The pair sat in silence.

Since the beginning of her story, hours ago, Ruby had moved Weiss over to the couch, so they could sit closer, and so it would feel less like an interrogation.

She told her partner everything. From the Fall of Beacon to going off with RNJR, to the stress and fears of Uncle Qrow's near death.

Things were easy when it came to talking to Weiss. She had an aura about her that always managed to calm the young huntress, to make her feel at peace, no matter the situation.

The pair had put in an incredible amount of work to get along as partners, and by now, the idea of the stress and tension that surrounded them at Beacon was almost hard to believe. To Ruby, they were like a puzzle – fitting perfectly together.

Weiss was the rational side Ruby needed. She saved the huntress' life so many times, and Ruby had her full trust in her. She was a beacon, and to Ruby, she was a hero. She may have had an icy exterior, but that just made Ruby love her more – when she began to let her walls down, it meant so much to young leader – it showed true progress and meant the world to her.

Having seen the rational mind of her partner in action so many times, Ruby knew she had to be quiet. Her leg bounced as she waited for a response, not entirely sure what to expect. She searched her partner for any signs of expression, but only found a face scrunched in thought.

'Weiss always did have better control over her expressions…' she sighed to herself.

She had never met the man, but she knew that Weiss' self-control wasn't all from her huntress training. It stemmed from something much worse. Weiss hadn't spoken of it often, but what she had said spoke volumes.

Ruby had to wonder, what was it that Weiss was subjected to when she was home? She knew she didn't go voluntarily. She was taken.

She shook her head. Now was not the time to go down that train of thought. It was something that plagued her mind every day – where Blake had run off to, how Yang was coping with her injury . . . and most of all, if she was ever going to be allowed to see Weiss again.

Now was not the time to brood, she thought to herself once more, biting her lip. She had to be positive. She had to focus on the current situation. Things were good. They were going to get better. They had to.

Lost in her thoughts, she almost missed the soft whisper of her voice. She looked up and gulped.

"Weiss?" she whispered back, hand trembling slightly as she gripped her partner's hand, squeezing lightly.

A million thoughts spun through Weiss' head as she stared her partner down.

She had been forced back into an abusive situation, and she briefly knew about Yang and Blake's situations from what she had been debriefed, but she had spent months . . . wondering, what it was her partner had been going through.

Now she wasn't sure she was happy she got her answer.

"Ruby…" she whispered after several minutes, once more grabbing her partner's hand. A part of her wondered what caused the surge in physical contact between the two, but the majority didn't care.

"I…had known things were bad. But I didn't…" Weiss paused. She wasn't sure exactly what she was saying. She had never been the best at comfort, and this situation was dire, at best, in her mind.

"I'm sorry." she chose, looking up at her partner briefly before grabbing her partner's shoulders, pulling her into a hug. "I'm so sorry Ruby."

Emotions overwhelmed her. She thought of her partner every day since she was taken back to Atlas. What happened? Was Ruby okay? Was she alive?

Outside the battlefield, rational thought always seemed to leave the heiress when it came to Ruby. Ruby was good for her in so many ways. She was a friend. She was persistent, and while their other friends certainly helped, Weiss knew the reason she had learned to love and be loved, was because of her.

So when Ruby was hurt…rational thought went out the window.

"Weiss?" Ruby asked once again, returning the hug in earnest. "Why are you sorry?"

Weiss pulled away, blinking away any tears that may have started to form.

"I sent you up there Ruby. You made the plan, but I made the call to send you alone against a madwoman. I sent you to bear the burdens of this alone," she found herself blurting out, cursing internally as she spewed out her internal thoughts to her partner. "I thought you were dead, Ruby!"

Ruby's eyes went wide with shock, and Weiss could see her words settling deep within the girl. She always did wear her feelings on her sleeves.

"I didn't fight my father. I sat and watched my teammate fall apart in front of me, and I left. More importantly, I left you, unconscious in bed, not knowing if you were ever going to wake up! And for that…I'm sorry." She finished her rant, taking a deep breath. "Most important of all, I'm sorry I wasn't there for you. Ruby. You are the bravest of all of us, and I am so proud of you for all your work but…I'm sorry you've had to go through all this alone. I promise, that ends now. I'm with you."

At this point, neither of them held tears back as they embraced once more. They were silent. Thoughts and feelings that were repressed for so long, finally out in the open, were enough for both of them.

Finally, Weiss heard the quiet whisper of her partner as they pulled away from each other, faces flushed, eyes red, and faces only inches away from each other.

"Thank you Weiss. That means…so much to me," Ruby smiled, eyes gleaming with happiness, even through the tears. "I…really missed you."

"I-I missed you too…"

She known for months, but right now, Ruby was by far the most beautiful girl Weiss had ever seen. Her silver eyes shone in the light, and the way she was sitting accented the ways she had grown, in height, as well as muscle over the years. The child she had met over a year ago, was certainly no child anymore.

Weiss barely even registered how long the two had simply stared into each other's eyes, subconsciously leaning into each other when…

KNOCK KNOCK!

With a yelp, both girls flew away from each other, staring in opposite directions.

"I…should get that…" Ruby mumbled, using her semblance, in the most inappropriate of ways, Weiss noted, to get the door.

She looked up with a gasp as she saw the figure in the doorway, a powerhouse she never would have imagined to see, not in Atlas. Standing there, blonde hair flowing past her shoulders, sporting a leather jacket, and a very noticeable new accessory, was her.

It took less than a second for Ruby to react.

"YANG?!"