So I've been toying with the idea of continuing this story as a 'what if' scenario, but it didn't seem to fit well. Instead I wanted to explore the idea of how Ruby and Weiss' relationship could inspire the next generation for something more... or less. Only one way to find out.

Here goes nothing:

I couldn't take it, couldn't stand another minute. Couldn't bear another day without you in it. All of the joy that I had known for my life, was stripped away from me the minute that you died.

A young girl with eyes bright like diamonds, her hair white as snow that was kissed at the tips by the blue sky erupted in joyous laughter as she nearly pounced upon a younger toddler as she scurried through the living room.

Said toddler had hair kissed by the sun, her eyes also golden as it held a rather striking glare – despite how innocent the gesture may be. Rose remembered the first time she cause sight of those golden eyes staring into her own, it seemed so sharp that it pierced right through her. It made her shudder, but in a good way.

And ever since then Rose absolutely adored the Faunus.

"Phoenix!" Rose Schnee-Vasilias called out in glee, "You can walk now! You're so big!" The five year old child remembered the last time she saw the young daughter of her Auntie Yang and Auntie Blake, "You were barely able to take three steps without falling and now you're practically running!" She giggled as she chased the young Faunus about the living room.

"Careful now Rose! Take care not to let her run into the-" Weiss chastised as she moved quickly from the kitchen counter.

Weiss was cut off by the loud thunk that Nix produced when she ran straight into the wall. The business mogul stopped right in her tracks as there was a moment, that moment of calm before a storm.

A sniffle erupted from the previously happy face as a red spot was beginning to develop on the Lynx-type Faunus' nose.

A flash of black was all that was seen as Blake knelt down beside her daughter, "Uh oh," Such motherly tone echoed throughout the otherwise quiet room, Weiss let go of a breathe she didn't know she was holding as Blake quickly picked up Phoenix to pat her back, "You're okay there little one," She pulled back to try to get a better look at Nix's nose, but the child refused as she clung to her mother.

"Rose!" A stern tone erupted from Weiss, "What have I told you about running in the living room? That's why I have you play outside in the gardens!" She chastised.

"It's alright Weiss," Blake cooed as she rubbed her child's back, "If it makes you feel better Yang's already dropped her like twice already, I doubt her run in with the wall is anything compared to those. And even then, Nix surprisingly didn't bawl nearly as long or as loud as expected." The sniffling subsided as the mother Faunus took a seat on the couch.

"I… I'm sorry Auntie Blake." Rose approached Blake shyly; the Xiao-Long Belladonna peered over at her friend to see that there was a certain look that encourages the young child to come up to her.

"It's okay Rose, it was an accident. But it doesn't hurt to be more careful inside." Blake reassured the young Heiress, "You should try asking Nix if she's okay." She pulled the young Faunus away from her.

Those golden eyes made its way to those anticipating diamond ones, "Are you okay Nix?"

"O…Okay." Nix babbled out as she squirmed out of her mother's embrace, "Play!" Came the small voice as she jumped up and down.

"Let's go to my room then!" Rose exclaimed, she was about to run off once more, but she could feel the icy gaze coming from her mother, "L-Let's walk Nix." She laughed nervously as she clutched the toddler's hand.

"Play!" Nix exclaimed again as the two clamored up the stairs and into the left wing of the Schnee Manor where the family slept.

To have you in my life was all I ever wanted, but now without you I'm a soul forever haunted. Can't help but feel that I had taken you for granted. No way in hell that I can ever comprehend this.

"Sheesh, you sure know how to lay it on." Yang smiled sheepishly as she too had come running when a certain mom-sense compelled her so. She stopped and opted to watch the scene when she saw that her wife had beat her to the punch, "Still such a Weiss queen."

"Shut it Xiao-Long." Weiss rolled her eyes.

"That's Xiao-Long Belladonna to you, Missy." Yang wagged her finger.

"Its just Xiao-Long when you're acting like an oaf." Rose's mother scoffed, "Thanks for staying while Neptune is gone, you didn't have to though, we're pretty much used to this. It's nice that he volunteers for all the business trips so that I can stay here… especially with Rose around." Weiss smiled, "He has a way with trying to make things easier on me."

"It's no big deal, actually…" Yang narrowed her eyes to Blake, a certain look passed over the detective's eyes. The Faunus merely got up.

"I'm going to check on the kids." She left without another word.

Weiss raised a brow, she noticed that Yang clutched on to something. "You know what today is, right?" She began

Weiss bit her cheek at the question, "How could I forget…" It was October 4th.

The day Ruby passed away – 9 years has passed since the gun-slinging idiot did something…. Selfless. Like she always had done.

Yang cleared her throat, "Well… I… After Nix's birthday last week I realized something." A deep breath, "The reason we named her Phoenix was after Ruby, really – since someone stole Rose." A playful glare, Weiss shook her head, "Well, it's because when Blake gave birth to her and I held her for the first time… the first time those precious amber eyes looked into mine, they were familiar – they reminded me of the way Ruby would look up to me and I just knew right then and there that we had to name her Phoenix."

"I just thought you pressed Blake to name her that because it just sounded cool." The Schnee President joked.

Yang shook her head, "No, I think she caught on to what I was thinking too because she said she couldn't think of any other name to call her after seeing her eyes. Like a part of her made it's way to Nix some way, some how." She smiled as she drew circles on the kitchen counter top, "On her birthday while we were at Patch to be with Dad and Uncle Qrow… That morning when I went to go wake her up, I saw that look again. As if Ruby was looking at me," A deep sigh, "And so I decided to finally go through some of Ruby's things… start to really sort them out and put them away. For so long Dad and I have just left that room as is, all the stuff that the Huntsmen unit sent us back was still in boxes."

Weiss stepped carefully around the island in the kitchen to join Yang's side, for the first time she caught a glance at the item she clutched. It was a metal box with Ruby's Huntsmen symbol on it. Absent mindedly, she clutched at the coin she wore as a necklace.

The detective cleared her throat, "It was tough, but Dad eventually joined me, and together we put her stuff away. Packed up the room so that guests could actually sleep in there now rather than on the couch." She swallowed hard; even her companion could hear it as a gentle hand was placed on her back. Carefully, she opened the lid, Weiss nearly gasped at what was inside, she recognized the handwriting as her own, but at the same time not her own. The familiar scrawling was written by someone who was much younger, much more naïve, and just so in love.

"I… I'm sorry, but I ended up reading all of them." Yang picked up the letter that was on top, "They're all kinda worn down, like Ruby didn't read them just once or a few times, it seemed like she read all of them a lot… Like they were her favorite fairy tale, the kind I used to read to her when she was much younger. But Weiss…. I'm sorry for getting so mad at you when we were Seniors at Beacon, back then I thought you didn't really care for my sister… but I realize now that you were genuinely in love with her… and that maybe you still do love her." Yang looked at the letter she held, it was dated merely three months after her wedding to Neptune. A knowing look was on the seasoned detective's face, "I haven't said anything to Blake, and I don't plan on telling anyone… and I'm not going to state the obvious about how it is to Neptune… but you really did love my sister, didn't you?"

"Yang… I… Those were supposed to be private… but I guess it's been so long now." Weiss sighed, "I've actually told Neptune about it, and the first question he asked was if it was after our wedding vows. I told him no – and he told me not too worry about it." Ice blue eyes gazed warmly at her wedding band, "He left the house for a few hours afterwards, but came back to bed with me that night. He held me close and whispered all the things that he loves about me." A tear formed, "I don't know how I deserve him… I don't know how I managed to get both someone like Ruby and someone like Neptune to fall in love with me. It's as if I am truly a spoiled Schnee brat."

"You're not." Lilac eyes looked her friend in the eyes, "You're a really great person, and you love with all your heart." She looked back down at the letters. "I just thought that these might find a better place with you." Yang closed the lid as she slid the box to her lifelong friend.

"Yang… I… thank you so much." An otherwise strong woman choked out as she ran her hands across the metal.

"Just take care of those, they meant a lot to her."

I wasn't dreaming when they told me you were gone. I was wide awake and feeling they had to be wrong.

"Take care Weiss!" Blake called out as they were getting ready to leave for Vale.

"Bye Phoenix, come back soon so we can play again!" Little Rose called out from the front door.

Weiss smiled as she waved to her friends, Yang noticed that it didn't quiet reached her eyes, but chose to let it go. There were somethings we all needed to handle on our own.

I was wide awake and feeling that they had to be wrong. How could leave me when you swore that you would stay?

It was late at night; Weiss sat alone in her study on a cloudy January night. The usual reflection of the shattered moonlight was nowhere to be found. It was nearly pitch black save for the desk light that was flipped on.

Neptune slept soundly in Rose's bedroom as the poor child had a nightmare.

Before her the gleam of the cold metal latch mesmerized her eyes. The glow of the Huntsmen symbol seemed to be alive, calling to her, mocking her, bidding her, telling her to hurry and open the box.

An ice-cold glare began to melt away at the determination within her; with shaky hands she approached the latch. Today was the day that she would finally open this box and read what she had wrote all those years ago to a certain Huntress.

It's like a movie, but there's not a happy ending. Every scene fades to black and there's no pretending. This little fairy tale doesn't seem to end well, there's no knight in shining armor who will wake me from the spell.

Sob.

That's all she could do as she clutched the very last letter she had sent.

She had said it to her so many times before.

Berated her so that it would some how make its way to her gun slinging, dust shooting, brash brain.

"I said… keep safe…" Small chokes could be heard.

The letter was placed back into the metal box, the latch echoed as it was clicked shut.

On the floor across the Schnee family coat of arms was a porcelain figure clutching on to a dark red jacket as if it were a lifeline.

I know you didn't plan this. You tried to do what's right.

"Weiss, you okay?" Neptune noticed the red eyes that his wife tried to hide in the morning light.

"I'm fine." A curt response, she continued her morning task of putting breakfast before Rose as the child was preoccupied with staring out the window to see the thick layer of snow that the night's snowfall had brought.

A gentle hand was placed over the obviously distressed woman's shoulder, "You're lying." His voice was stern.

"Just let it go!" Weiss nearly shrieked, this caught Rose's attention as she finally absorbed the scene before her.

"M-Mommy?" Rose was worried.

"I'm sorry dear," She was quick to pick up her daughter, "Mommy is tired."

"What happened?" Small hands clutched at the material on her back.

A soft sigh, "Mommy had a bad dream last night too."

Neptune frowned at the sight; a buzz went off from his Scroll – business waited for no one.

But in the middle of this madness, I'm the one you left to win this fight.

Neptune inspected the metal box that sat on Weiss' study. He clenched his jaw and breathed in deeply as he caught sight of the red jacket on the back of the chair. He opened the box and bit the inside of his cheek.

"Weiss…" His voice quiet, he looked out at the bright winter sun.

"Ruby, what should I do?"

The Vasilias looked down dejectedly, he turned to leave the room, but curiously caught the sight of the closet door in the study. Usually it was kept closed under lock and key, Weiss kept the most precious and important documents in there – usually drafts of high profile business agreements, wills and testimonies, contracts signed in pen…

Cautiously he peered inside, an unassuming brown box still had its lid removed, a stack of envelopes was tied together.

There were addressed to Weiss Schnee, written from a Ruby Rose.

Red like roses fills my head with dreams and finds me always closer to the emptiness and sadness. That has come to take the place of you.

"Neptune… it's late." Weiss peered into her study she hadn't seen her husband all afternoon. The clock struck midnight long ago.

Her husband had an unreadable expression.

The letters were neatly stacked on top of the heavy wooden desk.

"Neptune…" Weiss couldn't find her voice.

Ocean blue eyes broke out into a small smile, "Babe, you should read those."

"But… You're not angry?" She cautiously let out.

"I think she would have wanted you to."

Wordlessly he left the study, almost wordlessly, "I'm going to sleep with Rose, just in case she has another nightmare." His voice small as he left closed the door to the study, leaving Weiss alone with the letters.

I know you're broken down by anger and by sadness. You feel I left you in a world that's full of madness. Wish I could talk to you if only for a minute. Make you understand the reasons why I did it.

"Hey Weiss." Silver were the eyes of the person who greeted her as she approached the Beacon student who waited impatiently at the airship dock of Vale.

Hastily, the legs of the Heiress carried her to the Solider as she jumped into the open arms.

"Hey Ruby." Weiss whispered as she clutched on to her.

"You're holding on to me like you didn't just see me a few weeks ago at my home station." Ruby joked as she put down her girlfriend. She had completed her first tour merely a week ago and was on leave for about 3 weeks. She had already spent a week back at Patch hanging out with her Dad and Uncle Qrow.

The Heiress clutched on to her Soldier's arm, "It already seems like months to me."

"Yeah… it seemed that way to me too." A firm arm was wrapped around the Heiress' waist as she pulled her closer. "I love you…" The voice was soft and unsure.

Weiss' breathe was caught in her throat, it was the first time anyone who wasn't Winter had told her that and genuinely meant it. Her jaw slacked, only to close again. All of the eloquent words that she had learned at Beacon University escaped her, her usually sharp tongue dull.

Ruby smiled at the reaction, a pair of lips that were red with warmth came down to capture the cold porcelain that quickly melted away. Where words failed Weiss, actions made up for it as she grabbed a fistful of the tinted red hair.

"I love you too, dunce."

I wanna tell you that you're all that ever mattered. Want you to know that for eternity I'm shattered. I tried so hard just to protect you, but I failed to and in a prison of abandonment I've jailed you.

A tear slid down Weiss' face as she opened the first letter Ruby had sent after the wedding.

June 13, 3056

Weiss,

I almost forgot how hot it was here; I've been sweating buckets since I got here.

I hope you're honeymoon was fun, tell Neptune I said hey – I think we made up pretty well at your wedding.

So remember the 'Coin Check' I've told you about? I'll refresh your memory if you don't – it's a thing in the military where one asshole calls a coin check and everyone has to pull out a certain Round Metal Object, who ever doesn't have a coin is now subject to a punishment. Usually it's buying everyone a round at the bar, but I've told you before that we can't drink here… So instead I get to pull a week's worth of night patrols.

I'm not upset… well, maybe a little because night patrols suck, but it made me think of you.

And when I think of you, I usually smile – a lot.

I hope you smile a lot when you think of me too.

Write back soon,

Ruby

I never planned that I would leave you there alone. I was sure that I would see you when I made it back home. And all the times I swore that it would be okay, now I'm nothing but a liar and you're thrown into the fray.

June 24, 3056

Ruby Rose,

I got your letter yesterday; it sure did take its time getting here.

Neptune wishes you well too, he says we'll all go this new dessert shop in downtown Atlas when you're back.

I smiled like no other when I saw this letter in the mail, and I want you to know that I always smile when I think of you too. Why wouldn't I?

I must apologize for putting you through that ordeal, but I also have to remind you that you have an abundant amount of energy, so I'll think of those night patrols as righteous justice for all the times you woke me up early whenever you were over.

Father has been getting on my case lately; he wants me to have a child of all things. I just got married barely 4 months ago and he's already talking about children. Neptune and I have talked about it… We're not ready, not yet. There's so much we have to do, and I'm not even CEO of the company yet... I've told you my feelings about Father before; I want him to step down.

I don't want a child yet when I have yet to do the things I want to do – and that's to clean up the mess Father has made.

Remember that book Blake wrote about equality for all the Faunus? She mentioned Father's business practices several times and it has thoroughly angered him. I got a good laugh out of that.

Well, you've distracted me enough from my work.

Stay safe,

Weiss Schnee

This bedtime story ends with misery ever after. The pages are torn and there's no final chapter. I didn't have a choice, I did what I had to do. I made a sacrifice but forced a bigger sacrifice on you.

The tears stopped.

The letters she kept reading.

Laughter erupted from her lips as she read over the jokes and stories her favorite Soldier has told her. Stories she had nearly forgotten. Words that almost faded with the passage of time were now immortalized in this parchment before her.

She turned her attention to the jacket that hung on her chair; faintly it smelled of used dust powder and roses, just faintly though.

In her arms she held the piece of clothing, unaware of the door that opened behind her.

I know you've lived a nightmare, I caused you so much pain. But baby please don't do what I did. I don't want you to waste your life in vain.

"Mommy?" A raspy and almost feeble voice called out.

Weiss turned in her chair as she spotted her daughter peer through the study door.

"Rose, come back to bed, Mommy is busy." Neptune hastily walked up behind his daughter.

"No, it's fine." Her voice was clear, which caused Neptune to snap his head up at his wife. His surprise turned into a relaxed smile as he noticed the clear look on Weiss' face. The jacket in hand caught his attention.

"Daddy, I'm cold." Rose whined as she wrapped her arms around herself.

"Here little snowflake," Neptune reached a hand out for the jacket, he motioned Rose to come closer to him as he got down on his knees to be eye level with the child. Weiss was surprised as he carefully opened up the material and set it around his daughter. "Warm?"

Rose nodded her head, "Uh-huh! This is really warm." She snuggled into it deeper, Neptune broke out into a small chuckle.

"Rose… do you want to hear a bed time story?" Weiss started out as she crouched down on the floor beside Neptune.

"Sure!" Rose flung the arms of the jacket haphazardly, it brushed up against Weiss' nose, but she brushed it off. She made a grab for her daughter and sat her on her lap. Neptune put an arm around both of his precious girls as the family of three sat over the enormous family emblem that decorated Weiss' carpet of her study.

"What kind of story is it Mommy?" Ocean eyes gazed into diamond pools; his wedding band glinted in the moonlight.

Weiss planted a soft kiss on her husband's lips, "It's a story about Rose's name."

"My name!" Rose exclaimed, she put her hands to her mouth in shock, albeit the huge sleeves covered them.

"Uh-huh…" Weiss glanced at the letters on the desk, "There was a Hero, her name was Ruby Rose and all she wanted to do was keep the people she cared for with all her heart safe."

Rose's eyes went wide as she processed her mother's soft tone, "So I'm named after a superhero?"

"Something like that." Neptune smiled softly at Rose.

"She pledged her life to fight bad guys who wanted to do bad things to people like you and me." Weiss continued, Neptune chuckled again at the expressions Rose produced, "And so…"

Red like roses fills my dreams and brings me to place you rest. White is cold and always yearning, burdened by a royal test. Black the beast descends from shadows. Yellow beauty burns gold.

6 airships flew overhead in a tight military formation.

In a merriment and hails a line of once stone still cadets tossed their covers into the air as official Second Lieutenants in Vale's Military.

"Congrats, you made it in one piece." A rather sultry voice laced with mock surprise grabbed the graduated cadet's attention.

Golden eyes looked straight into diamond ones, a huge grin broke out on the once expressionless face.

"Told you I could do it." Came the quip back.

"As if I doubted you in the first place, Phoenix." The 21 year old grew a devious smile, "Too bad you're not 21 – other wise I'd say let's go celebrate at Aunt Yang's favorite bar."

"Rose, you know the last thing I want to do is see Ma get drunk – again." The 18 year old sighed as she remembered getting a call once at 2 am from her Mom asking her to come by and pick up an intoxicated Yang.

Rose looked about the parade grounds where they held graduation ceremonies for everyone who joined the military in Vale. Whether they enlisted in a 12-week Basic Training to become full-fledged Privates that would turn into experienced Sergeants that knew the ins and outs of any battle or have the coveted opportunity to commission in a 1-year course to become Second Lieutenants and potential a future General to lead the charge.

She breathed in the spring air, she loved the town where Nix grew up in, and it was always warm, always bright – unlike the grey winters that often encompassed all of Atlas. The sky above was a brilliant blue; she wondered what it would be like to fly the way Nix would one day.

"What are you thinking?" Nix questioned as she stood next to Rose who was clad in a light blue sundress. Nix's dress blues were prim and caught a certain Heiress' lingering stare one times too many. It was a rare sight to see Nix's rather wild short mane to be tamed and styled into something dapper.

"I'm just thinking about the time you'll take me flying one day." A smirk, "You'll take me flying once you get your wings right? On an actual airship?" A challenging hand pushed her childhood friend in the shoulder.

Nix quickly caught her by the wrist, "Not just any kind of flying in some regular old airship, but some real flying by a top of the line Fighter Pilot." The smile faltered a bit, "Although I've got another year of training so I can learn how to fly."

"I can wait, but just know that I'll hold you to it, Phoenix." Rose teased back.

Ocean blue eyes watched his daughter carefully, the gears in his head turning. Next to him stood an equally engrossed look that belonged to lilac eyes.

"Yang… is Nix dating anyone?" Neptune questioned with a raised brow.

"Not that I know of, what about Rose?" Yang was straight to the point.

He narrowed his eyes, "No one I know of…"

"Hey, let's go take a picture!" Blake called as she walked down to the parade grounds where Nix and Rose stood.

"Come on Dear." Weiss motioned to her husband as she caught up to her Faunus friend of many years.

A rose petal drifted through the spring breeze as Phoenix and Rose stood close to each other at the insistence of a quick photo session. They would do their kids first and then grab a random stranger to snap a picture of both families. Just as Neptune was about to snap the photo, the lone rose petal found a perch on top of Rose's snow white hair. Out of reflex, Nix reached for the petal to take out of her hair.

It was in that moment the two locked eyes, Rose smiled softly as she recognized the comforting feeling she would always get she caught those amber orbs. Nix smiled softly as she felt herself getting pulled into the hypnotizing gaze.

Neptune had snapped the photo; he took a look at his scroll and blinked rather quickly.

"How does it look?" Yang was the first to ask, she briefly caught sight of the screen but Neptune reopened the camera function of his scroll.

"Uh… I gotta take another one." Neptune let out sheepishly as Nix and Rose groaned inwardly, "What? I'll get it right this time." He smiled as she repositioned the camera at the two.

One day, he'll show this photo to both Rose and Phoenix. A photo of the two gazing at each other with such innocence as Phoenix held on to the stray rose petal.

Rose petal.

'You too, Ruby?' Neptune thought to himself as he looked up at the wide blue sky up ahead.

I penned this a while back, but I wasn't sure if I wanted to go ahead and post a sequel that was centered on daughters of Blake and Yang as well as Neptune and Weiss.

I do enjoy the idea of writing about two individuals who are young, in love, and so unsure - and I wanted to explore this concept while potentially using Ruby and Weiss' history and relationship to some how inspire these two to fall in love with each other.

After debating, I decided that nothing ventured was nothing gained.

Hopefully you enjoyed it and might give the sequel 'The Letters' a chance, or perhaps you prefer to pretend that this sequel I've begun to spun never happened in the first place. All I know is that I'm surprisingly excited to pen this story.

Cheers,

DevilRed