Home 6

Blake and Yang had not been expecting Ruby and Weiss to be waiting outside when they came to get the couple. The pair were waiting with their bags, right outside their front door.

Yang strode up to the pair with a grin, "You two ready to go?"

"Of course, and you're five minutes late by the way," Weiss replied, an eyebrow arched at the blonde.

"Good to see you haven't changed Princess," Yang replied, her smirk growing at the heiress's rebuttal. "Now come on, let's go get our ride."

The four walked together through the streets, a few heads turning and a few murmurs sounding. Most seemed to focus on how 'Garnet' was wearing a skirt. A few gasps signalled people realising who they were, Weiss frowning as a she heard her family name muttered a few times. She could see the eyes fixing on her scar, catching on the one thing that completely gave her away.

They ignored the words and kept walking, until a voice from nearby called out "Garnet! Grazie!"

The four girls turned to see Ella and Claire running up to them. Ella panted out "What's going on?"

Weiss looked at her feet, before replying "I'm sorry, we..."

She felt something strike her, dead in the cheek, her aura forcing it away out of reflex. She looked to the source: Claire nursing a rebuffed fist. "What the Hell? Why would you two do this to us?" Claire spat the words at them, venom seeping from her mouth with every word. "You lied to us... why?"

Weiss looked at the angry girl, not in an apologetic way, nor with anger from being struck, but with sorrow. "What would you do for her?" Weiss asked, indicating Ella with a nod of her head.

"W-what?"

"What would you do for her?"

"I... anything," Claire muttered.

Weiss stepped closer and leaned to the girl's ear, "And that's what Ruby did for me. Anything and everything. I'm sorry we had to lie to you. You both deserve better." Her words were whispered, so only Claire could hear them. "But I think you understand a little bit about lying to everyone about who you really are."

Claire stared at her with shock, "You knew?"

Weiss rolled her eyes, "I have spent my life learning to read enemies in battle and in the boardroom, you really think I wouldn't catch on? Nice taste by the way, not that she holds a candle to Ruby, but you know, I wouldn't want you coming after her." Weiss smirked, then turned around, "I'm afraid we have to get going, but if you're ever in Atlas, contact me. I can explain over that lunch we owe you." Weiss walked back to her wife, and Team RWBY walked away.

"What was she talking about Claire?" Ella asked.

"Ella, there's something I need to ask you..."

Team RWBY finally reached their 'ride,' or rather 'rides.' A Schnee family car was parked next to Yang's motorcycle. Stood outside next to car was Winter. She turned when she heard the girls approach, suddenly moving towards them the moment she saw Weiss.

Weiss looked ready to bolt until Winter swiftly wrapped her arms around her little sister. Surprised, Weiss relaxed into the hug, and hugged her sister back.

Ruby sighed with relief a small smile on her face. She felt a tap on her shoulder from Yang, who nodded to the bike, "You wanna ride with me. We can, ya know, catch up."

Ruby took one look at her wife and sister-in-law, still embracing, then turned back to Yang and nodded.

Yang turned to Blake. "We're going on ahead."

"Sure, enjoy your bonding time." Blake smiled as the sisters mounted the bike, Yang started it up, and the pair rushed off towards their airship. She then turned back to the other pair of sisters, who had finally released each other.

"You had us all so worried Weiss... I'm so glad you're okay."

"Sorry I made you worry Winter, but I..."

"I know, I know, you were worried about Father, but you could have told me you silly girl." Winter smiled a rare smile, "But you're back now, that's the important part."

Blake coughed politely, not wanting to interrupt, but knowing she had to. "We should get going, if we want to make it back to Vale before midnight."

The sisters acquiesced, climbing into the back of the car, while Blake got in the driver's seat, carefully making sure that the partition between driver and passengers was closed. The car started, and Winter and Weiss stayed silent as Blake drove them off towards the airship.

Eventually, Winter broke the silence, "Are you okay?"

"I'm managing. It's all just a bit sudden."

Winter sighed, "Look, I can only imagine what you've been up to the past month, and evidently you two were fine out here, but..."

"I glad you found me." Weiss cut off her sister.

"What do you mean?"

"I spent every day afraid that it would be our last there. But what I was most scared of was that you and Father might not care enough to look." Weiss fixed her eyes on the floor, "I thought you might not care enough to..."

"Don't be ridiculous. I certainly care, you're my sister. As for Father... unless Hell froze over and nobody told me, he's not winning any parenting awards any time soon, but that doesn't mean he doesn't care. He's bad... awful at showing it, but he does."

"Really?"

"I had to talk him down from having the army mobilise to find you. He very nearly called Vale's High Counsel to try to make them get their military out as well."

Weiss smiled, "That, I can believe."

"I only got him not to because I pointed out you'd see them coming a mile away."

The sisters laughed, finally letting smiles rest on their faces.

"I'm sorry I made you worry."

"I'm sorry I put you in a position where you had to."

Weiss leant against her sister, "Thank you Winter."

"You shouldn't do that, what if someone sees you acting so childishly."

"We're in the middle of a forest nobody's going to see, now let me act like a kid for five minutes, Big Sis."

Winter chuckled, "A kid who's married and started a small dust shop by herself."

"I always was a very accomplished child."

"That you were Weiss." Winter smiled, "That you were."

Ruby hugged her sister tight as the pair zipped through the woods on Bumblebee, the drone of the engine loud enough to prohibit conversation. Ruby felt it was all rather akin to her semblance: moving swiftly past, even sounds unable to catch her, aside from the noise of wind in her ears. Perhaps that was why Yang bought the bike in the first place, in the hope of understanding Ruby's feelings when she ran. Perhaps it was merely that the sisters both enjoyed something similar. With her face half-buried in Yang's blonde mane, Ruby really wondered what her sister had been thinking when she chose to buy Bumblebee.

Yet another thing she did not think she would ever ask aloud.

Eventually, Yang twisted the bike around, pulling up in a clearing, barely large enough for the airship it contained. The ship was a large white and grey one, proudly baring the Schnee emblem.

Yang kicked down the bike's support, cut the engine, then half-turned to address Ruby, "You can get off now." Ruby released her hold on Yang and climbed off the bike. Yang threw one leg over the bike so she was seated sideways on the bike. "So, where do we begin?"

"With how you're not going to do anything to Weiss for all this."

Yang chuckled, "A~w, can't I just rough her up a bit."

"No!"

"What, after she dragged you away from me for a month, without even so much as a 'goodbye.'" Yang had stopped joking now, anger clear in her voice.

"She didn't drag me."

"She suggested it though, didn't she?" Ruby's silence told Yang she was correct. "It didn't seem like your style, you'd have thought everything would work out in the end."

"She was scared!"

"She was a coward!" Yang clenched her fists, trying to control the rage building in her.

"She was scared of what would happen to me!"

"You don't know that!"

Yang felt pain suddenly, and blinked, more in surprise than anything else. Ruby had slapped her. "Ruby?"

"I do know!" Ruby was shouting, ever ounce of emotion letting fly with her words. "She loves me. She never said why she was so scared but I know. She didn't want us torn apart, she didn't want me to get hurt..." Ruby's voice had lost its anger, and now held a pleading tone, desperate for her sister to believe her.

Yang stared at her shaking sister, then pushed herself off her seat on the bike and wrapped her arms around Ruby. "Sorry... I just... I've missed you."

"I missed you too."

"I guess I missed Weiss as well, just a little. I was so worried about you both."

"I'm sorry."

"Just promise you won't do something that crazy again."

"I promise."

The flight home was quiet. None of the five women was up for conversation, with most of the flight being spent with Ruby asleep on Weiss's shoulder, emotionally exhausted from the day thus far, Weiss not wanting to wake her, and none of the other women being inclined to either.

It was not until the airship neared Vale that Ruby raised her head and muttered sleepily "Are we almost there?"

Weiss nodded, "Yeah, we just entered Vale's airspace. We should be landing in a few minutes."

Ruby shook herself, blinking furiously to try to remove the sleep from her eyes. "Okay... where are we actually gonna be going?"

"You and I are going with Winter. My family own a few places in Vale, and we'll be staying in one of those until we work out what we're doing with our lives."

Ruby nodded, "So... do you have any idea what that'll involve."

"Well, my family want me to go back to Atlas, but I don't know." Weiss sighed, "We'll have to see what they have to say I guess."

Ruby smiled, "Well I don't mind where we end up, as long as, you know, it is 'us' ending up there."

Weiss laughed lightly, "I'm sure you don't."

A voice spoke over the ship's speakers, "This is the captain, we will be landing shortly. Please would all passengers take their seats."

Weiss chuckled, "You heard the man."

Ruby nodded then plopped herself down by Weiss again, hugging her wife's arm. The ship slowed to a halt, the slowly hovered down to land in the airport. Once they had settled, Ruby jumped up, holding out a hand for Weiss, who took it and pulled herself up.

"You ready?" Ruby asked.

"Of course."

Outside the airship was noise, people rushing about and the general mayhem of an airport. The five women had walked off the ship, Ruby still clasping Weiss's arm, and were making their way towards the interior of the airport, when they heard a voice.

"Weiss? Weiss!"

The five all turned at the sound, all witnessing the same extraordinary event: the chairman of the Schnee Dust Company, in suit and tie, running straight at them, a look of joy on his face.

"Father?" Weiss stared blankly at the spectacle.

Next to her, Ruby smiled, released her arm and pushed her forward a little with a hand on her back. "Go on Weiss, he looks happy to see you."

"Ruby?"

Ruby giggled, "Go make the most of it. You've promised forever to me, but I think I can let your Dad have some of your time every once in a while." Ruby gave her wife another little shove, and Weiss stepped forward, looking at the man running towards her.

Running towards her was the sum of her fears, her doubts, her anguish, her worries. But one look at the man's face, smiling, close to tears, told her she never needed those. He may not have been the greatest parent in the world, or the greatest person, but he was...

"Father..." Weiss blinked, feeling tears welling in her eyes as he approached.

Suddenly she was not the great and famous huntress Weiss Schnee. She was not the grown and terrifying woman in white. She was a little lost girl, who had found her father again.

Moments later, she and her father were hugging tightly, Weiss letting her tears flow. Neither noticed when both of their legs gave out, but they soon found themselves on their knees, both crying and hugging each other.

"Weiss, I'm so glad you're safe. I'm sorry... I..."

"Daddy... I'm sorry I ran away, I'm sorry... Daddy..."

Standing back from the father and daughter, the other four women watched quietly. Winter was the first to break the silence, "That's the second time I've seen him cry."

Ruby glanced at her sister-in-law, "What?"

"The first was when you two vanished." Winter stepped forward to her family, placing a hand on each of their backs. She stayed there until each had calmed down and the pair released their embrace, standing shakily.

"Thank you Winter," Mr Schnee said, trying to regain some air of composure, straightening his crooked tie and dusting down his suit jacket, to little avail. "Now, Miss... Mrs Rose." He turned to face Ruby, who quaked slightly.

She had met him before, but that was before he knew about her and Weiss. Maybe now he would not be as courteous as he had on the previous occasions. She wished she had taken out that life insurance now...

"I would like to welcome you to the family."

Ruby blinked, staring at the hand Mr Schnee held outstretched to her. She hurriedly took it and shook, "Th-thank you sir."

"Now come along we have a lot to talk about," Mr Schnee walked with his daughters towards the entrance to the airport buildings.

Ruby stood stock still in shock, mouth half-open. Yang walked up behind her and patted her on the back, "You hoping to catch nevermore in there Rubes?" Ruby shut her mouth and pouted, earning a chuckle from Yang.

"We'd better hurry, or else they'll leave us behind," Blake pointed out as she walked up to the sisters.

Ruby glanced ahead, then appeared next to her wife in a shower of petals, earning two gasps of surprise from Mr Schnee and Winter, and a small roll of Weiss's eyes. Ruby took her hand and the slight sharpening of Weiss's smile told her the shock was forgiven.

Their fingers intertwined, the couple walked with the other two Schnees, Weiss and her father doing most of the talking, with Winter putting in the odd comment here and there. Ruby stayed near enough silent, simply observing her wife.

Once the four of them stepped out of the front of the airport, and onto the busy streets of Vale, both Weiss and Ruby stopped suddenly, staring at the city before them. Both glanced at each other, smiled and burst out laughing.

"Well, it's been a while..." Weiss said.

"...but we're finally home." Ruby finished.

The pair stepped forward once more, hands still holding tightly on to each other, smiles firmly fixed on their faces.

A/N: Well that, as they say, is that. A few notes: I've made some minor edits to earlier chapters, but nothing big. Mostly fixing oddities (such as Ella and Claire asking if Grazie was Garnet's wife after Grazie was introduced as such) and a minor change to the first chapter just to fit better with the story's themes. But yeah unless there are any massive plot holes or anything like that, this is done. I have to say, this was a lot harder to write than 'Pink, Like Posies,' but I suppose that's partly down to shorter length and less stuff happening. The idea for the story was one I definitely wanted to write, but I then mostly made it up as I went along. Eh, it's a thing, not my best work, but not my worst (trust me, those are never seeing the light of day again).

But yes, now I don't know what I'll be writing next. Maybe I'll pop back on with a random other story at some point, maybe not. We'll see. I was thinking of maybe doing some more with my 'Pink, Like Posies' universe, but I dunno, I kinda like how that turned out. Well, whatever, I hope you guys enjoyed this. Thanks to the reviewers and all that. Maybe I'll see you guys around some time.

Anyway, all is done, and now there's nothing left but my goodbye. Thank you again, all of you who have read this far. Thank you, thank you and farewell. 'Til the next time.

The Day is ended. What will the next Eternity bring?

E.D.