Weiss thought she managed to regain her composure by the time she got to the wash but it soon became threatened again when she extracted Ruby's clothes. Upon pulling out Ruby's blouse and having her finger unintentionally going through a hole, the heiress practically flung it into the dryer to get it away from her. She performed similar actions with the rest of her former leader's attire until her arms became full with a mass of red.

She knew what it was and it was because she did that she didn't handle it as roughly. Taking a more delicate touch, she stepped to the dryer with it, bent to shove it in…but then straightened and held it out in front of her, stretching it out to its full length to get a good look at it.

The wash had done its job but it made the shredded ends much more noticeable thanks to the now stainless red. She flipped it around and lifted the hood to get a back and front view, acquiring a full picture of the damage to Ruby's signature cloak. When she was done and was back to holding it in front of her, a word backed by malice wormed its way into her mind.

Spineless.

Droplets fell and splashed on the spotless tiled floor. Bunching the cloak up, Weiss finally threw it in, slammed the dryer door shut, and then set her elbows down on top of it, face falling into her hands.

How can a Schnee such as herself pretend to stand up above everyone else when she lacked a backbone?

Weiss wept as the guilt and shame hit her anew. She rubbed at her face, fruitlessly trying to stem the flood. Strands of her snow-white hair fell and stuck to her wet features. She collected them and brushed them back to clear them. That action led to her touching her tiara that held up her ponytail.

A surge of loathing was the result and Weiss seized the tiara while also grabbing for the sapphire at her throat, gripping both so hard that surely they would break beneath her grip. The collar and muzzle that had been placed on her once she returned to being penned at this manor, kept safe and sound and lavished with riches. Pampered in exchange for her life to be directed by the whims of others without her putting up a fight.

And the whole time Ruby had been fighting such a long, hard battle that hasn't come close to ending, with enemies she didn't fully know about. It wasn't stopping her though despite how painful and exhausting they were because all she wanted to do was the 'right thing' and that was more than enough for her.

It shamed her to be in such a girl's presence and Weiss wanted so badly to tear off these marks of her surrender. But she didn't as her grasp loosened and fell away from them. What would be the point? She gave in to this position so easily and hadn't tried to break out at any point since then. Such a display seemed like such a wasteful use of energy.

To prove that point, it was practically instinctive that Weiss went to the nearest mirror she could find after setting the dryer in order to straighten out her appearance. She used a napkin to better dry her cheeks and performed a more thorough job of tidying up her hair that she wasn't satisfied with until every strand was accounted for. Her eyes were a bit red and she hoped that Ruby wouldn't notice. Her stomach churned unpleasantly at the prospect of seeing and speaking with her former leader again.

Why is she here in the first place? she wondered, retracing her steps to the stairs once more. Whatever the reason may be, Weiss had guessed early on that Ruby didn't plan to stay long. She had her…team elsewhere and she had snuck onto the grounds of the Schnee manor. If her presence was discovered, it would cause quite the ruckus and Weiss didn't know how she'd able to keep Ruby hidden come the morrow.

Probably came to ask for help, Weiss theorized. Recalling their time at Beacon, Weiss remembered when she had used her pull as heiress to collect clues on the actions of the White Fang. Whatever trail Ruby and RNJR were on that led them here to Atlas, it was merely logical that they would come to Weiss to directly ask for help from the SDC about any information they may need.

As much as she didn't want to be in Ruby's presence again so soon, Weiss knew that she couldn't delay for long. Her hair and cheeks cleaned up, Weiss forced herself to become presentable on her return trip. Her back became straighter and straighter as she got closer, her chin rising with it, and she folded her hands delicately in front of her.

"Your clothes are drying now," Weiss reported as soon as she reentered the room. She orientated towards the center where she had left Ruby. "It shouldn't take too…long…"

Ruby was lying within the comfort of the couch, but she couldn't have stayed there the whole time Weiss was away. She turned her head to look at Weiss but the silver medal she held remained hanging over her.

Weiss's head whipped to her desk, seeing the low drawer open – exactly how she had left it when she got her scroll. She had forgotten to close it as it had slipped her mind completely. She had to assume that when Ruby saw it, the younger girl had gotten curious. She hadn't grown out of that, Weiss thought, referring to Ruby's tendency to satisfy her curiosity even if it meant small invasions of privacy.

"I remember this," Ruby stated, redirecting her attention back to the medal. Her lips had stretched into a wistful smile. "I still have mine at Patch. I showed it to my dad on my next trip home after he came back from his mission. He wasn't that happy to hear as to how exactly I got it but he was still proud and took mine and Yang's to hang up. I wish I had thought to bring mine with me."

Weiss didn't respond, stuck in her perfected posture while Ruby admired the medal.

"I remembered when we got them," Ruby continued. "You, me, Yang, and Blake. It must've been a good week when we got the letter through the school's mail saying that there was going to be a ceremony and we were going to be rewarded for stopping the White Fang and the Grimm during the Breach of Vale."

Weiss remembered that too. It had been Ironwood's doing, the general using it as a publicity stunt to turn the public away from the near-horrors of the Breach and to the accomplishments of their stalwart defenders: the Hunters and the Atlesian military. While teams like JNPR and CFVY had gotten recognition, it had been RWBY that was deemed as the ones to truly be thanked for protecting the city. In front of the crowd that had been in attendance, each member had bowed their head in order to have those shiny silver medals placed around their necks.

There had been details that had been left out to the public. For example, there had been no mentioning of the White Fang or Roman Torchwick despite how they had all seen the criminal getting ferried off to the brig of Ironwood's flagship. The more well-known story was that the Grimm had exploited a structural weakness left behind by the old tunnels linking Vale to Mountain Glenn and Team RWBY had just happened to be investigating to discover it on their very first mission as Huntresses. They hadn't been able to prevent the Grimm from breaking through, but being the first team onsite had kept the Grimm contained until they were wiped out by the reinforcements.

They all knew of the skewed truth but none of them had felt inclined to correct it. They had been happy and full of pride with how many of their classmates looked and spoke to them for the days afterwards.

"It was a good day for us," Weiss intoned.

"Yeah, and then there was all the stuff that got us there." Ruby added a swing to the medal. "Such as sneaking out of school with Sun and Neptune to investigate everything and fighting Torchwick in the middle of the city with that Paladin. Then there was Ozpin who let us go on that mission in the first place. It was all so much fun."

'Fun' wasn't the word Weiss would use but it had certainly been eventful and she had felt as good as the rest of them to see what they had been able to do all on their own. The details aside, they had uncovered the plot and had been able to prevent what could've been so much worse.

"Then there was that thing with Merlot. Secret islands and secret laboratories with secret experiments." Ruby's smile was steadily broadening as she recalled all their previous adventures. "We really did so much together as a team."

Weiss was not immune to the nostalgia that the memories invoked and she was aware of how her lips were being tugged to a vague resemblance of the expression that Ruby had. Sadly, it didn't last. One look at Ruby and where they were was enough for Weiss to understand just what their efforts led up to.

"It wasn't enough to stop what happened at Beacon though," Weiss cut in.

"No, it wasn't," Ruby reluctantly agreed, a bit subdued by her rebuttal. Her smile lessened but was still present. "But I think it's good to remember the victories that we did have. We did do some good."

"Meaningless now." Weiss hadn't meant for it to sound so harsh but it was hard not to. They had a couple victories against mad scientists and terrorists, but then they lost Beacon, the CCT, close friends, the many lives that had perished, and, of course, the separation of Team RWBY while the great shadow of fear enveloped all of Remnant. To Weiss, what they lost far outweighed what they won.

Ruby looked over with a frown. "We can't let ourselves get hung up on our defeats. Believe me, sometimes it's remembering the victories that help you keep going."

She wasn't accusing Weiss of anything and the snow-haired woman did know that, but that didn't stop it from sounding like Ruby was blaming her for having given up. Weiss had to smother the spark of agitation and bite back the comment that she wanted to throw in her partner's face. What came out instead was, "What do you want, Ruby?"

"Huh?"

"You left your team behind as soon as you got to Atlas and chose to trespass on my family's property in the middle of the night in order to meet with me. I find it hard to believe that you did all that just to reminiscence."

Ruby stuck with staring quizzically at Weiss and the fencer could read the silent question that wondered why she was acting like this after the services that she had warmly provided beforehand. Because it hadn't hurt then.

What had been less than an hour ago, she had been happy and relieved to see the face of a friend who she had desperately missed and haunted with the unknown as to what happened to her. Ruby had been a bright light of that old life that she cherished for having happened and despaired for it coming to an end. She hadn't realized just how badly she wanted – needed – to have Ruby here to break the isolation that she had been suffering in.

But now she was hurting because of Ruby. What had been a moment of joy at reuniting with her was now an ongoing torment of severe guilt. Her weakness to change her situation multiplied a hundredfold at hearing what Ruby had done and, coupled with it, how Weiss had been replaced because of how she had failed to be the strong, reliable second that she swore to her leader that she would be.

It hurt, and now all Weiss wanted was for Ruby to leave to avoid any more humiliation.

"I assume that you came to Atlas because you found another lead to stop those responsible," Weiss guessed after far too long of Ruby being clueless. "Did you come here to get information from my company that might be able to help you?"

Ruby boosted herself up into a sitting position, keeping the medal in her possession. "Well…we managed to learn a couple things in Mistral," Ruby began. "I don't know if your company will be able to help but I guess it wouldn't hurt to see. That's not really why I came here though."

Weiss arched a delicate brow "Why did you come here then?"

"Um…" Ruby lowered her eyes, appearing embarrassed as she poked her fingers together – another habit that she hadn't grown out of apparently. "I kind of came…for you."

Weiss wasn't aware that her jaw dropped as she was busy wondering if she had heard Ruby correctly. The girl in question looked up at Weiss, saw her reaction, and immediately looked back down at the floor with an extra lowering of her head. Once she managed to regain control, Weiss asked, "What?"

"…I came for you," Ruby replied, so soft that Weiss almost didn't hear her. "It's been months since I saw you. Between the CCT and traveling around with RNJR, I've hardly heard anything about you." She dared to bring Weiss into view and the heiress was sure that she caught a redness spreading across her cheeks before she hid from her again, all the while mumbling, "When we got to Atlas, I found out where your mansion was and came right over so I could see you and make sure you were safe. After that – since you obviously are safe, duh – we could…I dunno…talk about what we've been doing. I mean, yeah, there's mission things but I'm fine with doing some catching up with each other and maybe…um…"

While Ruby kept up her nervous rambling, Weiss watched her but was entirely deaf to her words. She came for me?

The discovery shut her down and the fencer may as well have stepped out of this plane of existence. She still stood within her room with Ruby sitting in front of her and talking but she felt separated from it all, her mind elsewhere with only those four words acting as her companions: she came for me.

"-and maybe you'd be able to come with me."

It was only a statement as extraordinary as the last that was able to get Weiss to return, albeit disoriented. "Excuse me?"

Ruby perked up, hopeful, as Weiss hadn't given any sign of refusal – only a bewildered question that was delivered in a way that she took as her old partner needing confirmation that the offer was genuine. She was more than happy to do so. "Yeah! I mean I know it's sudden but I don't know how much time we have as I'll need to get back to Jaune and the others and I did technically sneak in here without your security guys knowing so that might be a problem sooner or later. But…what do you think?"

Weiss wasn't given a chance to reply, still reeling from it all, before Ruby was going off on another tangent. "It'll be like Huntressing again except it won't be official obviously. We'll be fighting Grimm and stopping the villains again, just like in Beacon! I know I made it sound bad before but we are making progress-"

Weiss held up a hand. "Ruby."

"-and, hey, we're still alive, right? That's something, and with you helping us, I'm sure we'll do so much better as you were always the smartest and the best with Dust-"

"Ruby!"

Finally did Weiss manage to muster up enough to get Ruby to pause, the girl having begun to all but bounce in her seat, gripping the medal tight in her palm with the anticipation that they could go back to those days. "Right, sorry," she apologized, calming down. "I probably am rushing this a bit, aren't I?" She smiled up at Weiss hopefully. "But what do you think?"

Weiss let her hand drop to her side, finally getting her much-needed break to gather her thoughts. It didn't take her very long to understand what was happening: she was being given a way out. The escape route that she longed for was now sitting here before her, smiling and anxious to hear that she would accept.

All she needed to do was say yes. A quick, easy response that would get her to pack only what she needed and once Ruby got her clothes back, they could sneak out. She knew all the security routines and protocols – getting out would not only be easy, but they would have well into the morning before her presence was discovered missing once she was to be summoned for her first meeting of the day. She would be searched for with her father and the SDC probably using their full influence and resources to do so, but she could trust that Ruby would have a way out. She would leave Atlas and be free to construct her own destiny.

Weiss locked gazes with those excited silvers and voiced her decision. "I can't."

Ruby went still, eyes remaining as wide and hopeful as her smile. It was disturbing, the beats that passed with that look until it finally sunk in. "Oh." Her brows lifted in realization at the same time her smile fell, Weiss experiencing a painful twisting sensation within her chest at the disappointment. "Oh."

The younger girl became uncertain, at a loss at what to say. "I mean, I shouldn't really be surprised, should I? You have your company here and you probably spent a lot of the time doing what you could to make it better like you said."

There was a small clenching of Weiss's jaw as she hid the flinch that signaled a part of her dying. "Yes."

"Yeah, I guess it was kind of dumb of me to think you'd be able to drop all that you're doing and come with us. I mean, you're doing important stuff too after all. Oh, uh, that reminds me…" Ruby slid over to one end of the couch, her movements slower and less enthusiastic as she leaned over and grabbed a brown backpack. "Those leads I mentioned. It's nothing much but it could help us. Let me just bring them up."

She brought out her damaged scroll, doing what she could as she pressed down hard on the cracked screen, trying to open what files she wanted. "It's mostly a few names that we came across that might be connected to the SDC. I'm not sure if they're people in the SDC but it might give us a better idea on who's supplying a bunch of the Atlesian military equipment to our enemies." She held it out to Weiss. "If it wouldn't be too much trouble."

Weiss stepped over and took it. "Not at all. I'll see what I can find." With it in her possession, Weiss went to her desk and was relieved as soon as she sat down, her legs inexplicitly weak all of a sudden. She powered on the holo-terminal and typed in her password.

She didn't have total access to all of the SDC's electronic records but she had been granted what she prayed would be enough to find something. She squinted at the cracked screen of Ruby's scroll to make out the names. She'll start with personnel and clients, see if she could find anything odd at the get-go, and if not then she would have to get real thorough. At least she had names, but the big if was if any of them had direct ties with her company among other factors.

She focused on the work, stockpiling it in order to bury what had just occurred. It was difficult enough to overcome this numbing feeling that had set in once it dawned on her of not only the open hurt that Ruby had expressed but how Weiss had blown her only chance at breaking free from this confinement. That sensation of how she knew that she made the worst decision in her life with every fiber of her being screaming to turn around and take it all back.

Focus. Weiss took deep, calming breaths in order to lessen the heavy weight in her chest, waiting until she could breathe properly again before she resumed working, limiting her attention to the tapping of the holographic keyboard, what was displayed on the screen, and what strategies she could employ to root out the answers that Ruby wanted.

"This feels so much like old times," Ruby suddenly cut in, Weiss's fingers stopping before resuming and attempting to ignore how positive the other girl was sounding as she went on with more heart-wrenching recollections. "Not just for missions but, you know, spending time together in our dorm. You doing your studying for classes while me and the rest of the team were being lazy. It was almost impossible to tear you away from your studies once you started."

What is she playing at? Weiss wondered. Was this Ruby unable to prevent herself from being annoying such as those times in their dorm when she was trying to work, or was she trying to bait Weiss back to the idea of coming with her with these memories?

"Blake would always be reading," Ruby continued, "and Yang would listen to her music, but we'd still get around to doing stuff together like playing games, watching movies, or going to Vale for some other fun."

Despite her best efforts, those memories creeped on Weiss too. Again that too-cramped dorm room which was made more lively when they were together doing their hobbies until one of them – Ruby or Yang – presented the idea of doing something together. There had been a lot of things that Weiss wouldn't and couldn't have done in Atlas that she did in Vale: playing in an arcade, trying out unhealthy fast food, and anything else that happened to cross their path while they traveled in the city.

None of which we can do now, Weiss harshly rejected, doing her best to tune Ruby out instead of snapping at her.

Predictably, that was when Ruby made it impossible. "Will I be able to stay for most of the night, Weiss?"

Weiss swiveled around in her chair to look at Ruby. "What?"

"Well I need to wait for my clothes," Ruby pointed out, having turned on her side so that she could watch Weiss work. "And it is wicked cold out. I'll be fine staying here on this couch; it's way better than most of the other places I've had to sleep in during all this time."

"Ruby…" Weiss sighed, rubbing her forehead. Her immediate thought was to say no and that Ruby could go and return to RNJR while she worked. When she was done, she could transmit the files to Ruby or her other teammates. Unfortunately, there was the clothes thing and if she was lucky enough for Ruby to go to sleep soon if she said yes…

` She gave in. "You can grab a pillow and blanket from my bed." She had too many of those as it is anyway. "Don't worry about getting up; I'll make sure to set an alarm. When it rings though, be prepared to leave in a relatively short amount of time." It would be little more than an hour before the morning staff woke and made their rounds. It should be enough to wake Ruby, get her dressed, and send her on her way whether Weiss had any data for her or not.

Ruby was pleased, hopping off the couch with an energetic bounce that Weiss prayed would give way once she settled herself in. Weiss returned her attention to the terminal but kept an ear out to listen to the rustling of sheets as Ruby claimed what she needed and then returned to the couch. Her earlier prayers seemed to have been answered as, once Ruby had resettled, there was a severe lack of noise. Relieved, Weiss went on typing.

It didn't last long. "I really did miss all of this." Weiss could hear Ruby snuggle deeper into her warm comforts. "It was nights like these in particular that I missed the most."

Weiss spoke as calmly as she could. "Ruby, I'm trying to work here."

"I know." To Weiss's disbelief, there was a brief giggle. "That's something else that I miss too. But what I really miss the most was when night would come at Beacon and we'd all get ready for bed. We'd talk about all we did that day and talk a little more when we're lying in our beds and couldn't sleep just yet. It always felt great when we spoke of all that we did and it always got me excited on what we would do for tomorrow."

Weiss ground her teeth together. "I can tell you what's going to happen tomorrow: you're going to wake up, I'm going to give you what I found, and then you're going to go back to your teammates and leave me alone!"

Quiet fell at her outburst and with it the horror that set in when Weiss understood what she had done. She sat there, stricken, listening and hearing nothing from Ruby for long moments.

"Weiss?" Ruby then tentatively asked. "Is there something wrong?"

The heiress slowly deflated, resigning herself to this discussion. "Everything's wrong, Ruby. When has anything been right since Beacon?"

She heard the soft sounds of the couch as Ruby moved into a sitting position. "I know-"

Weiss cut her off before she could go into any more of those remembrances that she feared. "If you know, then stop talking about those times. Beacon's gone so there's no use bringing up those memories."

"I don't believe that," Ruby defended. "It's those memories that have helped keep me going."

"Why?" Weiss turned to glare at her. "Is it because of how you're thinking that we can one day go back to those times if you even manage to stop whoever's causing all this? We can never go back to them."

Ruby shook her head vehemently. "No, I won't think that! We'll stop them, I know we can! And after that, I truly believe that we'll be able to come together again."

"Who's we? We don't know where Blake is, you don't know what Yang's been up to, and I'm stuck here! The only we that you could possibly be referring to is RNJR; your new team."

"Is that what's bothering you? Weiss, the only team I ever want is RWBY."

"RWBY's gone!" Ruby was visibly shocked by her words, spurring Weiss to drill it in with, "Beacon's gone and our team's gone! None of it is coming back, no matter how much you wish it! Sometimes…!" Weiss took a moment to quiet herself, more so that her voice wouldn't carry and possibly alert anyone rather than sparing Ruby from her harsh tone. "Sometimes things just don't turn out the way you want them. Things happen whether they're something you couldn't prevent or…" She sighed. "…or it turns out people aren't what you expected them to be. It's just how the world is."

The shock lingered on Ruby but Weiss expected another retort from her. It was always how she was: standing firm with her idealism no matter what may come. She did not expect to see the look of defeat that came instead, with Ruby sadly remarking, "Yang had said something like that to me."

"She wasn't wrong." Weiss refaced her desk. "Look, I'll try to help you as much as I can here. Other than that, there's nothing else I'll be able to do so let me do this in peace."

"Okay."

Weiss's fingertips hovered over the holographic keys but she didn't hit any just yet. She listened to Ruby and when she glanced back upon not hearing anything more, it was to see the younger girl wrapped in the blanket with her back to Weiss. Satisfied, Weiss started working again.

However, she felt the burdensome weight on her shoulders at what her loss of control had caused. The silence that she had wanted and achieved wasn't the remedy that she hoped it to be.

She'll be fine, she mentally assured herself. She's already proven to be far stronger than me. Ruby wouldn't let something like this get her down. She'll be sad about it, understandably angry, but by the time she rejoined her team and they went on their way, she'd have more things to worry about than the partner who wouldn't come with her.

There was hardly any noise save for the quiet beeping that was conducted by Weiss's fingertips followed by lengthy pauses when she would peruse through the selection of files that she brought up, struggling to find anything that could be considered as useful to Ruby. It wasn't hard for Weiss to pick up that small hic but she did pass it off as nothing.

When it repeated though, it grabbed her attention. It got her to sit there and listen, making sure she heard right, and confirming it when it occurred again and again. There was no real pattern, it occurring intermittently, but there was no question as to where it was coming from and Weiss rotated in her chair.

Ruby was still there on the couch, in the same position, but her posture had tightened in a vague representation of her folding in on herself. Her blanket-shrouded form shook and Weiss witnessed her head move in time with another hic.

Concern washed over her. "Ruby?" She witnessed the figure freeze at her call and then fold further into herself. It got Weiss to forget all about her task as she stood up from her desk. "Ruby?"

Ruby again refused to answer and even threw a portion of the blanket over her head to hide it. The increasing worry had Weiss crossing over to the couch where she could better see how the mass shivered, another hic coming from within. Weiss reached down, feeling for and then grabbing something solid. She got a reaction, Ruby fighting to remove her, but she held on tight and pulled.

Ruby didn't make it easy but Weiss got her to turn over and she pushed aside the section that hid her face. What she found were cheeks soaked with tears that fell from watery silver eyes, another timely hiccup influencing a couple more to descend. The discovery had Weiss losing strength in her grip and Ruby used it to her advantage, yanking her arm free and rolling back to hide from her.

"Ruby…" Weiss whispered but found herself at a loss at what to say.

"I-it's hard, Weiss," came Ruby's slightly muffled but discernable voice. "Sometimes it's just – hic – r-really hard. Not because of the Grimm or Cinder or everything else we've had to deal with. Sometimes it's hard being a part of RNJR."

Weiss was taken aback by that. RNJR? Why would it be difficult to be with the only friends who had been strong and capable enough to join her?

Ruby partly answered it for her. "There was – hic – P-Pyrrha I-I guess, especially when we first started. I felt responsible for not saving her and even though Nora, Jaune, and R-Ren never said anything, I was afraid that they thought I was trying to – hic – replace her. It's not as bad now, but that's not what makes it hard sometimes."

"What is it, then?" Weiss gently coaxed.

"I-it's-" There was another hiccup and Ruby didn't continue. Weiss placed a hand on her back and rubbed soothingly, trying to ease her through this grief. Through that contact she felt the shuddering lessen and the hiccups didn't come as frequently.

"I miss RWBY," she finally revealed when she sufficiently recovered. "I miss you, Yang, and Blake. No matter how long it's been or how much I've been through with RNJR, when I lay down on nights like this, I always think about us every single time. It used to make me sad but soon after I left Vale, it gave me something to hope for. Maybe if I found you or Blake or Yang managed to catch up, I would be able to start bringing RWBY back together and we could save the world with JNPR."

Weiss had an idea of where this was going and she could feel the dagger poised in that space between her ribs, aiming right at her heart.

"I guess that was childish of me, wasn't it?" Ruby sniffed and an arm wiped at her face. "I still act like a kid and here I am crying like one. I must've sounded so stupid talking about Beacon and everyone since I got here, but I really did think that we'd be able to go back to those times. Maybe not in Beacon but…having us together again. It was one of those things that helped me keep going no matter what I encountered.

"But I guess you were right. Yang hadn't caught up, I haven't seen Blake, and you…you have your own responsibilities here. It's…just how things are. It was stupid of me to think that I could've changed that."

Weiss sunk to her knees. The arm that had been at Ruby's back came up and around her, soon joined by the other, and the heiress lowered her head against her, holding tight to Ruby. "No, it wasn't stupid to think that."

"Stupid or not, there's nothing I can do about it, is there? I know that now. It'll be like you said: I'll leave here, you won't be able to come with me, and it'll be me and RNJR to keep going."

Weiss squeezed her tight. "Ruby, the only thing that would be idiotic is if you actually listened to a coward and a hypocrite."

"…What do you mean?"

"I…" Weiss had cried plenty enough, and all that she seemed to have left were the two tears that slid down her cheeks and were absorbed into the blanket. "I'm so ashamed of myself."

Ruby shifted in her arms, the girl trying to get a look at her. "Ashamed?"

"Don't listen to anything I said. You're so much stronger than me so don't allow yourself to be pulled down because of me. I'm a failure. While you were unconscious, my father did come for me and he took me away. I didn't put up a fight. Sure, I suppose there was the whole shock over what had happened, but the reality was that I was afraid. We lost Beacon, Blake had run, you were unconscious, Yang was being treated, and all of our friends and professors who were still alive were being torn apart over what happened.

"It was just me and my father…and I couldn't stand up to him. I never told you, but during the tournament my father had cut me off. I had been ignoring him because I didn't want to speak to him so he cut me off from his money as a way to force me to talk to him and bend to whatever he wanted. It did bother me and I almost gave in but I was later convinced that I didn't need his money or him. I could be free to be strong and independent – to become my own person with Beacon and everyone there."

Weiss scoffed. "I was proven so wrong. I could think that when I was safe at Beacon, with him miles away from me, but when everything happened and I was looking at him face-to-face, I caved. I don't remember even arguing with him. He just pointed me to his airship and I boarded like the obedient girl I really was. It didn't change when I got back to Atlas – it got worse. It was with how easily I got swept back up into my father's business and politics that I realized that I was living a lie this whole time."

She forced herself to lift her face from the blanket and was met with a silver eye. "All that talk about being a Huntress and bringing honor back to my name? It was all one big lie. I haven't done anything since I got back here other than let my life be run by others. I knew this, yet I had the nerve to think that, one day, I'd find an escape route and get that chance to be my own person again. But that day never came, not in the months that have passed, and it was because I never had the courage to do it myself. When I saw you outside, you don't know how happy I was, but once I heard what you and others have done while I let myself remain imprisoned here, it tore me up.

"I couldn't hide behind such delusions anymore, not with how even Jaune has proven to be a far better person than me. I couldn't stand it, and it's so painful to even look at you because of how badly I failed you. So please, don't listen to me. Not someone who's so weak. You don't deserve that at all."

Ruby moved, sitting up and coming free of Weiss's embrace in the process. The heiress stayed on her knees, vision casted down to better show her dishonor, until palms cupped her cheeks and raised her head. "It's okay to be weak."

Weiss was dumbfounded, both at the statement and Ruby's smile.

"It's okay to be weak," she repeated. "I'm weak too."

Weiss shook her head in what little she could. "What are you talking about? You're not weak, not like me. You were off fighting so soon after Beacon while I just cowered here the whole time."

"I didn't do it alone. I had JNPR there to come with me. It wasn't like I made the decision as soon as Qrow told me about Mistral. I was scared, and with how Yang was and how worried I knew my dad would be if I left, I didn't want to go either. Not alone. It was only after I spoke with JNPR that I became confident enough to leave and do what we could."

Sadness flickered across her features. "I'm sorry I wasn't there for you, Weiss. Maybe if I had been there when your dad came, I could've gotten you to stay."

Weiss refused to let Ruby take any of the blame. "I shouldn't have needed you to be there. Really, you were there and if not my pride, I should've at least stayed to make sure you really were going to be okay. I didn't, and I've carried that with me the whole time – wondering if you were okay, and mourning the whole time."

Astonishingly, Ruby emitted a brief chuckle. "Same here. I…really wanted to see you again, and I guess that's what brings me to the right thing. Saving the world, helping people, and making sure that nothing will happen to them as it did to us is the right thing, but that doesn't have to be the only thing that's right, does it? I wanted to bring RWBY back together and, sometimes, that was all that I focused on. It's selfish, but that's still the right thing, isn't it? To see your friends again and be concerned with their safety to make it more personal."

It was a very mature thing to say, and Weiss was surprised at this sign of how Ruby had grown on a different level. She was equally startled when she became aware of Ruby's thumb brushing against her one cheek.

"I never knew how badly I wanted to see you until the past couple days," Ruby said. "After finishing in Mistral, there wasn't anything else that I could think about except getting to Atlas as soon as possible and, when I got here, to come right to you. Then there's tonight, when you told me you wanted to be left alone…" Her words drifted off and she blinked suddenly glassy eyes. "I didn't know until right then how important you were to me and that when I was crying, I wasn't just crying over memories I couldn't return to, but how it felt like I lost a part of myself."

Something had changed. Weiss couldn't explain it, but she was sure that this had gone somewhere that she wasn't able to comprehend. How Ruby was looking at her, talking to her, and how Weiss was reacting with a heartbeat that was becoming more rapid, breath that was becoming more difficult to acquire, and a strange…warmth that was spreading but was currently the most intense at her cheeks where Ruby was touching her.

"You can be weak," Ruby stated again and she was now touching the bottom of Weiss's scar – the only thing that no one could hide, no matter how her father wished or dressed her up. Her flaw, her deformity, and a permanent sign of how she had once been strong enough to overcome and could do so again. "I'm weak. That's part of what we are and I think that's what lets us reach out and be strong with the help of others. I'm here now, Weiss, and I want to help and be strong with you. That's…that's why we're partners, right?"

Weiss didn't know if it was Ruby's doing or her own – maybe it was both of them – but she had been gradually rising from her knees with Ruby's voice becoming softer and softer until it was a bare whisper and Weiss had come so close that the last words had brushed along her cheeks, her lips, and she took it as some kind of invitation to tilt her head, still drawing closer despite how near their faces already were. She saw Ruby close her eyes and it was the last thing she did see before she closed hers too, the last centimeter disappearing, and then her lips were touching with a warm matching pair as she…

…kissed her.

How?

It was the most logical thing to think which is why it was the only thing that was able to break through the maelstrom of warm sweetness and soft, kneading lips against her own. They didn't go further, Ruby apparently satisfied with this while Weiss was utterly bewildered. Just how exactly did this happen?

They broke away, Weiss opening her eyes and staring, dazed, at the pink but smiling face of Ruby while her thoughts went elsewhere.

Just a moment ago she had been broken by sorrow and guilt and making it clear how disgraceful she was – to herself and to Ruby. How did this occur, with Ruby saying how much she wanted her despite that, and Weiss…responding to those silent beckonings that had her off her knees and now…like this? Here, with her face a foot from Ruby's, her hands placed on the cushions at either side of Ruby's hips to hold her up, and wondering if this was all real – if she had actually kissed Ruby.

The mere thought should've shamed her but she felt nothing of the sort. There was only this warmth that was encompassing her and the quick, nearly painful thudding of her heart that made it difficult for her to feel such a thing. It made her…anxious. All this emotion and what her body was doing. Weiss was trying to contain it and regain control of herself but was steadily finding herself overwhelmed. The only thing she could think of was that she needed to do something with this, but what she wasn't sure.

Something was loosened at her throat and there was the clink of a sapphire that landed on the floor after bouncing off the couch. It did little to ease Weiss's increasingly-restricted breathing and the sudden gasp made it worse when she felt a warm, moist mouth directly on her collarbone.

With the sapphire gone and the fabrics it held together now apart, Ruby had easy access to Weiss's collar to put a drawn-out kiss on the skin there. She pulled away, but she didn't appear as content as she did with the initial kiss. She stared at the reddened blemish on the pale tract with surprise, as if not believing in its existence despite being the one who caused it. Surprise turned to uncertainty, Ruby glancing up at the startled Weiss.

"I-I'm sorry," she apologized with a nervous tremor. "I…I'm not sure why I did that." She squirmed, only now appearing to be aware of Weiss's close proximity and how the heiress had inadvertently trapped her. "I was just thinking how I missed seeing…that." The pinkish tint at her cheeks became red and started to spread. "And I…I don't know. It felt like the right thing to do. Was that okay?"

Weiss stuck with giving Ruby a long stare. The mark that her former leader had placed on her was burning – nearly scalding – and it was supplementing that urge to do something that she couldn't understand but was instinctive. Something that was making her mouth run dry with the strength in her arms that was holding her up weakening while her leg muscles tensed with energy. There was a solution to this – an ingrained action that she was certain was the correct course to take and yet it was inconceivable to even think…

Ruby touched one of Weiss's arms to gently push to the side while she scooted over to get free. "I'll…um…I- mmmf!"

The arm she touched locked with sudden strength, keeping her in place for when Weiss surged forward, capturing her lips with a surprised squeak. The force got Ruby to be pushed back into the couch while the fencer climbed further onto it to better entrap her.

Now that she had released this bottled up energy, it was impossible to seal it back up. It rushed and swelled through her, taking control but not completely. There was still that feeling of instinct that gave it some guidance, leaving Weiss with a strange sense of command when she felt anything but.

She wasn't sure why she should establish a more dominant position over Ruby but she did. Her legs ended up on either side of the scythe-wielder as she straddled her, mounting on her lap. Her fingers entangled themselves in Ruby's hair, tilting her head to better position it for this plundering that Weiss gladly took part in.

And Ruby submitted. She didn't fight after getting over her shock, the grip she established on Weiss's shoulders not being used to push her away. They assisted in drawing Weiss in, willingly sealing her position over her, and Weiss gladly took it.

This second kiss started much like the first, with their lips locked together, but it didn't stay that way. Weiss opened her mouth so that she could lick along Ruby's lips. For the life of her she didn't know why she did it, but she was driven by this thirst that promised that she would be satiated if she did.

Ruby's lips parted and Weiss eagerly pushed through, discovering a sick delight in her partner's trembling at the intrusion. Their tongues mingled together, but it was the heiress who held dominion as she broke away to freely explore Ruby's mouth. Running along her teeth, exploring as deep as she could go, and then returning to coil her tongue around Ruby's – getting a full taste of her.

It encouraged a moan from Ruby and Weiss realized how…depraved this was at doing such a thing together. In her room, in the center of her family's mansion, with just the two of them in the middle of the night with the very real danger of them being caught. It should terrify her, stop her cold, but it didn't. It excited her. Pushed her on and on until she didn't know when.

It was the need for breath that put an end to it. They parted, Weiss's head spinning for reasons she was sure wasn't solely the lack of oxygen while she panted for breath. Beneath her, Ruby was in the same state, and the heiress found it oddly fascinating with how her chest rose and fell with her face flushed, lips slightly swollen, hair askew, and eyes half-lidded. At the corner of one lip was a thin line of saliva that had resulted from their sloppy kiss, creating a short trail to her neck. Weiss experienced an electrifying jolt at the sight of it.

She unconsciously licked her lips, the taste, the scent, the feel of Ruby fresh but starting to fade. There was the impulse to immediately dive right back in to placate the renewed craving but breathing untainted, Ruby-free air let her regain enough of her sensibilities to stop her.

"That was…new."

Weiss blinked at the breathless tone and saw Ruby similarly coming to her senses and wiping at her neck. "I don't know what came over me."

She repeated the seconds – minutes? – that led to it and focused on the exact moment of when it happened. There was the kiss, the one that Ruby was responsible for, but that wasn't when Weiss had attacked her like she did. She had been made mute and dumb by it.

Weiss looked down. No more was the sapphire there, the collar tossed aside and replaced with a different mark. Ruby's mark. Fittingly red on an otherwise white canvas, heat blossoming like a flower that had yet to go away. There was something familiar about this and Weiss wondered if she really imagined the tingling that went down her left eye when she figured out what it was.

Her scar was a mark that had been inflicted upon her during the previous attempt to keep her in Atlas. It had been when Schnee family pride entailed imprisonment as it currently did now. The blow from that possessed armor had been a blessing, the wound that damaged her flawless features breaking the image that had been used as advertisement throughout her childhood. There had been the searing pain too – an uncontrollable wildfire that had spread and consumed the restraints that she had placed on herself, leading her to forfeit control and go all out in order to defeat the armor and set herself free.

But this is different, isn't it? Ruby wasn't an enemy and what Weiss did just now…

It dawned on her that she and Ruby had yet to do anything. Weiss was still straddling her in such a compromising position – she in her pristine dress with the collar undone, and Ruby in the bathrobe that didn't quite fit.

"I don't know what this is," she said. She started to slide off of Ruby. "I don't think either of us do, so let's just stop before anything else happens."

Hands returned to their places on Weiss's shoulders. They weren't forceful, only exerting the minor pressure that was needed to keep her from fleeing. Beneath her, Ruby smiled shyly at her. "I don't think I would mind anything else."

Weiss looked down at her with disbelief. "Do you even know what you're saying?"

"Not really, no." Ruby's eyes lowered and all that Weiss could make out were her reddened cheeks to gauge what she was feeling before she raised them again. "But I…liked that. What you did and what I did. It was strange and it was my fault, I guess, for doing it first but I just did what I wanted. I think it was what I always wanted to do after spending such a long time away from you. Seeing you again, talking to you again, and now this." Her hands moved over Weiss's shoulders, hooking around her neck. "I'd like to do that again."

A knot formed in Weiss's throat at feeling Ruby's hands there, making it difficult to breathe or speak. She swallowed hard in order to clear it. "But you…you're only…"

The argument she was trying to present was weak – too weak to get out, and Ruby capitalized on it. "I've grown up, Weiss. I'm still Ruby, but I'm not a child anymore. I know some of what I'm doing but I can't and I won't go any further unless you want to do so with me."

Weiss knew what Ruby was implying and it really did tell her how much she had grown. She still retained enough of what made her that fifteen-year-old that had gotten Weiss to be her best friend, but now she was seventeen – the subject of the maturity that had occurred during that time both from her experiences in the world and that of becoming a young woman.

But could Weiss be what Ruby was asking of her? The failings that had haunted her for months and had been beating into her tonight came to the forefront. How could Ruby want her or even look at her as she was doing now? She had proven to be so much stronger than Weiss.

She came for me. Ruby had said so herself. She had missed her, came for her, and within her eyes she could see how genuine she wanted her. To have her help her – both in battle and to remedy the ache that she had carried around and was unable to have soothed even with the rest of RNJR accompanying her.

"Ruby…" Weiss found herself leaning forward again, at a pace that made it utterly surprising when she was suddenly there again, within inches of Ruby's face, her grip now having gone to Ruby's waist – slimmer but stronger than Weiss remembered.

"Weiss," came that warm breath again, carrying her name, and there was no room for anything else as they were rejoined soon after.

More conscious, Weiss did not assault Ruby as she did last time. Going slower, her mouth parted and Ruby followed, the two caressing each other's lips in this open kiss. Ruby, eager for the chance to explore, poked her tongue out but remained just at the perimeter, betraying her hesitance. Weiss took it upon herself to guide her partner in, hers stretching out to flick along the tip of Ruby's tongue and then rewarding her with a rub along the bottom when Ruby was encouraged to delve further in.

Their bodies were just as yearning for each other. As she was being drawn deeper into the kiss, Ruby pulled Weiss closer by her neck. In return, the heiress tightened her grip on what of the robe she had while she slid further over Ruby's lap, Their fronts pressed together, both moaning at the contact.

They separated, but only to catch enough of their breath before returning to their deep, passionate kiss. Weiss's arms encircled around her waist while Ruby's hands went from her neck to her hair, fingers tangling and then tugging gently on the silky strands. They hooked on to something and a moment later there was another cling to signal the removal of the tiara. Weiss's hair fell but was immediately gathered up by Ruby, the younger woman set on grabbing what of those snow-white lengths that she could.

Weiss paid no mind to it, in fact enjoying how those fingers went through her hair and the small tugs against her scalp. She was more concerned with their tongue battle anyway, the two now comfortable and confident enough to not hold back. Their teeth actually bumped together, so heated and sensual it had become with their tongues pushing against each other and their heads aggressively tilting in an attempt to dance around and seek the prizes they both wanted more of.

The rest of their movements became more insistent, Weiss's hips rolling into Ruby while her nails dug into her back, desperate for contact while the tugs on her hair became stronger. So engrossed in their passion where they were thinking of nothing but to breathe, taste, and touch each other, Weiss didn't see that it wasn't only her attire that was being disturbed until a longer break was needed. With their foreheads touching and both breathing heavily while they stared adoringly at each other, it was with a glance down that Weiss saw it.

"R-Ruby!" She jerked her head away.

Ruby stared at her in confusion until a pointed glance from a shockingly red-faced Weiss got her to look down.

The robe had slipped, their hasty movements having caused the sleeves to fall and leave Ruby's shoulders bare. The sash had similarly loosened – not by much but between it and the sleeves, the scythe-wielder's chest was becoming dangerously exposed with the tops of her breasts showing. With a shocked cry, Ruby seized both, pushing the fabric up while pulling the sash tighter.

That was what she started to do anyway. "Weiss…"

Thinking that her partner was decent, Weiss looked back and immediately uttered a small squeak when Ruby had instead lowered it back to where it had originally fallen, her hand being the only thing keeping the robe together. Her gaze shot back up to Ruby's face to stop from staring and saw that her leader was biting her lip in embarrassment.

"I…" She hesitated and nearly whispered, "I'm not sure if I would really mind…that either."

There had already been a building heat – one that had started from the first kiss and with their make-out session having fanned the flames. Hearing this latest thing caused it to flash through the entirety of Weiss's body with an intensity that she couldn't fathom. It was hot but pleasurable and…enticing when she registered the full meaning of what Ruby was suggesting.

It was exactly what Ruby was suggesting that kept her from doing anything that she was very fearful of regretting. "That's too much," she spoke. "The…kissing was fine." How weird but undeniably pleasing to mention it. "But there's too much craziness going on. We've already done more than either of us have any idea of and you're actually suggesting – I-I think we should stop. None of us want to do anything that we'll be sorry for later."

"That's…true." Weiss could practically hear the 'but' before Ruby actually said it. "But…I've been sorry for a lot of things, Weiss. Things that I wished I did more of before everything happened. Like with Penny. I was the one to know about her secret and I wish I had done more to be a better friend to her. She had things she wanted to see and do and I thought I had all the time in the world to help her but…I didn't.

"There's Pyrrha, too. Not so much with me but…it was really bad for Jaune. You remember when he called us to save Pyrrha, right?"

How could Weiss ever forget that? The pure anguish that, even through a scroll call, she had felt sharply when Jaune had called them, begging them to save Pyrrha. They hadn't been able to, and Weiss had never felt so bad for the other leader than when they had gotten to safety at the established refuge in Vale. JNPR had taken a corner for themselves to express their own grief with the blond boy sobbing his heart out. Nora had been there, embracing her leader tight, silently crying to herself so that Jaune could freely wail into her chest. Ren had thrown an arm around both of them, his head down but his own tears visible.

"A lot of the stuff Jaune said to me while we were traveling," Ruby continued, her own eyes currently glistening, "was of all the things that he regretted. He still cries for her sometimes, wishing that she was back so that he could do everything that he should've done and said to her. None of us expected any of what happened at Beacon to happen, and with how everything is now…I would rather do something that I'm afraid to do now and maybe regret it rather than something happening and definitely regret not doing it."

Weiss didn't find herself able to answer her verbally, but she was sure that she was silently expressing enough for Ruby to read 'But this?' from her face.

"I won't force you to," Ruby assured. "I won't do anything without you wanting to – especially this." She worriedly clenched the scrap that was keeping her modesty barely intact. "I just don't want something to happen and…never letting you know how much you meant to me."

The idea caused Weiss more distress than she expected. If Ruby was to leave and something did happen to her or something were to happen to Weiss, it hurt when she imagined either of them looking back on this moment and thinking 'If only I had...'.

This doesn't make this any less crazy. What she's actually suggesting…and what I might want to do…when everything's the way it is now.

That was the point though, wasn't it? Things were already terrifying and unpredictable, and something like this which was just as mad in its own way…somehow appearing to be the most sensible thing to do. Anything could happen to them, so to come together like this on this night and to miss out on a chance like this before running headlong back into the insanity…that was insane in its own right. Wasn't it? Or was Weiss just trying to irrationally rationalize all this?

Either way, it was Ruby who was waiting for an answer, and she jumped when Weiss gave it. Her hand took Ruby's, the one holding the robe together, and Ruby's breath ceased while wide silvers were transfixed on Weiss's icy blues. They didn't break contact, not when Weiss gently tugged, and Ruby slowly gave. The robe fell, the leader's shoulders making the barest of movements to better slide it down which was then assisted by Weiss hooking a finger to ease it apart.

Eventually Weiss viewed what became exposed and every thought that she had tonight that perceived Ruby as still a child became the most absurd thing in the world. Sitting there with the robe pooled around her elbows and waist, the flush at her face extending down to her unsteadily rising and falling chest – she truly was in the presence of a maturing woman.

"You're so beautiful."

The whispered compliment and her half-nakedness nearly proved too much for Ruby. Somehow she managed to achieve another shade of red and she raised and bunched her shoulders together, trying to hide with her head turned aside, at the cost of putting her assets on better display.

There was no objection, no command to stop, so there was nothing to prevent Weiss from being entranced by Ruby's beauty. The redness of Ruby's chest drew her in, making her wonder if the brunette really was on fire as she appeared, and she satisfied her curiosity when she cupped a breast. The touch caused Ruby to gasp, her body jumping, and Weiss nearly went dizzy at the bounce that was the result.

Along with her height, Ruby must've grown a cup size at least. Still relatively modest, but bigger than Weiss's own, and the princess of the SDC took her time admiring them. She cupped the other, taking both, gently groping and fondling, astounded at their weight and firmness. She dared a squeeze and they were so malleable to her administrations.

Ruby squirmed, Weiss's handling having an effect. As Weiss discovered, her temperature was as hot as it appeared where she was touching. She could feel Ruby's lungs working, feel the hammering of her heart, and all Weiss wanted to do was more.

Her attention went to the pink areolas and jutting nipples. Her thumb brushed against one, testing the reaction, and the gasp that Ruby made at the pleasurable sensation had Weiss focusing her teasing there with her thumbs rubbing and pressing them down, turning brushes into flicks, earning more gasps and whines from her.

"Weiss…ah!"

Feeling the ongoing blaze at Ruby's chest, a thought occurred of dousing it in some way, and as soon as it came it was immediately stuck and refused to leave. Weiss lowered her head, a familiar dry mouth that had guided her in their kiss doing the same here. She kissed Ruby's right breast, feeling the heat at her lips, and only a small shift was needed to fit them over Ruby's areola.

"Ngh!" The sweet noise became a small whine, and Ruby's back arched, demanding more. Weiss was all too happy to comply, tracing the trapped flesh with her tongue before flicking the stiffened nipple. Her arms wrapped around Ruby's back, loving the arch in her spine as she kept her close and showing that she was committed and would not leave or stop as she switched over to her other breast.

Throughout the whole time, Ruby's hands had either been trying to tear into the couch cushions with her nails or pawing at Weiss, finding someplace to grab. What they finally settled on was Weiss's backside and the younger woman was either too lost in pleasure or just did not care when she squeezed and pulled, sliding Weiss along her lap with her partner emitting a noise that went unheard.

What was not lost was a different kind of heat that Weiss became aware of. That short hem of Ruby's robe was pushed up with the latest motion and the slit of the skirt of Weiss's dress bared the skin of her leg to the subtle fever. There was a sudden, violent buck of Ruby's hips when Weiss tested a light nibbling of her nipple and Weiss became very, very aware that the only underwear that Ruby had in her possession was currently in the dryer.

Ruby was beginning to ache. This may be the first time that Weiss had ever engaged in such an act with someone but she knew the signs, especially when it was of the same gender. That buck was just the beginning as Ruby's hips again pushed up, becoming insistent.

"Weiss," Ruby gasped, her lower body rolling with need. "I want…I need…it's so hot!"

Yes, Weiss did know, and her heart seized with just what Ruby was asking of her. They were already doing so much, going so far, but it was this final hurdle that created hesitance. To touch Ruby there, in her most intimate area. It was the key to her release but reluctance kept her from making a move.

Until a whimper at her ear began breaking it down. With her head against the top of Weiss's head, her face burying into her hair, Ruby pleaded with her. "Weiss, please."

That was how it went, Ruby desperately moaning and begging while her hips pushed up. Her will crumpled, a hand sliding along Ruby's back, coming down and around her thigh. She followed the heat to the source, encountered something wet and slick, cupped it, and Ruby rode against her palm. But it wasn't enough, Ruby repeating Weiss's name like a mantra, urging her on, and Weiss slid a finger through the silken folds and went all the way inside.

"Ah!" Ruby gasped, her hips bucking, and Weiss was thrusting the single digit inside of her. Her head fell from Weiss's and her chin landed on her shoulder, her hot breaths wafting over Weiss's ear.

It made her neck delicately open and Weiss's lips passed over it. She touched the shuddering pulse and she immediately put another kiss there, refusing to let go, enjoying all these signs – subtle and open – that told her just how much Ruby loved this. The pleasure that only Weiss was giving her – the relief that Ruby craved and had sought her out for.

"More!"

Without thinking Weiss inserted a second finger. Ruby spasmed, a loud, delirious moan echoing and Weiss didn't find it in her to care about the volume. She curled her fingers and pumped them deeply.

"I'm gonna…!" Ruby gasped, her legs shaking. "I'm…Weiss…ah…I love you!"

Weiss halted, her entire being freezing at the words that Ruby cried and then repeated.

"I love you." Ruby squeezed tightly to Weiss, inhaling sharply as her hips made that last, final thrust against Weiss's fingers before she stiffened and then came apart, riding through her release. "I love you, I love you!"

She easily said it half a dozen times, starting loud as she hit her peak but quickly losing volume until she was lost in the afterglow. She limply embraced Weiss, shivering and panting, and the heiress remained where she was, her own embrace as weak but present as she held the spent Ruby.

She was about to ask herself if she heard that right but Ruby's repetition made it clear that she had said it. The better question then, and the one that Weiss was caught up in, was if Ruby meant it. Had she been honest, truly honest, or had that been something influenced within the throes of her ecstasy? Nothing more than Ruby babbling her gratitude for Weiss giving her release?

Ruby moved. She leaned in deeper against Weiss, her arms giving her a squeeze. Her head lifted, turned, and there was the soft peck against Weiss's cheek. And as soon as she pulled away, there came a muttered sentence – weak but sincere.

"I love you, Weiss."

Weiss released the breath that she hadn't known she was holding and it came out unsteadily. She returned Ruby's squeeze with one of her own and she tilted her head against her. There was the wet moisture of tears, sliding down Weiss's cheeks with a couple transferring over to Ruby. Before Ruby could think about being worried, Weiss whispered her response.

"I love you, too."

Ruby stuck her arm through the second loop and then tightened the leather straps. She rolled her shoulders around and rotated herself left and right, making sure that they were snug and that the backpack wasn't swinging haphazardly. When she was satisfied with the check, she bent down and began fastening the belts around her boots.

Maybe all these straps weren't the best idea, she thought to herself. It wasn't the first time that the thought occurred to her, typically with how long it needed to hook and tighten them all. Not exactly the best setup for changing and moving quickly but it was a disadvantage that was outweighed by the durability of the leather and how secure they were. Months traveling the wilderness, picking fights with Grimm and other baddies, Ruby had been convinced of their usefulness.

Besides, it was uncommon for her to strip out of them what with her nights mostly spent in said wilderness with said dangers ever present. She wore them when awake, and wore them when she slept. Villages and other places of safe lodging had been few and far between.

With her apparel mostly done, the only thing left was to reach over and grab her cloak from the top of the dryer before throwing it on and fastening it in place. Again she stretched her limbs and rotated around, but it wasn't to test to make sure everything was in order. Instead, it was to savor how clean and soft that her clothes were, it having been far too long since they had gotten such a thorough cleaning in a high-performance wash.

She couldn't dally though – she was on a tight schedule. With all her gear ready, Ruby stepped out of the wash room.

Weiss was waiting for her with arms crossed and giving Ruby an impatient look. "It's about time. They're going to notice something wrong with the cameras eventually, you know."

Ruby grinned a little when she noticed how Weiss gave a pass over the same collection of straps, probably thinking the same thing as she had. "Yeah, sorry about that."

Weiss sniffed but didn't continue. She uncrossed her arms and held a hand out to Ruby, revealing the scroll in her possession. "I sent the files to your scroll and I have backups just in case. I didn't find much but, who knows, what I did find may lead to more of what you're looking for after a more direct investigation."

"Thanks, Weiss. Really." Ruby took the scroll and gave her a smile of appreciation, taking note of the dark circles under her eyes. Between the investigation and the…other things that occurred last night, it was clear that Weiss barely got sleep, if any.

"Come along, then." The heiress turned and walked, Ruby following her as they made their way to the front door. "You made sure to pack the supplies I left for you?"

"Yeah." Ruby performed a swing with her slightly fuller and heavier backpack. "This'll save us from having to shop for some. It'll let us be able to leave Atlas that much sooner with less worry."

"Glad to hear it."

They came to the front door, Weiss wasting no time to access the security panel and begin punching in her code. Ruby waited with a smile but it lessened with each code that Weiss entered. "Hey, Weiss?"

The security panel flashed an all clear signal and the lock on the door disengaged. "What is it?"

"Are you sure about this?"

Weiss faced her with a hand planted on her hip and an irritated look which was what Ruby expected. She had asked before but, with them at the door, she wanted to confirm that this was what Weiss wanted.

Her partner held the look for a little longer and then switched to the unlocked door. Her brows knitted together, contemplating something, and then she held up a hand towards the door. One of her glyphs appeared, taking shape in front of her, and Ruby was elated to actually see the larger, stronger version of it rather than the brief winks that had been casted to disable cameras.

Weiss curled her fingers into a fist and then punched forward.

The glyph flashed and then a giant arm clad in full armor mimicked her action, punching out from the glyph and towards the door. The gigantic fist slammed into it, the reinforced door holding for a second before it was knocked free, flying outside and taking a good chunk of the wall with it.

Weiss waved her hand, dispelling the glyph and the arm. With the morning light free to enter the entrance hall, she calmly bent down and picked up the large case that she had prepared earlier even when alarms started going off all over the Schnee manor.

"Can't exactly go back, now can I?" Smirking, Weiss stepped out through the opening, her free hand resting on the hilt of Myrtenaster that hung from her side.

"You really have been improving your Semblance," Ruby commented, awed at the display of power that she walked through to join Weiss.

"You expected anything less?" Weiss inspected the courtyard, specifically the iron gate that circled the perimeter. The alarms continued blaring behind them, and she began to hear shouts. "I hope you've improved yours."

Ruby grinned widely. Faster than Weiss could react, Ruby swung an arm behind her legs, knocking the fencer off her feet and getting her to fall right into the bridal carry that she prepared for her. Turning her grin at Weiss's shocked features, Ruby replied, "You have no idea."

The shock melted into anger, Weiss seeming ready to go on an angry tangent but thinking better of it. Instead, a smile broke through and she grabbed the front of Ruby's blouse, pulling her head down to give her a kiss.

Ruby didn't object and the alarms, the shouts of angry guards, and the cold Atlesian air were momentarily purged from her brain, replaced only by the weight and warmth of Weiss's form in her arms and the sweet lips against her. Ruby hugged her close and deepened the kiss for longer than what was probably wise given the situation.

But she didn't care. The dangers of the present were irrelevant while those of the future were no longer as bad as they once were. The year of hardships that she had braved through to get here were worth it, and Ruby felt the lightening of her soul when she proved to herself how Weiss was now here with her and the burdens that she once carried could be eased onto a second pair as they shared their strength.

There was still so much ahead of them. They still had so much more of Remnant to explore, possibly to the most unholy and Grimm-ridden of lands in order to regain the peace that they once had. Evil had already been uncovered in various forms, with who knew how many more diabolical shapes it could take. And somewhere along the way, Ruby hoped to unite the other half of her team.

She had regained one member though, and that was enough. Enough to renew her hope that, despite the odds, the world and its people weren't beyond saving and that they could be united again as long as there were those who strived to bring them back together.

With Weiss at her side, Ruby had no doubt that she would be able to see it to that end.

"Let's go, dunce," Weiss admonished once they were done.

"Aye, aye, princess." Giggling, Ruby took a step forward just as the first pair of guards made it to the destroyed door. All they would find were a mass of rose petals that flew and scattered, free to go wherever the wind may take them with nothing to hold them back.

Author's Note: Brain: Alright, so, yeah, this one took a little longer to get out than the first chapter that was written and posted right after RTX ended. Best explanation I can come with is 1. This being our second time writing a sex-

Uuuugggghhhh….

Brain: -scene. And 2., this chapter had a lot more unknown territory for us to figure out. Obviously, Volume 4 Hype and a couple timely days off from work gave us plenty of time and motivation to think and work. This chapter was a little different since…hahaha…yeah…

Yeah, starting a fic that was born from the thought of "Weiss is totally going to go down on Ruby when she sees her again".

Brain: Well, that and Weiss using those leather straps as an improvised bondage harn-

THEY DON'T NEED TO KNOW THAT!

Brain: Ahaha…yeah, the initial idea for this fic was a tad…dirtier than what it ended up being. Kind of ended up scrapping and totally re-evaluating the whole thing of Weiss getting around to tie Ruby up on the bed with the straps and do some of that 'worshipping'-

Stooooooppp….

Brain: Fine, fine. So we went through the more emotional route as usual, actually shedding a couple tears when we were listening to Buying The Space Farm from the Star Trek: Into Darkness soundtrack. Other than Weiss going to totally jump Ruby when she sees her, a big part of this fic was how we saw Ruby fighting and getting beaten up while for Weiss we just saw that shot of her dressed up and safe in her home. A reunion where Weiss learns and sees what Ruby has gone through followed by the shame of it was the overall thing that led us to this. I hope it was as good for you guys it was for us. The old drill hasn't changed: reviews full of comments and critiques are always welcome.

Thank God this is over.

Brain: Pffft, that's until we write the bonus spinoff of this where we do go the dirtier route.

We are NOT!

Brain: Hehehehe. Anyway, hooray! White Rose after so long! Now, we have noticed how there have been a couple people who mentioned how we've been doing so much Bumblebee for our previous works. Don't take that as a sign that we're tired of White Rose or we're 'jumping the ship' as that's the furthest from the truth you can be. We still love the White Rose as equally as we do Bumblebee. It's just that we haven't really been able to come up with many good ideas for White Rose that we've wanted to pursue whereas we still had some things we could come up for Bumblebee, ESPECIALLY after Volume 3. As soon as we saw this smallest sign of potential White Roseness from the teaser trailers, we hopped right on it.

Hopefully when Volume 4 starts on October 22nd, we'll get more great ideas for White Rose or our other ships. Until next time!