Chapter Thirty-eight: Just Another Lullaby Part I

Ruby tossed and turned in bed, unable to find a comfortable position. She was curled up like a ball with her blanket pulled up to her chin but had her bare feet exposed to the open air. She had sweated through her clothes and they clung to her like a second skin, but getting up, taking them off, and changing was precious energy she couldn't risk expending. The thought of taking everything off and sleeping in the nude did cross her mind, but that just meant she'd have her bedsheets stick to her instead. She didn't know what to do anymore; she'd never been this sick before. She was shivering like she was trying to sleep through a frigid Atlesian winter, but she also felt like she was roasting directly under the sun. The constant flip-flop between extreme hot and cold made Ruby wish she was dead. And with how weak she felt, she might as well be.

Ruby violently coughed, her body shaking and trembling as her lungs tried and failed to expel whatever demon decided to take residence in her congested lungs. Her throat felt like it had been ripped apart from the inside, but the water and honey lemon lozenges Yang left her before work were both gone. She considered calling Weiss but quickly changed her mind when the fight came to mind. The last thing Ruby wanted was for Weiss to see her all crumpled up like a used, snotty tissue—which she had a proper mountain of in her waste bin. After another coughing fit that shook the room and a rocket-propelled sneeze that ruined the life of another innocent tissue, Ruby fell into a fitful sleep and dreamed of Weiss.

"Oh, mon amour, you look awful," Weiss whispered she ran her fingers through Ruby's sweat matted hair. "How are you feeling?" Ruby leaned into Weiss' touch, chasing after her chilly hand in the hopes of feeling that sweet relief for another brief second. Weiss chuckled as she rested her hand on Ruby's forehead. "You're like a puppy, I swear."

"Mm," Ruby moaned, curling further into herself.

"You're burning up, mon amour," Weiss sighed. "Why didn't you call me?"

"I didn't want to bother you…"

"Why would you think that?"

"You're busy with company stuff," Ruby murmured. Weiss sighed again and pulled her hand away. "Noooo, put it back!" Ruby whined, turning to wrap herself around Weiss' slim waist like a clingy swimming tube. "Hand cold. Gib."

"So this is what you're like when you're sick," Weiss laughed as she gently stroked Ruby's cheek. "How dare you make me miss out on something so adorable."

Ruby's nose was starting to leak and clog up again so she snorted it all up before anything could drip. The sound, in short, was absolutely disgusting. And if Ruby was in her right mind she'd apologize, but she wasn't, so she did it again and rubbed what did escape into Weiss' clothes. The cologne she wore was strong and it cut through the thick fog clouding Ruby's nose like a vapour rub letting her smell something pleasant for the first time in days.

"Be thankful I love you," Weiss grumbled as she gently pushed Ruby face away and peeled her sticky arms off of her. She took her blazer off and kissed Ruby's forehead one more time. "Sit tight, mon amour; I'll be right back."

Ruby whined like a baby missing its mother and desperately tried to cling to Weiss, but she skillfully dodged all of Ruby's attempts and slipped out the room like a spectre, leaving nothing behind but her lingering scent and the promise of her return. Ruby curled in on herself and coughed like the air was poison; tears stung her eyes.

The bed shifted as a weight settled next to Ruby and a cool hand caressed her burning cheek.

"Can you sit up?" Weiss softly asked after what felt like eons of silence. Ruby cracked her weary eyes open and saw Weiss sitting next to her with a washcloth in hand and fresh clothes beside her. "Hi there," she whispered with a smile.

"Hi, baby," Ruby smiled back. Weiss tucked some hair behind her ear and kissed Ruby' forehead. "That tickles," Ruby sleepily giggled. "I missed you."

"I missed you too, now sit up," Weiss commanded in that strict but loving motherly tone Ruby had only ever heard directed at Chrys.

"No," Ruby pouted. "Tired."

"I know you are, but I still need you to sit up," Weiss insisted as she dropped the washcloth into a large bowl on the nightstand. But when Ruby made no effort to do as she asked, Weiss took it upon herself to force Ruby up—gently of course. "Come on, lazy, up." She tugged on Ruby's shirt next and said, "I need this off."

Ruby lazily blinked before laughing and whipping her shirt off. She saddled up to Weiss and tried to kiss her neck, but a swift flick on the forehead had Ruby staring at Weiss like a deer caught in the headlights.

"Wha—? But I thought you wanted to…?"

"Now is not the time for that," Weiss said. She wrung the wet cloth twice and carefully wiped Ruby' face, cleaning away all the sweat that accumulated on her brow. "How long have you been sick?"

"Three days," Ruby murmured, watching Weiss with a small smile. The cloth was warm and Weiss was as gentle as always, though the rejection stung a little more than she let on. "I went out to lunch with Tavi and some jackass sneezed on me."

Weiss quirked an eyebrow. "'Tavi'?"

"Octavia," Ruby giggled. "I stopped by at your office on Tuesday, but you were out playing hooky with Chrys. We ended up bonding over some good food and gossiping about our busy girlfriends."

"Ah," Weiss chuckled. "This explains why my favourite receptionist has been calling in sick."

"Oh no!" Ruby gasped. "I should check in on her. Can you pass my scroll?"

"So you can texting another girl while I'm right here? Should I be jealous?" Weiss teased as she dipped the cloth back into the water.

"You? Jealous? Now that's something I'd like to see," Ruby snorted.

They shared a quick laugh and settled into a comfortable silence. Ruby let Weiss do what she wanted and let herself simply experience the moment. How long had it been since they allowed themselves to just be? No responsibilities, no doubts, and no impossible weights to carry. Ruby sighed in content and smiled, though it slowly turned sour when a niggling thought wormed its way into her head. Was this how a mother's touch felt? Did her own mother ever do this when she was sick? She could recall Qrow sitting by her bedside with a full arsenal of cold busters at the ready and Yang with some chicken soup, but Ruby couldn't recall Tai ever doing something like this. Maybe she was too young to remember… or maybe she was just making excuses for him.

"You're giving me a look," Weiss said, poking the deep crease forming between Ruby's eyebrows. "What's wrong, mon amour?"

Ruby let out a sigh as she leaned into Weiss, her familiar warmth and smell soothing the growing ache in Ruby's fractured soul. Weiss set the cloth down in the water and wrapped her arms around Ruby's shoulders, holding her tight.

"What's wrong?" she cooed, stroking Ruby's hair.

"It's dumb," Ruby murmured.

"It can't be dumb if you're brooding over it."

"No, it's really, really dumb, Weiss."

"Again, it can't be as dumb as the time you had an existential crisis about watermelons being berries during sex," Weiss pointed out in a deadpan.

"How can they not be fruit though?!" Ruby cried out with a fresh blush painting her cheeks. Weiss let out a chuckle and kissed the top of Ruby's head. "Sorry…"

"Don't ever be sorry for being you, mon amour," Weiss said. "Now tell me what has you so sad."

Ruby leaned back against the wall and twiddled her thumbs. The fact she was topless didn't fully register until she looked down and saw her breasts on full display. She was comfortable and didn't feel like hiding at all though, and that little realization made her smile.

"Oh, you're smiling now," Weiss said as she wrung the cloth and wiped Ruby' face again. "I'm going to need you to scoot forward so I can wipe your back."

"Woops, got it!" Ruby said, scooting just as Weiss asked. "You're really good at this," Ruby said with a slight shiver when the warm cloth touched her cold back.

"I've had practice," Weiss replied. "You're dodging the topic though."

"Right." Ruby pursed her lips and sighed. "Well, the thing you're doing is what I was thinking about…"

Weiss instantly stopped and said, "I'm sorry, I just assumed this would be okay. I'm so used to doing this for Chrys that I thought you'd be okay with it too—I am so sorry, Ruby!"

"No! No, baby, it's okay," Ruby said grabbing Weiss' wrist before she could put the cloth away. "I really like it… I was just… I was thinking about my mom… like, did she ever do something like this for me?"

"Oh, Ruby…"

"I don't remember her at all," Ruby said with her head hung low as she blinked back her tears. "I have some flashes, but I don't know if they're real or just something my head made up to make me feel better. I don't remember her voice or what her touch feels like—when I think of my parents, all I can think of is Uncle Qrow's stubble and his gravelly voice singing me a lullaby."

"Well, you're in luck because I do know the answer," Weiss said after a brief moment of thought, tilting Ruby chin up. "Whenever you got sick," she continued softly, "even if it was just a tiny sniffle or a cough, she would stay by your side. And when you got feverish, she would always wipe you down with a warm cloth just like this."

Ruby blinked, her mouth agape. "How do you know this?"

"Tai," Weiss answered with a melancholic smile. "He and I tend to swap stories whenever we grab brunch, remember?"

"Oh yeah… but why exactly? I understand you two are friends, I'm cool with that, but why talk about my mom?" Ruby murmured with a tense expression.

"Because he knows you have questions that you'll never ask him," Weiss said.

"I…" Ruby hung her head again, unable to refute the truth.

Weiss pressed her forehead against Ruby's and took her hands. "I know you're struggling. It's hard to undo the past, and as much as I like him, I really can't condone what he did. But he's trying, Ruby. I won't push you to reach out, just consider it."

"What else did he tell you about her?"

"He told me how she took to motherhood like a duck to water—his words, not mine—and essentially adopted Yang when Raven left. I envy her for being so ready to love you both," Weiss confessed with a rueful smile. "When Chrys was born, I was, to be quite honest, disgusted by how she looked. She didn't look the way newborn babies do in movies. I thought something went horribly wrong, but the doctors and nurses assured me that she was perfectly healthy. Though, that still didn't stop me from wanting to be as far away from her as I could. Nicole had to quite literally force me to hold her, but if she hadn't, I probably never would've."

"That bad?" Ruby asked.

"That bad. I have a few pictures if you're curious, but it's kind of nightmare fuel if you're not ready for it," Weiss said, rinsing out the cloth before taking Ruby's tattooed arm. "Thank you for letting me do this," Weiss said as she lovingly ran the cloth over Ruby's skin. "Golly, you're so pretty…"

"No, I should be the one thanking you," Ruby murmured with a faint blush, watching Weiss trace over her tattoo with the utmost reverence—she could've gone without the painful "golly" reminder though. "Hey, Weiss, have you considered this thing you went through might've been postpartum? I've been reading about it out of curiosity and it kind of sounds like what you described."

"Oh, definitely," Weiss said the second the words left Ruby's mouth. "Postpartum aside, a lot of people don't just instantly fall in love with their babies. I know it goes against everything we're taught, and the media always portrays this as some sort of failing on the parents' part, but it takes time to get to know your baby. You carried them for almost a year, but until they're born and in your arms… they were essentially just a parasitic growth sucking nutrients from you."

"Wow, that's a take," Ruby said with a surprised look.

Weiss flashed her a rueful smile. "I think I got hit extra hard because I never knew what a mother's love was like until I saw how Nicole cared of Chrys."

"What about Amélia?"

"She tried so hard when she first took me in, but I stonewalled her every time because I was so scared I'd get tossed away again…" Weiss answered, her hands slowing to a stop. A sad smile tugged on her lips as she reminisced. "Maman never gave up though. She cared about Chrys and went above and beyond for her, but she always put me first. I wasn't just her grandchild's incubator or the wife her daughter was forced to take. I was her daughter. And now I guess I'm also her protégé…"

"I'll be sure to be extra nice to her the next time she visits," Ruby said, bumping her forehead against Weiss'.

"Thank you," Weiss replied, bumping Ruby back. "I need to wipe your chest next, do you want me to do it or would you like to do it yourself?"

"You can do it," Ruby replied, shivering when she felt the cloth touch her collarbone. "What about your biological mother? I know your dad's a dick and your mother drinks, but there's gotta be more to her than that."

"There's not much more to say," Weiss murmured, slowly dragging the cloth down between the valley of Ruby's breasts. "She used to be quite nice when I was younger, like an aunt who'd visit every now and then with presents. But when I turned ten, she and Jacques got into a huge fight and he admitted to only marrying her for her name. Something inside of her broke and she stopped caring. That's when she started drinking, and she was not a nice drunk..."

"Did she hurt you?" Ruby asked. She couldn't help but blush and stare when Weiss wiped a breast. Ruby gulped. This was far more sensual than she expected.

"Physically? No. Emotionally? I don't think there's enough time in the world to undo what she did."

"Is that all you can tell me?"

"That's all I can think of," Weiss replied after a second of hesitation. She averted her eyes and gnawed on her bottom lip like she was trying to keep a second from spilling out. "I knew her about as well as you knew your mother," she said, swallowing the hard lump in her throat. "Sure, she's alive by the definition of it, but she wanted so little to do with me and my siblings that I thought my childhood nanny was my mother… that was an awkward conversation to have with Winter."

"What happened to the nanny?"

"She was immediately fired when another maid overheard me calling her 'Mama.' "

"Do you know where she is now?"

"No, and I'm not particularly eager to find her—she was kind of a bitch," Weiss laughed. "She punished me for the smallest things, and never praised me when I did something good."

"That's…"

"A shitty childhood? Yes, but I had Klein and Winter before she ran away from home," Weiss said, rinsing out the cloth. "You might not have known your mother, Ruby, but you were loved. Your whole family loves you."

"That family includes you and Chrys too, Weiss," Ruby said with a smile. "My family loves you."

Weiss returned the smile and lovingly kissed Ruby's cheek. They didn't speak again until Weiss finished wiping down Ruby's upper half. Weiss offered to wipe the other half down as well, but Ruby politely declined. She didn't want Weiss to see her embarrassing My Little Budgie undies ever again. Once was enough.

"At least wipe yourself down before getting changed," Weiss said as she handed Ruby her fresh clothes.

"I'll do it in the bathroom," Ruby said with a blush, accepting the clothes graciously. She curiously peeked between the layered and spotted a fresh pair of… blue Budgie undies. Her eyes bulged out as she hugged the clothes to her chest in horror. "Weiss, I—"

Weiss stifled a knowing laugh and kissed her cheek without a word. Ruby was far too enamoured with the fact that Weiss had chosen this specific pair amongst all the others that she completely forgot about how Weiss had to root through her unmentionables to get them. The thought hadn't even crossed her mind.

"I'll be waiting in the kitchen for you then," she said, getting up to leave. She paused at the foot of the door though and said, "I brought you a little something, so don't take too long, okay?"

"Okay," Ruby said still smiling like a goof falling in love all over again. "Love you."

"I love you too."

Curious about the surprise Weiss had in store for her, Ruby quickly cleaned herself up. She wasn't as thorough as Weiss, and the water had gotten cold ages ago, but god damn did it feel good to not be covered in sweat and sticking to herself anymore.

Ruby slipped into her fresh clothes and brought the water bowl to the kitchen where she found Weiss reheating something on the stove. She also noticed a small stack of books on the table next to Weiss' purse.

"Wut'cha got there, baby?" Ruby asked as she rinsed the bowl and the cloth.

"I brought you soup," Weiss answered as she gently stirred the pot. "Qrow said you'd been throwing up a lot lately, so I brought something I know you'd be able to keep down."

"Kim?" Ruby asked with a hopeful look after she sniffed the air.

"Mhm, I'm also making you some honey lemon tea," Weiss said, pointing to the electric kettle rattling off to the side. "Your throat must be so sore after everything you've gone through."

"It kinda is," Ruby said, smiling at Weiss' thoughtfulness. Weiss' propensity of being the best girlfriend ever continued on strong and Ruby was never more grateful.

"Take a seat, Ruby," Weiss instructed.

Ruby saluted her and plopped herself down at her usual spot by the table. With how often they'd been getting guests and Yang's new job, the table had found itself a permanent position in the living room. There was much less space now, but it beat being hunched over on the coffee table and sitting on the floor.

Ruby hummed to herself quietly and tapped out a beat, legs idly swinging along. Weiss served her a steaming mug of strong Earl Grey tea with honey, lemon, and a spoonful of sugar not long after. A large heaping bowl of pho followed next. Ruby took a big, long whiff of Kim's masterpiece, letting the fragrant golden broth fill her senses. Weiss had scraped almost all off the toppings, leaving only a few bits of green onion and cilantro to float on the top.

"Thanks," Ruby said, grinning at Weiss.

"Anything for you, mon amour," Weiss replied, caressing Ruby's cheek before cupping her chin. "You're looking a lot better."

"I feel a lot better," Ruby said as she picked up a healthy serving of the noodles with her chopsticks.

"I picked up some vapour rub and cold medicine, as well as a few fever patches for you," Weiss said as she opened her purse and pulled out the items, setting them aside by the books.

"You didn't have to, Weiss," Ruby said with a twinge of guilt pulling her ecstatic smile down. She loved how doting Weiss was, but she couldn't help but feel ashamed for monopolizing her time.

"I wanted to," Weiss insisted as she leaned back into her chair.

"Thanks," Ruby said, finally taking her first bite of real food in days. It tasted like heaven, so much so that Ruby didn't notice Weiss had nothing before her until she was five bites in. "Did you already eat lunch?" she asked with her mouth full.

"I ordered a few eggrolls and ate them on the way here," Weiss replied.

Ruby blinked. "You ate in your car?"

"Yes?" Weiss hesitantly replied, her left eyebrow rising in worry like she'd made a mistake.

"Who are you and what did you do with my girlfriend?" Ruby asked, eyes narrowed at Weiss suspiciously.

"I was in a rush," Weiss explained.

"A likely story!" Ruby huffed. "Tell me something only the real Weiss knows."

"You have a praise kink, and you like it when I fuck you with a strap-on," Weiss said without any hesitation or a hint of shame. Ruby did her best impression of a fish out of water, her cheeks burning red. "You also really like it when I suck you off and drag the tip of my tongue up—"

"Enough! I get it! I get it, okay?!" Ruby screamed, her embarrassment threshold hitting new, unbelievable peaks. "God damn it, Weiss, you didn't have to say all that."

"But you asked for something that only the real me would know," Weiss said with a quiet, condescending chuckle to match her smug look. "Any more questions? I can go into further detail if you'd like?"

"Nope. Nope. Nope! You win. Stupid, sexy milf…" Ruby quietly grumbled to herself, stuffing a large bite of her noodles to avoid talking any further. But after a couple seconds of brooding, and another few to chew and avoid choking, Ruby turned her attention to the books Weiss brought along. "What are those?" she asked, pointing her chin at the stack.

"Books," Weiss answered dryly.

"Ha. Ha. Funny."

"They're for you," Weiss answered more seriously. "I did a lot of thinking, and thanks to Chrys, I gained a little perspective."

"Huh?"

"I'm sorry for running away, Ruby," Weiss said, pulling the books closer. "I could have handled things better, but I didn't know-how. And I know you don't want to go into that field anymore because of me and Chrys, but I don't know if I can live with myself if I let you do that." She slid the bottom book out and, with a bit of hesitation, passed it over to Ruby. "It's far too soon for you to make your life revolve solely around us," Weiss said. "While I am extremely flattered and so immensely grateful you're thinking of me and my daughter, I can't let you give up on your dreams so easily."

"Huh?" Ruby repeated, her eyes darting between the book and Weiss.

"You need to live your own life," Weiss said.

"I-I thought things were good between us?" Ruby said, her bottom lip quivering.

Was this finally it? Was this how Weiss decides to call things off? All those calls that ran long into the night and the many promises to talk things through once the dust settled—were those all lies?

"Huh?" Weiss blinked in confusion.

"Am I doing something wrong? Was I too clingy?" Ruby asked, pressing for any information to save their relationship.

"Wait, wait, wait!" Weiss exclaimed, reeling back in shock. "Ruby, what are you talking about?"

"Huh?" Ruby blinked. "Isn't this… aren't you… b-breaking up with me?"

"What?"

"What?"

"Ugh, Ruby… of all the silly things you could think of, why did it have to be that?" Weiss sighed. "I can't even kiss you to make you feel better, so just add one to the list."

"O-Okay…?"

"I am not breaking up with you, okay?" Weiss said with a pointed expression, her cherry red lips pulled tight into a thin line. "These books"—she tapped on the one in front of Ruby—"were Nicole's. Specifically the books she used while she was still in training. If you flip it open you'll see her notes—and before you ask, she wrote everything in Valese…"

Ruby flipped the book open to a random page in the middle and gasped at how terrible Coco's writing was. There was an elegance to it with the way each letter linked to the next, but that just made it more difficult to read—not impossible, just harder. Ruby must've made a face because Weiss snorted out a laugh.

"It's awful, isn't it?" she said, taking another book from the bottom and flipping it open. She lovingly touched her wife's messy writing, treating each letter and word like a sacred script. "Her brain worked faster than her hands could follow," she murmured in thought. "But as illegible as it is, you can't deny how smart she was."

"It's like a mishmash of cursive and printing," Ruby said, flipping to another note filled page.

"We're taught to use cursive first and how to print after in elementary school, but after that, no one really cares. Our high school didn't care which we did as long as we maintained a high-grade point average."

"Mm, yeah, your handwriting is almost as pretty as you," Ruby said with a flirtatious wink. Weiss rolled her eyes. "What? It's true!"

"If I hadn't heard that line over a million times, I'd be flattered.

"It's the first time I said it though," Ruby said, puffing out her chest proudly.

"You know what? Okay," Weiss said with a smile. "Thank you, Ruby, I'm flattered."

"No problem," Ruby grinned.

"Now, enough flirting, you need to eat before the pho gets cold," Weiss instructed, closing both books before putting them back into the stack.

"One sec," Ruby said as she darted out of her chair and into the kitchen. She rummaged around the cupboards and pulled out a bowl, then she grabbed another set of chopsticks, a spoon, and a serving spoon. She also got a glass of water before heading back to the table.

"What are you doing?" Weiss asked.

"What's it look like?" Ruby said, brandishing her wares proudly. Weiss tilted her head and shrugged like she had no clue. Ruby sat back down beside her and started serving Weiss a good portion of the pho with plenty of beansprouts, a bit of meat, and all the free-floating bits of green onions and cilantro. "Still no clue?"

"Fine," Weiss said, accepting the bowl gratefully.

They ate in relative silence, only speaking up once or twice to compliment the food. Their feet, however, were bustling with activity. Ruby routinely poked Weiss' ankle with a toe and Weiss would respond by seductively caressing Ruby's shin, teasing her with the barest of touches while she smiled innocently. Their little game of footsie continued until both their bowls were empty.

Ruby leaned back into her chair with a hand on her full belly and breathed out a content sigh. The tea she'd been sipping on had done wonders for her throat, so she sounded a bit more like herself and less like a monster that crawled out from under a bridge.

"How are you feeling, mon amour?" Weiss asked as she placed a hand on Ruby's forehead. "Your fever's done down and you've got some colour back on your face. Your coughing's gone down too."

"Feeling pretty good right now," Ruby said. "Can I see the books again?"

"Sure," Weiss said. She handed the full stack to Ruby but took the leatherbound book at the top before she could inspect it. "Sorry, I just… I just need a second," Weiss murmured, holding the book tight to her chest. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay," Ruby said, placing a hand on Weiss' shoulder. "I can tell it's special… what is it?"

"It's…" Weiss swallowed, her eyes shut. She clutched the book tighter. "It's Nicole's journal," she whispered just loud enough for Ruby to hear. "Sh-She never let me read it, and I-I… I can't bring myself to do it."

"And… you're lending it to me?"

Weiss nodded, her bottom lip trembling. Ruby could see the tears welling up in Weiss' eyes and reached over to comfort her. Weiss reluctantly handed the book over to Ruby and took a deep, shuddering breath after. Not a single tear was shed.

"Weiss… I don't know what to say," Ruby said as she ran her fingers over the smooth leather. The journal had some weight to it, its pages no doubt filled to the brim with stories and adventures Ruby could only imagine. "Thank you." Weiss nodded again, her shoulders sagging with relief now that she was free from the heavy weight she carried. "I'll take good care of it."

"She started writing in it a year after she joined the force." Weiss massaged her eyes and sighed. "She said it was filled with all the experiences she didn't want to share with me. Her thoughts and feelings—I wish she had let me in instead of locking it all away. Maybe I could've done something more to help… but I was so angry back then…"

Ruby stared down at the journal with a terrible concoction of emotions raging within her heart and mind. She respected Coco and hated her. She respected her for stepping up to take responsibility for Chrys and raising her to be the amazing young lady she is now, but the things Coco put Weiss through were things Ruby found unforgivable. How could anyone keep these feelings secret from their spouse? The second that thought crossed Ruby's mind the guilt she'd been carrying reemerged—ugly and festering—like a monster hiding in still waters waiting for its moment to strike. It lashed out violently and mauled the good feelings seeing Weiss fostered and dragged them down to the murky depths. Ruby hung her head in shame.

"What's wrong?" Weiss asked, tilting Ruby's chin up.

Ruby turned her gaze away, unable to look at Weiss, and said, "I'm sorry… I'm sorry I kept this part of me a secret for so long. I thought I could change things before it could come out. I really thought I could. I don't want to hurt you and Chrys the way Coco did…"

"Then do better than her," Weiss said firmly, her eyes resolute. "Read the journal and learn from Nicole's mistakes. Do not let my family be the reason you stop pursuing a career you've dreamed of since you were a child."

"But… I don't want it anymore," Ruby said, looking down at the journal. "I want to be with you. I don't want to do something that could jeopardize that."

"What happened to Nicole was a terrible accident. The bastard that killed her could have snapped at anyone else." Weiss let out a grim chuckle as she pulled her hand back and ran it through her bangs. "The world is a scary place, mon amour. Trying to hide from it will only make your life miserable."

"I guess…"

Weiss offered Ruby a smile and said, "I love you. Whatever happens, whatever you choose, I will be here to support you."

"Thanks, Weiss," Ruby said, returning the smile.

"Just promise me that you'll avoid keeping secrets like this away from me again," Weiss pleaded. "I don't think my heart can take any more surprises."

"I promise."

Weiss accepted Ruby's word with a nod before stretching her arms up high.

"Okay, I should probably get going," she said with a stifled yawn. "Maybe I can get some sleep now that everything's finally resolved."

"Stay," Ruby begged. Weiss took a second to think and contemplate her options. "Please?"

"Okay."

Weiss followed Ruby to her room, their used bowls and glasses forgotten. Ruby had taken the books and placed them on her nightstand next to Weiss' and Velvet's pictures. Weiss was rooting through Ruby's closet for some comfortable clothes to wear and found an old, large t-shirt Ruby hadn't seen in years. Ruby had gone through a phase in high school where she did everything she could to hide her body. She'd grown out of it when she entered university, but when someone looked at her "funny," that desire to hide away came back.

"Can I borrow this?" Weiss asked, holding the shirt against her body. It went down to her upper thighs like a poorly fitted dress, but the faded black colour and splashes of red and white suited her.

"Sure thing," Ruby said. "Feel free to grab anything else."

"No, this is good," Weiss said, tossing the shirt onto Ruby's bed.

Weiss started to casually undress. First the blouse and then the skirt, her bra followed next, and finally her pantyhose. Ruby had forgotten they were dating for a second and covered her eyes, but when her single, overworked brain cell kicked in, she dropped her hands and enjoyed the view. Weiss definitely knew what she was doing and it didn't seem to bother her one bit.

"Wow…" Ruby whispered in wonder as she watched Weiss slip on her shirt. "I've seen you in my clothes so many times, but I still can't stop myself from staring."

"You flirt," Weiss said, sauntering up to Ruby. She wrapped her arms around Ruby's waist and rested her head on Ruby's shoulder, sighing in content. "I've missed you," she said, nuzzling her cheek against Ruby's neck. "I've missed so much."

"I missed you too," Ruby said, holding her dream girl tight.

They stayed like this for what felt like an eternity, neither one daring to move. But as the seconds ticked on, Ruby noticed Weiss' embrace loosening and her breathing slowing to a crawl. It was time for bed.

Ruby gently scooped Weiss up and carried her over to her side of the bed and laid her down. The covers had still been strewn to the end, so tucking Weiss in was as easy as picking her up. But a sleepy Weiss was a needy, childlike Weiss. She refused to let Ruby go, forcing her to climb over Weiss instead of just walking around to get to the other side. Weiss was fast asleep by the time Ruby got comfortable, the long days and nights of working without rest finally catching up to her.

"I love you," Ruby whispered as she caressed Weiss' cheek and kissed her forehead.