A/N: Yo! Blue here with another chapter for ya! That last one ended on a biiiiit of a cliffhanger... This and probably won't be better ha ha. Thanks for the support of this fic. Lemme know what you think of this chapter! Enjoy the Roses!

Chapter 11: Catch Me

Life went back to normal for Ruby Rose.

No, not normal. Life went back to how it was before Weiss.

That wasn't even accurate either. That was assuming Ruby went back to how things were before Weiss completely. As if she never existed. But Weiss left a mark on her mind, her heart, her essence.

And she would never be rid of it.

The angel floated by the earth, scanning below to see if anyone needed help. She used to do this job happily, eagerly. It was her favorite required task as an angel, probably cause field work meant she had to talk to people.

Now her heart wasn't in it. She managed to save two people and she thought it would make her feel... Fulfilled? Like how she felt when she saved Weiss from the roof that one night. She remembers that feeling vividly, how satisfying it felt to hold her, to know that she was the one who helped the girl stay on earth.

Helping these strangers didn't make her feel anything but empty now.

How did she get like this? She hated field work, it made her so anxious. She didn't know how to talk to people that she wasn't either friends with or had to save. And even then, she was just a mess with feather sticking out of her back.

But the more she stayed on the case, the more she wished to be one of them. To live on earth again. The hope was that when she got back to the clouds, that feeling would ebb away.

Unfortunately, the longer she stayed away from the living, the more she longed for their presence in her life.

Especially Weiss.

"Two days." Ruby mused aloud. It had only been two days and she missed everything about her life in Atlas.

Her shop class, learning curriculum that she never got to in her life (some that they never even taught at the time), Blake, and of course, Weiss.

Ruby wanted to stop by, see how Weiss was doing. Her memories were untouched, luckily enough; She convinced the other angels to keep them as they were. Maybe it was selfish of her, maybe Weiss would be happier to forget, but she just... Couldn't.

Her wings began to drift her in Weiss' direction, but she caught herself. Doing so was a recipe for disaster. If she got caught seeing her without explicit permission to do so, she could get clipped.

Clipped.

Huh.

She never thought that would ever be a worry of hers. It really didn't seem like a possibility.

Surprises all around and not the good kind.

Silver wings flapped faster, Ruby swiftly swooped around and headed home. At least flying was still fun to her, the wind in her hair. Going fast was still super cool, she was the fastest angel of the bunch!

Yang may have been good at the heavy lifting task, Ruby could fly circles around her.

Yang.

Did she know about all this? About how she really felt? The angels may not have noticed, but Yang was her sister. If anyone could figure it out, it would be Yang.

Her feet landed on the puffy ground.

It was really beautiful in the clouds, where no living being could find them. It was another plane of existence, only angels could break between the boundaries. She looked below and saw the earth rotating slowly.

"Still pretty, isn't it?"

Ruby looked up and saw her sister beside her, looking down as well.

"Yeah." Ruby agreed. "Time goes so fast there. Doesn't it?"

"It does. Just last week I went in to check on a charge I had a while back. She was twenty when I helped her, now she has grandkids." Yang explained. "Sometimes when we're down there, we forget that we are timeless, you know?"

"Yeah." She mumbled. Yang was often very silly so she forgot how insightful her sister could be. But she really was, truly. Maybe that's why she was so adept at field work, she knew how to phrase things.

Then she thought about what the blonde said, really let it sink in.

Ruby was timeless, she was immortal. And she would have to see Weiss grow up. Grow old. Weiss would move on with her life, fall in love. Maybe she would have kids.

She would be happy.

She could be happy without Ruby.

Happy without Ruby.

Without Ruby.

"Ruby?" Yang asked. "What's wrong?"

"Huh?"

It was then that she realized that she was crying. Some drops fell into the cloud and turned gray. The myth that rain was caused by weeping angels was completely false, but Ruby felt like she could rain a storm. Her eyes were the clouds, gray and brimming with liquid that begged to fall to the ground.

"Ruby?"

"Oh, hah." Ruby laughed, wiping away her tears as they formed. "I was just thinking about how beautiful it is that we get to see these people grow and improve themselves. We r-really make a difference."

"We do." She simply said. "You still think that?"

"What? Of course I do." The silver-eyed angel snapped, almost offended. "Why would you ask that?"

"You've been acting really weird lately." Confessed Yang.

So she did notice. Perfect.

"It was just... A really long case, Yang."

"Yeah, I know."

"A-and you know how much I really hate field work." She lied.

But Yang was not fooled.

"It didn't seem like you hated this one..."

"What are you trying to say?" Ruby snipped.

She didn't need this, she didn't need the sisterly lecture right now. It was painful enough that she made this attachment to her former charge. Yang didn't mean to make her feel bad, she only wanted to help, but sometimes it just hurt.

"That... This one shook you up." She told her, placing a hand on Ruby's shoulder. "And that you may be immortal, but that doesn't mean that you can't get hurt in other ways."

Sage Yang, a rare sight indeed.

"When did you get smart? You didn't even finish school... Or really attend it in the first place."

"My wisdom comes from within, little sister." Yang said, closing her eyes and pressing her hands together to give off the impression that she was inn deep meditation.

"You're ridiculous." The younger angel snickered.

"Takes one to know one."

"That doesn't make sense."

"Eh, takes one to know one."

"That makes even less sense!" She giggled.

"Well it got you to laugh!" The blonde defended, joining in her sister's laughter. "But seriously. If you need anything, I'll always be here for you."

"Thanks, Yang. I-"

Ruby. A voice called to her.

Not just any voice.

It was Weiss.

Ruby!

Oh no. She needed help, she was calling to her.

"Ruby? Everything alright?"

"I-I gotta see the counsel! I'll talk to you later."

"Ruby!" Yang called after her, but this couldn't wait.

Ruby!

Weiss was still calling for her. She needed her. The angel ran into the room, unannounced and skidded to a stop.

"Ruby? What is the meaning of this?" The angel with the pink eyes asked.

"W-weiss! She's calling to me!"

"Excuse me?"

"She's in trouble, I can feel it!" She told them. "Please, you have to let me see what's wrong."

"We can send other angels."

"But they don't know her like I do!"

"Then a memory erase would-"

"No!" Ruby commanded. "I already told you that's not an option."

All seven angels rose up in their seats and towered over Ruby, making her immediately regret her tone.

"Who do you think you are talking to, Rose?" Spat the mint-eyed angel. He always seemed like the kindest one there, but not in this moment. "We are your superiors, you would do well to remember that."

Their shadow loomed over her and she shrank away. It was not her intent to order anything, but she just got so emotional. How did it ever come to this? Ruby wished she had never taken that case, that she left as soon as she knew Weiss was on the right path. She wouldn't feel this emotional if she just left.

Ruby.

But she also wouldn't feel as wonderful. To care for another is an amazing feeling, one she forgot. She only really cared about people on a fixed time frame lately, with the exception of Yang. She was concerned when their lives were in danger and then she forgot them.

Ruby always cared about Weiss, even when she wasn't in danger or needed help.

"I-I know. A-and I'm not asking for much!" She timidly muttered. "Just... Some time. Unsupervised time to make sure she is ok."

"Unsupervised?"

"I noticed a pattern. She is more closed off when the counsel members are actively watching." Ruby fibbed.

"You are certain of this?" The blue-eyed angel piped up.

"Positive." She asserted. "Just give me one last chance to fix things. One more chance."

The assortment of eye colors looked to each other. They all leaned in and discussed the matter. Silver eyes watched them, prayed for this chance. One more chance. One more time to see Weiss, to make things right.

"You have two hours."

"Thank you! Thank you so much!" She cheered, running out. Leaping up, her wings spread out and she dived down into the realm of the living.

Ruby Rose!

Weiss.

Ruby.

Weiss. She would be there soon.

When the Schnee manor came into vision, she saw a sight she never thought she would see again.

Weiss was on the roof, looking down very intently, far too close to the edge.

XxXxX

"She's... An angel." Weiss breathed. An angel. A literal, actual angel. Ruby Rose, the clumsy girl she fell for was an angel, sent from above. The ivory-haired girl's legs wobbled and shook in protest against their use. Somehow, she made it back to the lunch table with Blake.

"Weiss? How did it go? You look kind of pale." Blake asked, setting down her book on the table.

"Ruby... She..." Weiss started, but couldn't continue. What was she supposed to say? She had fallen in love with an angel? That she grew beautiful white wings that were tipped with the same silver as her eyes?

"What did Ruby do?" She pressed, catching onto Weiss' speechless issue.

"She's... Um... Leaving Atlas." She informed Blake. Amber eyes widened at this.

"I'm so sorry, Weiss." Blake said, sympathizing with her. Believing that that was why Weiss looked so panicked. It wasn't a lie, but it wasn't what caused the heiress' state. She had no doubt Ruby was leaving Atlas, but she wasn't going to Vale.

She didn't even have family. Or maybe the other angels were her family? She never talked about them, it made sense why.

She never ate, or if she did, it was only a bite or two. She didn't accidentally drop that ice cream, it was on purpose. And that burger, when they skipped class, there was an uneaten patty in the trash. It must have been Ruby's.

Are angels not allowed to eat?

When Weiss would wake up in the morning after a sleepover. Ruby would already be awake. The heiress often wondered why that was, but now she knew. The angel didn't need to sleep, she probably just laid there the entire night.

That must have been awful boring.

Not important right now. The point is that she was spending extended time with you, Weiss. She thought. Why?

Well, that was obvious. She didn't recognize it at the time, but Weiss was hurting. Far more than she could reasonably deal with. She took so much on herself, was too concerned with what others thought, and refused any help. Under the impression that it was her burden to bear, the heiress would have probably driven herself to madness.

Or possibly worse.

And Ruby had helped with that, immensely. Yet, an emptiness came from this realization. Knowing that Ruby didn't do it out of her own kindness, but rather a ruling from a higher power, hurt.

"I have to go." Weiss announced. "I need to... Research."

"Need some help?" Blake asked.

"No, I don't." She answered, giving Blake a reassuring smile. "But thank you."

XxXxX

Over the past couple days, Weiss had looked up everything she could about angels. Where they came from, why they were there, what they looked like. The issue was that so many sources said different things. Most religions had their own angel myths.

None of them said that one could look like a cute girl, nothing about them wearing a lot of red and no sources ever mentioned silver eyes.

She sighed and leaned back in her desk chair.

Some sources said that they did not show themselves to humans, acting as an invisible hand to help them though. Other said that you would not see an angel until you were dead and they were leading you to the afterlife.

Well Ruby was most definitely there and Weiss was most definitely not dead yet.

Maybe she wasn't an angel? Perhaps she was spliced with avian DNA and that's why she had wings? No, that was ridiculous. The wings would always be present in that case. And that didn't explain how she disappeared in the blink of an eye.

Angel, she had to be an angel.

Weiss got up from her chair and looked out her window. She wanted to see Ruby out there, waiting to be let in. Did she ever actually climb the drain pipe up?

The research wasn't enough, she needed to know from the source! She needed to know from Ruby herself. Maybe if she got an explanation, she could move on with her life and look to the good things beyond the horizon.

Even if it was without Ruby.

That was what spurred her to climb back onto the roof. She had no intention of trying to leave her life, as she did before, but Ruby knew about it last time. She just knew where Weiss was and what she was about to do.

"Ruby." Weiss called out. She paced across the flat part of her roof. "Ruby!"

If she knew last time, she would know this time. She would call her till she was blue in the face. She could hear her. She knew it.

"Ruby!" She yelled.

A thought occurred to her. The drain pipe, that was her excuse for getting up on the roof last time. If she watched it, she would know that it was a lie.

"Ruby."

A minute passed. Then ten. Then thirty. The angel wasn't showing up.

Maybe she didn't care anymore, maybe she didn't want to help her. Maybe she couldn't help, or was too busy with someone else. She had a new person to look after.

Someone new to comfort and hug.

She wanted to give up, Weiss had been staring at the drainpipe for forty-five minutes. It was obvious that Ruby wasn't coming and all Weiss wanted to do was climb back into her room and lay on her bed.

"Ruby Rose!" She scolded to the air, one last plea to summon her.

Nothing.

Did she make up what she saw? Weiss could have created a reality in her mind that seemed better than what was actually going on. Ruby had to leave with her family, she went back to Vale. Ruby didn't want to talk to her anymore and she was only crying to the sky.

She was crying to no one.

Alone, again.

"Ruby." She said, still staring at the drain pipe. But the younger girl would not be climbing up. Only her hopes slipped down, falling fast.

"Weiss." Someone said behind her.

And there she was. Ruby Rose. Standing on the same roof they did three months ago.

"Weiss, please don't do this." Ruby whispered, inching closer with cautious steps.

"How did you get up here?"

"Same way as always. The drai-"

"Drain pipe?" Weiss asked. She pointed to where she had been looking. "You mean this one? The one I have been watching for almost an hour?"

"U-uh... A different one?" She chuckled awkwardly. "Just step away from the edge, whatever happened, it will be alright."

"This isn't like last time, Ruby." Weiss cut to the chase. "I was trying to find you."

"On the roof?" She asked, tilting her head to the side.

"You found me here. It was safe to assume it could happen again." Weiss said. "Why are you here? How did you know I would be here?"

"I forgot something, I wanted to get it back."

"Is that so?"

"You don't believe me?"

"Not even a little."

"Weiss!" Ruby shouted, offended.

"Stop lying!" She shouted back. "I know what you are."

"What I am?" She asked. It was clear that she was nervous by that statement. The ivory-haired girl felt bad that she made Ruby anxious, but she needed answers and this was the only way.

"Yes." Weiss answered. "You're an angel."

Ruby took a step back, her silver eyes widened.

"Wh-what are you talking about? I know I'm sweet, but I'm no-"

"I saw you! I saw you talking to 'no one' and I saw your wings."

"Wha-"

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to, but I wanted to talk with you." Weiss explained, her tone becoming more calm and apologetic. "But... You haven't been honest with me either."

"Weiss, I don't know what you think you saw, but I'm not an angel."

"You're still lying? To my face?" Weiss said, hurt evident in her voice. "Do I mean that little to you that you can't even tell me when I've figured it all out?"

"No! You mean so much to me, Weiss."

"Don't say that."

"What?"

"Don't say my name like that, like you actually cared, Ruby."

"Weiss!" She cried, silver eyes watering.

"No! If you don't have the decency to admit it to me you-"

Slip.

Weiss' foot slipped.

And the next moment, she found herself falling backwards off the house. Plummeting towards the ground.

"WEISS!" Ruby shrieked.

But Weiss didn't say a word, she was silently speeding down to the ground.

Everything started to slow and Weiss thought about her life. All the mistakes she made. All that time she shut people out. The people who just wanted to help her. She could have been enjoying their presence, but she punished herself instead.

Needlessly.

The heiress was so concerned with what others thought. How she appeared as a Schnee, it was the only thing that mattered. That was what her father taught her. Now she knew, though. Now she knew that the only opinion of her that truly mattered was herself. People would come and go, but she would have herself for the rest of her life.

However short that was.

Then she thought about all the things she would miss from this existence. Like Klein, the kind butler who just wanted the best for Weiss. Imagine what he would think when she was found. He would think she had done this on purpose, and there was no one to tell him otherwise.

And Blake, she had tried so hard to help her, especially recently. She had been that shoulder to cry on, to rely on after what happened with Ruby. Before that too, they had been friends for a long time. Blake would be heartbroken about the news.

Weiss didn't want to die now, she wanted to live! This was just an accident. A careless mistake that would have disastrous consequences.

But it didn't matter, it was happening.

Weiss would die.

She would die.

She would...

Before she could hit the ground, she felt a pair of arms wrap around her and she was gradually steered away from the fast approaching earth. Her descent slowed and she tumbled on the grass with the other figure.

Weiss opened her eyes and saw an unbelievable sight in front of her. Ruby held her in her arms tightly, but on her back were those same wings as before. White with silver-tipped edges, glowing brightly and emanating so much emotion. She felt so loved in that moment, loved and protected. Without thinking, one of her hands reached up to touch the wing, to make sure they were real.

As soon as her fingers brushed along Ruby's soft feathers, Weiss began to cry. It was like touching Ruby's essence, and it was only love. Love for Weiss.

She could feel that love.

The angel finally pulled back from her embrace and Weiss could see the girl was sobbing.

"D-dammit Weiss!" She swore. The heiress never saw her cry like this before. "You can't scare me like that."

No words came from Weiss. She was awestruck, in utter shock of everything that had just happened. She almost died and Ruby saved her. Now here she was, back lit by her vibrant radiating wings, crying. She was certain that she had never seen anything this beautiful, that she would never see anything that topped it, and that nothing (past or present) could ever hold a candle to this majesty.

"Weiss? Weiss say something!"

No words came, she couldn't. What could she say? The woman she loved was a literal angel and had saved her life. She just stared at her, in shock, unaware of any sensation.

Until she felt one on her face. On her lips actually. Ruby leaned down and captured her lips in a kiss. It lasted longer than a second and was far better than she could have ever imagined. More kisses rained down on her face from the angel. Ruby kissed her forehead, her cheeks, her nose and finally her lips again. She felt Ruby's tears spilling onto her face as she peppered the shocked heiress with soft kisses. By the time the angel arrived to her lips for the second time, Weiss had just about snapped out of her stupor.

She lifted a hand up, held the back of Ruby's head, her fingers threaded through her crimson locks. Ruby squeaked at Weiss' sudden reciprocation, but did not pull back. She held Weiss closer and deepened the kiss, needy, greedy and loving.

Ruby kissed her as if Weiss would disappear if she stopped, she held her this way too.

When they finally pulled away, Weiss was out of breath. She may have had a larger lung capacity than most, but she couldn't beat someone who didn't need to breathe at all.

"I'm sorry, Weiss." Ruby cried. "I care about you! I care about you so much it hurts. It hurt to leave you and it hurt to be so... Cold."

"Ruby..."

"A-and I didn't want to lie to you, but I didn't want you to forget me either."

"Forget you? I would never." She whispered in a comforting tone. She kissed just below Ruby's eye. The angel had comforted Weiss so many times, it was her turn to repay the favor.

Handsomely.

"They would make you forget." She told Weiss, her voice hoarse from her tears. "It wasn't supposed to be like this."

"Like what?"

"I... Wasn't supposed to fall for you..."

"But... You did?" Weiss asked. She needed the reassurance that that was what Ruby meant. She craved it.

Instead, Ruby pulled Weiss in for another kiss. Her hand snaked up Weiss' back and held the back of her head, softly petting her hair. It wasn't as long as before, but Ruby got her point across.

"I fell for you, Weiss." Ruby said, crying. "I fell so hard and I don't know what to do."