Chapter 14: Never Closer

"No! The public is not to know that he was with the White Fang!" Weiss shouted into her scroll. She was pacing back and forth in her penthouse's kitchen. Ruby was standing nearby, worriedly looking on.

"Ma'am," an exasperated-sounding police lieutenant said on the other end of the line. "If your assailant was connected to a known terrorist organization then the public has a right to know."

"The public also has a right to feel safe, not wonder if every faunus they pass on the street is secretly planning on murdering them!" Weiss said. "All they need to know is that my assailant was apprehended, and no one was hurt."

The lieutenant sighed. "I'll…run it past my captain," he said.

"See that you do," Weiss said. "I'm sure he'll see the wisdom in not inciting a panic."

"In the meantime," the lieutenant said. "There's still the matter of taking your statement."

Weiss frowned even deeper than she already was. "I'll be by your precinct to give you one soon," she said.

"Ma'am—" the lieutenant said.

Weiss ended the call before the lieutenant could say anything more.

The screen on Weiss's scroll immediately lit up with a dozen missed call notifications. Her father's and Rosalie's names were at the top of the list. Weiss didn't bother scrolling down to see who else she'd missed. She'd rather not know which of her family members cared and which ones didn't. She just tossed her scroll onto a nearby counter, eager to be rid of it.

Weiss had made it back to her penthouse with Ruby several hours ago. It felt like no time had passed since she'd been attacked, but it clearly had. It was pitch black outside the penthouse's windows, although Weiss had no idea if it was very late or very early.

Weiss crossed her arms and tapped her foot restlessly. Nervous energy was buzzing inside of her, and she had no idea what to do with it. She was certain there had been a dozen other things she had planned on doing the afternoon following what was supposed to have been a routine charity event, but she couldn't for the life of her remember what they were. Her strictly regimented schedule had been cast into the wind, and she felt completely lost without it.

Ruby quietly walked over to Weiss. Her tie and hood were off, and her vest was unbuttoned. She looked entirely too casual in Weiss's opinion, given recent events. Weiss was envious at how little Ruby seemed to have been affected by the attack, although she supposed that Ruby had already faced far worse in her life than a crazed gunman. She'd no doubt fought against the creatures of grimm regularly during her training at Atlas Academy. An assassin must have seemed laughably mundane by comparison.

"Sooo…" Ruby said, obviously searching for a topic of conversation. "You sure were arguing with that cop. Would there really be a panic if the public knew that guy was with the White Fang?"

"Most likely not," Weiss said. "But I doubt the lieutenant would have understood my real reason for keeping the public uninformed."

"Real reason?" Ruby asked.

"You may not remember," Weiss said. "But the White Fang used to be a true threat. They hunted my family. Literally hunted us. And yet they somehow still had the sympathy of a significant portion of the population."

"What happened to change that?" Ruby asked.

"Beacon happened," Weiss said. "That was what it took for the public to finally see the White Fang for the monsters they are."

"Oh," Ruby said, casting her eyes downward. "Yeah, I guess it's kind of hard to overlook something like that."

"I've worked very hard to destroy the White Fang," Weiss said. "Not with violence. That's their method. But with information. Organizations like the White Fang can only thrive if they have an ignorant society's tacit approval."

"But wouldn't letting people know who that guy was with make the White Fang even less popular?" Ruby asked.

"No," Weiss said. "Beacon did more to hurt the White Fang than I ever could. There's no more need to sully their reputation. All that mentioning them in the news would do now is inform other malcontents that there's a place for them to go. If the man who tried to kill me was an agent of the White Fang, then he's a crusader, a martyr even. Without the White Fang, he's just a madman who utterly failed."

"Wow," Ruby said, looking dazzled by Weiss's line of reasoning.

"But he only failed because of you," Weiss said.

"Hey. Don't worry about it," Ruby said, offering Weiss a smile. "I was just doing my job."

Weiss looked at Ruby. There was so much that she wanted to say to her. She wanted to tell her that she'd performed far beyond the call of duty. She wanted to pour out all of the feelings that were bottled up inside of her. But she couldn't.

"I need a drink," Weiss declared. She didn't feel like making a selection from her wine closet, so she walked over to her kitchen's small liquor cabinet. She pulled out the first thing she found, which happened to be a bottle of brandy.

"Do you want some?" Weiss asked Ruby.

"Naw. I don't really drink," Ruby said.

Weiss open another cabinet and started searching through her glassware. She quickly gave up trying to find a snifter and just grabbed a whiskey glass. She poured herself some of the brandy and took a swig.

Weiss grimaced as she swallowed her drink.

"Uh, is it not any good?" Ruby asked.

"The taste has gone off," Weiss said. She picked up the bottle of brandy and looked at it. "I don't even remember where I got this. It must have been left out in the sun at some point."

"Well I guess you can always have something else," Ruby said.

Weiss thought about it for a moment, but she honestly didn't care about the taste right now. She just wanted some alcohol in her system to take the edge off her nerves. She lifted her glass to her lips and drained the rest of it.

"Or you could do that," Ruby said.

Weiss set her empty glass down. Then she took off her suit jacket and tossed it onto the counter instead of properly hanging it up in a closet. It was as sure a sign as any of how out of sorts she was. She knew that tomorrow she'd be aghast at how she'd mistreated the garment, but that was a problem for later.

Suddenly, Weiss's scroll started ringing, making her jump. Once her heart had started beating again, she walked over to where her scroll was sitting, intending to turn the stupid thing off. However, when she saw that the call was from Rosalie, she decided it would be best for her to answer.

Weiss sighed. She picked up her scroll and accepted the call. "Hello, Rosalie," she said.

"Oh my goodness, Miss Schnee!" Rosalie said. "We all heard about what happened! I was afraid to try to call you this late but…. Are you alright?!"

"Yes. I'm fine," Weiss said with a measured tone. "Ruby was there to protect me."

"She was!?" Rosalie said. "Oh I knew I had a good feeling about her! She's going to get the biggest hug when I see her next!"

"I'm sure she'll appreciate that," Weiss said. "Rosalie, can you please inform the staff that I won't be available tomorrow? I…I have to go give the police a statement."

"Of course!" Rosalie said.

"When I return to the office we'll need to have a discussion with the relevant parties about updating our procedures," Weiss said.

"I've already scheduled a meeting with the head of the security department for you," Rosalie said.

"Good," Weiss said.

"Is there anything else I can do for you?" Rosalie asked.

"Actually, there is," Weiss said. "Please call my father for me."

"You want me to call your father?" Rosalie asked.

"Yes, if you would," Weiss said. "Tell him that I'm fine and there's nothing to worry about."

"I will, "Rosalie said.

"Thank you," Weiss said. "You'll hear from me if anything else comes up. Good night."

"Good night, Miss Schnee," Rosalie said.

Weiss ended the call. Then she turned her scroll completely off and set it back down on the counter.

Weiss stood there perfectly still for the next several minutes. She'd finally reached her limit, emotionally speaking. There was nothing left she could do but retreat inward until the shock of what had happened finally wore off.

Weiss suddenly felt Ruby take her hand. She hadn't even been aware that Ruby was standing next to her.

"Hey," Ruby said. "Why don't we go sit on your sofa."

"Alright," Weiss said numbly.

Weiss barely even registered what was happening as Ruby led her into the living room and sat the both of them down on the sofa, all without letting go.

"Maybe this isn't the time," Ruby said. "But there's something we should probably talk about."

"What is that?" Weiss asked.

Ruby looked Weiss in the eye with the most heartwarmingly sweet expression on her face. Weiss had not been prepared for it. She felt herself being pulled out of her stupor. Ruby started leaning in closer. It was patently obvious that she was going in for a kiss, but Weiss didn't believe it until Ruby's lips met hers.

Weiss's eyes widened. Everything that had happened since she'd been attacked was nothing more than a confused blur in her head, but she suddenly remembered the kiss that she and Ruby had shared back in the limo with pristine clarity. And it had been her who had kissed Ruby, not the other way around.

Ruby broke the kiss. She looked at Weiss with hope and uncertainty. Weiss was afraid, but it was an entirely new kind of fear. Ruby was beckoning her off the edge of a cliff, and she was powerless to stop herself.

Weiss leaned forward and kissed Ruby again. Her lips lingered. It was a soft and slow kiss. Weiss tried to take in every detail of it like she'd never get the chance to kiss Ruby again.

Eventually, Weiss pulled back. This time when she looked at Ruby, all of the uncertainty was gone from her face. A single tear slipped out from the corner of Weiss's eye. To kiss Ruby seemed like such a simple thing now, but Weiss was literally trembling with joy. It wasn't the kiss itself so much but rather her disbelief that the world was still turning. There was no judgment in Ruby's eyes, just the promise of something that Weiss had spent a lifetime denying herself.

Weiss suddenly lunged forward and slammed her lips into Ruby's. She heard Ruby giggle before she started kissing her back with equal intensity. One of Weiss's hands found Ruby's shoulder, and she desperately held on tight.

Ruby's tongue tickled Weiss's lips. Weiss opened up to her, hungrily savoring the sensations as Ruby deepened the kiss. Somewhere in the back of Weiss's mind she realized that Ruby had done this before. She didn't know why that surprised her. She supposed she should be grateful that at least one of them knew what they were doing.

Weiss's other hand groped blindly until it found the front of Ruby's blouse. She started pulling the buttons open. The only thought in her head was that she wanted more.

Weiss got three buttons open before she suddenly realized what she was doing. She ripped herself away from Ruby and opened her mouth to apologize, but her words died in her throat. The sight of Ruby sitting there with her blouse partially open and her hair disheveled from their furious kissing made an intensely sinful heat fill Weiss.

Ruby looked very amused. She shrugged her vest off and threw it aside. Then she reached out and took Weiss's hand. She slowly guided it inside her blouse.

Weiss could hardly breathe. She was actually worried that she might pass out. She slid her hand down, marveling at the warmth and silky smoothness of Ruby's skin. Her thumb passed over Ruby's navel, and she traced around it like it was the most fascinating thing in the world.

Ruby unbuttoned her blouse the rest of the way. She slipped it off her shoulders and tossed it to the floor. Weiss thought to protest, but it would have been a blatant lie to say that she wanted Ruby to stop.

Weiss sat there in open-mouthed wonder, completely entranced. She'd never seen anything so enthralling as the sight of Ruby before her. She wanted so badly to take the next step, but she had no idea what it might be. Fortunately, Ruby seemed to know. She wrapped her arms around Weiss, hugging her tightly, and kissed her again.

Ruby's lips gently parted from Weiss's, but she still kept her arms around her. She looked at Weiss with eyes that could melt a glacier, asking her a question without saying a single word.

"I…I've never…" Weiss stammered.

"Do you want to?" Ruby asked.

"Yes," Weiss whispered. She'd never been more sure, or more terrified, of anything in her life.

Ruby grinned. Then she let go of Weiss and shoved her onto her back. Weiss was surprised by Ruby's sudden, aggressive move, and even more surprised by the jolt of pleasure that it gave her.

Ruby kicked off her shoes. Then she pulled Weiss's off as well. She crawled up until she was hovering over Weiss. Her finger traced along Weiss's collarbone. Then it hooked into the front of Weiss's blouse, right where the top button was.

Weiss lay there, quivering with anticipation, but she soon realized that Ruby was waiting for her. If she wanted this to happen, she was going to have to be the one to let the genie out of the bottle.

Weiss's fingers met Ruby's. Her hand was shaking so badly that she fumbled for a bit before she managed to unfasten her blouse's button.

Ruby smiled. She said, "Any time you want me to stop, you just tell me. Okay?"

Weiss nodded.

"You need to say it out loud, Weiss," Ruby said.

"I will," Weiss said.

Ruby leaned forward and pressed her lips into Weiss's. As she did, she plucked open the rest of the buttons on Weiss's blouse one by one. Weiss's head swam as she reveled in the sensation of Ruby's tender hands caressing her skin. She clutched at the sofa and held on for dear life.

The next morning, sunlight was pouring in through the windows of Weiss's penthouse. Weiss was lying alone on her sofa. She'd spent the entire night there, which was completely out of the ordinary for her, but nothing about last night had been ordinary. Ruby was nowhere to be seen, but Weiss wasn't worried about that. She was confident that Ruby was nearby, and she had much more troublesome concerns demanding her attention at the moment.

Weiss had never allowed herself to imagine what it might be like to give in to her aberrant desires, but now that she had, she couldn't help but feel that she'd been a fool for resisting for so long. Everything she'd ever been taught told her that she should regret what she'd done, but for the life of her, she couldn't see why. Her actions hadn't hurt anybody, least of all herself, so what was there to apologize for?

Unfortunately, no matter her opinion on the matter, Weiss knew that her encounter with Ruby would have repercussions. And the one at the forefront of her mind right now was not something that she ever could have anticipated. The very first thought that had entered her head when she'd woken up that morning was that she loved Ruby. It was truly a ridiculous notion. She'd only known Ruby for a matter of weeks, a month at best. That couldn't possibly have been enough time to fall in love.

Weiss was certain that she and Ruby would never have shared such an intimate moment last night if it hadn't been for the attempt on her life. She had even convinced herself, rightly or otherwise, that the single glass of brandy she'd drunk had been a contributing factor. Given such extraordinary circumstances, Weiss suspected that her newfound love for Ruby was merely a fleeting infatuation brought about by years of sexual frustration finally being relieved. Yet no matter how many times Weiss told herself that, she couldn't bring herself to dismiss the notion that her love might actually be genuine. It just felt too real.

Ultimately, Weiss supposed the circumstances didn't matter. What she really needed was to come to an understanding of her feelings and soon. Being in love with Ruby was dangerous for her. Even if Ruby hadn't been female, Weiss's family would never accept her as a potential suitor, and bringing someone deemed unsuitable into the Schnee Family was an unforgivable crime. If Weiss was to walk such a treacherous path, she wanted it to be because she truly loved Ruby, not because Ruby was a source of physical gratification.

Thoughts continued to spin in Weiss's head, but she realized that she wasn't going to solve anything by lying there on her sofa all day, so she stood up. She spotted Ruby almost immediately. She was standing on the far side of the living room in front of a painting hanging on the wall.

Weiss padded over toward Ruby, but the closer she got, the more conflicted she became. She could feel her heart swelling with love, and she could hear her head telling her not to believe it. By the time she actually reached Ruby, she had worked herself into a complete tizzy thinking in circles. She desperately needed an anchor, something she could hold on to, so she hugged Ruby from behind. Her head came to rest on Ruby's shoulder, and she breathed in deeply, letting Ruby's scent calm her.

Ruby giggled.

"What?" Weiss asked. She didn't see anything particularly funny about the situation.

Ruby said, "I promised myself that I was going to teach you how to hug one of these days. But I sure didn't think that was what it was going to take."

"I know how to hug," Weiss said. She'd tried to sound indignant, but she didn't think she'd succeeded.

"Could have fooled me," Ruby said.

"Hmph," Weiss said.

A silence settled over the room. Even clinging to Ruby like she was, Weiss felt like she would explode if she didn't do something to start sorting out her feelings. She searched and searched for something to say to Ruby, but all she came up with was, "So you're a homosexual as well."

Ruby laughed again, longer this time. "You can say 'gay', Weiss. Or 'lesbian'. They're just words."

"So you're a…lesbian…as well," Weiss forced out. It may have been just a word, but the implications and consequences it represented were all too real.

"No. Not really," Ruby said.

"Wait. What?" Weiss asked, lifting her head.

"I mean yeah, girls are great. Obviously," Ruby said. "But boys are nice to look at too. It'd probably be fun to have a boyfriend. I just don't think I'd want him, you know, going all the way with me."

"Oh. I see," Weiss said, although she wasn't sure that she did.

"You know," Ruby said, studying the painting in front of her. "I was planning on getting you to take me to an art museum soon. I didn't realize you had art at home."

Weiss glanced at the painting. It was one of her favorites. It was a swirl of vibrant colors without any distinct pattern or structure. The artist had cleverly layer the oil paints on the canvas so that it was impossible to tell where one color ended and another began. Looking at it had always made Weiss feel contented somehow.

Weiss said, "I have more paintings here. If you'd like to see them."

"I sure would!" Ruby said. "This is way better than going to some old museum anyway."

"Yes," Weiss said softly. "This is better."

Weiss still didn't let go of Ruby. She decided to push aside her inner conflict for now. There were things she needed to figure out, and things she needed to discuss with Ruby, but maybe it was okay to simply enjoy this moment for what it was.

Author's Note: So despite being on tumblr, I'm not really all that adept at applying labels. I think in this story Ruby would best be described as biromantic, homosexual? Does that sound right? What's more important is that Ruby and Weiss beat Yang and Blake to the punch, which is something I honestly did not see coming. I bet Yang would be proud if she knew. Of course that would also require her to be aware of Ruby's existence.

As always, I welcome constructive criticism. Please feel free to leave a review. And if you like what you've read, taking the time to favorite and/or follow really helps me out. You can also find me on tumblr (electronicyarn) if you want to send me a message or be notified of updates.