Taking Charge

"I beg your pardon! What did you say?"

"Did I stutter?" The heady mix of silk and steel in Ruby's voice sent a shiver down Weiss's spine. "Bend over and put your hands on your desk."

Weiss knew she should argue. If she gave Ruby an inch, she'd take a mile. But maybe that was what Weiss wanted. Still, how had it come to this?

X X X

The Vale Headquarters of the Schnee Dust Company was one of the most heavily fortified buildings in the entire world – and with good reason. In the five years since she'd taken over her family's operations in Vale, Weiss had turned her little patch of the family business into arguably the most profitable part of what was already a corporate leviathan.

Of course, her family had not appreciated some of her more… progressive policies. She'd implemented a host of measures designed to better balance profit with employee welfare, particularly amongst the Faunus, who made up a substantial portion of her family's workforce. Those measures had won her the respect and loyalty of the Faunus – but the ire of her family.

But Weiss had stood firm. She was certain that the changes would give rise to more than better treatment for the Faunus. They should also lead to increases in profit. And they had. Retraining costs were down and worker retention was up. She now had the luxury of being able to promote Faunus to positions of authority without worrying about their loyalty. The Faunus worked harder as well, eager to take full advantage of their new opportunities.

Attacks by the White Fang were also in decline. The Faunus were increasingly reluctant to support attacks against one of the few people who had taken concrete steps to improve their lives. It didn't hurt that Weiss had publicly acknowledge a Faunus as one of her closest friends – a Faunus who also happened to be a former member of the White Fang.

Little by little, her family was coming around to her point of view. They didn't share her more progressive opinions, but they did care about money. And her changes had brought in plenty of that.

In response to their declining support, the White Fang had launched several high-profile attacks. There had been a few close calls, but none of them had succeeded. Weiss had not survived Beacon Academy and earned her rank as a huntress by being careless or stupid.

She kept Myrtenaster with her at all times. Her headquarters boasted a state-of-the-art security system, reinforced walls, doors, and windows, and a small army of security personnel. Nothing short of a full-scale attack should be able to breach the front door, and nothing short of an actual army should be able to reach her office. At least, that was the idea.

She'd never actually had a chance to test everything – until now.

The captain of her security personnel was in the lobby reviewing their procedures when a rabbit Faunus shouted for his attention.

"We have a breach, sir! We've got a breach in the perimeter!"

"A breach?" The captain pursed his lips. Ms Schnee had warned him to expect trouble tonight. "All right. Sound the alarm and lock this place down. Get heavy combat teams Alpha and Beta to meet me down here. I want the stairwells watched and sweeper teams on every floor. Nobody gets past us."

"Shall I inform Ms Schnee of the breach?"

"Yes, but she probably already knows."

Less than three minutes later, two dozen heavily armed security personnel marched into the lobby. They carried an assortment of weapons from Dust-powered devices to standard firearms and swords.

The captain took a deep breath. "All right. Listen up. We've got a perimeter breach. Anyone coming at us head on is either completely insane or incredibly dangerous. We must assume that it is the latter. Based on the information we have, they're planning on coming in through the front door. Consider yourselves the welcoming committee. I want you guys set up in formation Charlie-29. We stop them here."

There were shouts to the affirmative as the well-oiled machine under the captain's command snapped into action. The captain took up a position behind the front counter and turned his eyes to the other side of the lobby. Armoured plates had already dropped into place over the bulletproof windows, and the thick, Dust-augmented doors had already been barred shut.

"Kill the lights!" the captain shouted. "Switch to night-vision."

The most recent attacks by the White Fang had involved human collaborators – collaborators who would find themselves as nothing more than a liability without the appropriate equipment. Naturally, all of the captain's human officers were properly equipped. His Faunus officers could see in the dark just fine on their own.

"Stay sharp." The captain lifted his rifle. "They're here."

There was a tremendous crash as something smashed into the front doors. The man beside him flinched as the impact of the blow shook the entire lobby. The captain's eyes widened in disbelief as a succession of blows actually managed to dent the doors and bend them inward. That was two feet of Dust-augmented metal!

"Hold your fire," he muttered. "Wait for the breach and then give them hell."

Silence fell. In the still, silent darkness, the captain's sense went into overdrive. He could hear the rustle of clothing beside him and the quiet breathing of the deer Faunus behind him. He tasted a hint of mint – the last, lingering traces of the candy he'd been chewing on before the breach had been detected.

Then, from outside, came a different sound. It was the sound of a weapon unfolding and changing its shape. Then there was a hiss like a steel wind.

The doors toppled to the ground, cut into half a dozen pieces.

"Son of a bitch," someone whispered. "Did you see that?"

The captain hissed. "Melee units, forward to engage! Ranged units, hang back and offer supporting fire. Dust-users, get ready. Light them up if you see an opening!"

As the melee units pressed forward to engage, something fluttered past the captain's face. He reached up to catch it. What was…

"Are those rose petals?" someone asked. "What the hell?"

Rose petals. It took the captain less than a second to put all the pieces together. No wonder Ms Schnee had asked them to switch to non-lethal ammunition. A gust of wind rushed past, and the lobby was suddenly filled with hundreds, maybe even thousands, of rose petals. There was only one person in the world with a Semblance like that.

Shit.

And then the bodies of unconscious security officers started to hit the ground as amused laughter filled the air.

X X X

Up in her office, Weiss watched events in the lobby unfold through her building's security cameras and the cameras mounted on the helmets of her security personnel. The captain of her security team was a veteran with more than two decades of experience. He was a little rough around the edges, but he was absolutely loyal. He had worked for her family for most of his life – and for her personally since she'd taken charge in Vale – and he was also uniquely sympathetic to her cause. He was married with two children – and his wife was a Faunus.

Against this opponent, however, he and her security team were badly outmatched.

Weiss's lips twitched. Ruby had such a flair for the dramatic sometimes. Really, pounding on the doors and then slicing them in half? That was straight out of the horror movie they'd watched three days ago. It would also drive her engineers insane. But what her engineers would never be able to understand is how much work Ruby had put into her scythe. It wasn't just a weapon – it was more like a child or an extension of the dark-haired woman's self.

Thankfully, Ruby had heeded her instruction to sheathe the blade of her scythe while she was fighting. The last thing Weiss needed was to replace all of her security personnel because Ruby had cut all of them in half. It would also have been a public relations nightmare. She could see it now: crazed lover of famous billionaire murders dozens of security personnel, break up imminent?

Besides, this was a security test. Her security personnel couldn't learn anything if they were all dead.

But even so, watching Ruby carve a swathe through her elite security was… impressive. These men and women were well trained. Every single one of them was an expert in combat. And Ruby cut through them like they were nothing. Less than nothing, really, if the amused chuckling coming from the silver-eyed woman was any measure.

The years had done more than give Ruby height – she was actually taller than Weiss now. They'd also give her a wonderfully athletic figure. She would never have Yang's obnoxiously large bust, but Weiss didn't mind. She liked Ruby exactly how she was – and they could cuddle without Ruby suffocating her. Death by bust was definitely more Blake's thing than Weiss's.

But the years had also given Ruby something else – something far more dangerous. Ruby had always been fast. She was a lot more than fast now.

Weiss peered at the footage from the lobby. One moment, Ruby was kicking a security officer in the stomach, crumpling him like a paper bag. The next moment, she was on the opposite side of the lobby, blurring through a hail of bullets before she knocked down another clump of security personnel with her scythe. The weapon was in constant motion, sweeping through the air with impossible swiftness and precision. Weiss still didn't know how Ruby did it. She'd once tried to lift Crescent Rose – she'd barely managed to get it off the ground.

Rose petals had always been a part of Ruby's Semblance, but even they struggled to keep up with her now. They billowed through the lobby, their almost fragile beauty at stark odds with the violence that Ruby dished out. Weiss's security personnel reeled as Ruby poured on the speed, seemingly everywhere at once.

Weiss's lips curled. Ruby was just showing off now. It was a higher form of her Semblance, one that let her move so fast that she left behind illusionary afterimages. Weiss found herself unable to look away. Ruby was at her most beautiful when she was fighting, the silver of her eyes matched only by the gleam of her scythe as it sliced through the air. Her red cloak billowed in the air, a cloud of rose petals blooming each time she moved from one opponent to the next.

And then there were no more opponents. As the last of the security personnel dropped to the ground, Ruby turned to the nearest camera and waved. And if that wasn't enough, she winked and blew Weiss a kiss.

That woman…

Weiss grinned. That was her Ruby Rose all right – although Ruby Schnee did have a nice ring to it.

X X X

Ruby bounded up the stairs. She could have tried the elevators, but knowing Weiss, they'd probably been rigged with lasers or explosives. There was a flash of movement from the edges of her vision, and she ducked underneath a sword. The weapon clattered into the wall, and she took a split-second to consider her options. The stairwell wasn't wide enough for her to use her scythe to full effect. She'd have to rely on hand-to-hand combat instead. That should be fun, and Yang was always telling her to practice punching people in the face.

As the security officer swung his sword around for another blow, she burst into motion. Her fist hit him in the face before he even knew she'd moved. He slammed into the wall, and she shot past him, lunging right at the next group of security personnel. They were good, but she was much, much better.

Ruby had always preferred fighting with her scythe, but Yang and Blake had taught her everything she needed to know about hand-to-hand combat. She'd never have Yang's panache when it came to punching and kicking people through walls, and she'd never have Blake's skill and precision, but she could more than hold her own against anyone.

She leapt over the last of her opponents and continued up the stairs. She'd been surprised when Weiss had asked her to attack her headquarters, but she understood it now. The White Fang didn't have anyone as scary as her, so if Weiss's security could hold her off, they should be able to handle the White Fang just fine.

Unfortunately, they weren't doing so well. Ruby was almost a third of the way to Weiss's office, and they still hadn't managed to land a solid hit. Oh well, she could always go over their mistakes with them later.

A loud crackle came from above her, and Ruby stopped in her tracks. They were going to use Dust inside a stairwell? Not bad. She kicked open the door beside her and leapt out into the corridor as a storm of lightning filled the stairwell. She got to her feet just in time to dodge a hail of gunfire and a blast of fire.

"Not bad." Ruby flicked her wrist, and Crescent Rose unfurled. "You almost got me."

Then she surged forward, scythe spinning to knock aside a dozen bullets before she vanished, only to reappear right in the middle of them, her weapon already in motion. Her opponents went flying, thrown into the walls, floor, and ceiling. One particularly tenacious security officer took a swipe at her ankles with his sword. She hopped onto the blade and gave him a grin before knocking him unconscious with a kick to the head.

This was definitely fun, but it wasn't nearly as fun as sparring Weiss. Her girlfriend came complete with ridiculous mastery of different kinds of Dust, an extremely pointy rapier, and glyphs that let her defy the laws of gravity (although Rose still liked to argue that they were cheating).

Only a few more floors to go – then she'd have her prize.

X X X

Weiss sighed as she made a mental tally of all the property damage that Ruby had already caused. Trust Ruby to make her own shortcut by cutting right through half a dozen reinforced walls. Ruby was getting close now and – oh? The security cameras had just gone down. Interesting. Had Ruby been borrowing things from Penny again?

At this rate, Weiss would have to deal with Ruby herself. She was about to contact the head of her security – he was a tough man, so he should have regained consciousness by now – when the window behind her exploded in a shower of glass. She lurched forward and reached for Myrtenaster, only to freeze as she felt the razor-sharp edge of a scythe against her throat.

"It looks like the terrorists win this one." Ruby giggled. "Go me."

"Ruby." Weiss tried to reach for her weapon again, but a gentle tap delivered with the flat of the scythe convinced her otherwise. "Really? Are you really going to threaten me with your scythe?"

"Actually, I am." Ruby chuckled. "I had a lot of time to think on my way up here, you know, in between beating up your guards. It occurred to me that I'm doing you a very big favour, and I'm not getting anything out of it. I think I deserve a reward."

"A reward?" Weiss scoffed. "I would think that my undying love and affection are reward enough." She tried to turn, but Ruby moved forward, pushing down between her shoulder blades.

"Yes, a reward. So bend over and put your hands on your desk."

X X X

And that was how Weiss had ended up bent over her desk. She should have refused. Ruby's scythe was an empty threat – they both knew that Ruby would never hurt her on purpose. But it was very hard to say no to Ruby when she got like this. Ruby wasn't the sort of person to start growling and acting all bossy, but Weiss loved it when she did. Not that Weiss would ever admit it.

"What are you going to do now?" Weiss shivered. The fine wood of her desk was cold beneath her palms. Pressed flush against her desk, she couldn't help but feel exposed since her position forced her combat skirt to ride up. It hadn't missed her attention either that Ruby was moving closer by the moment, her scythe propped up on a nearby chair.

"To the victor go the spoils, Weiss." Ruby was smirking, Weiss was sure of it. One hand drifted down to trace circles along Weiss's hip. "And in case it isn't clear: I'm the victor and you're the spoils."

It took a full three seconds for Weiss to understand exactly what Ruby meant. "What?" She tried to turn, but Ruby shoved her face down onto the desk. Weiss fought to get upright, but Ruby had all the leverage and absolutely no intention of letting her up. "Now? Are you crazy? My security team is out there and –"

Something flew through the air and latched onto the door. "That's a little something I borrow from Penny. It should scramble the locks on your door. That'll give me at least ten minutes."

"Ten minutes…"

"Yep." Ruby leaned forward, and Weiss groaned as she felt Ruby's body drape itself over hers. "Ten minutes to do all sorts of horribly wicked things to you. After all, I am playing the part of the evil terrorist with no morals."

"As if I'd ever let one of those idiots touch me."

"Yeah, yeah. But I'm not one of those idiots. I'm me." Ruby laughed, nudging Weiss's legs apart and pressing a kiss along one shoulder. "Besides, I've always wanted to fuck you on your desk."

Weiss's brain ground to a halt. Ruby had just put together the words 'fuck' and 'desk' in the same sentence. That was… wow.

Ruby snickered. "I thought you'd agree."

Weiss was almost horrified by how quickly Ruby was able to arouse her. It seemed like almost no time at all before Ruby had Weiss's dress shoved up over her hips. Her fingers ghosted up and down Weiss's thighs before pressing ever so gently against the front of her panties.

"Someone's a little excited." Ruby grinned – Weiss could feel it with Ruby's lips against her throat.

"Oh, shut up." Weiss swallowed thickly. "I thought you said you were going to fuck me."

"I did say that – and we do only have ten minutes." Ruby growled and shoved Weiss's panties out of the way. "I love it when you swear, did you know that?"

And then Ruby's hand was moving, finding the place between Weiss's legs and touching just so. It was criminal how good Ruby was at this. Weiss could only whimper and moan as the younger woman stroked, caressed, and then – finally – began to set up the hard, deep rhythm that she craved, the force of each thrust shaking the desk. A pen rolled across the desk and fell onto the floor. Weiss didn't care. The whole world except for Ruby had ceased to matter. Groaning, she tried to reach back, to touch Ruby in return.

"Don't you dare take your hands off your desk." Ruby's voice was hoarse, rough, and the next thrust of her hand had Weiss pressing her cheek against the desk as her hands clawed at the wood. "If you do, I'll stop."

Stop? Weiss bit back a cry of pleasure. That was the absolute last thing she wanted. So she kept both hands on her desk, barely even aware of the way that Ruby was shoving her back and forth across the desk, one hand inside her, the other on her hip to hold her steady.

"Ruby…" Weiss moaned. She was so close. She was –

The door opened.

"Ma'am."

"Crap!" Ruby vanished in a swirl of rose petals, and Weiss staggered back into her chair half a second before the captain of her security team stepped inside the room.

"Captain." Weiss dragged in a deep breath and thanked every deity in existence that the lights were still out. Otherwise, there would have been no hiding what had just been happening.

"Penny must have underestimated your security. I could have sworn we still had two minutes left." Weiss looked down. Ruby was kneeling under her desk, one cheek resting on Weiss's thigh. At least the captain couldn't see her. "Although… we could always keep going."

"What?" Weiss hissed.

"Uh, ma'am? It looks like Ms Rose got past us."

Weiss tried not to sound too flustered. "I know – as does my window. She already came through here." She reached down with one hand and tried to shove Ruby away, but the other woman refused to be moved. Instead, Ruby pried her thighs apart and nuzzled her.

"Technically, the only one who's going to be coming anywhere near here is you," Ruby whispered.

Weiss turned panicked eyes from her girlfriend to the captain. Was Ruby seriously going to – oh… she was. Shock fought against arousal and lost miserably as Ruby's mouth settled on her. A second later, Ruby's wonderfully agile tongue came into play, along with her equally wonderful – and equally agile – fingers.

"Are you all right, ma'am?"

Weiss grabbed the edge of her desk in a death grip. Her security captain was still here and… and – oh – she jerked, twitching as Ruby's fingers found that perfect spot inside her. "I'm… I'm fine. As you can see, Ms Rose was able to get past you and the rest of your team." She fought to keep still and failed, twisting in her seat as Ruby's tongue flicked over a sensitive bundle of nerves. "We can… dis… discuss this tomorrow morning at our usual security meeting. For now… re… review things with your staff and get the mess… clean… cleaned up."

He gave her a curious look – no doubt wondering when she'd developed a stutter – and then nodded, shutting the door behind him.

"You are a terrible human being," Weiss muttered, clutching at Ruby's hair.

Ruby paused for a moment, looking up at Weiss and licking her lips. "But you love me anyway, don't you?"

"Of course I do. Now get back to work."

"Still trying to be bossy." Ruby chuckled. "Your wish is my command, Ms Schnee."

It wasn't long before Weiss felt the pressure in her build to breaking point. She arched her back, almost tipping her chair over, and covered her mouth with both hands as she came. Ruby – merciless, little monster that she was – drew out Weiss's pleasure for what felt like forever.

"Enough," Weiss whimpered, trying to push Ruby back. "Ruby, that's enough."

Ruby gave Weiss a pout as she clambered out from under Weiss's desk and onto her lap. Her tongue flicked out, lapping at the moisture around her lips.

"You're all messy." Weiss dragged in a deep breath and let her hands rest on Ruby's hips.

"And whose fault is that?" Ruby stroked Weiss's hair. "It's so cute how you try to keep anyone from hearing you. I'll have to work a harder on that next time –"

The door opened.

"About that meeting, ma'am…"

Weiss froze. So did the captain of her security team. It didn't take a genius to work out what she and Ruby had been doing.

"At ease, captain." Ruby flashed him a jaunty salute. "As you can see, Ms Schnee is perfectly safe. Return to your duties – I can take things from here."

The captain wisely decided to make a run for it, this time locking the door on his way out.

"You little imp!" Weiss snarled. She jerked up onto her feet and threw Ruby onto the desk. Silver eyes danced with mirth. "Do you have any idea how much gossip this is going to cause? They're going to think I have sex with you in my office."

"Technically, we kind of did have sex in your office." Ruby grinned. "So, it won't actually be gossip."

Weiss's eyes narrowed. If they were going to gossip, she might as well give them something to gossip about. "You need to be punished for your impudence."

"Really?" Ruby smiled. "And what sort of punishment did you have in mind."

Weiss stepped forward, one hand moving out to keep Ruby pinned to the desk. "You know, you're not the only who's fantasised about this desk. I've dreamed about fucking you on it too."

Ruby met her gaze evenly. "Well, now's your chance."

X X X

Omake: The Cat Always Knows

"So, it looks like you've broken your desk."

It took every ounce of control that Weiss had to avoid blushing like a schoolgirl as Blake poked the shattered remains of her desk with one foot. It was Ruby's fault. Once should have been enough, but once was never enough when it came to Ruby. And the last few times had involved both of them on top of the desk with neither of them giving any thought whatsoever to how rough they were being.

"Ruby must have damaged it when she broke in through the window."

"Is that so?" Blake gave Weiss one of those slow, whimsical smiles that signalled nothing but trouble. "Because that's not what it smells like to me."

Oh. Weiss grit her teeth. That's right – Blake was a Faunus and that meant she had keener senses than most people. She must have been able to smell exactly what Weiss and Ruby had really been up to and –

"Shit." Weiss covered her mouth with one hand. "I've had people up here doing repairs all morning."

"And unless I'm mistaken, approximately half of your maintenance staff are Faunus." Blake's eyes twinkled. "Who now have absolutely no doubt as to how attracted you and Ruby are to each other."

Weiss sank back into her chair. "Kill me now. Just kill me now."

"I'm afraid not." Blake smirked. "And look who's here, it's Ruby and another maintenance crew."

Weiss covered her face with her hands as the maintenance crew – all of whom were Faunus – took one sniff of the air and then blushed, looking frantically from Ruby to Weiss.

X X X

Author's Notes

As always, I neither own RWBY, nor am I making any money off of this.

When I started writing this story, I had absolutely no idea where it would go. All I had in my head was the very first section. But I thought the exchange between Ruby and Weiss was so amusing that I just had to come up with something for it.

This story is obviously set in the future, a future in which Weiss has taken control over her family's operations in Vale and instituted a number of reforms. I like to think that once Weiss leaves Beacon Academy, she'll find some way to balance her roles as a huntress and as an heiress. I also like to think that she'll find some way to try and change things for the better as she comes to have a more balanced view of Faunus.

Of course, not everyone is going to agree to her changes, which is why her headquarters are built like a fortress. And what better way to test if your security team is up to par than to set someone like Ruby loose. Ruby is much stronger here than in the series, but I think that's only natural. She's had time to grow and improve her skills and powers. That said, she's still Ruby – friendly, kind, and with just a hint of mischief. By that same token, Weiss is still Weiss – proud, headstrong, but with a good heart.

The mischievous side of Ruby comes to the fore when she decides to claim her "reward" – even when they find themselves with an unexpected visitor. You can rest assured that Weiss most definitely did her best to show Ruby who was boss once she got the chance. At the moment this is a one-shot, but I wouldn't be averse to following it up (perhaps to show what the others are getting up to in this particular version of the future).

Finally, if you enjoy my writing, I also write original fiction. You can find the details of that in my profile. Give it a try – you won't be disappointed.

As always, I appreciate feedback. Reviews and comments are welcome.