Ruby had been up all night sitting in the garage, fiddling with parts of weapons and tools. She'd already created one or two possible replacements, but the design and the functions never set right with her so she continued to toy around with her ideas. No weapon would be able to replace Crescent Rose, she knew that much, but she needed a temporary one to get her back home. She didn't have the parts required to redesign CR here in Mistral, all of that was sitting in her basement at home. It would be great if she could use pieces from her old weapon, but the chunk of metal was nowhere to be found when she'd escaped the cave. It was probably destroyed or sitting at the bottom of the ocean.

"Gah!" A sharp poke touch the tip of Ruby's finger, reeling her back to reality. She groaned, her fingers were bandaged since she would keep zoning out while working. Just as she stood up to clean the blood off and fetch another band-aid, the garage door opened and Ruby turned around. "It's morning already?!" She exclaimed in surprise, now aware of the sunlight pooling in. Tai gestured for her to come in for breakfast and he smell of freshly cooked food caught her attention, her stomach growled. She hadn't eaten in forever. . .

"Who cooked?" She asked, shutting the garage light off and following her father into the house. "It smells good!"

She came around the corner and paused when she seen Holly setting the table, the middle-aged woman looked up and smiled at her. "Judging by the way you look, you didn't sleep at all last night." She chuckled, gesturing for the father and daughter to sit down. Ruby took a seat across from her father as Holly sat at the head of the table. "I invited my daughter and her husband over to meet you, if you don't mind. We've never met somebody with silver eyes! We've always thought it was some sort of myth!"

Ruby sighed, "I won't mind. Just please don't make such a big deal out of it," she requested quietly, "it gets a little annoying after a while."

"We'll try not to-" Holly stopped mid-sentence, her gaze drifting to Tai, who had already begun to eat and had half-cleared his plate, "Taiyang Xiao Long. We didn't even say prayer first!" The woman scolded and the blonde man gave a sheepish smile. After a quick prayer, the trio finished up breakfast and had moved to the couch. The television was on and playing some random show, but none of them were paying attention. Ruby was laying horizontally across one of the couches, her father and his girlfriend occupying the other.

She was listening to the story of how the two of them had met, how Holly had apparently fallen in love at first sight and had tried and tried for the man's attention. Holly had heard of Tai's history with love and had promised him that she would never leave him. She was not a huntress and would remain at home, she would be there for him if he needed her. Just as the story ended, a knock on the wooden door echoed through the house Holly got to her feet and went to answer it.

"Rusty! Amra!" Holly greeted the people and Ruby sat up. Her eyes widened as the woman whom gave her the money yesterday walked in with a bearded man behind her, Ruby glanced between Holly and Amra, now seeing the resemblance between the two. Amra had bright red hair, but her eye color matched Holly's as well as her facial shape. The two shared a few more aspects as well, such as their hair style and parts of their personalities.

Amra grinned, "See, Rusty? Didn't I tell you she had silver eyes?" She tugged at her husband's arms and the rusty-haired man glanced towards Ruby. "I'm not crazy!" Rusty just smiled and gave the redhead's cheek a kiss, approaching Ruby and leaving his wife alone to speak with Holly.

"You really do have silver eyes. . ." Rusty commented and Ruby just barely concealed the irritation bubbling inside her chest. Why was that everybody's first comment or question when they met her? Like, really? It gets old. . . "Holly told me you were injured." He spoke calmly, keeping his distance in case the huntress felt threatened by his presence, "I'm a fully trained doctor with four years of experience. Would you mind if I take a look?" He asked, "You don't have to show me any wounds you do not wish for me to see."

Ruby gave him a smile, "My aura has taken care of most of my injuries," she replied carefully as she righted herself, ". . .but I do fear that my shoulder may be broken." She gestured for Rusty to take a seat beside her and he did.

"Care if I examine it?" He asked and Ruby shook her head. She winced when she felt a burning sensation run across her shoulder like a blast of fire, she glanced at Rusty to see his hands glowing a bright red. "My semblance is not to heal, if that's what you're wondering," he smiled, "it allows me to pinpoint the exact location of a wound or a break so that I can perform surgery if required. It appears that yours has pretty much healed, thanks to your strong aura, but I wouldn't recommend taking on any missions for a while."

Ruby glanced towards her father, who simply shrugged in response. Outside the window, Holly knocked and gestured for the blonde man to follow her and Amra outside. Leaving Ruby alone. She frowned and rose her guard, ready to strike if Rusty tried anything. "Okay, so no missions. Would I be allowed to travel to Atlas by myself?" She asked carefully, "I won't get too close to the Grimm."

"I suggest you stay here and he-"

Nope.

"I can't stay here!" Ruby snapped, "I have to get back to my fiancee! She's in Atlas alone! She needs me!" Rusty stared at her for a minute and Ruby took the silence as a chance to continue, "Like hell I'm staying here to 'heal'. She is probably worried to death about me, hell she might even think I'm dead!" She was sick of everybody telling her she needed to relax, telling her she she needed to stay and allow her body to heal properly. She knew she should, but she had her heart set on returning to Weiss.

Something was pulling her towards Atlas, she didn't know what it was, but it seemed to be trying to tell her something. Her partner could be in trouble. . . Ruby's voice lowered down to almost threatening growl, "She needs me. I'm not staying here."

Rusty looked up into Ruby's determined silver eyes, "Your fiancée must mean a great deal to you. Unfortunately, I cannot allow you to make the journey to Atlas in your condition. We can send her a letter or something to let her know you're okay and that you'll be staying here to recover."

"Fine. . ." Ruby muttered, yanking her arm back to her side. She glanced towards the door as Tai and Holly entered carrying shopping bags, leaving the door wide open as they started for the kitchen. Ruby sat up, her silver eyes locked on the door. She furrowed her brow and braced herself, summoning her aura and calling on her semblance. She felt the wind wrap around her as she bolted off the couch, leaving rose petals in her wake. She sped through the door, ready to run as far as she could in the direction of Atlas, but fatigue immediately rushed through her, causing her body feel heavy and overworked. Her semblance slowed and she stumbled to catch her balance, finding herself only a feet away from the house.

"Ruby!" Tai stepped out of the house, walking over to the panting woman and placing a hand on her back. "You haven't rested well. You can't use your semblance, it'll just wear you out."

"No shit." She hissed in response, clutching at her stomach as nausea replaced the fatigue. "Dad, I need to get back to her. . ." Ruby whispered, "Something bad has happened, I can feel it. I don't know what it is, but my gut tells me I need to be there. . ."

Tai sighed and gently turned the young woman back to the house, waving nervously at the onlookers. "Just rest, I'll see what I can do. . ."

A few hours later, Holly and Ruby were left alone in the house while Tai went into town. Holly was straightening up the kitchen and Ruby was uncomfortably on the couch. Her father had advised her to try and sleep while he was gone, but she was restless. She was as tired as hell, though.

"So," Ruby glanced towards Holly as the middle-aged woman approached the lounge, "if you don't mind me asking, who is the lucky man?" Holly took a seat in the rocking chair across from her. Ruby furrowed her brows in response, "Your father told me you got engaged last year, no?"

"Oh!" Ruby sat up and righted herself, meeting Holly's green gaze and offering her a polite smile, "Dad can't keep his mouth shut about anything, can he?" Holly chuckled, "I did get engaged, but there is no man. I'm actually surprised he didn't tell you."

Holly stared at her for a moment before shaking her head, "I'm sorry. Who's the lucky lady? Is it somebody from your team?" Tai seemed to have told her quite a bit. . . Ruby just nodded and the woman hummed, "Yang is your sister, so it couldn't be her. Who was that other girl? Your sister's partner?"

"Blake. She isn't the one I'm marrying, though. She's Yang's girlfriend." Ruby informed her, giggling when Holly's brows furrowed in confusion. The older woman's eyes widened and an incredulous gasp escaped her lips.

At first the realization that had struck Holly was quite amusing, but then. . . "You're engaged to the Schnee Dust Company's heiress?! You're marrying Weiss Schnee?! Ruby, that's amazing!" The way her fiancée's name was spoken caused a frown to cross Ruby's face.

"I'm marrying Weiss. Not Weiss Schnee. She's more than just 'the heiress to the Schnee Dust Company'." Ruby muttered, rubbing her forehead. "And it's really not that big of a deal. . ."

"You mean her father is allowing her to marry somebody he didn't choose for her-. . . Uh-" Holly cut herself off when Ruby shot her a cold glare, quietly asking how much the woman knew the subject, "Well, your father told me everything he knew about your team and their families. . . I wasn't informed you were engaged to your partner, though."

Ruby let out a low growl, "That would mean he told you everything. . ."

Holly raised her brows at her and sat back. "I'm sorry," she apologized and when Ruby waved it off, asked, "Anyway, what are you two planning to do after marriage? Will you still be a huntress?"

"We're actually talking about having our own family," she explained reluctantly, the idea of her fiancée's privacy having been revealed to a complete stranger didn't sit well with her. But, there was nothing she could do about it now. "Weiss is nervous about it because she fears she'll become like her parents, but I told her I'll be there with her every step of the way. She'd have me, so she'd never become like them." A pang of longing struck her and she glanced to the floor, shaking her head and lifting her eyes to meet Holly's again when the woman spoke.

"But you're both women? How would a child be conceived? Are you going to look for a donor?" The bewilderment on Holly's face was almost laughable.

"Well," Ruby whispered, fiddling with her fingers, "some researchers found that you can mix one woman's DNA in with the dust and it could be used as an artificial sperm. They wanted Weiss to test it out. . ."

[Weiss]

"So, I brought it home. At first, I was hesitant because it would only be the first experiment and they fail a majority of the time. I was also informed that there was a slim chance it would work, and I considered sending it back, but Ruby convinced me to try the dust, so we did." Weiss was sitting slouched over on the hospital bed, her fists clutching at her hospital gown. Blake and Yang seated on each side of her and listening to her explanation. Her eyes were locked on the floor, she was trying her best not to allow the tears stinging at the edges of her eyes to escape.

"Since the chances of the experiment being successful were so low, we didn't think it would work," she whispered weakly, "apparently it did." Weiss lifted a trembling hand and placed it on her stomach, "Unfortunately, the dust doesn't seem to be compatible with my body, which caused the miscarriage according to the nurses. . ."

Blake reached up and wrapped an arm around Weiss' shoulders, leaning against her friend and whispering a quiet, sorrowful apology. Yang remained stiff, staring off into nothing; her expression was unreadable. "I'm sorry that you lost a child, Weiss." Her voice wasn't gentle at all. . . "But maybe it's for the best."

It felt like a dagger had been struck into her chest, but she showed no emotion. Weiss frowned at her friend, "What's that supposed to mean?" She asked carefully, fearful of the response she might be given.

"Nothing." It seemed that the smallest thing could provoke Yang at the moment, but the grief and regret was clear in her eyes. She turned away from Weiss, standing to her feet. "I need to be alone for a minute. . ." Yang's voice was barely audible.

"Yang-" Weiss started, silencing herself when the door opened and a nurse stepped in. The first person Weiss had seen was her Father, his hands behind his back and a seemingly calm expression on his face. His eyes reflected the anger and disappointment clearly raging inside; Weiss shrunk back as Blake and Yang left the room upon the nurse's command, probably by her Father's request.

The room remained quiet for a few moments. For Weiss, it seemed like an eternity. Her heart was beating quickly inside her chest and she was trembling ever-so-slightly. Her Father was not happy, she could feel the irritation radiating off of him. She stiffened herself and drew in a deep breath, deciding it would be best to get this over with as quickly as possible. It would not end well, that was for sure. His posture and glare told her she wouldn't be let off so easily, there would definitely be a punishment of some sort.

She could take it. . . What else did she have to lose?

"Father. . ." She whispered, flinching when he narrowed his eyes at her, "I-I can exp-" He cut her off.

"First I find out my daughter is a lesbian," his voice rose as he spoke, his words practically dripping with venom, "I find out she's marrying a low-class woman, then she disgraces the Schnee family name by having a bastard child?" There it was. . . "Did you even comprehend any of the training I put you through?! Does your name and title mean anything to you? Imagine what the media would think upon receiving the news that a Schnee was carrying a child belonging to another woman!"

Of course, because tarnishing the family name was much more important than losing what could've been your family. No surprise there.

"I let you go through with this little fantasy of yours. I was willing to wait until you came to your senses, but now I see that I should have gotten rid of that Rose girl long ago!" The mention of her fiancee caused her heart to clench, once again reminding her that she was alone. Weiss kept her mouth shut, listening to her Father's rant. Why couldn't she have been the one to have lost her life?

"Tomorrow, you will be meeting three men I have lined up for you. Choose which one you like the most and the wedding will be held as soon as possible. Consider yourself lucky I managed to keep the news of your... Thing... off the media."

Weiss glanced up at Jacques, frowning as she processed his words. He had suitors lined up for her. . . She'd been foolish to believe he'd have allowed her to go through with her marriage; he had taken control of her life again. Did she ever even have freedom in the first place? Or was this all part of his plan?

"What do you mean?" She asked carefully, glaring at the man as he turned to face her. She knew very well what he meant, she simply wanted confirmation.

"The announcement of your miscarriage and your pretend engagement will get out eventually. You think I want to be blamed for not keeping my delinquent daughter under control?" Only thinking about how he would be portrayed, no amount of concern of what would come to her. She wanted to tell him that it would backfire on their name, not just her, but she held her tongue.

She did have something to say, though. "Let me get this straight," she felt anger bubbling up inside of her, "I lose my fiancee, who was also my best friend, and I lose my baby only a few days later. . . But I'm supposed to act like nothing happened? I'm not even allowed to grieve? Did you ever think of the world would think of that?"

Jacques simply raised a brow, "Which is why the world not be informed of this. If word gets out, you will shut them down and say they are nothing but rumors and you have been in love with your chosen husband the whole time."

"Do you really believe that will work?! People know who I am, they know who my partner was, my team. All of Beacon knew of our engagement-"

"Which is why you will say it was only a phase." The man turned his back towards her, "Liam Greer. His parents have been longtime allies of ours. You will meet him tomorrow and we will begin planning the wedding immediately. You will say you chose him to marry and will be respectful towards your future husband, do not disappoint me again.

Weiss' brow twitched. "What?!"

"You heard me. Get dressed, we're heading home." Without another word, the man left.

Hi! I'm procrastinating! No seriously, I need to finish the next chapter to Ice Flower and I did this instead. . .

Anyway.

Amra - Amaranth red
Rusty - Rusted orange
Liam Greer - Lime green

Amra and Rusty will not appear again, but they will be mentioned. Liam will reveal himself in the next chapter.