Ruby's return to consciousness was heralded by the warmth of the first rays of the sun. Her body ached and her limbs were sore. Her eyes fluttered open. Snow white hair greeted them. Weiss' head was pillowed on her breast. A slender arm was thrown across her stomach, and an impossibly soft thigh rested atop both of her own. Weiss breathed steadily in and out, and the moist air tickled her salt-encrusted skin.

Even with the aches, seeing Weiss clinging onto her made it the perfect way to wake up. It was better than perfect though; even in sleep, Weiss' mouth was curled into a blissful smile. Ruby knew the same was on her face at well.

She didn't dare move. She couldn't fathom disturbing the picturesque scene in front of her. Her imagination had toyed with the idea of the morning after so many times before. In some they'd woken up in a cheap hotel meant to stop Weiss from being recognised; the bed had been hard, the sheets scratchy, but neither of them had cared. In others she'd believed only liquid courage would have persuaded them to take the next step, and the previous night would have been a blur.

It wasn't. At least not in that way. Although the rush of chemicals that had surged into her bloodstream had clouded her mind, she could recall almost every euphoric moment. Every touch, every kiss, every tender embrace. Ruby played them all in her mind, reliving them and cataloguing the memories forever. Whatever happened, she'd always have last night.

It had gone so much better than she'd ever imagined or hoped for. There had always been a nagging worry of just what would happen her first time. That the things she'd watched and read about simply wouldn't have any effect, and Weiss would just tell her not to bother and go to sleep. The possibility of a scenario like that occurring had almost been enough to make her want to put the compromising situation off indefinitely.

As was often the case, the reality had proved to be so much better than her fears. Maybe reality wasn't exactly like the videos, but a lot of the techniques she used on herself worked equally well on another; when they didn't Weiss had proved a more than willing tutor. Just where Weiss had learned to use her tongue like that she really didn't want to know. It couldn't have been from solo-exploration but, after a first-hand demonstration that had caused her toes to seize up and a couple of pointers, she'd almost returned the favour.

It would take a lot more practice and unlike homework this wasn't something she'd put off until the last minute. In this case sooner was most definitely better. But not right at this moment, not when Weiss was this perfect.

With great tenderness, Ruby lifted a lock of hair that had been brushing against Weiss' eyelid and tucked it behind her ear. Weiss gave a tiny moan and nuzzled into her, shifting her thigh by a few millimetres.

She seemed cold. There was a certain chill in the air and the sun had barely risen. In the night their quilt had fallen down to their waists, baring both of their torsos. If not for how intimately Weiss clung to her they both probably would have been shivering. As it was, inch by inch, Ruby drew the quilt up over them. But not all the way, she wanted to keep on watching Weiss sleep.

When they'd first started sharing a bed it had quickly become a favourite pastime of hers. Asleep Weiss showed a side of herself that she never would have while conscious. It was hard to define exactly what it was. It might have been peace. Even at Beacon, Weiss had been under so much more pressure than most and it had shown. In sleep she dropped the poise and bearing of a noble that had been drilled into her. Unconscious, she looked just like anyone else.

Ruby grinned. That wasn't fair. Weiss would never look just like anyone else. It was simply impossible. Her jawline, her defined cheekbones, her lips, and even her scar added to a sum that didn't disappear just because she was dreaming.

And there was a certain amount of vulnerability in her expression. Everyone was vulnerable while sleeping, but Weiss more than most. It may have been a lifetime ago, but Ruby had spent enough time in bed next to her to hear the whimpers, to see the twitches of her lips as her dreams turned into nightmares. Weiss seldom slept peacefully, but this morning was one of those rare occasions.

As the sun slowly rose, Ruby just basked in her current situation. She chose to live in the present. There was no use worrying about what would happen, or fretting about what had. That would undoubtedly come, but it didn't have to be just yet. For now she chose to savour every one of Weiss' breaths, every subtle shift of Weiss' body. Ruby drank in every moment with the face that had been in her mind for so long.

If possible, she would have stayed that way forever, but as she'd learned in the past, nothing lasts forever. Before too long Weiss lifted her head and half-opened her eyes.

"It wasn't a dream," she said her mind still unfocused.

"No," Ruby agreed.

"Good." Weiss closed her eyes again and put her head back down, attempting to burrow into her makeshift pillows.

Ruby stifled a laugh caused both by the brief conversation and the locks of hair that were caressing her skin. "Weiss, it's time to wake up."

"No."

As much as Ruby would have liked to stay in bed all day, she hadn't eaten anything more than a few cereal bars since midday yesterday. Well cereal bars and…

"Yes," Ruby ran her fingers over the curve of Weiss' waist.

Weiss trembled. "No."

Ruby's traced her way down to the small of Weiss' back. The scar where she'd been shot was small, barely a roughening the size of a coin on the otherwise perfect canvas. She paused there for a moment before moving on. Another reminder of that lifetime.

"Come on." She could tell that Weiss was awake, only reluctant to move from her position of comfort.

Weiss opened her eyes fully this time. They were just as striking as they'd always been. Cerulean portals that contained such a depth of intensity. "I missed you."

"I missed you too." It was the truth. The lack of Weiss had been a great chasm in her life.

Weiss lifted her head up and moved towards Ruby's mouth. Their kiss was deep, but it wasn't rushed as a result of passion and need. Instead it was slow, gentle, each taking as much time as they needed to treasure the moment.

After they were done, Weiss returned her head to Ruby's breasts, her cheeks flushed. Neither of them spoke for a time. From that tender exchange they both recognised the feelings they'd once harboured for each other were still there, maybe buried under a mountain of circumstance, but there nonetheless.

"We should probably get breakfast," Ruby said after a time.

"I don't want to get up."

"You could order some right? We wouldn't have to." With the amount of servants she'd seen yesterday surely breakfast in bed wasn't too much to ask for.

"I probably could, but," Weiss' voice became huskier, "I can think," Ruby tensed as fingertips brushed the inside of her thigh, "of something else," the fingers slid higher, "I'd much rather be doing," they stopped on the brink. "Can't you?"

Ruby only just managed to nod before euphoria swept away all her other thoughts. Breakfast didn't seem to be that important after all.


Ruby could barely see her toes as she stepped from the shower. It very well might have been the longest shower of her life judging by the steam, but she hadn't been all that focussed on timekeeping. It turned out showers were a lot more fun when shared with another person.

She'd never encountered this side of Weiss before. She even doubted it existed. Normally Weiss was proper almost to a fault, but this morning she'd been entirely insatiable. It was only Ruby's grip on the counter that stopped her shaking legs from collapsing under her. In the past couple of hours she'd ridden one wave of bliss after another.

Weiss pressed herself up against Ruby's back, wrapping her arms around her and resting her head on her shoulder. "It's a good thing I had the boilers replaced."

"Yeah." It was odd just how quickly she'd become accustomed to being naked around another person. She'd never been an exhibitionist in any sense of the word. At Beacon she'd even disliked changing in the locker rooms. Yet here she was perfectly at ease while a hand probed the firmness of her stomach.

It answered with a rumble. Weiss stopped. "Ahh… I suppose we probably should get breakfast. Though I'd guess it would be more brunch now." Weiss pecked Ruby on the cheek before pulling away.

Draped in a pair of luxurious, snow-white robes, they left the bathroom. For the first time that morning Ruby had a proper look around the room. Compared to the state it had no doubt been kept in for years it was a mess. There was no way under normal circumstances that Weiss would have been comfortable with this level of untidiness. At Beacon, it would have been more than sufficient for a lecture.

Not that Weiss was an innocent party today. She was just as much a culprit as Ruby was. Though, as she took in the crumpled heap that had once been a magnificent gown, maybe not quite as big a culprit.

Weiss noticed her looking. "It doesn't matter. It would have just hung in a wardrobe for years anyway. And I was just as eager to get out of it." She gave a slight smile as she crossed to her vanity. "I'm not sure what you want to wear. I was much kinder to your dress than you were to mine, but there'll probably be something you can wear in there," she gestured at the door that led to the walk-in wardrobe.

Ruby eyed her. This had been Weiss' childhood room, but even if she still used it there would be a problem. "I'm not sure that they'll fit."

Weiss paused in the act of turning her hairdryer on. "And why is that?" There was a testiness in her voice.

"Umm… you know. You're ̶ ̶ "

Weiss stalked closer. "Say it. I dare you."

Her height had always been a topic that was better left unmentioned, but Ruby very much doubted that her anger was genuine this time. "Short." Her attempted retreat was stopped by a glyph as Weiss closed in on her.

"I think you'll find that I am perfectly sized."

Ruby wouldn't argue with that. It was hard to imagine Weiss being any other way. She might have stunned the senses last night when she'd been dressed up, but this morning, bereft of makeup, she was just as beautiful. Ruby had always preferred Weiss with her hair down, mainly because it was a privilege that very few got to witness. Standing there with her hands balled at her side she looked adorable, but nothing would change the fact that, without heels, she would have to look up at almost everyone.

"That's true, but do you want to argue about who's taller again?" She tried to suppress a grin as she looked down. At Beacon Weiss had always been insistent that she wasn't the shortest on the team, despite how she refused to be measured without her heels on.

"No thank you, I did notice. Please tell me you're done growing now?"

"Maybe." She wasn't too sure. Her mum had apparently been a little shorter than she was now, but her dad was a lot taller. There was no guarantee she would stay this height.

"It's becoming problematic." Weiss pushed her lightly into the glyph, rising on her tiptoes to reach Ruby's lips. It might have been a problem, but it was a problem that they'd both rather have.

Ruby ended up wearing her dress from the previous night. It was probably a little formal, but it was the only real choice, a situation that Weiss promised to remedy with a shopping trip shortly. Ruby didn't ask what had happened to her old clothes that had been left here.

As usual, with almost no effort Weiss managed to make herself resplendent before she led the way from the bedroom. If the pair of them had made a mess in the hallway the staff had cleaned it up. Ruby's ears burned at what they might have overheard. She hadn't been quiet.

If the first servant they encountered had any thought on that matter they kept it to themselves, instead moving to the side of the corridor and curtseying low.

Weiss addressed her. "We'll take brunch in the Crescent Room."

"Yes my Lady. Will you require anything else?"

"No, that is all."

With another curtsey, the servant abandoned her dusting of the dust-free corridor and hurried off.

"We should probably take the scenic route to give them a bit of time."

Ruby nodded slowly. After spending all night and morning with Weiss it was jarring to see this side of her. The side who had scores of servants at her beck and call, and would order them about to arrange something as simple as a few slices of toast.

She didn't talk much as they walked through the external corridors looking out at the grounds. There had been fresh snowfall last night and it had only just begun melting away. Despite that, figures were toiling over the miles of flowerbeds and hedges, making sure that they remained absolutely perfect.

When they arrived the table of the Crescent Room wasn't deserted.

"Good morning Weiss. Ruby," Winter's words entirely lacked any resemblance to their meaning. Her mouth was a narrow line as she regarded Ruby.

"Winter," Weiss' tone had a hint of warning in it.

"It's good to see you again after so long." This time she smiled, but Ruby couldn't tell if it was genuine. Too much time had passed since the ability to read people had mattered to her. "Please take a seat." Winter gestured at the seat opposite her own, leaving the head of the table free. "You were missed yesterday." Winter addressed her sister.

"I had more pressing things on my mind. I'm sure you managed in my absence."

"Naturally, but disappearing after only a few minutes doesn't look good Weiss. I would rather not have had to constantly address just where you were."

"And what did you say?"

"That a pressing issue required your immediate attention. I'll leave it up to you to decide just what that issue was." Winter wasn't exactly being hostile, but she left no room to misinterpret just what she actually thought of Weiss disappearing in the middle of the ball.

"Thank you. Disregarding my absence, I take it the ball was a success?"

"Of course. It will be the only topic of conversation for some time. Certainly those that missed out will be transformed into social pariahs, and no one is going to be talking about Vacuo anymore."

"What's that about Vacuo?" Ruby spoke up.

"Just the Council and King Badr want compensation for the increase in Grimm activity. They're attempting to stonewall a trade agreement until we give it to them. It won't happen." Weiss patted Ruby's hand on the table, "But it's nothing for you to worry about."

Ruby frowned slightly. She was sure that Weiss hadn't meant to be condescending, but that was exactly how she had sounded. The increase in Grimm activity had affected her as well. As the Grimm were forced from Vale, Vacuo was their only other destination. It was no wonder that Vacuo wanted help to deal with them.

"Is that where you've been Ruby?" Winter asked. Weiss perked up as well. They hadn't managed to get onto that particular topic. They'd been rather distracted after all.

She shrugged. "Some of the time. I've been all over."

"Really?"

"Well not, Mistral." Before she'd been able to get a concrete false identity she hadn't wanted to risk air travel again. "But I mainly stayed in the border areas."

"Doing what?"

Ruby opened her mouth before closing it. She didn't want to tell Winter what she'd been doing, or just who she thought Ozpin really was. She wasn't even sure if Weiss wouldn't think she was insane. Trying to convince anyone that the person they knew was, in fact, thousands of years old would be a stretch. Especially when she only had circumstantial evidence and a gut feeling to back it up.

A servant poking his head through the door gave her a reprieve. She might have had expected a few slices of toast, but breakfast was clearly an entirely different affair in the Schnee household. The table was set with spotless plates and silver cutlery as half a dozen servants filed into the room all bearing platters filled with absolutely anything someone might have the desire to eat at this time of day.

Elisa was among them. "Hey," Ruby said as Elisa leant over her shoulder. Apart from a quick smile she ignored her, retreating to the side of the room to stand with the others before being dismissed.

Weiss hadn't missed the interaction. "Do you know her?"

"She helped me yesterday."

"Really," Winter stared after her. "I for one was very interested in how you came to be at the ball."

"No. Not like that," Ruby said quickly. Winter's tone was dangerous. "We only met after I got here. She just thought I was Lady von Berg's servant and showed me the way to the kitchens."

"Hmm…" Winter neatly sliced a pear into pieces. "So pray tell, how did you manage to get onto the estate?"

"I jumped the fence."

"You… jumped… the fence." When Winter said it like that it was no wonder she was sceptical.

"Umm… yeah. You should probably get a higher one."

"No doubt. Weiss, tell me, how high is that fence?"

"Fourteen feet on average. In some places it's a little lower with the snow drifts. It would never keep a hunter out though."

"No," Winter agreed, "That's what our security detail is for. Do you wish to have a word with them or should I?"

"I'll do it."

Ruby played with her croissant. She didn't like the idea that someone could be punished because of her actions, but she didn't see a way to prevent it. No matter what spin she tried to put on it she had managed to sneak onto the estate. Someone had to be culpable.

"I believe you were just about to tell us what you'd been doing with yourself." Winter raised the subject again, and this time Ruby had an answer. It was a simple one, but that made it no less true.

"Just you know… helping people." Weiss smiled at that thought, but Winter replied almost casually.

"I thought you didn't have a licence."

That fact still hurt, just as Winter no doubt knew it would. All the embarrassment and ignominy she'd suffered reared up inside of her before she quashed it. Even if the world said she couldn't be a huntress, it didn't change what she was. She managed to smile.

"Not really. But no one's going to turn down help when they need it." They didn't. The hard part was getting paid afterwards. Or even just stopping them informing on her. Though most were grateful, the idea of a rogue and unregulated hunter still scared those who had been indoctrinated against the concept.

Weiss perhaps sensed they were getting onto a difficult topic. "I think that's really great. You'll have to tell me all about it later. Do you want a pastry?"

Ruby was grateful for the change of subject, but shook her head. She'd been eating simple, and, more importantly, cheap foods for the past two years. Her body just wasn't accustomed to the richness of what was on offer here. She had no doubt her croissant was close to perfect, but the strawberry preserve was almost too sweet for her.

"No thanks. This is really great though. You know I never realised just how much work went into the behind the scenes of the balls before."

"Oh definitely, Winter's the one who organised it though. I just gave my opinion where she asked for it. Which wasn't all that often to be honest," Weiss grinned at her sister.

"We both know that I stay more abreast of fashion than you do. But yes, it was a lot of work."

As the two of them went about explaining just how much work it was Ruby was thankful she hadn't lost all of her social know-how. She'd managed to broach a subject where she didn't have to talk about herself, and instead only had to ask an occasional question. It was an interesting enough conversation and she even managed to force a few more pieces of fruit down.

Eventually though, it met its natural conclusion. They sat in silence for a few moments before Winter spoke again. "Starling called me. She tried calling you, but you were obviously preoccupied." She eyed the pair of them and they both blushed. "She said it was important."

Weiss wiped her lips with a napkin and rose. "I better see what's gone wrong this time. I'll be back in a few moments."

As soon as Weiss left the room the smile on Winter's face evaporated. At any other time in her life the expression would have been enough to make Ruby want to curl up inside, but the world had forced her to change.

"Do you have a problem with me?" Her question was as blunt as it was possible to be. Since they'd entered the room, passive hostility had seeped from Winter.

Winter laced her fingers together. If she was surprised by Ruby's directness she didn't show it. "As a matter of fact I do."

"Then why don't we get it out in the open?"

"Fine. Why did bother coming back? Haven't you done enough?"

"What?"

"You hurt Weiss. You ran away. All without even having the decency to talk to her first."

"It was complicated."

"No. It wasn't. Father had just died. Weiss needed you. It's that simple. You didn't see what she was like the days after. We thought you'd been abducted. She was just waiting for the bad news, and she believed it was all her fault. She didn't eat. She didn't sleep. She barely talked to anyone. And then we found out that you'd just run away like a little girl."

With Winter saying it like that the blame did seem to lie on her side, but it wasn't as simple as Winter was making it out to be. Still she hadn't been thinking straight in the days after the funeral and the revelations of who'd ordered the airstrikes.

"You don't understand."

"I understand perfectly. You're a coward. If you really wanted to break up with Weiss, fine. That's your right. But you snuck off in the middle of the day without a word. You broke Weiss' heart, and she was only beginning to recover. And now you've just reappeared and expect everything to go back to normal? I'll tell you something. Weiss may have forgiven you, she doesn't have much of choice, she loves you despite everything. But I won't."

"I don't expect everything to go back to normal."

"Then what exactly do you expect?"

"I…" Ruby hadn't spent much time thinking about the future. What was meant to be a brief glance and the chance to say a proper goodbye had turned into this; a night of passion and breakfast with the family. She hadn't planned for any of it. It had just happened. "I don't know."

"Then I think you should decide, and quickly." Winter stood. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have work to do."

Ruby stared into her empty cup as Winter left. Though they had been delivered in a brash way, Winter had raised some good points. She did need to decide just what she actually wanted from this point on. She understood Winter's anger towards her; the way she'd left had been that of a coward.

"Ruby," Weiss spoke from the door, smile broadly and completely missing Ruby's melancholy. "Guess who's here to see you?" There was the patter of tiny feet and a small form trotted into the room after her.

"Zwei!" All of Ruby's strife was immediately banished at the sight of one of her best friends. She dropped to her knees and held out her arms.

But Zwei didn't rush towards her, he didn't bark and lick her face, instead he stayed near Weiss' ankles.

"Zwei?" the excitement left her voice and she lowered her arms. He stared at her reproachfully. She deserved it. She'd left him as well. She'd tricked him just as much as she had Weiss. It had been a tough decision, but she hadn't known just what she was heading into. As it had turned out it had been a wise one. Zwei would never have been able to cope with living on the frontiers. Her only solace had been knowing Weiss would take care of him in her absence.

Weiss nudged him forward with her foot. He took a few steps and looked up at her before back to Ruby.

"I'm sorry. I missed you." It wasn't much of an apology, but it was all she could muster. He took a few more tentative steps until he was almost in reach. She held out the back of her hand towards him.

Ruby didn't move. She stayed frozen just waiting on his decision. There was nothing she could do to alter it. Zwei looked back at Weiss and she nodded. The coldness of his nose brushed her fingers. It was the critical moment. He took several long sniffs before he licked her. Just like that all was forgiven. His tail wagged and she scooped him up, laughing as he attacked her face with his tongue.

Zwei wasn't complex. She'd no doubt hurt him immensely when she'd left, but much like Weiss all he cared about was that she was back now. She hugged his wriggling form to her body. Weiss smiled as she watched.

"Starling brought him over. She thought you'd want to see each other again."

"Well tell her thanks." Ruby kissed the top of his head.

"She also dropped off some other things. She deduced that I'd want to work from home today. I'm sorry to do this, but do you mind if leave you here while I get on top of it? It won't take more than an hour."

"Weiss, it's fine. I know you're busy. Me and Zwei have a lot to catch up on anyway." He melted in her arms as she scratched him behind the ears in just the way he liked.

"Thank you. I'll see you in a bit. I'll make sure we can spend the afternoon together."

Ruby waved before giving Zwei her undivided attention. "Have you been behaving?" Zwei nodded, his tongue lolling from his mouth. "I knew you would. I missed you so much." She squeezed him tight and he lapped at her face. He'd always been there for her since the day she'd first seen him, his love was unequivocal. She set him down. "Walkies?" His barks were answer enough. "You can show me around this place."

Zwei led the way in his usual hyperactive manner, sprinting ahead of her before running back and dancing around her feet. Ruby kept to a more sedate pace looking at her surroundings. Zwei probably did know his way around the manor better than her; there were just so many corridors and rooms. It was beyond thinking that more than half of them had ever been in use at one time. They were all merely a statement of power laid down generations ago and expanded upon since.

When Zwei darted into a side room and came back with a red ball in his mouth his pleading eyes gave Ruby no choice. She carefully checked the corridor for anything breakable before giving it a light toss. The instant it left her hand Zwei leapt forward at a sprint his claws scrabbling on the polished floor and barking madly. He leapt upon the ball, almost rolled over in trying to turn before bounding back to her.

"Good boy." Ruby gave him a scratch as he relinquished his prize without a fight. They continued on their walk through the corridors playing fetch. It would have been nice for them both to get some fresh air, but though Zwei might have been comfortable for a time in the sleet she wouldn't have been. Luckily it wasn't as if they were going to run out of corridors.

With renewed practice Ruby had gotten the hang of fetch again, throwing trick shots off the walls that caused Zwei to spin around before locating where the ball had gone. As it always had, his energy seemed almost boundless as she bounced her latest shot around a corner.

"Oh," someone gave a start of surprise.

"Sorry!" Ruby called hurrying hot on Zwei's heels. She found him sitting on the floor staring up at Elisa whose arms were full of white sheets. "Oh, hi!"

"Good morning Ms Rose." There was an odd formality to her tone as she bent her knees in a half-curtsey.

"Umm…" Ruby didn't quite know how to respond or why Elisa was acting so differently.

"Can I be of service?"

"Wait… did I upset you somehow?"

Elisa took her time in answering, weighing up a decision in her mind. "No. May I speak freely?"

"Why wouldn't you be able to?"

"Ruby... You seem nice, you really do, but we come from different worlds."

"No we don't. I'm just like you." She hadn't grown up in a mansion. She'd never expected to set foot in such a place before Beacon.

"Maybe once, but not anymore." Elisa smiled sadly. "What am I wearing?"

"A dress?"

"A servant's dress. I'm a servant of Lady Schnee. That is Lady Schnee's dog and you're… in a relationship with Lady Schnee. As Neon I could talk to you. As Ruby…" She shook her head. "I can't afford to be involved with you. There's no way where that ends preferably for me."

"But…"

"Ruby, you're a huntress. You have a backup. I don't. I was ever so fortunate to be given this opportunity, and I can't afford to lose it by being caught between two people bigger than I am. I just need to keep my head down and stay out of the way. I'm sorry. I hope everything goes well for you." Without another word she hurried off.

Ruby was left standing in the hallway staring after her. She been surprised when Elisa had refused to answer her at breakfast, but she hadn't expected that. To be so resolutely rejected. The worst thing was she could understand just where she was coming from. She'd seen enough in the past to know just how vulnerable normal people were to the whims of the world. For someone like Elisa, trying to keep her head down would be the most sensible option.

Zwei picked up on her falling mood. Instead of offering her the ball once again he mewled and pressed himself up against her ankles. As much as Ruby didn't want to admit it, she wasn't normal any longer. Especially in the modern climate of fear, being a huntress isolated her from most, and that wasn't mentioning who she knew. She was on first name terms and more with some of the most powerful people in the world. She would never be normal again.

"Let's go and find Weiss." She was one of the few people who would understand. She'd never had the opportunity to be normal in the first place.

As they passed into the corridor containing Weiss' office a raised voice became audible. "Do not make me repeat myself. They've broken the law. They knew what they were doing, and they knew the price if they got caught."

Ruby paused on the brink and blocked Zwei off. A chill made its way down her spine.

"Stop." There was nothing but cold in Weiss' tone. "I don't expect to hear another word on this. I've told you what I want. See that you get it done." Weiss slammed the phone down on her desk.

Ruby stayed where she was. She could hear the heavy breathing of the person in the room, and it broke her heart knowing that person wasn't Weiss. She'd been blind. Wilfully so. She'd spent the morning in an almost trance-like state. The passion of the night, seeing Weiss again, being truly happy for the first time in months, it had been a dream she simply hadn't wanted to wake from. She hadn't wanted to think of anything else. Of the reasons why she'd left. Of why she'd been so miserable in the first place.

Things hadn't changed. Not at all. She knew that. She caught up with the news whenever she could. She knew what it said, or what, more tellingly, it didn't. The Atlesian Press wasn't free. It might have been for the best, or it might not have been, but only one person could have made it that way. Just as only one person had signed a warrant for her arrest and countless others. That person wasn't Weiss. Or at least the Weiss she knew. The Weiss she wanted to be around. The Weiss she'd fallen in love with.

It was in that moment that Ruby realised what she had to do. For her sake more than anyone else's. Despite how much it hurt, it hadn't been a mistake coming back here. This time she could do it properly. Get some closure. She just needed to work out how to say it and to steel her heart against the undoubted pleas.


Half an hour later she reappeared in the corridor without Zwei and knocked on the open door. Weiss looked up from her computer, there was tightness near her eyes that spoke of stress, but her expression lifted as she took in who was disturbing her. It was painful just how beautiful Weiss was. It made her ache.

"Umm… can we talk?"

"Not right now, something's come up, but we can have lunch together. We can talk then."

Ruby closed the door behind her. "It's important."

"Okay," Weiss' reply was somewhat curious. "Do you want to sit?"

"Umm… yeah."

"Are you ok? You seem nervous." There was only concern in her voice.

It made it all the harder. Ruby had tried to come up with a way of softening the blow, but there simply wasn't a way. It would hurt them both no matter what. In the end she decided just to get it out in the open. Just like ripping off a bandage, faster was better.

"I'm leaving."

"Excuse me?" It was as if Weiss hadn't heard, or was incapable of hearing her.

"Weiss, I'm leaving." Ruby looked her straight in the eye. This time she wouldn't vanish without a word.

"Wh…what?" Her voice trembled.

"I can't stay here." The fear on Weiss' face broke Ruby's heart. Again.

"You want to go back to Atlas. Fine. You should have said so. We can be there in half an hour."

"Weiss… I can't stay here with you."

"But… but you came back." Weiss clutched at straws. Ruby so wanted to reach over the desk, to comfort her even as she hurt her, but she didn't. The break needed to be clean.

"Yes, I did. I wanted to see you again. I couldn't stay away, but I can't stay with you either. I need to leave."

Weiss sat back in her chair all the energy draining from her. A myriad of emotions flitted across her face. Bewilderment, shock, grief, and then nothing. Her face went blank. Ruby almost stood up to leave before she spoke a single resounding word.

"No."

"It's not your choice to ̶ ̶ "

"No," Weiss repeated as she leant menacingly over the desk. Ruby rose as well. "I will not allow it."

Ruby stood slowly. "You can't stop me."

"I can."

"No. You can't. What are you going to do? Have me arrested?"

"If necessary."

This was exactly the person who Ruby was running away from. "So what, I can be your girlfriend from a cell? Chained to a wall?" Weiss flinched. "I thought you loved me."

"That's rich coming from you."

"Weiss," Ruby said sadly and she spoke from the heart, "I do love you. I've never stopped loving you. I love you so much it hurts. I love the girl I met at Beacon. The one who helped me with my homework, made me cups of coffee, the one who sang in the shower. I fell in love and nothing about that has changed. I love that Weiss. That Weiss made me the happiest girl in the world. I love you. But I don't love the Ice Queen. I can't…" her voice broke.

"Oh not you too. That's not me! It's just a stupid name."

"It is you though. Don't you see it? It might be a stupid name, but it doesn't change what you did to earn it." The things Weiss had done still haunted her, and unless she was very much mistaken, they haunted Weiss as well. "The Ice Queen is as real as you are."

"She's not. You haven't been here. Everything I've done has been for Atlas. I've made people's lives better."

Weiss hadn't looked in a mirror recently; she wouldn't have recognised the person within it. Ruby couldn't. It was all very well saying it had been for the greater good, but Ozpin used that argument as well. He'd used it when he'd massacred defenceless prisoners, and when he'd rendered her an outlaw.

"Really? Tell me, who works in your mines?" Ruby knew the answer. Weiss had broken the promise she'd made to all of them, especially Blake, back at Beacon. She'd promised that she wouldn't use slave labour. That she'd treat the Faunus fairly. It hadn't happened.

Weiss turned away. "The world isn't black and white. I'm not an idealistic naïve child anymore." There was a bitterness in her voice. "So, let's play a game. I pay out all the Faunus' contracts. You know what happens? There's no more Dust, and the Grimm wipe us all out within a year, if we don't do it to ourselves before then. It would throw the world into chaos. Maybe it's ok for you, but when I make decisions, the consequences reach every corner of the world."

Ruby hated the way that Weiss was talking down to her. "You could pay them."

"Get down off your damn high horse! I am paying them. The mines are safer than they've ever been. The Faunus have healthcare, and their contracts are for fixed terms. There are more Faunus applying now than there have ever been.

"But let's take it to extremes shall we? I pay them. More than I am doing. It means I have to raise prices." She started ticking items off her finger. "Dust becomes unaffordable for the masses. There are rolling blackouts, riots in the streets, people blame their governments." She slammed her hand down on the desk. "And there's a bloody uprising! Maybe more than one. Thousands die. Because I pay them as you put it. You just don't understand how precariously the world is balanced."

Weiss was treating her like an idiotic child. Perhaps she hadn't known that Weiss had improved the circumstances of the Faunus in the mines, and perhaps she wasn't as well versed with global politics as Weiss was, but she knew what was right and what was wrong.

"I'm sure you and Ozpin would handle any uprisings fine."

"Don't you dare put that on me. I had no idea what he was planning with the White Fang."

"And what about the war here?" That morning would be etched in her memory forever. She'd switched on the TV to see the news of scores of 'accidents' and disappearances, only to have Weiss come home and promise her that she was safe. It was the moment when the perfect fallacy of her life had been shattered.

"They killed my father! They tried to kill me, and Winter, and you! Do you want me admit it? Fine. I ordered those strikes. Do you know why? Because it was the best solution. If I hadn't Atlas would have dissolved into a civil war. Tens of thousands would have died, maybe including us. I made a judgement call. A few hundred for a hundred thousand. It's simple mathematics."

Weiss was so cold. Yang's nickname had always been ironic. Weiss had only been cold to those who hadn't known her. Now she suited it perfectly. The numbers didn't lie, only the logic behind them. One life could not be equated with one life.

Ruby was entirely at a loss for words. She just didn't know how to answer such a rationally exclaimed justification for murder. It went against every single facet of her being.

"And that's why I need to leave. Weiss I can't be a part of your world. I won't."

"And I told you no."

"It's not your decision to make."

"I am not going to lose you again."

Ruby had made a pledge not to cry. Tears weren't gathering at the corners of her eyes. She turned away from Weiss and started walking towards the door. "You've already lost me. Just as I've lost you. You aren't the person you once were. When you speak like this I don't even know you."

"Of course you do. I'm the same person I was last night."

"No you're not!" She snapped, turning back to Weiss. "How can you not see it?"

"Because I am me. Last night I was with you." She moved from behind the desk as she spoke. "This morning I had to do what was best for almost three million people. You have no idea what that feels like. It would crush you."

Ruby had to admit that. She could never have coped in Weiss' position. It just wasn't in her to be able to make the tough calls that govern a nation, but the pressure wasn't an excuse.

"You're right," Ruby admitted. "You're stronger than me. But you're going to have to be stronger without me. I can't bear to see you like this."

"You are not leaving." Weiss' brow darkened and the room grew noticeably colder.

"I am. Or at least I'm going to try to." Ruby didn't have to look to know it was a glyph suddenly pressing against her back. "Weiss," her voice softened, imploring the Weiss she knew to come to the forefront. "You have two options. You can try and stop me, we can fight, and if you win every time you see me afterwards it will have to be with me in chains. But I can't believe you'd want that. Your other option is to say goodbye. I could have run off again, but I didn't. I wanted to do this properly, so here I am. It's up to you."

The muscles beneath Weiss' perfect cheeks tensed as she fought herself internally. Ruby waited. It had been a gamble confronting Weiss, but she'd told the truth. She'd wanted to do this right. The last time she hadn't and Weiss had ordered her arrest. So much could have gone differently if she'd just had the courage in the first place.

At this exact moment it wavered. The strife within Weiss' expression was very real and it was impossible to tell which option would win the day. Weiss had been prepared to have her returned at all costs. There was a chance that she would do the same to keep her.

And yet… despite everything, she just couldn't believe that was ultimately what Weiss would want. Weiss, her Weiss, had a good soul, and it was that side of her that Ruby prayed would triumph. Eventually Weiss spoke and it was not in the strong tone of a queen.

"I don't want to lose you." The glyph dissolved away.

"I know."

Weiss clutched her hand like a lifeline and abandoned all her pride in a show of utter desperation. "Please."

The tears gliding down Ruby's cheeks matched those in Weiss' eyes. Her face was utterly broken. It was so close. The single word slid home like a dagger and Ruby almost crumbled. This was the hardest thing she'd ever had to do in her entire life. She shook her head. "I'm sorry."

After witnessing the effect of driving the final nail home, Ruby took Weiss in her arms. She cradled Weiss' head as her body racked with sobs. Time passed. Ruby wasn't sure just how long she held the most powerful woman in the world, but eventually Weiss pushed herself away, wiping her red eyes.

"Where will you go?" her voice was grief-laden.

"I… I don't know." She hadn't thought that far ahead. She hadn't even known if she would make it this far.

"What will you do?"

That was easier. "Try and find Yang, Dad. Do you know where?"

Weiss shook her head. "Vacuo. Or at least they were when Yang hung up on me. But no; they've gone to ground."

The bitterness was obvious. Ruby knew just how her sister would have handled the news she'd run off. Yang would have blamed Weiss entirely. But Vacuo made sense. Many of the renegade hunters were ending up there. Vale still wouldn't be safe for her, but without Weiss hunting her down as well she could be more overt in her search for her sister. It might be safe for her, but it wouldn't be safe for them.

"Did you…" Ruby didn't want to think this of Weiss, but she had to ask. "Did you reveal Blake's past?"

"Of course not." It was an angry dismissal, like one of old. "Adam kept a journal. He wrote it all down. Ozpin was furious when he read it. When he found out that Blake had been under his nose all that time. That she'd managed to trick him. If he finds her…" Weiss let the thought hang in the air.

Ruby stopped a heartbeat from confessing it all to Weiss. What she'd been doing. Just who she believed Ozpin to be. But she couldn't. Atlas and Vale were intrinsically linked. Over the past two years they had become the closest of allies.

It had been through Weiss and Ozpin working together that the settlement program in Vale had been a success. At best Weiss might have believed the tall story, that the person she'd had state dinners with was thousands of years old. At worst Weiss might inform Ozpin of what she'd been told. If that was the case, then even the border of Vacuo wouldn't stop him from hunting her down. At one time Ruby had been certain that she'd never find cause to lie to her other half of her soul, but, as Weiss had so succinctly pointed out, back then she'd been naïve.

"Do you want me to give them a message?"

Weiss half-turned away, before shaking her head. In that forlorn moment she appeared lonely, ever so lonely. Ruby had to wonder if she had any friends. You could only truly be friends with your equal and who was Weiss' equal now? Winter perhaps, surely no one else.

They'd both run out of words. Time trickled by with them just staring in each other, sating themselves with the other's appearance, but eventually they had to move on. Life had to move on. "I guess… I'll be going then."

"No!" With a lurch Ruby thought Weiss had changed her mind. "Stay here. Please. I need to get something." Some of Ruby's hesitation must have shown in her face. "Please. Promise me you won't leave before I get back."

"Umm." She wasn't sure about this. Weiss' demeanour had changed dramatically. She was almost frantic. This was important to her, but just what it was Ruby didn't know. "I promise." She still trusted Weiss. Mostly.

Weiss took off at a dash. For a moment Ruby wondered just how that must look to any staff she passed. The Lady Schnee running with a tear-stained face. It would certainly incite gossip. While Ruby thought about that, her body carried her to the window and she glanced down. The office was on the fifth floor, high, though survivable for her. It was almost a betrayal to believe that Weiss might return with guards. She didn't truly think it, but she'd learned the hard way to always have an alternate route of escape prepared.

Weiss returned by herself fifteen minutes later, out of breath and carrying a metal case emblazoned with her House's sigil. It thumped when she put it on her desk. Weiss' relief that Ruby hadn't left was plain. She slid the case over to her. "Open it."

Ruby walked forward. It wasn't big, about the size of a businessman's briefcase, and clearly designed with protection in mind. There was no opening mechanism. "I don't…"

"Oh… sorry…" Weiss rounded the table and pressed her thumb to the almost invisible scanner. "You should be able to open it too." With them almost touching, the soft scent of lavender wafted over Ruby. It took all her strength not to give in to her sudden urge.

The case hissed, air escaping from it, and the top opened. Two opaque cylinders rested inside against protective foam, all marked with a white snowflake against the black. The design of the cylinders was familiar; they were almost the same as used in any Dust store, but much heavier duty. Ruby's mouth fell open as her mind deduced what they contained. "I can't."

"Nonsense."

"Weiss that's got to be…" she couldn't even begin to fathom just how much the White Dust in those tubes was worth. On the rare occasions some was publically auctioned mere handfuls went for eye-watering prices, and there was a lot more than a handful in those tubes.

Weiss shrugged. "It doesn't matter. I'm not taking no for an answer. I want you to take it. You can modify Crescent Rose. If you ever need to, use it. Don't think about the cost. I just want you to stay safe. Please."

She could redesign Crescent Rose. It would be tricky, but possible. She'd never felt the need to use Dust before; Crescent Rose hit more than hard enough by itself, but White Dust was different. She'd seen it in use, and it completely altered the balance of a fight. There had been times in the past two years when she could have done with something to tip the scales. Fights where she'd got hurt, with White Dust they would have been over before they'd begun.

"Thank you." There wasn't much more Ruby could say.

Weiss pushed the lid of the case closed. "I… I've got something else for you." Where she'd been business-like with the Dust, now she seemed hesitant, almost nervous.

Ruby took the palm-sized package from her. It was light enough to barely register in her hand, and was draped in the softest white silk. It seemed fragile, and her fingers carefully unwrapped it. The silk revealed two thin panes of glass with a flower pressed between them. A common daffodil. Ruby looked up.

Weiss braved a smile. "It's a weed. Do you remember? On the day I broke up with Neptune and told you about myself, you called it pretty and put it in my hair. That was the day when I realised just how special you were, not romantically, but as a friend, my first friend. You didn't call me a freak, or reject me, you accepted me as me. You have no idea just how much that meant…" She trailed off, momentarily lost in thought. "I wanted to have a memory of that day, and when I realised it was still in my hair, the daffodil was perfect. For so long I'd been a weed in my father's eyes, but you saw past that, saw me. I found it when I went back to our old dormitory. It was right where I'd hidden it." Weiss closed Ruby's hand around it. "I want you to have it."

"Weiss…" Ruby barely managed to choke out. In truth she'd forgotten. It had happened so long ago and so much had happened since. But Weiss hadn't forgotten. She'd kept this memento all this time. This reminder of what they'd once had. Weiss had always had difficulty lowering her inhibitions and performing romantic gestures, but the ones she did manage were all the more special because of it.

This was one was special, perhaps the most special. Ruby brought the flower to her breast. Even though Weiss must have been in agony, she'd shared a gift that Ruby would treasure. She didn't care how many mansions she could buy with the Dust on the table, the daffodil was infinitely more valuable. She'd treasure it always.

Looking into Weiss' glistening eyes it was almost unbearable to know it might be for the last time. This was her Weiss, pure and simple. The one she'd fallen in love with. The one which still existed in the complex tapestry that was the human soul. "Thank you."

Incredibly carefully Ruby rewrapped it and slid it into her pocket before picking up the case of Dust from the desk. The flower was almost the straw that broke her resolve. With every second she spent with Weiss it creaked and strained.

Weiss half-raised a hand before hesitantly dropping it. "Just one last… if you want?"

Ruby sniffed and nodded. The kiss was clumsy. Neither of them were in any state to control it better. It didn't last long, and it wasn't one to remember. As they broke apart fresh tears appeared on Weiss' cheeks.

"Please keep in touch. You don't have to call. Just let me know you're alright."

"I will." That was a promise that Ruby could keep.

"And if you ever need anything, and I mean anything, just ask."

Ruby knew in that moment that the offer was sincere. If she asked, Weiss would deploy an army to help her. But the one thing she wouldn't do was give it all up.

"Thank you. Look after Zwei for me."

"Of course."

Ruby stepped towards the door. They stood looking at each other, both crying, both miserable, and deep down both knowing it couldn't be any other way.

"Ruby… I love you. I've never stopped loving you. I'm sorry for everything."

"I know. I love you too."

Weiss tried to smile for her. She tried to put on a brave face so the last memory Ruby had of her would be a good one.

"I suppose this is it then."

"I suppose."

Weiss nodded, finally accepting the reality of the situation. "Goodbye Ruby. Please stay safe, and remember, anything you need."

Ruby's lower jaw trembled with suppressed emotion. She needed to leave. She didn't want to. She was at war with herself. She loved Weiss, but she hated the person who the world required Weiss to be. Perhaps in the distant future they might be together, but right at this moment, it was impossible.

Ruby took a deep breath and said the single word that contained so much.

"Goodbye."

A/N: You must have known it couldn't end well when it started with Ruby again. All the things which had driven them apart still existed. They weren't magically undone by some sex, no matter how good that sex might have been. Ultimately the world has made the pair of them incompatible, however much they might love each other.

Please let me know your thoughts.