Disclaimer: Nope. I was hoping it would be mine. But I was wrong.

Just One Date

Volume 3

By: athrunzala

Chapter 8: Keeping Secrets

Pyrrha Nikos wasn't quite sure what was wrong with her. She just wasn't feeling well. So she had chalked it up to being a standard illness that she, by virtue of being alive, was susceptible to. She would feel nauseous, head to the rest room, vomit, and be back to her normal self. Nobody thought anything of it until the morning that Ren and Nora awoke to find Jaune holding her hair out of the toilet.

Blake and Yang had been giving Ruby and Weiss plenty of space lately, as they, along with Sun and Neptune had been going into town on the weekends. Of course, the two knew what they were really doing, but they kept their mouths shut. Through all of it, Ruby was STILL writing letters to their uncle and father, keeping them informed of how life was going at Beacon.

Today, of course, she had a return response from her father that actually mentioned her being with Weiss. She quickly glanced it over, and then decided that her other half should hear it as well. She trotted into the room she shared with her girlfriend and sat down on Blake's bed.

"Weiss! I got a message from dad! He mentioned you in it!"

The heiress turned her head at this. Seeing Ruby on the bed with the letter in her hand, she abandoned her hairbrush to the counter, allowing her long, white hair to flow down to her thighs.

"What's it say?"

The black-haired girl cleared her throat and began to read the letter out loud.

"Dear Ruby,

I'm sorry I didn't write sooner. I was out on a trip and didn't get back until a couple days ago. I'm so glad you're happy. Please make good choices in your relationship.

Love you, kiddo!

Taiyang

P.S. – I know about the crap your sister pulled in the past.

P.P.S. – Send me a photo when you get the chance! I want to see you two together!"

She looked up as she lowered the page, her usual goofy grin adorning her face. She then turned her head to the heiress.

"Well, that sounds like he has accepted you!"

Weiss turned a slight pink at this. She hadn't expected Ruby to tell her father about them being in a relationship. Especially since she hadn't told her own family about it. She then smiled and leaned in to give the younger girl a peck of the cheek.

"That's good to know. We should get ready to leave though."

Ruby looked confused for a moment before she remembered.

"Oh yeah! We have a field exercise with Professor Terra today!"

She then bolted out of bed and into the bathroom to take a shower, neglecting to close the door. Weiss gave in to the temptation to peek around the corner to catch a glimpse of her girlfriend undressing. She didn't regret it, but she immediately felt guilty for having peeped in on Ruby without her knowledge. So she resumed getting dressed and getting Myrtenaster reloaded, as well as prepping extra clips for Blake and some fire rounds for Ruby. Yang had a veritable stockpile of ammo… somewhere, so she didn't worry about the blonde too much.

Elsewhere, Ren was talking with Professor Terra.

"I don't think we'll be heading out. Pyrrha's not in peak condition right now."

"That's fine. Ren. You are making a call for the good of your team. I can respect that."

The martial artist bowed to their instructor and turned to leave. Nero shot out one last comment before he did so.

"Just make sure that she and Mr. Arc aren't… you know."

The thought made him cringe slightly. He didn't want to picture anybody having sex. So he continued walking away, albeit slightly more disturbed than he had been upon going to wake up Blake and Sun a couple days earlier. He had known that Faunus could get rambunctious when they decided to do the deed, but he hadn't been prepared to see one of Sun's shoes on a ceiling fan, or even as much of the two as he had seen.

Upon his return to their dorms, he waved as Ruby and Weiss walked past. He couldn't help but smile every time he saw them together. And then he was reminded that he had left Nora alone to watch a pot of soup he was making in their room and hastily opened the door to find… normalcy. Nothing had exploded. In fact, Nora was peacefully stirring the soup, and Jaune was cuddling Pyrrha, her head being cradled in his hand in much the same way someone would hold an infant's.

He walked over to where Nora was and gave her a gentle hug from behind. She turned her head to give him a kiss as he took the ladle from her hand.

"Ren? Do you think that she might be..."

The marital artist shot his girlfriend a look that said "say it, and you are gonna regret it", which caused her to shut up. Still, her belief was well founded. He knew for certain that they were having sex on a regular basis. He just wasn't sure if it was unprotected or not. And if it was, there was a high chance that Pyrrha's illness was not a garden-variety cold or flu. There was a chance that it was a 9-month-long illness that would end with her and Jaune getting kicked out of Beacon. And that was the last thing that he wanted. He turned to Nora.

"If I take Jaune out with me, can I leave you here with Pyrrha?"

The orange-haired woman saluted.

"You can count on me!"

Ren smiled and gave his girlfriend a kiss.

"Thanks, Nora."

In the adjoining room, Jaune was holding his lover in his arms. She was paler than normal, and she had dark circles under her eyes. She also was wearing a pair of sweats and a tee-shirt Nora had hijacked from Yang, so they were slightly ill-fitting.

"I love you, you know that?"

Her voice was also weaker than usual. Jaune was on the verge of losing it.

"I know that. And you aren't going to die. It's just a cold. You'll kick this thing in the ass. I know you can!"

The blonde looked up as Ren entered the room. The martial artist looked over at him and motioned for him to follow. Not sure as to why, Jaune gently placed Pyrrha's head on the pillow and gave her a quick kiss on the forehead. He then got up and followed his friend.

Once in the hallway, Ren opened his mouth to speak.

"Jaune, we all know that you and Pyrrha are..."

"I know. I know. And we are being careful. I swear."

"Alright. I just don't want to find out that she is…"

"Yeah. Hey. Ren?"

"What is it?"

"I need your help with picking out a gift for Pyrrha."

The marital artist was slightly taken aback by the request. He knew Jaune was awkward. But he didn't pretend to know the first thing about getting things for women.

"Uh…."

"I can't ask Nora. She'd tell Pyrrha."

Ren smiled and shook his head. Deep down inside, he knew it to be true. Nora and keeping secrets were not two things that happened. He extended his hand.

"What'cha thinking about getting her?"

"Well," the blonde sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. "It… it's in town… at this one shop…"

"Which shop?"

Jaune then pulled out his scroll and showed Ren the picture of what he was planning on buying. Ren's eyes widened. He wasn't sure any single one of them had that kind of money.

"How are you going to afford that?"

"I don't exactly brag about it, but we are kinda… rich."

"You're joking."

"Nope. You know that chicken and chicken stock you are using? Those are from my family's farm. We grow 'em and everything."

Ren chuckled slightly. He knew the chicken had to have come from somewhere, but he didn't want to risk guessing. He patted his friend on the back.

"Whatever you do, Jaune, I wish you the best."

On the edge of the campus, Nero was waiting with Ruby and Weiss for Blake and Yang. He was normally a patient man, but he had needed to re-do his lesson plan. They were going to return to Mountain Glenn to double check the stability of the area, instead of the original plan of visiting the subterranean city that had sprung up before.

"Ladies, I have changed the plan for reasons of an illness. Ms. Nikos is ill, and her team mates have elected to sit this one out in order to ensure her a speedy recovery. I must commend them for that. Compassion is key to being a Huntsman or Huntress. Never forget it."

Ruby looked over at Weiss. She was sure that the speech was meant mostly for Yang and Blake, but they listened anyway. Just as the other two members of their team arrived, he finished the introductory part.

"What'd we miss," Yang inquired, leaning over to her sister.

"Nothing. He was just letting us know that the plans changed because Pyrrha's sick."

Yang narrowed her eyes.

"With the nine-month flu?"

Ruby and Weiss both gasped as Yang's second inquiry had been somewhat louder. This made Nero look over at the blonde, his eyes narrowing slightly behind his half-frame glasses.

"Miss Xiao Long, I do request that you refrain from speculating on the physical status of your friends, as they are not here to confirm or deny your accusations."

He then returned to his speech.

"In any case, we are doing a secondary survey of Mountain Glenn. I hope you are all prepared to stay for a few days."

He then turned around and marched off in the direction of the airship, followed closely by Blake and Yang. Weiss held Ruby's sleeve lightly, as a sign to stay back.

"What is it?"

"Ruby… I… I…ve been thinking. And I wanna send your father a photo of us once we get to Mountain Glenn."

"Why there? It's a wasteland."

"I know. But I want to take it there."

Ruby nodded in agreement, deciding that it was better not to argue with the heiress. They then jogged off to catch up and board the airship. Little did Ruby know that Weiss was planning a surprise for her.

~Two Nights Earlier~

Weiss was up late. She had waited until Ruby fell asleep then stepped out to the CCT. As she entered, she followed all the protocols and went to a terminal to make a single phone call.

"Hello?"

The male voice on the other end was not at all how Weiss had expected Taiyang Xiao Long to sound. It was actually somewhat warm and welcoming. As she looked at the screen, she could see easily why Ruby and Yang both spoke so highly of their father.

"Hello, sir. My name is…"

"Weiss Schnee. I know. I am well aware of you, thanks to Ruby's letters. I got home to find six of them on the table. Qrow visits to check my mail if I'm out."

The heiress blushed. She had been completely unaware that Ruby was telling her father all about her in her letters. The man continued.

"I also know that you two are together. I have a couple questions for you."

"Yes sir?"

"1, what are your intentions for my daughter," he held up fingers as he said the items. "And 2, have you two… you know."

Weiss paled slightly. She was nervous, this being the first time she had spoken actively to Ruby's father. And here he was giving her the third degree.

"I… I…" She stammered, trying to find the words. When she did, they came out loud and clear.

"I plan to marry your daughter! And no. We have not!"

Taiyang was slightly taken by surprise at the abruptness of the answer after the nervous start. He knew his daughter was head over heels for the heiress, but he had no idea that it was reciprocated. He rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

"Go ahead."

Weiss looked at the screen, slightly confused by the answer.

"I'm not sure I understand."

"Go ahead. Just keep her safe. Can you promise me that?"

Weiss nodded in affirmation. She felt all warm inside, and she didn't want to let it all come out over the phone.

"Good. Now, Ms. Schnee, please get some sleep. It is rather late. Goodnight, and I look forward to talking to you again."

He then ended the call, leaving a more than elated Weiss to more or less float back to the room she shared with Ruby. Before climbing into bed, she opened her bottom dresser drawer and pulled out a box. She opened the top briefly and smiled, closed it back up, and cuddled up next to her girlfriend.

To be continued…

A.n./- I know. I know. I still haven't talked about the ring much. You'll see why in the next one. So shush. Okay? This is DEFINITELY going to have lots of chapters. I don't see it ending in 8-9 like the last two.