Ruby awakened that night snuggling… nothing. Peculiar thing, she could feel a glowing warmth in her chest. She hadn't felt this way in so long. She rolled out of bed and heard a knock at the door, "Now who could that be," She asked sniffing the air, "Oh, right, him."

She walked downstairs and opened the door, "Cypress Whitemane," She said looking the strawberry blonde in the face, "What brings you here?"

"Bringing you information," Cy said, "but the only slight drawback was Umbra wanting to come meet you in person." Ruby frowned, "But I convinced him to wait at a bench near the entrance to the forest."

Ruby crossed her arms, "How'd he take the fact that I'm not exactly one hundred percent human?" She inquired bluntly.

"That's the scary part actually," Cy replied, "He said he already knew." The brunette vampire raised an eyebrow, "He just pieced together the information in his head. That's just what he does, I guess."

"He's spent a little too much time around you, oh Puzzle Meister," Ruby smirked.

Cy scratched his head shyly, "Yeah, I think I may have."

"Well, shall we go find him so he can tell me what I need to know?" Ruby asked.

"Y-yeah," Cy said, "you might want to put on a sweater or something first though. It's a little chilly out here."

"I'll be fine, Cypress," The brunette winked as she sauntered, "I am a vampire after all. I could walk out here stark naked with six inches of snow on the ground if I wanted and not be bothered." She looked back at the boy whose face turn a shade of bright red and crept back up behind, "Letting your imagination run wild with that little image, pup?" She teased in a whisper that made her young visitor hyperventilate. She turned and continued walking toward the entrance to the forest, "Consider that my revenge for you teasing me last night." She called back to him, "You can expect a lot of that from a girl who's lived as long as I have. And believe me, my innocence sort of left me a long time ago."

Cy's blush deepened as he turned and bolted after the brunette, "You had me fooled," He shouted after finally catching his breath. "Just don't do that sort of thing around my friends, please."

"Oh~" Ruby mused, "Little Cypress only wants little old me to tease him when he has me alone." She shuffled in front of him while walking backwards. She leaned in and fluttered her eyelashes, "Is that what you really~ want?" She asked with a mischievous lilt in her voice that increased the rush of blood to Cy's cheeks.

"I-I-I d-don't know." Cypress said unable to break contact with the impish girl's hypnotic silver eyes.

"Your voice may be unsure," Ruby teased as she danced to walk just behind his ear, "But your eyes are screaming for it," She whispered. Her teasing raised another deep blush on Cy's face. She listened to the raging thump from the boy's chest, "And your heart agrees."

Cy halted, "Could you please stop that for right now?" He demanded as he got ahold of himself.

Ruby smiled, "Only because you asked," She kept walking, "I haven't had someone so modest to tease since the eighteen hundreds. I'm just making up for lost time with that."

"I thought you said no man ever caught your interest," Cy stated.

"And I meant it," Ruby replied, "but that doesn't mean I don't enjoy teasing them and making their young imaginations catch fire. If it were your friends Nora or Luna, I'd be making them blush too."

"You should have seen Luna trying to get a little hands-on with Nora this morning," Cy chuckled.

Ruby's silver eyes lit up as a smile of intrigue blossomed across her face, "Mind giving me the reenactment?" She asked with a flirtatious muse in her voice.

Cy shut his eyes, "I just asked you to stop that," He growled in frustration.

"I can't help it," Ruby laughed, "you're too easy to get a rise out of."

Umbra sat on a bench looking up at the night sky when he heard Ruby and Cy approach him, "You two little dudes certainly took your time," He said, "What's up, Cy, didja catch a quick smooch from your little girlfriend?"

"She teased me enough on the way here, Umbra," Cy blushed.

"I was only getting started, Cypress Whitemane," Ruby winked in the boy's direction.

"Take it easy with the teasing when Cy's sister is around, Ruby," Umbra said, "She maybe a human like he and I, but she's also a medical professional. I've seen her scare off a group of muggers with a bottle of pepper spray."

"She also practices a little of the Marquise of Queensbury Rules," Cy added, "The art of Fisticuffs."

"Still no match for a vampire," Ruby shrugged.

"She keeps a cross necklace round her neck at all times," Cy stated. Hearing this made Ruby freeze up, "Looks like what they say is true about vampires having an aversion to crosses," Cy said, "Two points for Bram Stoker over Stephanie Meyer."

"I've never found myself on the opposing end of a cross before," Ruby shivered, "but I'd rather that not happen."

"I keep one on me at all times, Ruby," Cy stated, "a silver one."

"Don't use it on me unless there's something seriously wrong, Cypress." Ruby pleaded.

Cy smiled, "I hope I never have to."

Ruby smiled, "I can actually appreciate that, Cypress."

Umbra's stomach growled, "You little dudes want to go grab a bite?"

Ruby shook her head, "I'm not hungry for bloo…" She stopped midsentence, "wait, you mean human food, right?"

"There's a diner where they serve good food just through the east entrance," Umbra said, "I'll buy."

Ruby smiled, "I think I'll take you up on that offer, Umbra," She shot Cy a devious look, "As long as I sit next to the shy one here." She winked sending a chill up the boy's spine. Ruby may not have been planning anything past just a few playful teases, but she enjoyed Cy's reactions. The way he reacted showed that part of him enjoyed her teasing, while the embarrassment showed that he wasn't too appreciative with it. But, in spite of this, the vampire could tell that her object of mild torment enjoyed letting her play her game and that he'd be thinking up puzzles to give her some payback.

"I-I'll go too…" Cy blushed, "I-I mean, as long as Ruby doesn't tease me too much."

"I'll save it for when we're alone," Ruby winked flirtatiously.

Ramsey's Diner in Vale's Eastern District was a place where Cy and his friends frequented when they got together. The establishment was not only known for being the highest rated eatery in the county. It was the oldest eatery on the books in the tristate area. It stare out as a public house when the town was founded and grew with the town, every time it was passed down to a new manager it went through a bit of a facelift. Each new head of management had preferences that required change, the latest of whom had a soft spot for old time Americana – burgers, hotdogs, fries, and milkshakes. In spite of the foods they served, one could never go as far as to call the establishment a "greasy spoon." It actually had clean floors, windows, seats and tables, and the bathrooms were immaculate with a subtle yet fresh pine scent.

The owner, known only as Geoff, and his wife ran a tight ship, but treated the staff and customers like their family. Cy and his friends were some of his favorite customers. "What's up, Geoff my man," Umbra asked as he, Cy, and Ruby entered the diner, "got a new customer for ya."

"Ayo, Welcome to Ramsey's," Geoff called from the kitchen, "where the food's good, the company's good, and a good time is always had by all." He popped out of the kitchen and greeted his regulars, "What'll it be tonight, Umbra?"

"The usual for me," Umbra said.

"I'll have my usual too," Cy added, "and a hamburger and a milkshake for my friend here."

"What kinda milkshake?" Geoff asked, "we've got chocolate, strawberry, vanilla, and the Flavor of the Day."

Ruby raised an eyebrow, "What's the Flavor of the Day," she inquired.

"Dark chocolate mocha with coffee beans," Geoff replied.

Umbra gave a subtle shake of the head indicating that the flavor of the day was not a good idea. "I think I'll go with the strawberry milkshake."

"Eh, suit yourself," Geoff said as he walked off. "Why does no one ever go for the Flavor of the Day when dark chocolate mocha comes around?" Ruby heard him ask with her enhanced hearing.

"Why does no one ever go for that flavor," She asked.

"It's too much caffeine for one shake," Cy replied.

"What do you mean," Ruby asked again.

"Chocolate already has caffeine in it, and so does mocha," Umbra repled, "That plus the coffee beans on top causes dehydration along with a an elevated heart rate. It's a total bummer for the dude that suffers that kind of torture."

Ruby's eyes widened, "Sounds really bad."

"It is," Cy nodded.

"The only one who never had trouble with the effects of a caffeine overload was Nora." Umbra said, "Only thing that happened was that she got all huggy with Luna."

Geoff brought out the meal, "I hope you three enjoy your meal." He said, "And, Cy, tell your sister that Griffon says thanks for that medicine. She has a cousin in Vacuo who was hurt from a few desperate members of the White Fang."

"I guess the cousin asked for something to help them recover," Cy asked.

"Yeah, and showing a photo of them and Griffon helped a lot." Geoff replied as he walked away.

"So what's happening in Vacuo," Ruby asked.

"Big gang war," Umbra replied, "Two factions of the White Fang, one led by Sienna Khan who wishes to change the face of the gang to meet the old standards – i.e. helping the underpriviledged, and Adam Taurus who wishes to reshape the group into more of a militia."

Ruby's eyes went wide as she sipped from her shake, "I knew someone who knew Adam Taurus." Cy and Umbra nearly choked on their food, "But that was… about twenty years ago. I was passing through Vacuo on my way here and I met a woman named Blake who was part of the White Fang for a while."

"You knew a member of the White Fang," Cy asked in a hushed whisper.

"Yeah," Ruby replied, "it wasn't a street gang back then though. It was coalition for equal opportunity to those living in the inner cities of the tri-county area. They turned criminal when the old leader, Blake's father, stepped down."

"That was only ten years ago." Umbra said, "I think the old leader was named Ghira Belladonna. He helped get Tukson, my boss, his job at the book shop. I haven't heard much from them in a while."

"There are rumors going around that Ghira and his wife moved to Australia," Cy said, "it's a little unnerving to be honest."

"A continent that has mostly inhospitable badlands doesn't seem to be the best place to relocate to," Umbra stated, "but I hear that they've been helping out the underprivileged with inhospitable situations there."

Ruby looked at Umbra, "Is there any news about their daughter?" She asked.

"Well, there is a Blake Belladonna living here in Vale," Umbra said, "her son, Dusk, is the leader of the White Fang faction here. He's not an extremist though, like Adam Taurus. He's actually very much like Ghira."

Ruby smiled, "Any idea where Blake might be?"

"Sorry, Ruby," Umbra frowned, "I have no idea where she lives. And she only comes to the shop around noon for a day shift every other day. I don't mean to be a total bummer, but that's all I know about her."

Ruby frowned as she continued eating, "At least I know she's alright." She said.

After the trio had dinner, Cy and Umbra escorted Ruby to the entrance of the Inner City Forest. "Thank you again, Umbra and Cypress." She smiled.

"Not a prob, Rubes," Umbra said, "Have a good night. Cy, I've gotta get you home before your sister has my head on a spit, little dude."

"Okay," Cy huffed, "I'll see you later Ruby."

"You'd better, Cypress," The silver-eyed vampire winked, "We are friends after all."

Cy blushed, "Yeah."

Ivy was busy looking over her reports she'd just received from her associates in Vacuo who were told to stay behind and monitor the victims of the gang war she'd helped treat. She was happy to know that they were in no serious danger from their injuries. But the grim reality of the situation was that all her team was doing was patching up the hard headed fighters who would hit the streets and go out for a revenge hit against the opposing faction and put more lives at risk while the weaker ones were left onsite where anyone from the opposing faction could simply slip in and finish the job at the most inopportune moment. She felt less like a hero, and more like a tool to help fuel the fires of this underground war.

Vacuo had long been a city where the lines between right and wrong were blurred to the point that even the law enforcement could be paid off to look the other way. Ivy, on the other hand was safe, as were her team and patients. She looked at an officer once and asked how he'd feel if one of his children ended up on a table with their life in her hands and he wasn't going to lift a finger to keep her or the other doctors from being gunned down. The officer turned as white as the sterile bed linens and passed this along to the other officers with Ivy present, they all felt the weight of the young woman's disgust to their ease of looking the other way should anyone slip them a cool wad of cash. One member of the White Fang tried this and ended up walking in on Ivy and her team during a delicate procedure. "Get out of here, only authorized personnel are allowed back here," Ivy growled from under her surgical mask.

The man pulled a gun, "I'm the one callin' the shots here, bitch," he said, "back away from my friend or I'm blowing you away!"

Ivy looked at him in disbelief. She took note of the colored bandana on his arm, she recognized him as a member of Sienna Khan's faction. She knew that Khan's subordinates were not one's to let their comrades die and slowly raised the arm of her patient, "You kill me, your friend dies because you killed his only chance of living." The man's whole body shuddered, "I'm doing everything I can to save him," She said calmly. The officers carefully moved in behind the man, "Officers, stand down. We're at a very delicate part of the procedure," Ivy said while flawlessly maintaining her cool, "Would you please escort this young man to the waiting area where I'll deliver his friend's status once the operation is complete?"

The calmness in her voice was chilling to the officers, the worked up gang member, and even to her medical associates. But, the officers did as they were told as Ivy nodded to her associates, "Party's over folks, let's get this boy's life off death's doorstep and back on its feet."

In spite of her age and nearly fragile appearance, Ivy had a powerful and overwhelming knack for holding her own. Adam Taurus' lieutenant once entered the room and demanded Ivy stop working on another member of Sienna Khan's faction who also held the rank of lieutenant. In a hauntingly serious, yet deathly calm tone, Ivy set the lieutenant straight and had him up against a wall pale in the face without a trace of masculinity coursing through his body. The officers were horrified at the fact that Ivy could talk him down without so much as an insult, a threat, or even so much as an act of physical contact, followed by a spine chillingly sweet smile and a "Thank you for understanding," from the young woman.

Ivy may have been able to terrify the living daylights out of a hulking brute with words alone, but she never laid a finger on anyone in malice or anger. She was a woman dedicated to healing the sick but never hesitated to be a derailing factor for those with malicious intent. She was a big sister as well as a mother figure outside of her life, fighting tooth and nail while cradling a delicate life in her own hands. She was one of the best in the county at getting results that mattered to all parties involved and was exceptionally modest about it.

In spite of her financial success, she decided not to exploit her well-deserved pay with extravagance and questionable indulgences. She was a doctor second and a big sister first, making time for her only surviving sibling at every chance she could. She loved Cy, but only as his big sister and primary guardian. She held custody over him in the way a loving mother would. Making sure Cy got all of his school work done, that he was never left unattended in times of emergency, and that he had a balanced life that she could accept.

There was one variable that she recently couldn't shake. The mysterious "homeless" girl with silver eyes whom her little brother brought into their house the night before and saw out that morning when he thought everyone else was asleep. She knew that it was to be expected from a boy Cy's age to start showing interest in girls, but she'd hoped it would be someone she knew. The only girls who Cy every talked about were Winter, Luna, Nora, and the Malachite sisters. Melanie and Miltiades Malachite were both ruled out immediately. Luna and Nora showed interest in Cy as more the comfort and game night fun type of friends, they were always by his side when Cy and Ivy's family were taken from them by a tragic event that neither surviving sibling felt comfortable about bringing up. Surprisingly enough, Luna and Nora came out to Ivy with the fact that they both felt comfortable around Cy, so comfortable that they would occasionally sandwich him in a tight hug. Nora even went so far as to say she'd invite Cy and Luna to her prom as her dates. "I kinda love both of 'em equally. Luna's my permanent girlfriend, and Cy's the only guy who I've ever shown any interest in."

Then there was Winter Schnee II, the heiress to the country's most successful electric company. When she and Cy were kids, Ivy used to babysit them when Winter's father, Grau Schnee, would head out on business trips to oversee new ventures as far out as other countries. The friendship between Winter and Cy started almost immediately and they were as thick as thieves with the addition of Cy's best friend Azure Aquio. When they got older, Cy asked the heiress if she'd like to go out on a date. Winter blushed and responded, "Cy, that's really sweet. But, I was hoping Auzre would ask me out." Cy was heartbroken until the heiress hugged him, "But if you ever want to, I'd like to go out with you and Azure. I mean we're still kids, after all. And I couldn't imagine ever having a good time without you there to have fun too. But, promise me you won't tell anyone about my crush on Azure. Pinkie promise," She said holding out her hand.

Cy gulped, "Okay, I pinkie promise not to tell him or anyone else."

Of course the secret became obvious to everyone who saw Azure and Winter together. Where the heiress' lips were sealed, her body language was like an opera and Ivy couldn't help but feel amused by her display.

The only other girl Cy ever talked about was a know-it-all girl in Miss Nikos' class named Rosette Le Fluer. Rosette and Cy weren't exactly friends, they were more friendly rivals who respected each other to the point that they'd agree to be against the Malachite sisters.

Ruby, the mystery variable in Cy's life. Mysterious, pretty, pale-skinned, black haired, silver-eyed, the very epitome of innocence, and above all else a concern to be raised in Ivy's mind that made her big sister sense go into overdrive. "I've got to talk to Cy when he gets home." She said, "There's something that he's not telling me."

Umbra and Cy rounded the corner and headed to the apartment building where Cy lived. "You do realize that Ivy's gonna wanna know about your mysterious vampire friend, little dude." Umbra said.

Cy huffed, "Yeah, and that's what I'm afraid of."

"I'll tell her my opinion of Ruby," Umbra said, "Hopefully she'll hold off on digging too deep into asking who Ruby really is."

"If Ivy does ask about Ruby," Cy responded, "I'll have to coax Ruby into telling her everything."

"If anyone can do that without raising any serious red flags, it's you my man." Umbra smiled. They continued through the doors of the building, greeted Mr. Viridian, and headed to the elevator to Cy's floor.

There was a knock on Ivy's door. "That must be Umbra and Cy," She said. "Time to get some answers," She headed to the door, "I'm coming." She said before opening the door.

"Good evening, ma'am," Umbra said, "does this little dude belong to you?"

Ivy shook her head and tried to restrain her laughter, "Umbra Obsidia, that is the corniest opening line I've ever heard from you."

"That's what I was going for, Ivy," Umbra said, "Also don't worry, I took him to dinner. Geoff and Griffon said their sorry you missed them."

"Any news on Griffon's cousin," Ivy asked.

"Doing fine," Umbra said, "thanks to you."

Ivy sighed thankfully, "That's good. Okay Cy, go get your stuff ready for school tomorrow."

"Okay Ivy," Cy nodded as he headed to his room, "night Umbra."

"Night young dude," Umbra replied.

When Ivy heard the door close she turned to Umbra and asked, "Did you get anything out of him on Ruby?"

Umbra nodded, "Better than that, she went to dinner with us."

"How did that go," Ivy inquired.

"Well, she told us some stuff about her, like how she became homeless," Umbra huffed, "she's had it pretty rough. Family issue made her sister drive her away. Then something happened that took her mom, dad, and sister from her. Since then she's been alone."

Ivy's eyes widened, "Oh my god, and I've been so judgmental about her."

"Hey, she's not a bad kid," Umbra put and arm around her, "she's just got a lot of pain in her life. I mean she spent a lot of time wandering from place to place until she found Vale. She just wants a place to call her own."

Ivy blinked and smiled, "I hope she can find a place like that."

Umbra smiled, "After last night, I think she has."

Ruby sat in her room, thoughts from earlier in the evening flowed through her mind. Eating dinner with Umbra and Cypress was an unexpected yet enjoyable luxury, a luxury she felt benefited her more than anything else. Such luxury quelled more painful thoughts that flooded her mind, but as she came to learn, such luxuries would be doomed to be stripped away from her and be replaced with nothing but regret, loneliness, and heartache. She may have been one thousand fifteen years of age, but there was one thing she never got over, it was the pain of separation.

"I'll have to prepare just in case," Ruby said, "twenty years of living in the middle of a big city like this… I guess it really was too good to be true."

She got up and decided to gather a few things together. Mainly she gathered a bag of clothes to take with her and a book or two. She felt something hold her back, a deep pain from deep in her chest. She balled herself up in the fetal position and pounded her fist against the floor. She didn't want to leave Vale, more than anything she wanted to stay. She threw the bag across the house and into the basement, "No," She screamed, "I'm not doing this. I'm sick of running, I'm sick of the hurt, I'm sick of losing everyone I care about. I'm seeing this path through to the end." She picked up all the clothes she packed in the bag and put them back in her room. "It's been at least one hundred years since the days I was hunted." Ruby said, "There are those who seem to like vampires now. There are even those who don't hold tightly to the same laws that caused people to hunt me down before. I guess I need to slowly start settling in." She sniffed her clothes and snuggled in their warmth. "I may want to look into finding some way to modernize this old place. I mean the base wiring is still intact, I just need to find some way of getting electricity pumped through it." She sighed, "But for that I'd need school, I can't do that if I'm confined to walking the night. Ugh, this is harder than I thought. I need some air."

Cy had just finished getting ready for bed. "I hope Ruby won't be too cold tonight," He said to himself.

He sat down on his bed and lay down on his back, "Let's see, I've got no classes with Melanie tomorrow, that's Tuesday. I've got all the things I need for my classes in my backpack, check. Luna, Winter, and I have lunch together, I've got my payment for my lunch account. What have I got to worry about tomorrow afternoon?" He stood up with his hands behind his back and paced back and forth across the length of her bed. "I've got studying with Azure in the library so we can pass Mr. Lazuli's class on Wednesday. That shouldn't be a problem with Miss Scarletina as librarian."

"Thinking of your plan of attack?" Ivy asked poking in through the door.

Cy was stirred from his train of thought. Pacing about was normally how he did this, but Ivy'd never seen him pace on the top of his bed like this before. "Yeah, sorry," Cy blushed.

"So, Umbra told me a little about Ruby," Ivy said, "That she lives mainly in the Inner City Forest." Cy nodded his head somberly, "He also said that if you know anything more, you'll let Ruby tell us all when she's ready."

Cy smiled, "Thanks for not over reacting, sis."

"I was going to, before Umbra told me it was better not to do anything stupid," Ivy said sitting on Cy's bed.

"I guess Umbra's more of an understanding sort than we thought," Cy smiled sitting next to his sister.

"Well, he does look after you kids when everyone else is busy," Ivy smiled.

"If you call taking us to work with him and helping Mr. Tukson at the book shop looking after us," Cy chuckled.

"You and I both know that Mr. Tukson appreciates the hard work that everyone does," Ivy said, "You and Azure help organize the inventory and shelve the books. Nora and Luna are incredible with their management of the store's café. Winter helps people with book selections. You kids are easily the best help that Tukson's Book Trade has ever had. I worked there to help pay off my text books when I went off to med school, and I had to double up on my responsibilities more than once."

Cy smiled and gave a yawn, "I guess you're right, sis." He slowly crawled under his sheets.

"I hope all goes well for you tomorrow, little brother," Ivy said as she tucked her brother in.

Ruby left her home and decided to take a walk through the woods to clear her head. The air was cold, but it didn't matter to her. As she went through the abandoned streets of the old inner city, she thought of the last few days and what they'd revealed to her. She'd become fond of Cypress and his friends, though the boy himself was still a veritable conundrum in her mind, she could never get a good read on his thoughts or motives. She felt herself becoming deeply enraptured with finding out more about the boy. Her instincts told her to take what she wanted without asking, but her human side which she preserved for centuries told her that she needed to hold off on asking about what he was hiding.

She came to the top of an old parking complex, her favorite spot to lay back and gaze at the stars and clear her head. Every time she came to the seven story building, she felt homesick. Her island home from a millennium prior had one of the best views of the stars, but not the same stars as could be seen in the city of Vale. This place was where she liked to come when she needed to do serious thinking, where she could sit alone with her thoughts and a host of stars. "Do I leave and start over again," She inquired as she lay on her back, "or do I stay and at least try to build an actual life with those humans as my friends?" The silence broke as a leaf fell from the trees above her and landed right on the vampire's forehead. Ruby took the leaf by its stem and examined it, "It looks like autumn is coming." She sat up and further examined the leaf further, "I guess I'm staying," A small smile curved across her face, "Although, I think that's for the best. I've grown quite accustomed to this place…" She blushed a lightly, "… and fond of teasing Cypress so relentlessly."

She stood up, "Then it's decided," She looked up at the bejeweled heavens with confidence, "No more running. Patch is gone," A tear ran down her pale cheek, "Vale is my home."

A/N: Took a month break to do some thinking and try to get my life pointed in the right direction. I know I do that a lot, it's just for me the weather effects my mood and motivation, and it's been rainy and dreary a lot lately and as a result, my productivity has been sapped. But I'm tanned, rested, and ready to update more regularly now. Though I am worried about Hurricane Irma churning just off the East Coast, but that's something I have until Sunday to worry about. I'll have Melting the Ice updated ASAP and another Rose Wolf one-shot out soon too (haven't done one of those in a while), needless to say I'll be very bust these next few weeks, but I'll get it done. Until then, let me know what you think so far, if you feel so compelled to do so. Remember, reviews aren't mandatory, but are appreciated.

See you next time,

~Cluny