Ruby hated the club. It was the crowds she hated the most, when she was alone or with her friends at Beacon, she was her normal cheery go-lucky self, but when she was surrounded by loud strangers it was understandable that she would be a little shy. Okay, make that extremely sky. But it was her birthday and Yang insisted on going out for the night, much to Weiss' protest.

The club Yang had chosen was run by some guy named Junior, and the two of them seemed to be close friends mostly because Yang had trashed the place and put all the guards in the hospital months earlier.

The sisters sat down at the bar and Yang waved down the bar tender so she could get a drink. "Yang did we have to come here." Ruby asked looking down at her lap trying to not make eye contact with anyone.

"OH, don't be like that sis. You got to get out sometime, you can't stay in the dorm room all day working on your scythe." Yang explained as her drink was handed to her.

'Yeah, but that's at least fun!' Ruby thought to herself. She sighed and took in her surroundings full of drunk idiots dancing and flirting with each other. As she turned back around the owner of the club was standing in front of her handing her a whisky glass with three fingers of cheap bourbon poured into it. "Uh, I didn't order anything." Ruby quickly stated pushing the glass away from her.

He looked at her with a smug smile, "I know. So, it still bugging you Scar'?" He said with a sigh and smile.

Ruby thoroughly confused tilted her head to the side, "I think you have me confused with someone else, my name is Ruby not 'Scar'."

The man's body straightened, and his eyes went wide, "You're sure?"

Ruby was about to answer when her older sister leaned over forcing herself into the conversation, "Hey Junior. You trying to get my baby sister drunk? Cause if you are then you have to answer to me." She put on her overprotective sister voice which lost some of its weight since her breath already smelled like alcohol.

Junior apologized and took the drink away. As he walked away he kept looking over his shoulder at Ruby. He got one of his many bartenders to get Ruby a drink without any alcohol.

After Ruby shrugged off the weird encounter and got over her anxiety a little she started to have a good time with her sister. They dance to their favorite songs for a while, and when they got tired they went to a VIP room Yang had rented them to talk.

By the time they had to leave it was nearly two in the morning, and Ruby was upset not because the night was over, but because Yang was for lack of better term; completely shitfaced. Normally she was great at holding her liquor, but she could not talk without slurring and mostly talking nonsense. The worst part was she couldn't walk without help.

Barely making it out of the club it became clear that making it back to Beacon would be an impossibility especially sense Yang was throwing up in a garbage can by the side of the road. Ruby sat her drunk sister down on a nearby bench and pulled out her scroll to call her partner. After a few failed attempts to call her white-haired partner, she finally picked up.

"Ruby do you have any idea what time it is?" She sounded very tired, and her voice was tipped with anger.

"I know, I know. I'm sorry okay. Yang got drunk and I don't think we can make it back to Beacon, so I'm going to rent us a hotel room for the night." Ruby knew how much Weiss hated to be woken up when she was sleeping.

The anger in Weiss' voice was quickly replaced with worry and urgency, "Do you need me to send someone out there to pick you two up?"

"No, no its fine I still have some money left over so the hotel is really the best option. I just wanted to let you know so you don't freak out in the morning when we weren't there." Ruby let out a small giggle as she heard Yang ramble about three bears and porridge.

She heard the heiress sigh on the other end, "Fine just be safe that isn't a very safe part of town."

"Don't worry Weiss we're gonna be fine." She said her cheery nature returning to her. She then hung up and started looking up nearby hotels. She did find a decent looking hotel within drunk walking distance. Helping her half-sister to her feet they started to walk down the street towards the hotel Ruby had chosen, occasionally stopping so Yang could throw up and to check for directions.

When they arrived, Ruby approached the person behind the desk. "Is your room okay?" She asked nicely.

"Uh, I'm here to check into one…" She responded confused.

"But, you already have?" The girl said with a raised eyebrow just as confused.

"I'm sure I haven't. I just need a room so my sister can sleep for the night. It's my birthday and she used it as an excuse to get drunk." Ruby explained hoping that would fix things.

"Okay then…" The girl trailed off her confusion only slightly leaving. "It's forty Lien a night per person with an extra fifty on top for the room itself." She stated. Ruby paid the girl the appropriate amount and waited for her to retrieve the room key. "Third floor, on your left." She said. "And happy birthday!" She chirped.

Ruby said her thanks and dragged Yang to the elevator and up to the room.

Unlocking the door and placing Yang on one of the beds, Ruby grabbed Yang's bag with a change of clothes for herself and went into the bathroom. When she came out, she was wearing a black t-shirt and PJ pants, and saw that Yang was already asleep half hanging on the bed.

Ruby let out a deep sigh. "I need some air." She mumbled to herself.

She stepped out of the room, placing the 'Do Not Disturb' sign on the handle as she left. As she walked down the hallways, she let her mind wander to nothing in particular. She wasn't paying attention as she walked around the corner and ran directly into a random passerby.

"OW!" Ruby yelled.

"DAMN IT!" The person yelled in a feminine voice.

Ruby looked up to apologize to the girl she ran into only to see…. Ruby. She ran into… herself. Her look alike looked up and was equally confused. They starred at each other for what seemed like hours, only for the silenced to be broken by Ruby's look-alike, "R-Ruby?" Her voice was also identical to Ruby's.

The look-alike then broke out into an excited smile as her silver eyes lit up with excitement, "RUBY!" The stranger that some how knew her tried to hug her only for Ruby to back up avoiding the sudden affection from this stranger that she shared a face with.

"W-wait hold on, who are you and how do you know me?" Ruby said a little afraid.

"Its me. Scarlet." She said backing off a little still with the excited smile spread across her face. Ruby gave her a confused look and tightened her posture so she could make a quick getaway if need be.

"Wait…you don't know me?" Her smile faded into a look of distraught sadness.

"Of course not. Now who the hell are you, and why do you look like me?" Ruby questioned.

"I'm your sister you dolt. We're twins." The girl explained like it was an everyday matter of fact.

Ruby looked at her like she was crazy. She only had one sister and she was passed out drunk in her room, well maybe a new one wouldn't be that bad if blackout drunk was the standard. The girl interrupted Ruby's thoughts to explain herself, "Look I know it sounds crazy, but I have proof." Ruby intrigued watched as the girl reached into her pocket and pulled out a folded-up piece of paper. She unfolded it carefully revealing it was a photograph with faint fold lines and a barely perceptible repaired tear mark running down the center. She handed it to Ruby and stepped back allowing her to examine the small photo.

There was a woman in the center of the frame sitting in a hospital bed holding two newborns with dark red hair and silver eyes. Ruby recognized the women the second she laid eyes on her; it was her mom. Tears welling up in her eyes Ruby flipped the photo over to see there was writing on the back.

'Ruby O. Rose, born October 31st 9:38 PM.' Was written in black ink on the top.

'Scarlet A. Rose, born October 31st 9:26 PM.' Was written on the bottom.

"I…I-I have a twin." She breathed out in disbelief. She looked up to see her supposed twin named Scarlet if the photo were to be believed, and she had the brightest smile only a Rose could bare.

"I have had that photo my entire life, and It's the only reason that I know you exist." Her voice was filled with sadness as tears of her own started to well up.

Ruby seeing this felt new instincts build up inside her and she tackled her newfound twin in a tight hug which was quickly returned. Ruby releasing the hug looked into her eyes, "Wait how did we end up separated and how come I've never heard of you?" She questioned.

"I can answer one of those, but can we at least get out of this hallway." She said wiping the tears out of her eyes.

Scarlet lead Ruby into her own room a few doors down. It was identical to the one that Ruby rented, but this one only had one bed. Ruby not wasting any time sat down and turned to face her identical twin. "So? You gonna explain why we were separated?"

"Its kinda of a long story and I only know the broad strokes." Scarlet explained sitting at a nearby desk. "As far as I know, when we were only a few months old a Grimm attacked our house and was chased away by mom and dad, but it took me with it." Ruby was in shock at the short statement, "And then my adoptive "father" killed the grimm and took me in." She put heavy air quotes over the word 'father.'

"Who took you in!" Ruby asked excitedly.

Scarlet hesitated not wanting to respond.

"Come on Scarlet, I want to know who your dad is." She enticed.

"That man is not my dad!" Scarlet snapped her voice overflowing with rage and venom.

Ruby paused for a moment. How could Scarlet have that much hatred for the man that saved her life? "Who is he…?" She asked a lot more cautious.

Scarlet flopped back onto the bed starring up at the ceiling. "His name is Roman Torchwick…" She answered.

"You were raised by Torchwick!" To say Ruby was in shock would be an understatement. Roman Torchwick, the most wanted man in Vale with a rap sheet so long it stretched far past any of the men that came before him. He had not only raised Ruby's sister, but her twin sister, her identical twin sister.

"Well, 'Raised' might not be the right term, more like 'made sure I didn't die young' is more accurate." Scarlet said in a monotone voice.

"What do you mean?" Ruby asked not wanting to believe what her sister was implying.

"He was never around and rarely kept food in the apartment, and when he was around, he just yelled and threw things. He would tell us to do chores around the house, but when he came back DAYS later, he would get upset and beat the crap out of us." Scarlet was furious and was getting louder with each word she spoke. "Then when I was old enough he shoved a gun in my hand and started to bring me to his robberies. I had to hurt a lot of people on those missions, and ended up getting hurt in the process, but he never cared. He thought getting shot by the cops was just us being weak." She finished with a low growl.

"Us?" Ruby interjected.

"Oh right. My adoptive sister Neo. She doesn't talk much if at all. I was really the only person she ever talked to even then those moments were few and far between." Scarlet explained. "She didn't really make my life an easier though, she's a diagnosed psychopath so I would come home to find any animal I brought home the night before dead on the floor." Her voice was growing in anger still, but it didn't have much longer to grow as she was once again tackled by her younger twin trying to comfort her.

"Scarlet I'm so sorry that you had to live like that." Ruby said into her twin's shoulder feeling Scarlet return the hug just as tight.

A small slime pulled at Scarlets face as she opened her mouth to keep talking, "Well things have kind of been looking up for me recently; I moved out of Roman's apartment and into my own, and Neo has been trying to change recently, granted she still has a long way to go, but she is trying to be a better person." She broke the hug and looked Ruby in the eye, "And I found you." The girls smiled in unison as they backed away from each other.

Ruby sat back down on the bed as Scarlet grabbed a plastic bag off the desk and pulled out two apples, offering one to her sister as she took a bite out of her own. Accepting the fruit, the twins sat down next to each other. "So, what have you been up to the last sixteen years?"

Ruby just know realizing that they knew nothing about each other spoke up, "Oh well I'm training to become a huntress as Beacon Academy."

"I thought they only let people in at seventeen?" She questioned.

"Well, I just so happened to stop your jerk of a dad from robbing a dust store and they let me in two years early." Ruby bragged.

"Wait you're Silver!?" Scarlet said in disbelief, "He wouldn't stop talking about that for days!" She started to laugh, "I didn't know my sister was a badass on top of being a huntress." She joked earing a laugh from Ruby.

"He said you used a scythe that also worked like a gun. Where do you even get something like that?" She asked with a proud smile on her face.

"I made it of course." Ruby then pulled out her scroll and pulled up a picture of her beloved weapon and showed her sister, "that thing of beauty is called 'Crescent Rose'." Ruby explained, "She's one part Scythe, one part high-caliber sniper rifle." She further explained.

Scarlet started trying to hold back laughter earing her a strange look from Ruby, "We are definitely related." She said as she got up and pulled out a bag from under the bed after a brief moment of rummaging around, she pulled out an item that looked vaguely like a nail gun, but with its weird coloring of a red and black color scheme and odd design Ruby instantly recognized it as a collapsed weapon.

"Ruby I would like to introduce you to my weapon." With a flick of her wrist the weapon quickly unfolded into a large sword with a bright red blade and small black handle with a guard around the hand. The blade of the sword extended out to nearly four feet in length with a single edge that looked so sharp you could cut yourself just by looking at it. With a fancy flourish she spun around and pointed the tip of the blade at her sister on the bed. "I call her 'Slicer Thorn'."

Ruby was in awe at the weapon Scarlet had just pulled out. With stars in her eyes, she jumped up and started to examine the long sword in more detail. The level of craftsmanship rivaled only that of Crescent Rose. The two weapons looked like sisters themselves if such a thing was possible. The Blade had several folding points to collapse in on itself, but Ruby's attention was drawn towards an ammo magazine built into the hilt separating the blade from the grip.

Scarlet noticing her sister questioning the odd feature told her to stand back a little as she clicked another button causing the blade to fold in halfway covering the edge. A long barrel extended out of the grip and followed the half-collapsed blade. It was a sniper rifle.

Ruby was letting out a high-pitched squeal of excitement seeing the simple yet effective transformation. "I made her myself when I was thirteen and she's gotten me out of more situations than I can count. I got to say trying to fit the sniper rifle into the design was really difficult."

"I know right. I had to make mine fire with so much force that it can propel me through the air, it's not a bad thing though saved me more than a few times."

"Yeah, I was able to get the barrel long enough that I didn't have to make it that powerful." Scarlet stated as she put the sniper-sword back into its collapsed form storing it back in her bag and placing it back under the bed. Ruby was still squealing when a random thought entered her head.

"Wait if you have a weapon then you have to have a semblance too?" She asked leaning forward to look her sister in her eyes.

"Yeah, I can move at super speed. If I move fast enough then I start to create black rose petals." Scarlet explained.

Laughing Ruby explained her semblance, "Mines pretty similar, I turn into red rose petals, and I can do all kinds of things with that like flying and being able to split apart and come back together." She punctuated her sentence with a bright proud smile.

"That must be trippy."

"Eh, you get used to it." She said with a shrug.

The twins then sat down next to each other and Ruby finally to a bite of her apple. "So why are you here in this hotel on our birthday? Kinda thought you would be back home celebrating with mom and dad." Scarlet asked.

Ruby sighed and started to explain herself, "Yang dragged me out here to go clubbing, I had a good time and all, but she got drunk and is currently passed out in our room." She took another bite of her apple looking at the floor.

Scarlet cocked her head to the side, "Who's Yang?"

Ruby almost chocked having to hit her chest to speak, "You don't even know about Yang?"

"No. She your girlfriend or something?" She said calmly.

Ruby gagging internally explained, "No, She's our older sister." This time Scarlet was the one to nearly choke having to repeat Ruby's actions from a few moments ago. "Well, she's our half-sister, it's kinda hard to explain. YOU CAN ASK HER YOURSELF!" Ruby jumped up at this thought. Having her two sisters meet after sixteen years filled her with excitement.

"Wait hold on a second Ruby, I don't think that's such a great idea." Scarlet was quick to shut this train of thought down.

"Wait, what? why?" Ruby stumbled. "I thought you would be excited to meet your older sister. I know she will be to meet you." Ruby questioned very confused.

Scarlet sighed and looked her identical twin in the eyes, "I…I don't think I could look them in the eyes the way my life is now. I work for a criminal Ruby. I do want to meet them I really do, but I can't just yet. Not until I can leave Roman and the criminal world behind me. You understand right?" Scarlet was silently pleading that Ruby would understand and that she would honor her request.

Ruby took a moment to process what she had just heard, "I think I get it. You want to come home with a clear conscience." She said a little sad.

"Yeah. I couldn't look our mom in the eyes if I still worked for Roman and his gang." Scarlet took a bite of her apple thankful that her sister was willing to go along with this.

"Scarlet. She's dead." Scarlet froze unable to comprehend what her sister just said.

"W-what do you…. What do you mean, 'She's dead'?" She breathed out still not understanding what was just said.

"I know this is hard to hear, trust me I know, but our mom…. died when we were five." Ruby's voice was lined with sadness, but she was trying her best to sound reassuring for her sister.

Scarlet's apple fell to the floor, her eyes were wide and held a thousand-yard stare. "Th-that's impossible." She finally got out. How could her mom be dead? She had dreamed and fantasized about reuniting with her. She couldn't be dead.

"I know, that's how I felt when I first heard the news." Tears were welling up in Ruby's eyes for what felt like the hundredth time today. "She went out on a mission, and she never came back. That's all I was told." Ruby finally broke down holding her head in her hands as her emotions came to a head.

Scarlet seeing her sister crying grabbed her in a hug shushing her and rubbing her back. She did not know what came over her, but some latent instincts kicked in the moment she saw her younger sister crying. 'I guess this is my older sister gene finally kicking in' she thought to herself.

It a little while for Ruby to calm down and Scarlet had to suppress her own tears something she was rather skilled in. When they separated Ruby's, eyes were red, and her voice was shaky. Scarlet still feeling these new instincts got up and went into the bathroom returning shortly with a paper cup full of water. She handed it to Ruby who gulped the whole cup down in one go.

"Thanks Scar'." She thanked her older twin who draped her arm around Ruby to make sure she was okay.

"No problem Rubes." The twins laughed at the new nicknames they had given each other.

"Hold on a sec. The club that Yang took me. The owner handed me a glass of whiskey and called me 'Scar' do you know him?" Ruby asked turning towards her twin.

Laughing Scarlet answered, "Yeah me and Junior go way back, he's been lending men to Roman for years now, so I got to know him a little." She explained.

"He handed me a glass with a lot of whiskey in it." Ruby said with a smug smile.

"I like to drink okay." Scarlet tried to justify, "besides the stuff I drink barley qualifies as a whiskey, best part is that it's cheap."

"It was three fingers of whiskey Scarlet!." Ruby pointed out.

"For him that's generous, besides, I only had like two before I left." She tried to justify further.

Ruby lightly punched her sister in the ribs, "Your sixteen Scar' you shouldn't be drinking in the first place."

"That's what's great about Junior, not a big stickler for the legal drinking age." She joked.

The sisters laughed for a moment before Ruby got off the bed, "I should be going, its nearly three and I have to get up early to get a hungover Yang back to Beacon."

"Before you go can I see your scroll?" Scarlet asked. Ruby complied and handed her scroll over to her identical twin. After a few moments Scarlet handed Ruby, her scroll back with her contacts open. Looking closer at her contacts list she saw a new one under the 'S' section labeled as 'Scarlet' the picture next to the name was a solid block of red. This made Ruby chuckle a little.

"Its my number so you can call me anytime you want. I also sent you my address so you can stop by whenever you want. I keep my spare key on top of the doorframe." She informed.

Ruby quickly hugged her twin, "Thanks Scarlet." Ruby then turned around and was about to leave when she was stopped by her sister again.

"Oh, and Ruby."

"Yeah Scarlet?"

"Happy birthday."

"Happy birthday to you too."

Next Chapter; Presents