and looking into her eyes. “But I don’t mind working late - I work late so you can go to bed early. So let’s get to bed, ok?”

Seeing a pout growing, he stuck a finger in the corner of her mouth and lifted that side up in a smile. It worked like it always did, and she giggled while swatting his hand away.

“But you just got home!” she whined, taking a step back so she could pout without him interrupting her. “I don’t wanna go to sleep yet!”

He didn’t want her to go to sleep either, so he leaned close and whispered, “How about a few more minutes - just this once?”

When Riley beamed, he smiled and stood up.

“Late day again,” Abigail commented while he leaned over to kiss her cheek. 

“Gotta keep the lights on,” he replied, using their age-old joke to lighten the sting from another long day. After all these years, it still worked - and Abigail smiled.

“Dinner’s on the stove,” she said. “Oh, and something came in the mail for you.”

“Hear that, Riley?” he asked, reaching down to hold his daughter’s hand. “Let’s go check it out!”

“Yeah!” 

Chuckling at her enthusiastic response, he led them into the kitchen and found an envelope on the table in front of his chair. Letting go of Riley’s hand so he could pick it up and turn it over, his curiosity grew when he found the Schnee Dust logo emblazoned on the seal.

“Wonder what this could be…” he muttered, opening the envelope and pulling out the card inside. The words scrawled across it were handwritten, further capturing his interest as he started reading.

Dear Jim,

I wanted to send you a personal note of appreciation for your assistance with the broken lights in my sister’s home. You’ll be happy to hear that I believe I found the source of the issue. It was nothing within your or my control, so fret not over the repeated dead-ends and recurrences.

Over the past few weeks, I’ve been thinking considerably about the people who’ve helped me during one of the most challenging periods of my life. What I most wanted to thank you for is that - besides going above the call of duty in search of a solution - you provided an impartial ear to my problems and offered guidance that was not at all within your responsibilities. It’s for this guidance that I owe you my deepest gratitude. 

I couldn’t help but remember what you said about your daughter, Riley, and her dreams for the future. I’ve included with this letter a sum of money that should be sufficient to provide for her education at the very best schools Vale has to offer. When she’s finished her schooling, please have her reach out to me. The SDC is always in search of new Dust scientists for our research and development department, and it sounds like she might have the type of exceptional talent we need.

It’s my sincere hope that this gift will impact your life for the better, just as your kind words impacted mine. 

Thank you for listening - and never stop being selfish. 

Weiss Schnee

Mouth hanging open, Jim pulled the second slip of paper from the envelope and nearly dropped it in surprise. Instead, he brought it closer to his face, reading and rereading it while his mind refused to believe it was real.

It was a check, signed by Weiss Schnee, for an amount of money larger than he ever dreamed of making in his entire life.

A startled laugh slipped out as he read the letter a second time before staring at the check in his hands.

“Abigail!” 

“What?”

As soon as she walked into the room, Jim shoved the card and check into her hands.

“Read this -”

After she confusedly took the items from him, he picked up Riley and kissed her on the cheek. He then watched Abigail’s eyes widen - and widen even more when she saw the number written on the check.

“Is this real??” she finally asked, waving it in the air and looking at him in shock.

Bursting with happiness and pure, dumbfounded surprise, he looked up at Riley - with her clear blue eyes and white-blonde hair - and smiled.

“How do you feel about going to a new school, Riley?” he asked, grinning up at her. “We can send you to one that teaches you all about Dust!”

When Riley squealed with joy, Abigail burst into tears. 

Reaching out to hug Abigail with his other arm, Jim held his family close and sent a silent thanks to a set of broken lights for bringing an angel into his life.

He hoped this letter meant that Weiss had made her difficult decision, and that it had rewarded her just like his had.