This is the first fanfic I've written for canon characters in years, so I apologize for anything that's out of place. (Also, this is an AU where Beacon never fell.)

It wasn't supposed to turn out like this. . .

"Miss Schnee, Miss Rose."

She remembered walking into the bedroom she shared with her fiancee and hearing a familiar voice coming from Ruby's scroll. Somebody had left a voicemail. "It appears that Blake and Yang's mission was more than they had expected it to be, and are unable to complete their next mission. There is a nest of Death Stalkers forming dangerously close to a small town just outside of Mistral. It needs to be taken care of as soon as possible. Let me know if you're able to take this mission when you receive this message."

They should have declined, they already had their hands full as it was. With the wedding coming up, Weiss getting ready to take over her family's company, and all of Ruby's 'mini-missions' as she called them. She regretted not having the heart to say no to the bubbly girl she'd called the love of her life.

"Was that Ozpin?" Her attention shifted from the scroll as it switched off and towards Ruby, her light blue eyes met with a curious silver. Since their graduation from Beacon Academy, the younger girl had grown considerably taller. She was more mature than she was when she was a student and it showed. She kept her black and red hair short, but allowed it to grow down to her shoulders. Although she'd matured, she was still Ruby, her energetic and fun-loving personality had never changed despite walking through hell.

"Yeah," Weiss had replied quietly, "he wants to know if we can take Yang and Blake's next mission." Immediately, Ruby's silver eyes lit up and Weiss remembered knowing exactly what was going through her partner's mind. "Ruby, no, we have enough to deal with as it is."

Ruby had already crossed the room and picked up her scroll, "Oh come on! It's just a small nest, nothing we can't handle! Besides, this could be our last mission together before the wedding."

Little did Weiss know, it was their last mission together before the wedding.

Before Weiss could respond, Ruby was standing in front of her again and she had to tilt her head back slightly to meet her gaze. Ruby's silver eyes were big and pleading, almost resembling the face of a begging puppy. Ruby took Weiss' arms, "Pleeaasee? When you take over the SDC, we won't get to go on any missions! I'll hardly get to see you!"

"I suppose we could wait to plan the wedding. . . We do have a few months." Weiss' resistance was broken the second she'd looked up into those gleaming silver orbs. She frowned, "But when we get back, we're going to start planning it right away!"

"You've got a deal, my Princess."

The memories faded as reality slowly returned to the young heiress, reminding her that she was on her way back to Atlas. Yang and Blake sat to her right, the cat faunus was leaned up against her partner with her amber eyes closed, her breathing steady. She was asleep. Yang was staring off into space, her mind most likely swarmed with thoughts concerning her little sister as well. Ruby's death had struck Yang the hardest, the bubbly red-clad huntress had been all Yang had left aside from Blake. She and Yang both had clung to the hope that their leader was still alive somewhere, waiting to be found, but there was no trace of her.

Weiss had heard the story of Summer's death too many times to count, it had destroyed Yang to know her baby sister had vanished off the face of the Earth just as their mother did. Their silver eyes were the cause of their downfall, if she understood correctly. Silver-Eyed Warriors were always destined to lead shorter lives than a normal hunter, the Grimm actively sought them out.

Weiss' heart clenched and her eyes stung with unshed tears. She'd promised Yang she'd protect Ruby, that she would bring her back home alive. She'd failed, and had returned without Ruby by her side. Weiss remembered the look of anger and betrayal plastered across her teammate's face when she'd handed a blood-stained red cloak to her. Her lilac gaze had turned blood red and Yang's Ember Celica had come mere inches away from her face before Blake stepped in to calm the brawler down.

A flash of red crossed the heiress' mind.

"The nest doesn't seem to be very big," Ruby whispered, peering over the edge of the cliff to get a good look at the Death Stalkers below them, "we could probably take it out within two or three short hours." They'd been dropped off a little ways away from the nest, and it'd taken them ten or fifteen minutes to find it. "Then we can get some cookies afterwards!"

Weiss glanced at her beaming fiancee and rolled her eyes, "Aren't you supposed to be coming up with some sort of plan? Or are you just going to wing it?" Ruby didn't respond, as she was examining the nest and mentally working out a strategy to clear it out as quick as possible. Finally, she turned to Weiss, "What's the plan, Ruby?" The heiress asked with a small smile, recognizing the look of determination on Ruby's face.

"There are a few smaller ones that have strayed away from the nest, we'll take care of those first before targeting the nest itself." Weiss nodded her approval and the pair slowly moved away from the Death Stalkers, making as little noise as possible. Irritation pricked her at Ruby's next words, "Don't worry, Princess, I'll make sure to leave some for you."

"Are you implying I'm out of practice?!" Weiss hissed in response, some of the irritation melted away when Ruby flashed her a toothy grin, "It's not my fault I'm rusty! I'm about to become the CEO of-"

Ruby cut her off before she could finish, "-the Schnee Dust Company. I know, I'm just teasing. You're too easy!" She didn't give the heiress time to reply as she charged at the first Death Stalker her silver eyes landed on. The sound of Crescent Rose springing to life echoed through the forest.

The first few Death Stalkers were taken down with little to no difficulty, but Weiss was already beginning to grow tired and her body was starting to ache. She hated to admit it, but she really was out of practice. "How many are at the nest?" She turned to face her partner when she was met with silence. The smoke from the decaying Grimm was the only thing left in the clearing, Ruby was nowhere to be found. She must've went on without her.

She shouldn't have let her out of her sight, but who could keep up Ruby Rose? Weiss felt guilt tear away at her heart, remembering the panic that had settled in when she realized she couldn't hear the sound of Ruby's weapon.

The nest had been empty by the time she'd gotten to it, save for the remains of a few Death Stalkers."Ruby?" She called out as she cautiously entered the clearing, preparing herself for a possible ambush. It was only then she noticed a path of fallen trees leading away from the deserted nest. In the distance, she could vaguely hear the sound of bullets being shot and the rumbling of Death Stalkers. Something tore at her chest and her heart started beating faster as fear crept in. Something wasn't right. Ruby was in trouble, Weiss had to get to her. Quick.

Her heart stopped and everything fell silent when she heard the sound of a blood-curling scream erupted into the air. "RUBY!" She followed the scream as quickly as she could, using her glyphs to assist in closing the distance between her and her partner. Something was gnawing at her heart, something that wasn't the fear fueling the adrenaline she was running off of. Why couldn't she sense Ruby's aura? Why couldn't she hear anything?

She was almost out of breath by the time she'd reached the cliff. Where was Ruby? She didn't see her anywhere. . .

"Ruby?" She called again, expecting to hear her fiancee's cheerful voice alerting her that she was okay. She was met with silence. Weiss was about to call for her again when a certain red cloak and scythe caught her attention, tears stung at the edges of her eyes. She shook her head, she couldn't be gone! "Ruby!"

"Weiss!"

Her light blue eyes snapped open, meeting a concerned pair of golden. It took her a moment to fully recognize the woman kneeling in front of her. "We're here," Blake informed her as Weiss slowly returned to reality again, "Yang and I are going to get some food when we land, will you be alright until we get back?" Weiss nodded.

"Who cares if she'll be alright or not?" Yang grumbled from the door, waiting for it to open so she could leave Weiss' presence as soon as she could. Blake's ears flattened against her head and Weiss could see her forcing her bubbling irritation down. "Of course she'll be alright, she got Ruby Rose killed."

It felt like an arrow was shot right through Weiss' heart, she was unable to stop the tear that ran down her cheek. "Yang," she whispered, her voice full of pain, "I said I was sorry. I looked for her, I called for her. I would gladly taken her place if I had the choice." Cold lilac eyes turned to her as the airship came to a stop, the doors opened and an uneasy feeling washed over the heiress.

"Yeah," Yang whispered back, voice dripping with venom, "it should've been you. Not my little sister."

"Yang!" Blake recoiled instantly. The bickering fell silent on Weiss' ears as she silently exited the airship.

She's not wrong. . .