Two days has passed since Ruby went to see Yang after her surgery. Since then, Yang had been released and was spending a good amount of her free time with a therapist trying to learn how to control her arm. The progress she had been making was pretty impressive and Ruby genuinely enjoyed seeing Yang's smile with each new skill she mastered.

Most of them were simple things—squeezing and picking things up without breaking them. How to open a door without tearing the handle off. The first time Yang caught a ball without destroying it immediately was the first time Ruby had ever heard her big sister giggle. It was great to see Yang so full of life again.

Even if the sight made Ruby feel immeasurably worse for everything she was preparing to do.

In the two days since Ruby went to see Yang, she had barely slept at all. She could never find enough peace—her mind was constantly filled with images of Pyrrha in this place, trapped inside of a monster and probably begging for escape.

Ruby had hoped that by telling Yang about her plan that she might have some support. She was in no real condition to kill the monster, but with it contained, she knew she could. With help, it could be done quickly and Pyrrha could be free—but her team had let her down. They didn't trust her; they wouldn't help her. So Ruby had decided to take matters into her own hands.

First though, she had to handle a much harder task.

Acting happy—something she was not accustomed to.

"One more," Yang said as she bounced on her heels in anticipation.

The team had come together in Weiss' fancy, upper deck bedroom and were currently throwing things at Yang so she could catch them. So far, she'd caught six items in a row without breaking them.

As excited as Yang was at this accomplishment, the long yawn Weiss let out proved the rest of the team was not as interested.

"Come on, Yang—we're exhausted. We can throw things at you tomorrow." Blake murmured as she curled her knees to her chest against the corner of the couch.

"Just one more, Ruby—throw a cushion at me."

Ruby smiled, it was too nice to see Yang so worked up. Yet, when she reached for the nearest cushion, her wrist was grabbed and she met a pair of blue eyes.

"Excuse me?" Weiss glared at her. "That is my cushion."

It was, to a point—Weiss had been sitting on it at first but now she was mostly in Ruby's lap. "Aw, I thought I was your cushion." She said with a pout and Blake groaned.

"You're both so mushy and gross." Blake was tired and Ruby knew that sleep removed her filter.

"I think it's kind of cute," Yang chimed in. "I mean…I didn't think the words Weiss and cute would ever go together but—"

"Hey!" Weiss cried before picking up the cushion and hurling at Yang.

She caught it with ease. "Ha!" She winked at Weiss. "Don't worry, I'll be sure to cushion the blow next time."

Weiss sighed before rising to her feet and Ruby felt herself being dragged up as well. "Come, Ruby—we should go to bed."

"Uh, Weiss…this is your room?" Ruby watched as her girlfriend turned around and tilted her head at her.

"Well, Blake seems quite settled in on the couch." The Faunus happily purred from her spot. "I thought I would let Yang sleep in my bed and…perhaps I could…" Weiss glanced up at Yang and Ruby didn't even need to look back to know the smirk she was getting. "Stay with you." She finished shyly.

Ruby barely registered the noise of disgust Yang made behind her—all she could focus on was the look Weiss was giving her.

It surprised her sometimes, what Weiss could do to her. There were so many things Ruby adored about her. Weiss seemed to have a new way of making her heart race every single day. She was, in so many ways, the perfect girlfriend. Ruby would never be blind enough to think that Weiss was perfect—she wasn't—but she tried so hard to be and Ruby loved that. Each day Ruby thought she had her figured out, Weiss would do something new.

The first day Ruby started walking on her own, Weiss showed up and wandered all throughout the base with her. Ruby didn't ask her to, Ruby hadn't considered—but Weiss knew Ruby would have a lot of restless energy she needed to burn off. The walk was slow, but very long and when they returned, Weiss took her boots off and had achy feet—but she never complained once.

Ruby felt it was only right to give her a foot massage and that inevitably led to a rather intense session of kissing (which they were both vastly improving in) that was eventually interrupted by Yang who acted like she'd walked in on a naked Professor Port.

"Oh come on! Ruby your hand was on her—I'm sorry, I have to go burn my eyes out with acid!"

So when the offer to share a bed with Weiss was presented, Ruby could only imagine how far the kissing might go—and the look she was getting showed that kissing was definitely in order.

Still, it would put a bit of an obstacle in her way for what she had planned tonight—but eventually Weiss would fall asleep, which was something Ruby didn't have to worry about.

Reaching out, she took Weiss' hand and smiled. "Goodnight, guys." She called back to Blake and Yang before stepping in front of Weiss and pulling her out of the room. As the door shut, she heard the cushion in Yang's hand hit behind them.

"You've corrupted my sister, Schnee!" Yang shouted as they made their way down the hall.

They moved fairly quickly to find the shelter of Ruby's small quarters. Once inside, Ruby turned around only to be attacked by Weiss. She backed up into the wall with a pair of lips pressed against her own. Weiss was clearly in a very particular mood because she wasted no time running her hands through Ruby's hair.

Things like this were still so exciting for Ruby—when she was kissing Weiss it felt like all of her troubles faded away. She only wished it could be like this all the time. That there was no darkness, no need for sleep or food or anything. Just Weiss and the peace that came with being around her.

Weiss was the only thing left in Ruby's life that seemed to keep her from drowning.

Suddenly, Weiss pulled away and Ruby caught herself chasing after her. When she found nothing, she opened her eyes to see Weiss nervously biting her bottom lip.

Ruby frowned, her heart hammering in her chest. "What's wrong?"

"N—nothing." Weiss shook her head. "I just…I…" she took a deep breath and closed her eyes. Ruby was going to say something again, but before she could, Weiss began unbuttoning her own shirt.

With her mouth open, Ruby watched as Weiss undid each button with precision and let the shirt fall completely open. So much new skin was exposed, and somehow her throat went dry and her mouth watered all at the same time. She swallowed sharply and forced herself to stop staring at Weiss' stomach. Her gaze trailed up, past the bright blue bra and precious cargo it was carrying—along the expanse of Weiss' glorious collarbone and neck, then right into her eyes.

The longer Ruby waited to speak, the more Weiss seemed to panic. Just as she was about to cover back up, Ruby stepped forward and placed her hands on Weiss' bare shoulders. Slowly, she pushed the shirt down and let the it cascade to the floor.

Weiss shivered and Ruby found herself rubbing her girlfriend's goose bump covered arms.

"You're so beautiful." Ruby's voice surprised her. She'd been thinking it the entire time but the words came out on on their own. Weiss blushed and looked away.

"I—I don't know what's come over me. I've been wanting to do this all day and now I'm here, without my shirt on and it's cold and I feel like I'm overstepping and I'm sorry if I've pushed too mmff—"

Ruby silenced her with another kiss—she didn't ask permission but Weiss had told her it wasn't always necessary. This felt like one of those times and the way Weiss was frantically kissing her back, she knew she was right.

Carefully, they backed up to the bed and Ruby broke the kiss and watched Weiss sit down. Their eyes were still locked and Ruby decided to steel her own courage and join Weiss in her act of bravery.

The black top she wore, however, did not come off quite as magically as Weiss' button down shirt. Instead, Ruby found herself stuck as she tried to pull it over her head and now she was suddenly blindfolded.

"Come…on…you stupid…small neck...ugh!"

A soft giggle from Weiss was like music and Ruby wanted to see her smiling face. Instead, she was being bested by her own clothes and losing all hope of wooing Weiss.

Just as she finally managed to make progress, she felt Weiss grab her arms above her head and hold them still. A moment later, those familiar lips found her own and the unexpected sensations were somehow even more powerful.

Those hands trailed downward and the feeling of Weiss' cool fingertips along her ribcage certainly added to the intensity. She gasped into Weiss' mouth and finally managed to pull the offending clothing away. Ruby threw it to the side and placed her hands on Weiss' back. Together, they fell onto the bed—a silent understanding that this was as far as they would go tonight.

Ruby was more than okay with that—it was the best she'd felt in years.

As soon as Ruby opened her eyes, she knew it was still the middle of the night. This had become such a common occurrence for her and each time she woke up like this it made her want to cry. She didn't want these demons—the nightmares that forced her from sleep. Ruby knew how unhealthy it was, she knew how much she needed to rest.

Her body required it and she'd hardly had any in the last week. Unlike with food though, she couldn't force herself to sleep.

The feeling of Weiss next to her made this situation even harder. It felt so nice to curl up next to her—wonderfully sated on the bliss of their passionate kisses. To wake up now and not have Weiss' presence be enough, was devastating.

Still, it only helped to confirm what Ruby already knew—she had to go to Pyrrha and set her free. She had to set herself free.

Delicately, she removed herself from Weiss' sleepy embrace and swung her legs off the bed. The night air was cool against her uncovered upper body and she shivered. Trying to remember exactly where her clothes were proved to be a task because in the heat of the moment she'd casually thrown them aside.

Thankfully her boots were right next to the bed and she began to slip them on, tying the laces with practiced efficiency. Once she was finished with those, she started to stand up, however she was suddenly met with a cool sensation against her back.

"Hey," Weiss mumbled sleepily and Ruby was sure it was the cutest sound in the world. "You okay?"

Looking back over her shoulder, she could make out Weiss' face watching her, but not quite lifted from her pillow.

With a smile, Ruby leaned down and pressed her lips to Weiss' temple. "Just have to go to the bathroom, I'll be back."

"I can help," Weiss whispered and Ruby let out a breathy chuckle.

"How are you going to help?"

Weiss exhaled through her nose as her eyes fell shut again. "I dunno…hurry back, kay?"

"I will," Ruby watched as Weiss drifted back to sleep. She was so committed to doing this and coming back to Weiss and being finally free. Her past was so broken with so many terrible things—but Weiss was her future. "I love you." She knew Weiss had fallen back asleep, but she didn't need a response.

Eventually, Ruby found her top and tied her hair behind her head before taking Crescent Rose and setting out into the darkness of the base.

Her plan was fairly…simple—yeah, that was a good word for it. She just had to get down to where they were keeping Pyrrha and wait for her opportunity to use her semblance and speed her way inside. Though she wasn't entirely sure her body was ready for her semblance, this was something that couldn't wait any longer.

Ruby moved quickly through the halls and tried her best to stay hidden. She didn't know her way around this place quite as well she should for a mission such as this, but she was too fast to be caught and once she was done everyone would understand why this was the right thing to do.

Once she reached the elevator that lead to the containment area, Ruby checked to see if any guards were around. She knew they were close, but none of them were within range of actually seeing her so she raced over to the door and pushed the button. Her foot tapped with anticipation as she waited, ready to sprint away at a moment's notice.

The door made a soft ding and rolled open—however before she could even step inside, she was stopped with a familiar voice calling to her.

"So the junior Ice Queen was right." Qrow stepped up behind her and Ruby put her head down. "You really are sneaking off to try and kill her."

She turned around in shock. "How did you—what—how did she know?"

"Because we're all worried about you, kid. And you set off about a thousand alarms in your big sister's head the other night and she told all of us." Ruby felt so betrayed and Qrow seemed to notice. "Don't get mad at her, she's just looking out for you." He looked her up and down. "Clearly she had every reason to, no offense but…you're about as sneaky as an Grimm in a strip club."

"Qrow," Ruby hated the way her voice broke. She hated that he was here now and seeing her like this. She just wanted to be done with it and start over—why did they have to try and stop her?

He started to move again but not towards her, instead he walked into the elevator and leaned against the wall. Silently, she followed him inside and he pushed the button to close the door. However, they didn't move from this floor.

Instead, Qrow sat down with his back to the wall and patted the spot next to him.

"Come on, we've been together for weeks now and I feel like barely get to see you."

Ruby stared at the spot next to him. "I—I have a mission."

"That seems to be your default setting these days, kid." Qrow once again gestured to the spot next to him. Ruby hesitantly moved beside him and slid down—putting Crescent Rose at her side. "You know…I know you've heard a lot of stories about your mom." Just the mention of her grabbed Ruby's attention. "She was an amazing woman and probably the nicest person I've ever met. Way too good to be my friend." He stared at the floor with a sad smile and continued. "But what you probably don't know is that she battled with depression."

A strange sadness hit Ruby like a truck. It was such a force of emotion that she nearly let out an audible cry. "Wh—what?"

"Yeah," he nodded. "Docs called it…postpartum. Happened right after you showed up. For a long time, she struggled. When you read books and all that garbage in about the magic of parenthood, it looks like being a parent is some miracle attachment and instant connection but that's just smoke and mirrors. It's not always that easy."

"She didn't…love me?"

Qrow gave her a dismissive look. "Settle down, you were her entire world and don't think for a second you weren't—it was just hard for her. With Yang she attached because Yang was a little older and was a ball of fire and constantly making her presence known. You though, you were just…a this little lump of goo that crapped and threw up everywhere and it was hard for her because even though she loved you more than anything, she felt like she wasn't doing enough."

Ruby tried to process what he was saying but it felt so jumbled in her head. All she'd ever heard was how bright and wonderful her mom was. Her father and Qrow, even Yang spoke of her like she was the happiest person in the world. "I—I don't understand."

"Summer she…she really wanted to be the best mom in all of Remnant. She wanted to be perfect and it just didn't come naturally to her. For a while, she battled with it—struggled with not feeling good enough when it came to you. She figured it out, because your mom was amazing, but those first few months were hard. She was terrified of being like her own mother."

"What's so bad about that?"

Qrow sighed. "Her mom wasn't much of a mom at all. She treated Summer like shit."

"Oh," Ruby hated that she didn't know any of this. Then again, she'd never really asked. Her father wasn't big on talking about her mom and Yang only knew so much. "H—how so?" She asked, not sure if she really wanted to know.

"Summer grew up in a pretty strict home and…as bad as you can imagine it, it was probably worse." The things Ruby was imagining were terrible and the way her uncle spoke she was pretty sure she was on the right track. It made her stomach rot with anger. "Hunting was her escape and she worked really hard to try and get accepted into Beacon—but her mom didn't want her to go…so she ran away and made her way to Beacon with pretty much the clothes on her back and the weapon she built."

"They just let her in? She didn't have any money or—"

"That's where our old friend Ozpin comes. The people that know him, they trust him for a reason. He's stuck his neck out more than a few times for a lot of us, including your mom. She didn't have a lien to her name but he let her in. If she could pass the initiation, he would wave all the fees. Of course she did," Qrow smirked. "She was Summer Rose. Look everyone says a lot of things about how sweet and kind your mom was, but she was a…scary woman." He chuckled. "As sweet as she could be, she was dangerous and powerful. She took to combat and leadership almost…well...just like you."

What Ruby would give to see her mom right now was immeasurable. So many mornings she would wake up and the first thing she would think about was her mom. It was such an annoyance because she barely knew anything about her, and this conversation was only proving that. Even so, she missed her so much that it physically hurt most days. It was an empty void in her soul that she had never been able to fill. There were so many questions and conversations she longed for—things she would never have.

The phrase she couldn't shake though was his mention of how powerful her mother was—just like her.

As kind as it had been for Ozpin to let her into Beacon early, the longer removed she was from it, the more she wondered if his intentions were as pure as everyone believed. After all, he let Summer in when he probably shouldn't have, because perhaps he needed her for something. Just as he'd let her and her silver eyes in because he needed them for something.

Still, Ozpin was gone and hadn't been seen since the fall—there was no point in pondering it now. Not when her own life was such a mess.

"I just want all of this to go away." Ruby admitted with a tone of defeat. "I don't want to feel like this anymore."

The tears were threatening again and Ruby hated them. She was so tired of being sad and feeling miserable. It wasn't how she ever wanted to live her life. Even after she lost her mom and on the worst days, she'd fight to make herself smile because that was the person she wanted to be. Now, after running and fighting so much—seeing so many good friends lose their lives and not being able to save them—it felt hopeless.

Pyrrha though, trapped inside of that monster—she could save her. Even if Pyrrha was no longer a part of that body, she could do something. She just wanted to do something and to feel like she was in control.

"All right," Qrow pushed up to his feet and quickly tapped the button leading the elevator to go down. Ruby jolted at the sudden movement but pulled herself up.

"What?"

He looked back at her. "Let's go do this then. If it will make you feel better, then I'll take you there. You won't have to sneak or anything fun but that's probably for the better. I'd hate to have Winter kill you before you get the chance to marry that girlfriend of yours."

Ruby flushed at his words—he was way too far ahead of her, but she wasn't about to correct him. "H—how will going with you be any easier? You don't have clearance."

Qrow scoffed. "Are you kidding, I'm friends with the Ice Queen herself, I've got all the clearance I need."

"Winter?"

"You got that right," the elevator stopped and the door opened. Ruby latched Crescent Rose to her back before following him out. "Winter might scream at me and glare at me all the time but…she trusts me."

"I've specifically heard her say 'I don't trust you, Qrow'." Ruby saw his eyes roll. "Multiple times."

"Nah," he waved her off. "The trust is in her eyes." They rounded the corner to the narrow hallway that led to where Pyrrha was being kept. "Also I stole all of her security codes. Above all else, I trust myself with them."

Ruby frowned. "I—I don't think it works like that."

He didn't answer her after that, instead, he tapped in the code and assured all the guards that it was okay—smooth talking them with how many monsters he'd killed and how experienced he was.

Hunters were always fairly revered by most people. They were, after all, filled with legendary stories and immeasurable skill. In fact, most soldiers were just people who couldn't quite make it as hunters but were still enamored with that life. Even if some of the military higher ups were trying to push huntresses and huntsmen out of the picture—a lot of people still saw them as heroes.

The heavy door hissed as it finally opened and Ruby felt the nerves begin to bubble up in her stomach again. She was fairly certain Qrow wasn't bringing her to let her walk in and execute the monster. But she knew she was faster than him and everyone else and could get to it if she had to.

The chill of the containment room struck her hard—she hated being here but at least now she felt a little more in control. She was on her own two feet and she had her scythe with her. If she needed to, she could at least fight.

Not that it had done her any good before.

The first thing Ruby noticed was how quiet everything was. There were less guards, the movement and chaos of the last time she'd been here was gone. If anything, the guards seemed to be far too relaxed. It was unnerving.

Even more so when Ruby saw Jaune casually sitting in a chair next to the cell and reading a book. He was right up against the glass, his voice loud enough to barely hear as they entered the room and it seemed very out of place. It had crossed her mind briefly that she hadn't seen much of him in the last few days, but she hadn't really been all that alert of anything lately.

"Jaune?" Ruby called out and watched him look up at her from his book with wide eyes—clearly not expecting her.

"R—ruby…what are you—it's really late."

"Exactly, why are you here?" She strode over to him and Qrow lingered behind her.

When he stood up, he cleared the view of what she hadn't seen before. It was a figure sitting with it's back to the glass and its head cast down—red hair spilling down it's back.

Her back—Pyrrha. Jaune was reading to her.

More so than that, she wasn't chained up like before. Now she only had one attached to her ankle.

Ruby reached behind herself and quickly pulled Crescent Rose from it's hold and opened her scythe to full size.

"Ruby!" Jaune cried out. "No, you can't!"

"Jaune, what's going on? Why are you reading to…what is this?"

"I can explain—Weiss brought me here a few days ago and I got into the cell."

"You what?!" Ruby shouted and pulled her weapon back. Had he forgotten how dangerous this thing was. Sure it looked like Pyrrha now but it had caused so much damage—hurt so many people. It was a monster and a menace and it had tormented them for years. "I don't understand." She turned to face Qrow with anger nearly boiling over. "What's going on?! What happened?!"

Qrow sighed. "You need to relax, kid."

"Stop calling me that! Stop hiding things from me and stop trying to protect me! Tell me what's going on!"

"Ruby…" A third voice called out to her and she felt her body go numb. The way Qrow's expression shifted to concern was telling enough to how she must have reacted.

Slowly, Ruby turned around towards the voice and saw the monster standing with her back still to the window.

Only it wasn't a monster at all. That was Pyrrha's voice that spoke to her and Ruby thought she was going to pass out.

Her bottom lip began to quiver and her grip on Crescent Rose was slipping. She stepped towards the glass and watched as Pyrrha turned to face her.

Despite the black markings that crawled up her neck and down her arms—her face was virtually untouched and looked exactly as it had five years ago at Beacon. Her hair was down and was ragged with years of being uncared for. Her big and bright green eyes were filled with tears and that alone was distressing because this supposed monster was feeling and crying and talking to her.

Ruby let out an audible sob. "Pyrrha you're—I'm sorry..." Her legs gave out and she fell. There was so much she didn't understand. Why was Pyrrha back? What happened to the monster that was trying to kill her? What happened the day Pyrrha died? A thousand things were needing to be answered but Pyrrha was standing in front of her, trapped in a cell and covered in markings and Ruby felt herself break.

She cried loudly and felt her uncle swoop in at her side and try to comfort her. The world faded into nothing but this uncontrollable need to weep. Everything seemed to catch up with her—the loss of Beacon, the loss of Pyrrha and Penny.

Penny—she had hardly thought about her in so long but suddenly that felt fresh once again. She couldn't save Penny or Pyrrha or anyone. She was useless and hopeless—never fast enough and speed was all she ever had.

Eventually, Qrow sat her up when she started having trouble breathing and he ran his hand up and down her back. Telling her over and over again to relax and breathe. She followed the pattern he set out for her and soon enough she was able to get it under control. The tears still fell, but they were steady and quiet.

Looking up again, Pyrrha had not moved—she'd watched the whole thing and actually looked remorseful.

"Please don't apologize to me, Ruby. I do not deserve it."

Taking a deep breath, Ruby closed her eyes and shakily climbed back onto her feet. She lifted Crescent Rose up with her and held it at her side as she stood face to face with a girl she'd seen die a thousand times in her nightmares.

"Did you kill all those people?" Ruby asked, unsure what she was expecting the answer to be—or what she would do with it.

Jaune took a step forward but Qrow held him back.

Pyrrha continued to stare at Ruby—she looked guilty and miserable. "I did—I remember every single detail about every single life I have taken." She beyond Ruby, her eyes losing focus. "I wasn't myself—I was a weapon and I had a mission and that's all I cared about." She shook her head. "I couldn't fight it, I couldn't stop it. I knew it was wrong, but my body wouldn't stop fighting. Even when I was hurt or…tired—my body wouldn't stop. It dragged me and drove me to complete my mission."

"What was your mission?" Ruby asked with a hollow tone, the grip on her weapon tightening.

Pyrrha again looked at her and swallowed thickly. "To capture you, at any cost, and bring you back to my leader."

"Salem," Qrow said and Ruby glanced at him curiously. That name was entirely new to her. He stared at her for a moment before looking to Pyrrha. "Is that correct?"

She nodded somberly. "I had no choice. I woke up after…everything at the tower and she was there. I couldn't say no to her and when I tried she hurt me until I no longer resisted. Eventually, she turned me into this. Only a few days ago when Jaune touched me did I finally regain any sort of control." A tear slipped down her cheek and she let it fall without care. "It hurts—each life I took haunts me and I can't stop it. I don't know what to do."

Ruby was more than overwhelmed with all of this, but her eyes managed to find the chain tied to Pyrrha's ankle. "If you're…you…why are you still locked up?" Why the secrets and hiding? Why keep this from me?" She asked to all of them, but Pyrrha answered.

"Because even now…there are echoes in my mind screaming at me to…take you. To hurt…all of you. Salem wants you, Ruby. She wants you and if she gets you, you will suffer. Do you understand?" Pyrrha's voice started to raise in panic. "I don't want to hurt anyone else. I just want it all to go away."

Ruby heard the familiarity in Pyrrha's words and thought of all she'd been through. If it was true, and there was no reason to believe otherwise, then the sweet girl that Ruby had known from Beacon had been turned into a monster against her will. Forced to kill and destroy against her will. To hunt without stop, all at the hands of someone she'd never heard of before.

It was too much. She wasn't prepared to help anyone through this. Killing Pyrrha wouldn't solve anything. This was Pyrrha, her friend but at the same time it wasn't.

A strange feeling of clarity came over her at the overwhelmingness of everything. It was too much, she felt like her mind was breaking and she needed to stop.

Turning around, Ruby closed Crescent Rose and walked over to Qrow. She extended her weapon out to him and pressed it into his chest.

"Take it, please."

He looked at her oddly but grabbed her weapon nonetheless.

"You okay, ki—" he stopped himself. "You all right?"

Ruby shook her head. "No." She let her weapon go—not sure if she'd ever hold it again. "I want to go back to Weiss and just…I can't do any of this anymore. I—I can't."

With a sudden understanding and a resigned look of relief, Qrow nodded. "Okay, I'll keep this for you." He said as he gestured to Crescent Rose.

She stared at her weapon for a moment before forcing herself to look away and walking past him out of the security room.

The walk back to her room seemed to take forever and more than a few times she nearly gave up and considered lying on the cold floor below her.

Ultimately, she made it back and as soon as she opened the door again, Weiss was frantically buttoning up her shirt.

"There you are!" She cried before foregoing the rest of her buttons and hugging Ruby around the neck. "You were gone far too long for any bathroom break, Ruby. Where did you go?"

Ruby drew her arms around Weiss just as she was about to pull away and held her close. "I went to kill Pyrrha."

"What?!" Weiss drew back quickly, her hands suddenly on Ruby's cheeks as she stared at her with horror. "Please tell me you—"

"I didn't," she reassured her. "I couldn't…she's…she's not a monster."

Weiss let out a sigh of relief and her thumb began to stroke Ruby's cheek. "Oh Ruby…I'm sorry I didn't tell you about that. You were just so upset after last time and then Jaune happened and I—"

"Weiss," Ruby cut her off and took Weiss' hand into her own. "I'm not mad…I'm—" her throat hitched and she fought through it. She needed to say this, she needed to admit it. "I'm not okay." She held onto Weiss' hand for dear life. "I need help."

With a certain nod, Weiss once again pulled Ruby into a hug and started kissing her cheek and along her neck—any patch of skin she could find, she was planting with frantic kisses. "Of course, Ruby I will help you in any way I can. I promise."

Smiling as best she could, Ruby held Weiss close. "Can we just…lay down for a while? I'm really tired."

Drawing back, Weiss pulled Ruby onto the bed by her hand. Once she was settled, Weiss started untying Ruby's boots and carefully slipping them off her feet. Ruby was prepared to tell her to stop, that she didn't need coddling or this much care.

But…she couldn't, it was comforting and she felt safe letting Weiss take care of her. So she remained silent and watched Weiss work.

Once her boots were off and the blankets were pulled up over the both of them, Weiss settled Ruby's head onto her chest and started stroking her hair.

Through the silence, Ruby felt herself drifting—her body physically unable to stay awake any longer.

"I love you, Ruby." Weiss whispered against her skin.

She could hear the sincerity in Weiss' voice and clung to the strength it gave her. "I love you too."

Few quick things. I took some liberty with Summer's story, mostly because I thought it would be interesting and with Summer I feel we can just make our own headcanons until proven otherwise.

Also Ruby's plan was shit, but that was by design. She's a mess and not at all thinking clearly. In her mind, she just needed to do these things and everything would magically get better.

Lastly, thank you again for reading and your thoughts/feedback are always welcome.