Chapter Nine

Four Years Ago

Ruby paced around her dusty video camera, wondering why it refused to turn on. She had applied all the rudimentary fixes she could think of and then some, but it was still being as stubborn as the stuck-on cheese and grease from Yang's infamous tuna casserole. By the twentieth attempt, the annoyed redhead was ready to toss the contraption into the junk heap.

"Come on, you stupid piece of two-year-old tech—work!" she roared out in frustration, toggling the on/off switch as quickly as she could. "Work! Work! Work! Work!"

After five minutes of pitiful begging and bargaining, Ruby threw her hands up in defeat and trudged up her workshop's stairs. If she couldn't get the blasted relic to work then no one can, and it wasn't worth ruining her good mood.

When she reached the main floor, Ruby decided to reacquaint herself with the layout of her Atlesian residence. It never ceased to amaze her whenever she wandered through its great halls and chic rooms. Her in-laws had spared no expense and demanded only the best take part in its creation. Ruby managed to sneak a peek at the estimated budget required and fainted on the spot; she had never seen a number with that many zeroes before. The actual cost was much more believable, but it was still more money than Ruby could ever hope to make in her career as a huntress.

RWBY Manor was designed and built by the wintery nation's top architect Gustavo Ru, and furnished by the highly sought after interior decorator Olivia Wolfe. Having those two names alongside Weiss' jettisoned the manor's fame, landing it a spot the front of every home renovation magazine available when construction was over.

Ruby's journey abruptly ended at the foot of the grand staircase facing the front doors. She wasn't too surprised to see that nothing had changed since her last visit, no doubt thanks to Weiss' obsessive-compulsive disorder. The thought made Ruby take pause and appreciate how clean the manor was. The same couldn't be said about the dorm they once shared.

After the heiress gracefully bowed out of Beacon Academy, Ruby was faced with the grim realization that Weiss had been the only one cleaning. It took less than a week for a rancid smell to settle in, and for the floors to vanish under a pile of garbage. That was half a year ago, and as leader Ruby took it upon herself to tackle the mess whenever she could. It was a never ending battle that Ruby R. Schnee refused to lose; however, she did have to wonder how Weiss managed it without help.

With a heavy sigh, Ruby began scaling the pristine marble steps, all the while thinking how empty RWBY Manor felt without Yang and Blake around. As happy as she was to breathe without caution or walk around without stepping in gunk or goo, Ruby missed the cozy-homey feel the dorm had. Weiss said that she preferred it better this way, quiet and without distraction, but Ruby knew that beneath her confident facade she was lonely.

Weiss constantly buried herself in her work and studies, leaving little room for her to think about anything else. Ruby had seen the telltale signs of fatigue wearing her wife down when they found the time to video chat. It was difficult to unsee, and for awhile Ruby was sure her eyes were playing tricks on her; Weiss always looked well-rested and healthy whenever she appeared on television.

The redhead slowed her steps and reached for the handle on the door of Weiss' study. If the house was going to be boring and quiet, then she was going to be loud and obnoxious!

"Weiss!" Ruby exclaimed exuberantly as she zipped into her wife's study. She circled the older woman several times trapping her within a swirling cascade of rose petals. "Weiss!"

A smile spread on Weiss' face as she pushed her work aside and leaned back in her chair. Then, with a light terse tone, Weiss said, "This had better be important."

"It is!" Ruby yipped, holding her hand out for Weiss to take. "C'mon, it'll only take a minute."

Weiss rolled her eyes and accepted Ruby's hand. Using her lover for support, the pregnant heiress slowly rose to her feet. Getting up and around was starting to get difficult her, and it was only going to get worse from here on out.

She was nearing her twenty-sixth week and had ten weeks left to go until her due date. While Weiss was no stranger to pain, the stories she'd heard from other women were more than enough to keep her awake at night. But terrified as she was, Weiss was still quite excited. The spontaneous fluttering she felt whenever her baby moved astonished her beyond belief, and now that Ruby was home she couldn't wait to have her experience the same wonderful feeling.

Weiss was in the process of smoothing the wrinkles out her light blue dress when she caught Ruby's gaze.

"You're staring," she said feeling uncharacteristically bashful.

"Whoops, sorry. I'm still trying to get used to seeing you all, y'know, in person," Ruby confessed with a blush as she etched her wife's glowing image into memory. "Like, it's hard for me to imagine that there's an actual person growing in there, kind of like an adorable parasite—a schneerasite!"

"Ruby, please tell me that you did not just call our unborn child a parasite." Weiss decided against reprimanding the young woman, and instead chose to bask in the attention Ruby gave her. "I did not sacrifice my perfect figure to birth some commonplace micro-organism."

Curious, Ruby asked, "Then what would you call it?"

"I—" Weiss abruptly stopped mid sentence, swearing she had something witty to say, "you have a point."

"See? Anyway, follow me!"

"You still haven't told me what you want me to see," Weiss sighed wearily.

"If I told you it wouldn't be a surprise, now would it?"

"I hate surprises."

"You also hate cats, but your best friend is a cat Faunus."

The CEO-in-Training quirked an eyebrow and frowned. "You're my best friend, you dolt."

"I ranked up to wifey status," Ruby laughed. "Blake can be your bestie."

"So you're saying that you and I aren't friends?"

"No, I'm saying we're more than that," the younger woman said nonchalantly. "We've agreed to spend the rest of our lives together, and I sometimes like to pretend that you have a social life—an actual social life."

"And how do you define a 'social life'?"

"Friends you don't want to automatically impale the moment they walk into a room."

"That happened once and I apologized."

Ruby stared at her wife disapprovingly. "Jaune's still crying about that scar."

"You would think he'd be ecstatic to have my autograph. I used to charge an arm and a limb for those."

"Pfft," Ruby snorted. "Since when did giving someone twelve stitches equal to an autograph?"

"When you're Weiss Rose it does."

"Weiss!"

"Okay, okay, you win. Blake's my best friend, and I've got a social life." Weiss conceded with a warm smile. "Now what's your point?"

"You're a hippo."

"Excuse me, what?!"

The redhead snickered deviously as she led her fuming spouse by the hand. "Hippogryph, Weiss."

"What?" the heiress deadpanned.

Ruby's grin widened even further. "What's the word again? The one that means you say one thing, but do another?"

Pale turquoise eyes widened in shock before narrowing to a dangerous glare. "Did you just call me a hypocrite?"

"Maybe?"

"I'm actually more surprised you knew what it meant."

"You learn a thing or two when you're married to a walking thesaurus."

Weiss smirked proudly. "Fine, you've made your point."

"Oh, I wasn't making a point," Ruby chirped innocuously. "I was just trying to distract you."

"What? Why?!"

"Because I didn't want to cave into the pressure and spoil the surprise."

"Alright, I won't ask any more. Can we just make this quick? I have a conference call in about half an hour."

"It won't take long," Ruby assured her.

"Fine."

Weiss instantly regretted her complacency upon entering Ruby's workshop. She looked at her wife in disbelief, and gestured wildly at the mechanical beast gnawing on a raggedy boarbatusk squeaky toy.

"Explain what that thing is right now!" Weiss shrieked.

The canine automaton immediately dropped the toy and looked at her.

Ruby hastily kissed Weiss on the cheek and sped to her invention's side, showering it with a flurry of petals as it struck a confident pose.

Standing firmly with her hands on her hips, chest puffed out, and head held high, Ruby proudly introduced her latest invention.

"Crescent Rose, meet Weiss." The crimson dog yipped happily in response. "Weiss, you two have already met."

Rubbing her temples in soothing clockwise motions, Weiss struggled to maintain her composure. "Wait," she said suddenly, "Crescent Rose?"

Ruby nodded her head. "The one and only."

"You built this based off of your scythe?"

"Nope, this is Crescent Rose." Ruby pointed to a large box filled with discarded crimson and chrome parts. "She was having trouble keeping up with me, so I figured it was time to let her rest."

"So is this what you and Mikhail were working on?" Weiss pondered aloud. "Strange. I assumed you two were designing a weapon."

"We are, this is just a personal project."

"Can you at least tell me why that life-sized wolf is sitting on your table?"

"So you don't have to bend down to look at her," Ruby replied cheerily.

"I'm being serious," Weiss said flatly. "What is that thing and why is it here?"

Ruby folded her hands behind her back and walked back to Weiss' side. "Well I know how much you like dogs, and I know how sad you are about not being able to have one, so I figured I'd make you one."

"The sentiment is sweet, but what's the real reason?"

"That is the reason," Ruby smiled. "I know how lonely you are being away from everyone."

"So you decided that a mechanical canine was the answer?"

"No—well, yes. But that's beside the point."

Weiss stroked her discoloured lock of hair fondly, a shy smile tugging on the edge of her lips. She had missed this bumbling side of Ruby's personality more than she let on. The weight of leadership had changed her from a tense teenager to a reliable young woman, and Weiss was relieved to know that Ruby was going to be fine without her. It was about time, the heiress thought, that she let her stand on her own two feet.

"I thought you weren't making a point," Weiss commented in a feigned distant tone.

"Ugh," Ruby groaned, embarrassed by Weiss' terrible joke. "I made you a thing so you can have something of mine with you all the time—accept the thing and love me, you jerkbutt!"

"But I'm already carrying something of yours," the bemused heiress replied. "The distance between us is infinitesimal compared the bond we share." Weiss took Ruby's hand and held it against her swollen belly. "Do you feel that?"

"Y-Yeah," Ruby managed to choke out. "Is that our—you sure you're not just hungry?"

"Ruby!"

"Oh man, that's... She's moving."

"I haven't felt her move this much before," Weiss admitted. "I think she knows who you are now."

"It doesn't hurt you or anything when she does this, right?"

"No, it felt odd at first, but I've grown used to it now."

"Do you think she can hear me?"

"I believe so."

Ruby knelt down and pressed her ear flat against Weiss' stomach, her hand still holding the spot where she felt her daughter kick for the first time.

"I can hear her heart beating," Ruby said as she closed her eyes to listen in and focus.

Chuckling, Weiss stroked the top of Ruby's head. "Try talking to her."

"What do I say?"

"Anything," Weiss said. "The sound of your voice makes her happy."

"Um, hi...?" A swift kick met the palm of Ruby's hand surprising both expecting parents. "I'm Ruby, you might not remember me, but I know all about you. And I want you to know that I love you and your mommy so very much."

The sound of quiet sniffling alerted Weiss. "Ruby...?"

"Sorry, getting kind of emotional down here."

"I can see that," Weiss smirked.

"Does it always feel this surreal?"

"Hm?"

"Whenever Garnette moves."

"I told you already," Weiss sighed, "I've gotten used to it. "

"R-Right, well... Um," Ruby rose to her feet and embraced her wife. "Thank you."

"For what? I didn't do anything," Weiss said back.

"Heh, I can still feel her moving," Ruby laughed. "It's like she's begging for more attention or something. But seriously, thank you."

"No, I should be the one thanking you."

"Hey, it's my turn to be all sweet and charming," Ruby growled as she nipped at Weiss' nose. "Don't think you can steal my thunder just because you've got Ruby Jr. locked up in there."

"We take turns now?"

"C'mon Weiss, I'm trying to be nice here."

"Would you at least tell me why you're going through all this trouble?"

The redhead gulped nervously when she met Weiss' intense gaze. "Because I really want to take you to bed right now."

"I have a conference call," Weiss reminded her reluctantly.

Ignoring the hesitation in her wife's voice, Ruby gently dragged her middle finger down the length of Weiss' scar, the warmth emanating from Ruby's touch sent a torrent of shivers running up the older woman's spine.

"Cancel it," Ruby demanded in a breathy voice, her mind focused solely on the crooked mark over Weiss' left eye.

The story behind it spoke volumes of the valor and nobility that defined the white-haired woman, and Ruby thanked her lucky stars for being the one chosen to stand by her side. Only four people knew (Wolfram, Adeline, Winter, and Ruby), and Weiss absolutely refused to let anyone else in on it.

It was a tale that seemed so far-fetched it had to be a lie, but the sincerity in Weiss' voice as she revealed her deepest secret all those years ago told Ruby all she needed to know. Weiss' scar had always been an interesting topic for social media hounds. The rumours pertaining to its origins paled in comparison, even Ruby had to take pause when she learned the truth.

"I would if I could, but this is a major investor we're talking about. I have my responsibilities."

"You have a responsibility to me, too! So tell 'em you're busy," Ruby insisted. She wrapped her right arm around Weiss' waist so she couldn't escape, while her left hand worked to unfasten the buttons keeping her away from the heiress' perfectly shaped collar bone. "I finally have you all to myself; I want to be greedy."

"We can do this later tonight after I finish my work."

"No," Ruby said firmly between hungry kisses. "I want you now."

The fluttering sensation welling within her stomach sundered Weiss' defenses, leaving her susceptible to Ruby's aggressive advances. In a momentary lapse of control, Weiss pulled Ruby as close as she could begging for more. The heiress easily flipped their positions and pushed Ruby's back to the wall. She desperately clung to her lover's slender body, her right leg nestled securely in between Ruby's, and captured her lips with a kiss so passionate that even she was at a loss for words.

Taking Ruby's silence into consideration, Weiss decided to take the initiative. She pulled back slowly, teasing at the possibility of ending the kiss right then and there. But Ruby, unaware of Weiss' devious plan to coax her into action, took the bait and chased after her. When she parted her lips to recapture Weiss', the heiress struck faster than a starved shark and attacked Ruby's unsuspecting bottom lip.

She eagerly suckled on her delectable prize, relishing in the soft pleading moans flooding her ears all the while, as she lifted her hands from their comfortable spot atop Ruby's strong shoulders. But that morsel wasn't enough to sate her desire. She needed more, and she was going to get it. Weiss knew everything about Ruby's body, and there was this one quirk that always left her weak in the knees. The smile on her face widened exponentially when Ruby's eyes met hers. Weiss used her left hand caressed to the side of Ruby's face, her thumb gently ghosting over her cheek repeatedly, while her right was busy losing itself within the deep carmine locks she had always admired.

"Please, Weiss...?"

"I love you."

Ruby's begging intensified when she felt Weiss' fingers slither to the top of her scalp. The slightly taller woman bucked her hips, grinding herself against the heiress' leg making Weiss smirk confidently. Two options presented themselves to Weiss: keep teasing or give her what she wanted. Feeling merciful, Weiss complied and dragged her fingers down slowly, applying just the right amount of pressure to make Ruby throw her head back in ecstasy. The young huntress arched her back forward in time with Weiss' descending hand, a long drawn out moan slipping past her tightly pursed lips.

Weiss kissed the base of Ruby's neck, her nose nuzzled affectionately on her nape, taking in as much of her natural scent as she could. To Weiss the writhing young woman may as well have been the finest bottle of wine the world has ever produced. With a full bodied aroma and unique bright flavour, the heiress just couldn't get enough. She breathed in deep between each of her carefully placed kisses, making sure to give all the right spots equal attention.

"Hgn, right there…" Ruby grunted loving everything Weiss was doing to her. "Right there."

"Where?" Weiss hummed coyly. "Here?" she said kissing a different spot. "Or maybe here?"

"Don't tease me," the redhead seethed.

Weiss clicked her tongue disapprovingly and nipped at Ruby's earlobe. "You wanted this didn't you?"

"Yeah, but I was expecting something a little more."

"'A little more,' what?"

"Y'know."

"No, I don't. You have to tell me exactly what you want."

Ruby bit her bottom lip, her eyes hazy and unfocused. "I want you."

"And you have me," Weiss whispered huskily into Ruby's ear, her hot breath making the woman quiver in anticipation. "I love you."

"I love you, too."

Leaning in closer, Weiss slowly flicked her tongue across Ruby's earlobe and whispered her name, her soft lips brushing gently against her ear with each syllable. Gasping in surprise, Ruby instinctively opened her mouth and gave Weiss the opportunity she had been waiting for.

"I've got you," Weiss smirked.

Ruby laughed out loud. "Let's take this upstairs and we'll see who's got who—by the way, it's gonna be me."

The way Ruby spoke so assertively made Weiss' head spin with desire. It had always been like this. Even before they became a couple, Weiss often fell victim to the certainty in Ruby's orders. Maybe it was all due to the fact that Weiss respected the younger woman, but just hearing the shift in her happy-go-lucky voice made Weiss putty in her hands.

There was no way she could say no.

"My conference call..."

"R-Right, forgot about that," Ruby sighed.

Shaking her head, Weiss kissed her on the cheek and said, "Meet me upstairs in ten minutes."

"You're canceling it?!"

"Go before I change my mind," Weiss laughed.

Ruby nodded her head and wriggled out of Weiss' hold. She zipped up the stairs, but came back down to kiss Weiss on her cheek.

"Love you, snowflake!"