A/N: Okay, I lied. There's one more chapter before the end. This one is just sort of a ... um, prequel to the end? I don't know. Kind of wanted to add a filler before the end of Octane. I will try to have that out by Saturday though. So you won't have to wait long. :)

Also, I want to take this time to inform you all about a poll up on my profile regarding the next side-story I'm going to start once Octane finishes. I have 2 options (both which have had their first chapters posted already).

Rise to Power & Shadows of the Force!

If you haven't read either story yet, you should totally do so and then vote on my profile for which you'd want to see continued once Octane is over!

Thanks for reading guys and stay tuned for the end of the story, coming soon! Until next time!

Tapping on her steering wheel, Ruby's eyes darted towards the small clock in her car and back at the red light in front of her. She couldn't help but bounce her leg up and down with nervous energy as she silently cursed the bright red light that forced her to stay stopped at the intersection. More than once she contemplated just zipping through the intersection and running it but it was late afternoon on a Friday and the last thing she needed was to get into trouble today.

"Come on… come on!" She whined, already shifting her car into first gear.

Her eyes glanced over at the clock again and she couldn't help but tighten her grip at the wheel. She needed to get moving!

Finally though, as if granting her wish, the accursed stoplight changed to green! Not even green for half a second, Ruby hit the gas in her RX-7 and zipped forward, continuing towards her destination. She couldn't afford to be late! Everything had to be perfect!

As she drove, slightly above the speed limit, her silver eyes looked up into her rear view mirror. She instantly spotted the foreign make-up that her sister's girlfriend, Weiss, had applied for her earlier. It was something she had never really done before and she was really grateful to Weiss for doing it, but Ruby couldn't help but feel a little silly now looking at herself.

It wasn't overdone, and she had to admit she did look slightly attractive, but she wasn't sure if the person she did all this for would appreciate it. Not to mention her clothes! It was one of the rare times that Ruby wasn't wearing her trusty red converses. Instead she wore crimson heels that was the same shade of the lipstick she wore. Another decision by Weiss.

Finishing off the shoes was something the white haired girl called a wine dress. Ruby had no idea why it was called that, she never even tasted wine before! But the Schnee said it would finish off her look perfectly. Though Ruby still wasn't very sure. She was beginning to question if asking Weiss for advice and help to get ready for today was the right decision, but she relented and endured her punishment. Plus if anyone knew how to dress to impress, it sure had to be Weiss.

Looking over towards the clock again, Ruby brushed her stray bangs out of her face and took a deep breath. Both her sister and Weiss said she looked "stunning" and "all grown-up" respectively. Even her mother snapped some pictures of her when she was leaving, causing her face to be the same color as her name. But none of that mattered… The only opinion that mattered would be hers.

Glancing at her phone, Ruby made sure to follow the directions her GPS gave her. She was almost there, maybe only a few more minutes until she arrived. She inched the accelerator down ever so slightly, knowing that every second wasted on the road was another second lost getting closer to her destination. But her goal was in sight, as her GPS pinged her to inform her that her destination was on the next left-hand turn.

Quickly barreling down the street and quickly beating the yellow light at the intersection, Ruby made a quick left turn into a housing complex to which her date lived in. Instantly she was impressed with the homes here. Much bigger and extravagant than her and Yang's own, but not quite as formidable as Weiss'. Though she had never been here before, Ruby had a feeling that the girl she was here to pick up came from some form of wealth. It made sense given with what kind of car she drove… and how she looked.

But she didn't let that deter her. Ruby was passed feeling self-conscious about things like that. Especially with how these last few weeks had been. They were much closer now.

Keeping her eyes peeled on the houses that flanked her on either side, Ruby smirked. Her heartbeat quickened and her palms started to get just a bit sweaty. She didn't dare wipe them on her dress though, in fear of getting it dirty. She was nervous. More than nervous! She was scared.

What if she messed something up? What if her date didn't like her outfit? What if she said something stupid? … So many what ifs!

But never once did she let off the gas that pushed her and her car forward towards the one house she was heading to. The one she spotted even before her GPS told her that it was coming up. The unique orange GTR giving it away as the car sat parked in a driveway of a large two-story brick home.

Quickly pulling up to the house, Ruby parked at the curb and admired it. It didn't look any different from the other homes that surrounded it but for some reason, this one was special. Maybe because of the car that sat in the driveway or knowing that the girl of her dreams was looking at her from the front door… or maybe because…

Wait!

Looking back towards the front of the home, Ruby spotted her date looking out at her from the opened front door. Even from here, she could see the slight teasing smile on her lips as Ruby swallowed nervously. She saw the woman wave from where she stood and Ruby waved her own hand towards her.

"H- Hey." The nervous redhead called out from her car.

Though she instantly realized that the other girl wouldn't be able to hear her. Her windows were rolled up and at realizing that, Ruby had to resist the urge to face palm at herself.

"Keep it cool, Rubes. Keep it cool." She uttered to herself.

Though when there was a slow knock at the passenger side window of her car, she jumped before spotting an alluring ebon haired woman smiling at her just outside her car. Clearing her throat, Ruby rolled her window down and gave the other girl a shaky smile before once more trying her hand at greeting.

"H- Hi Cinder!"

Cinder on her part smiled just a tad bit wider at Ruby's voice. Even from where she sat, Ruby could see that Cinder looked as beautiful as ever. She was currently wearing a very tight fitting black bodycon dress that showed off the curves of her body in a very alluring way. All Ruby could think about while the woman rested her arms in her open window was how Cinder looked from the back as she was bent over slightly. The younger girl licked her lips at that thought.

"Hello to you too, little Rose." Cinder greeted back with her own smile.

Ruby instantly felt herself get hot and she was sure that she blushed just from her date's greeting, as embarrassing as that was.

"I- I'm here to p- pick you up!" Ruby noted. "For our… d- d- date."

She watched Cinder tilt her head just as the woman brushed her hair behind her ear, exposing a slender neck to Ruby.

"I can see that, Rose." Cinder answered with a gentle smile. "But you seem to be about… forty-five minutes early."

Ruby glanced at her clock and smiled abashedly. She really was early.

"I- I guess I am." She mumbled out, laughing nervously.

But Cinder only giggled at her, easily calming Ruby's nerves as she listened to her laugh. She felt her heart melting once more for the older girl as she watched her. Up until Cinder had to wipe a tear from her bright amber eyes.

"Really Ruby, you're something else." Cinder mused softly. "You were so excited that you just couldn't wait, huh?"

Nodding her head quickly, Ruby answered her. "Yeah!"

Though the slight look of surprise look she got from Cinder made her quickly retract her answer.

"W- Wait, I mean no!"

But then Cinder's face twisted into a look of… hurt.

"I mean yes!"

But the other girl held her hand up to calm the energetic redhead down with another giggle.

I'm just teasing you Ruby. I'm happy you showed up early, just for me." Cinder giggled out. "I guess it was a good thing for me to get ready early."

Ruby only stared at the girl dumbfounded as Cinder eyed her with a slight smirk on her face as she waited.

"Yes Ruby, I'm ready to go… if you are?"

Ruby nodded her head quickly, already turning her car back on but shook her head as she remembered something extremely important that her sister had told her before she left.

"Remember to hold the door open for her, pull the chair out for her, and compliment her looks."

Quickly reaching for her own door latch, Ruby moved to get out and open Cinder's door for her before she was pulled right back into her bucket seat by her harness.

She heard Cinder laugh at her and Ruby couldn't hide the blush that formed on her face at being seen.

"Are you okay, Jewel?" Cinder asked, obviously trying to stifle her laughter.

Ruby only groaned and nodded her head, unlatching her harness from around herself and seemingly jumped out of her seat. She quickly made her way around her car, all the while Cinder watched her curiously as she waited. Though once Ruby made her way to the passenger side of her RX-7, she stopped and could only stare at Cinder's attire.

She was beautiful.

Now Ruby was able to see the full extent of Cinder's body. The tight fitting black dress ended right at her thighs with a pair of matching black high heels that looked almost extravagant in nature. Cinder looked like a woman. Whereas Ruby still felt that she herself looked like… a child playing dress up.

"Y- You look…" Ruby mumbled dumbly as she pointed towards Cinder.

But the older woman cut her off, slowly making her way towards Ruby as her face lit up.

"Wow, little Jewel, you look amazing." Cinder complimented, as she looked over her. "You did all this for me?" She then asked, brushing Ruby's bangs out of her face.

Ruby felt her body heat up to a whole different level as she felt Cinder's fingers caress her face. With how close the other woman was now, she could also smell the sweet aroma of perfume that only made her weak in the knees.

"And when you get all flustered like that… it lets me know that you really did doll yourself up just for our little date tonight." Cinder cooed, moving in closer to whisper into Ruby's ear.

"And I can't help but want to just reward my little jewel for that."

That was it. That was all it took.

Ruby felt her knees buckle under Cinder's voice but the taller woman was fast. As quick as lightning she caught Ruby before the girl collapsed onto the ground and held her in her arms with a smile as she peered into Ruby's silver eyes. The girl looked as if she were in a trance as she stared back at Cinder with half-lidded eyes.

Cinder however couldn't help but laugh as she held Ruby in her arms.

"My, I didn't think you'd fall for me just like that."

She could see how red Ruby's face was from the constant teasing but Cinder couldn't help it. Even now as the shorter girl struggled to stand up on her own, she fumbled over her words. It was adorable. And the feeling of having such a girl all to herself… Cinder couldn't have been happier.

She waited as Ruby calmed herself down, she didn't want to make that much of a scene outside her home. That and she was sure her parents were watching them out the window, so Cinder decided to tone it down a few notches. For Ruby's sake.

"So anyway, where are you taking me this lovely evening?" She asked.

Watching Ruby steady herself as she leaned on her car for balance, the shorter girl finally met her gaze and took a deep breath before answering, still shaky on the heels she wore.

"I- uh, a- a place that Weiss recommended… d- downtown." The crimson haired girl stuttered.

Cinder nodded as she watched Ruby walk past her and open the passenger side door, waiting. It took Cinder a moment to realize that her little jewel was holding the door open for her.

Giving the shorter girl a reassuring smile, Cinder walked towards the open door and prepared to get in. Though not before placing a hand at Ruby's cheek and whispering something that made the girl's earlier blush reappear, much to her amusement.

She quickly took her seat in Ruby's passenger seat and giggled to herself as the other girl shut the door and stumbled back around the car to get back to her own seat. But while Cinder watched Ruby from inside the car she couldn't help but think that she was the luckiest girl in the world. She was glad she made the decisions that she did that night two weeks ago. It meant that she'd be able to see Ruby smile and act like this again.

She watched as her little jewel got in the car and strapped herself in, with Cinder following suit. She took a moment to admire Ruby's interior. It was clean, and matched her car's exterior quite well. She had custom stitching and embroidery on the dash that were a dark red, matching the car's paint, with her red and black race seats that finished the touch nicely.

"You know," Cinder started as she glanced over at Ruby. "This is the first time I've been in your car."

Ruby looked to contemplate it for a second before nodding her head. "You're right, it is."

Chuckling to herself, Cinder let herself relax in her seat. Well as much as she could in a bucket seat. It was made for practicality, not for comfort. But she relented, it was nice not having to drive for once. Come tomorrow, she'd be able to do all the driving she wanted.

Ruby pulled the car off from the curb and started heading towards the restaurant she had mentioned that Weiss told her about. Cinder knew whatever restaurant that the Schnee would recommend would have to be high-end and expensive, though she wasn't worried about it.

"S- So… about tomorrow."

Cinder raised an eyebrow and glanced over at Ruby waiting for her to finish.

"You nervous?" She finished.

Cinder smirked and returned her look towards the windshield, watching where Ruby was going. It was a question she had been asked countless times from her friends at school to even her own parents. It was hard to answer… she wasn't sure. Sure, she was a little on edge about tomorrow but at the same time she was excited.

It was going to be her first real race.

"A little bit." Cinder answered in a low voice.

"R- Really?" Ruby exclaimed loudly. "I didn't think you got nervous about anything!"

Cinder chuckled at that again but only smiled in response. There were actually quite a few things that made her nervous, truth be told.

"Oh?" Cinder cooed. "But how can I not be nervous when I'll have my cute little Rose watching me race my first big competition?"

Ruby once again flared a bright red before Cinder quickly stifled a giggle. Her girlfriend was just too cute.

"But speaking honestly, it's quite a bit nerve racking." She answered honestly to which Ruby looked over at her.

"Both Yang and I have been putting in a lot of hours on the track at Weiss' father's behest. And even I'm impressed with the progress we've made together. We're working a lot better now. We drive in tandem and sync really well, though it'll be a whole different thing tomorrow. Our first chance to put it to the test."

Ruby nodded, listening to Cinder's words and the shorter girl couldn't help but feel proud. Proud for her girlfriend and proud for her sister. She had noticed them both training almost every day for the past couple of weeks. Yang had even quit the school basketball team so she could get more hours in on the track. There were even some nights where her and her mom would drive down there to drag Yang home.

Not only that though, but both Cinder and Yang seemed to be getting along rather… well. It was odd for Ruby to see but she enjoyed it. Yeah, it was a bit awkward since Cinder, who was now dating her, was speaking so casually with Yang but it didn't seem like it bothered the two of them. It was nice seeing them become friends again… and not to mention Blake.

After that night all those weeks ago, things were still a bit hectic but… their old ebon haired friend had come around. Blake still was sort of distant but Ruby could tell that she was trying. She came over the house every so often to talk with all of them, but only if the others were there she noticed. They never really brought up what had happened but Ruby knew that it was going to take time. And as long as she knew Blake wasn't going to give up, then she wouldn't give up either.

"Well, in early celebration to your win tomorrow." Ruby uttered, gaining Cinder's attention while they still drove. "I'm going to take you out on the best date ever!"

Both girls laughed at that and Ruby even felt her earlier embarrassment come back, but when Cinder placed her hand over Ruby's own on her shifter, she couldn't help the feeling of butterflies in her stomach. Especially after the next words Cinder whispered towards her.

"Thank you, Ruby."

"Mm, I don't ever wanna move from here." Yang mumbled as she smiled blissfully from where she lay on her girlfriend's lap.

Weiss said nothing though as she idly played with Yang's hair, her eyes glued to the small TV that sat atop of Yang's dresser. She was keeping an eye on the weather for tomorrow. Mostly for Yang's race but the team had checked ahead and it was supposed to be the perfect day for racing. Bright and sunny, but one couldn't be too careful. She just wanted to double check…

"Babe, it's not going to rain or snow or tornado tomorrow." Yang whined as she noticed her white haired girlfriend neglecting to lie down with her on the bed, though the position she was currently in wasn't too bad either.

Weiss for her part only hummed but still kept her eyes on the television. She had heard what Yang said but she just wanted to be triple sure.

"Even if it did rain Weiss, you don't think I'd be able to handle it?"

Weiss finally looked down at her girlfriend's twinkling lilac eyes. Though she knew that they were twinkling with mischief, Weiss couldn't help but notice how cute Yang looked in her current position while she rested on her lap.

"It's not that I don't trust in your ability to drive in the rain Yang, it's just me making extra sure that you don't have any surprises in store for you tomorrow." Weiss answered with a huff.

"Even if it did rain, your dad's team would take care of any and all preparations." Yang shot back with a smirk. "So there's no reason why my girlfriend can't help me relax a bit before the big race tomorrow!"

Weiss frowned at that as she shut off the television. She knew that's what Yang was after, a little personal time. Though she couldn't blame her really. These past few weeks they haven't had a lot of alone time between the two of them. What with Yang's constant practices at the track with Cinder, her own stuff with school and basketball, then the time trying to smooth things out with Blake; they both rarely had time to be alone together.

"I'm surprised you even have the energy to want to do … that." Weiss mused.

The blonde only nodded her head happily as she continued to stare up at Weiss with a smile.

"I always have that kind of energy." Yang reassured.

Weiss only rolled her eyes as she continued to play with Yang's hair. But her thoughts drifted back towards their old friend Blake. Though things were still rocky, Weiss noticed that the girl was doing a bit better these last few days. Almost as if something had happened. Something good.

Though she knew the girl's car was ruined, it didn't take long for the police to show up at her house that very same night after she left her car when Cinder rescued her. Weiss remembered the whole night like it was yesterday. Thinking on her feet at the time, Weiss told the police that Blake's car had been stolen that very same night. So whoever they were chasing on the highway had to be the "suspect". Though when they asked about Blake's injuries, it was the ebon haired girl who perked up and told them that the person who "stole" her car had did it to her.

After giving a false description of the "guy" who "stole" her car, the police bought the story and issued a search for the suspect. Though they all knew they'd never find their make believe criminal. But it was one problem solved.

"Have you spoken to Blake?" Weiss asked towards Yang, taking note at how the blonde had already shut her eyes.

"Mm, not since about three days ago, why?"

Weiss only shook her head as she started to braid Yang's hair.

"No reason, was just wondering."

She continued her work for a few more minutes before she spoke up again though.

"Do you think she's going to come tomorrow?"

It took a moment for Yang to speak up, and Weiss could tell that her blonde girlfriend was fighting the fatigue that threatened to take her to sleep. The girl moaned a bit before she finally answered.

"Both Ruby and I invited her… who knows?" Yang replied sleepily. "But I hope she does come…"

Weiss felt the same way. Tomorrow was going to be one of the biggest days in Yang's life. She knew it'd mean the world to the blonde if her best friend showed up for moral support. And Weiss knew Yang needed all the support she could get.

Despite the blonde always putting on a stalwart front in front of others, Weiss knew that Yang was scared. It was only natural really, but Weiss hoped the girl wouldn't let her nerves get the best of her. Yang was a great driver, and these past couple of weeks of training she had been putting only served to get her to improve as well. Not to mention the teamwork her and Cinder have established on and off the track.

She'd do fine.

"You're going to do great tomorrow, Yang" Weiss said.

Though when she didn't get a reply, the white themed girl glanced down at the sleeping oaf on her lap. Yang looked completely at ease and also vulnerable. Her mouth was parted slightly and her face looked like she already was having a happy dream.

"So much for always having energy." Weiss giggled out as she poked at the girl's face lightly.

She watched as Yang wiggled her nose in irritation and Weiss couldn't help but fall for the girl all over again. She was impressed with how far Yang had come and how much she kept growing. And she'd support her every step of the way. She knew that she could win tomorrow.

"You'll do fine tomorrow, babe." Weiss whispered to her sleeping girlfriend.