"Crap…"

A slightly dazed Yang looked at the heavily smoking bonnet of the car she'd just wrecked, a significant dent in the garage door showing where her ill-fated break-out attempt had occurred.

The force of the impact had shattered the windscreen and sent cracks running down the windows like so many rivers coursing their way across a vast glass landscape. As she shifted slightly in her seat much of the broken glass fell from the remnants of the dashboard currently residing in her lap and pooled in the footwell of the now-ruined car.

With some considerable effort she forced open the car door, which had become jammed during the crash, and stood back, surveying the results of her first attempt at driving.

"Well this isn't good," she mused, still shook from the impact, her hands planted on her hips and the metal toolbox still by her side. "I KNEW I should have gotten my license." A mental note for next time she intended to use a car as an improvised battering ram.

Yang was drawn from her reflection by the harsh blaring of the car alarm echoing around the garage, and the sound of footsteps rapidly approaching from inside the house.

"Yang?!" Ruby charged through the door, loot gathered in her arms, her jaw dropping in utter shock at the sight of a wreckage. Jaune and Blake followed close behind, peeking over the redhead's shoulders.

"Oh no." Blake dropped her head in her palms, her brows creased in deep frustration at the blonde's infuriating tendency to ignore her partner's orders. "You moron!"

"Hehe, well you see, I thought it would work. You know, the car would break through the garage door and we'd be out!" Yang explained, her hand awkwardly scratching the back of her scalp. Her lips were pressed together and her eyes tried to avoid those of her infuriated companions.

"Yang you just woke up the whole neighbourhood." Ruby scolded, the ringing of the car alarm and another alarm somewhere in the house still in the background. "We need to leave. NOW!"

"Ruby it's not THAT bad…"

Any reply the youngster could have mustered was quickly overwhelmed by the hurried scraping of claws on wooden floor as the guard dogs hurtled towards the garage.

All four thieves looked at each other for a brief second before turning tail and running away as fast as their legs could carry them, Ruby trailing the others slightly on account of the stolen goods she carried in her arms. Any pretence of stealth was now long gone and the eager slobbering of the encroaching dogs gave them all the motivation they needed to get the hell out of there.

"This way!" Yang called out, indicating towards the main hall, her right hand still clasped tightly around her trusty toolbox. The large, open spaces carried the echoes of their footsteps and the blaring of the alarms around, creating a cacophony that assaulted their ears as they followed Yang through corridors and rooms, desperately pushing themselves to escape the snarling canines that were hot on their heels.

Despite their best efforts, it seemed like they were doomed. The winding, twisting passageways had led them to a large oaken door, sealed shut by an old-fashioned iron lock. It seemed to tower over the frightened youngsters and without the key it served to trap them in this narrow corridor, with the ever-eager guard dogs rapidly approaching.

"Yang what do we do?!" Ruby panicked, hiding behind her older sister.

"Erm, I don't know…" Yang replied, more to herself than anyone, as she scanned the darkened corridor for any salvation. But none presented themselves to the desperate blonde.

"Maybe we can break it down!" Jaune optimistically suggested, charging into the door but only succeeding in bruising his shoulder and his pride.

"Oh lord…" Blake appeared frozen with fear, her already pale complexion whitening further and her wide eyes locked on the two rottweilers that had just rounded the corner. Each seemed to Blake to be a mass of muscle and teeth, and as they slowly stalked down the corridor towards their cornered prey she felt her legs turn to jelly.

"Any time now would be great, Yang!" Ruby tried but earned only a sharp look from her sister.

"Give me a second, I'm thinking!"

"We might not HAVE a second."

"Ruby shut up or I'll… Wait, I've got it!" She proclaimed triumphantly, hurriedly flipping open her toolbox and withdrawing the rock from within.

"Cmon rock, don't fail me now!" Yang cried as she brought the stone down in a swift movement, striking the lock on the door with a thud. A second, firmer strike made deep dents into the iron framing of the lock.

Unfortunately for the quartet this noise only seemed to aggravate the two dogs, who broke out into a sprint, drool hanging from their open mouths as they rapidly closed on the foolish intruders.

"Almost through!" Yang shouted, closing her eyes instinctively as a third, powerful strike smashed through the lock and send the warped and bent iron thudding to the floor. A firm shove forced open the oaken door and they bolted through, Yang dragging Blake behind her and slamming the door behind them, avoiding the fearsome jaws that pursued them by mere millimeters.

"Quick, find something to bar it!" Jaune pleaded, desperately trying to hold the door shut against the force of the two rottweilers on the other side.

"Already on it." Ruby grunted as she struggled to move a cabinet across the wooden floor. She was joined by Yang who, after placing the still stricken Blake on the floor, helped her sister with the heavy cabinet, sealing the door.

All three of them stood there for a second, breathing heavily, as they heard the dogs on the other side of the door scratching helplessly at the toughened oak. After a few seconds their canine pursuers relented in their pointless pursuit and scampered off back down the corridor into the rest of the house.

"Let's not do that again." Ruby pleaded weakly, her arms straining from the effort of carrying so much plunder.

"Agreed!" Yang nodded as she helped Blake to her feet, the cat faunus still shaking slightly from the shock.

"Well we're here now," Jaune replied, indicating to the shattered window through which they had first made their entrance, "Let's leave before the police get here."

Weiss stared at the phone on her desk at the station, as she had been for most of the day, dreading what she knew was going to be a very, very unpleasant phonecall. The alarm at the mayor's mansion the previous had alerted nearby police units but by the time they got there whoever had broken in had been long gone. Officers had spent most of the day looking for any leads, and it had taken until late afternoon for a pile of documents and photos to find their way to her desk for her to sort through. She'd been looking through them for the past few hours and the chill of night was encroaching on her office already.

Despite many photos and comprehensive lists of what had been taken, nothing was known about the intruders' identities. Their motives seemed unclear, too, for as well as stealing valuables and some sensitive documents, the thieves also managed to destroy an Altesian Paladin that was assigned for security and write off one of the mayor's favourite cars by inexplicably ramming it into a garage door. And yet, despite this there had been no clues left: just a lot of mess. On the plus side there were no rose petals on the scene so at least this wasn't the work of the Rose Thief.

"Ruby…" Weiss found herself muttering, her mind already thinking about the girl that had proven such an enigma; the criminal who had sat and dined with her and treated her like an equal, despite them being so different.

The inevitable phonecall rang clear through the office and, with a heavy sigh, Weiss answered.

"Weiss Schnee, Vale Police Department."

"You better have a good lead on whoever ruined my house, Schnee, or by god I'll see you fired." The mayor's voice boomed through the speaker, causing Weiss to push the phone away from her ear in a startled manner.

"I'm sorry sir, we don't have anything right now. I've sent forensics in and-"

"That's not good enough damn it!" The mayor spat, "I've indulged your pointless little chase of that Rose Thief but this is serious criminal damage to a senior politician's private property. Now you either find who did this or find a replacement for your job."

"Yes sir I-" Weiss stated, but she wasn't given a chance to finish her sentence.

The line went dead, leaving Weiss alone in the room, the phone still in her hand. She'd known that the mayor, who had been out of town visiting friends and abusing the privileges of his office, would react like this but it still stung to hear all her recent failures dismissed as something so trivial. Despite what he and everyone else thought, there was a lot more to Ruby than just a petty thief: she was almost enchanting, in a way no one could ever understand. Even Weiss herself didn't quite know how she felt about her criminal counterpart and she wouldn't even know where to begin conveying her true feelings for the crimson-haired rapscallion.

With a dejected sigh and more than a little regret over her introspection, Weiss proceeded to sort through and analyse the masses of unfinished paperwork and images of stolen items from the mayor's household that littered her usually tidy desk, when a light knocking on her door interrupted the work. In came Velvet, holding a small package under her arm. Adjusting her glasses, she spoke.

"I found this between today's delivered mail, ma'am, it's addressed to you." Velvet said, putting down the small box. Her name was indeed written on the side, in bold, almost graceful lettering.

"For me?" Weiss' eyebrows raised, scooting her desk chair closer to reach for the package. "From whom?"

"I don't know." Velvet admitted, calmly shaking her head. "There's nothing of a name or address from a sender on here."

"Alright." There was a slight hint of confusion and curiosity in the way the white-haired officer spoke. Looking up, she nodded with a smile. "Thank you, Velvet."

In response, Velvet smiled back warmly, retreating from the agent's office, softly closing the door behind her.

With the utmost caution, Weiss loomed over the package, her imagination racing at the possibilities of what might lie beneath the brown wrapping paper. In all her years working for the police she'd not once received any parcel: on the rare occasion a rich benefactor wanted to reward her service they inevitably invited her to their mansions to do so. As a result she was unsure whether to feel blessed for receiving something like this, or suspicious by the lack of sender or information. There were plenty of people who would wish her harm, and this could definitely be one way of smuggling something potentially lethal into a police station. And yet, Weiss found herself almost certain that this was something else. Something… special.

Without any further delay, Weiss reached for a pair of scissors from one of the draws on her desk, curiosity enveloping her mind. With soft, delicate touches she cut open the paper to reveal a small, black box, glistening in the twin lights of her desktop lamp and the one overhead, each reflecting off the dark surface like the sun and the moon arching their way across the midnight sky.

With more than a little trepidation, she gingerly held the box to her ear. There were no audio clues as to what may lie inside, although secretly she was quite relieved not to hear anything that might indicate an explosive device. Weiss shook it lightly, a muffled rattling emitting from within the box.

Her teeth itching and her fingers tingling, Weiss gave in to temptation and carefully she lifted the lid, revealing whatever object lay hidden inside.

A sea of gold and red shone up at her and Weiss gasped at the jewelry she held before her. An exquisite golden necklace inlaid with dozens of rubies, such opulence she had never in her wildest dreams ever imagined holding. The gold alone had to be worth thousands, and the piece itself must have been in the millions. Such an allure the precious art had on the young officer that she found herself examining it, holding each individual ruby at a time, watching how the shimmer of light reflecting off the gold danced around the room as she played with it in her hands.

The centerpiece of the jewelry was perhaps the most captivating: the largest ruby she had ever seen held in a gold mount. This gem was so big Weiss could even see her reflection in it. And yet, as she gazed into it, something seemed off. Somehow, this object felt oddly familiar to the white-haired girl.

"Wait a second.." Weiss muttered to herself, gently laying down the necklace before focusing her attention to the documents scattered on her desk. Quickly rummaging through them, Weiss started to frantically flick through the pictures of looted jewelry stolen from the mayor's residence the previous night.

And sure enough, there it was. The exact necklace Weiss had held in her grasp a second ago, was documented "robbed" in the sheets of paper handed to her. The notes described a small crack in one of the rubies, apparently after the mayor's wife had dropped it one time. With a feeling of dread inevitability, Weiss lifted up the necklace once more, inspecting it for the tell-tale crack that would confirm what she already knew. Sure enough, there it was: a small imperfection amongst such a masterwork piece that marred the surface of one of the smallest rubies of the bunch.

"Oh you've got to be.." Weiss muttered, her stomach sinking as her palm smacked against her forehead. Not only had she been incorrect in her assumptions that this was nothing to do with The Rose Thief, she had inadvertently spread her fingerprints all over one of the most distinct and valuable items belonging to one of the most powerful men in Vale. It was now painfully clear that Ruby was heavily involved, if not indeed the mastermind behind this robbery.

But it made Weiss feel strange, a comfortable warmth blossomed inside of her chest, spreading throughout her body. Never before had someone gotten anything approaching such a wonderful gift for her: she felt truly appreciated and… loved. It was an experience she couldn't understand but holding something in her hand that was so valuable and had been taken at great personal risk, just for her, by Ruby. That damned girl, who was becoming more and more involved in her life with every passing day. That damned, beautiful girl.

And it was indeed a beautiful necklace.

But it had passed midnight. This was something to ponder over in the morning with a fresh mind. Returning the piece of jewelry delicately back inside the black box and re-sealing the wrapping with small pieces of tape, Weiss hid the incriminating object in a secret compartment in the side of her desk before standing up.

Pushing her arm through the sleeve of her navy-blue bomberjack with a barely suppressed yawn, Weiss reached for her car keys, gazing back at the cabinet one last time.

'The mayor could just buy a new one.' Weiss thought, a small smirk crossing her lips. She mumbled to herself, shutting off the light before she closed the door.

"Besides, the mayor is an asshole anyway."

A/N:

So here it is, the final chapter of this hopefully enjoyable spin-off series! I hope you had just as much of a blast reading it as I had writing it.

And as always, I hope to see you in the next chapter! Have a great day.

-TheBrokenBottle