Cold

Roman jumped at the sound of his scroll going off. After cursing under his breath for being scared so easily he checked who was calling. His mood of bitterness and frustration was instantly lifted at the sight of the caller's name. Snuffing out his cigar he answered the call.

"Red! I wasn't expecting a call from you? To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Just get to the roof of the apartment complex at 12th and Main. Be there by midnight." Said an uncomfortably cold voice.

With that she hung up. Roman looked back at his scroll with a puzzled expression. He certainly was not expecting that reaction. Checking the time he saw it was 10:30. That left him enough time to walk the distance if he wished to. He scoured the room he was in, covered with maps and plans of heists both successful and foiled. His eyes landed upon his most recent project and he shrugged. The heist itself would not be difficult and did not need his current attention. He was free to work and direct his thoughts elsewhere.

So deciding to get out of the musty basement of a simple bakery that served as nothing but a front, he left with gusto and decided to take a walk past the local park as he made his way to his destination. The way there was long but he did not mind. Thinking to himself was one of his greatest pleasures.

The walk there was vacant with most citizens who were not involved in Vale's current nightclub rage were at home leaving the streets abandoned. The barren roads were lit only by a few streetlights allowing him to hide in shadow for the majority of the time. One could detect him by sound though. The crunching of leaves beneath his shoes echoed throughout the surrounding area but there was little he could do about it. Fall had arrived and the leaves of the park nearby fell en masse and now littered the streets. The change in season had brought forth a nip in the air that could never leave no matter how much one wore.

Yet Roman felt perfectly warm.

He let his mind wander, thinking of his endeavors over the past few years that had left him happier than he could have ever imagined. When Cinder had been caught he did what all rats did, run and hide. While not a very courageous strategy it certainly worked as there was a power vacuum of the underworld. A power vacuum that he graciously and humbly filled. He bought a bakery and made it a front while he ran his multinational operations in the back. Everything was going smoothly until he ran into her.

Well, more of her running into him. Red had a knack for getting herself into situations seemingly on accident. Their reintroduction resulted in her drive for more of the bakery's cookies to be so profound that she ran into the kitchen intending on baking them herself. Coincidentally he happened to be dragging in a large bag of valuables from a nearby wealthy patron that had stopped a few days earlier. That was an interesting conversation that followed suit.

In the end she blackmailed him asking for a weekly payment of cookies. Gladly paying it they grew to have civil conversations in the back. She was always a pleasure to talk to and seeing her happy made something inside him stir to make sure that she was continuously happy. He eventually started sending her gifts to her dorm at school. He would only label them as from her secret admirer.

He never intended anything to arise from it all but he was incredibly happy that it did. The reasoning behind the two becoming a couple was rather uncertain at the time other than something just felt right on both sides. That was all a while ago and now he could not imagine his life without his precious rose.

All of this was in mind when he finished climbing the side fire escape up to the roof of the apartment complex on 12th and Main. Once he got up though he could tell immediately that something was wrong.

Red was waiting there facing away from him on the other side of the building. Yet she was stiff. She looked incredibly uncomfortable and anxious and it drove his curiosity insane. Sneaking up behind her like a cat he gave her a surprise hug from behind.

She flinched and did not react with the excitement she always had from a surprise cuddle. Instead her stiffness grew more prevalent and in a small, shaky voice she muttered "Let go of me please?"

He released her instantly feeling a little pang in his heart. It was clear in some way that she was hurt and he vowed that he would harm whoever had done something to her. In a calm and soothing tone, devoid of his sarcastic and sassy nature, he asked "Ruby what's wrong?"

She sniffled once and sounded like she would cry. She wrapped her arms around herself tightly as she began to shake. Slowly she turned around to face him.

Her eyes were puffy and her cheeks were stained with dried tears. Her unbreakable gem-like positive energy had been cracked and the darkness of the night surrounding them began to sink in. The wind slowed to a stop and with that so too did her cape. It drooped behind her and with her hunched frame made her look like a wilting rose, slowly dying with the coming of fall.

"What happened?" Roman barely breathed.

Ruby just stared at the ground and remained in her current state. After a minute though she spoke up. "Roman?"

"Yes?"

"You know I love you right?"

"Of course."

"And you'd do anything for me right?"

"Absolutely. I love you more than you can imagine."

She smiled for a brief moment. "Good." The smile faded. She inhaled sharply. "Then please let me go."

He raised an eyebrow in confusion but then felt goosebumps cover his body when he realized what she meant. His mouth was open trying to ramble off his every thought but his body betrayed him and he could not say a word. His heart was pounding like a drum in his ears and he remembered that while his mouth may not move he had a body that could.

He closed the few feet between them instantaneously and held her tighter than anything else in his life. His eyes began to water and through a croaked voice he said "Please don't. You mean everything to me. I love you so much."

Ruby tied to push back but in her weakened state achieved nothing. She looked up at him and said "Please don't make this harder than it has to be?"

He began shaking and his legs felt weak. They collapsed on him and the couple fell to each other's knees, still in each other's arms. "Why? Why do you want to do this? Is it something I've done? Have I not been good enough for you?"

"What? No. Goodness no. You've been everything I've ever dreamed of."

With that her resistance for physical affection shattered and she shared his tight embrace. She nestled her head him his neck and he feel the dampness of fresh tears pressed up against his skin. "I never wanted this to happen," she croaked. "I want to stay with you forever."

He clenched his fists hard enough that had he not been wearing gloves his nails would have broken skin. Through shaky breathing he muttered "Why would you want this?"

"I don't."

"THEN WHY?!" He screamed not being able to hold back his emotions any longer.

"I got caught."

He cupped her face to have her look into his eyes. "What?"

She took a minute to calm down enough to speak coherently. "Someone did some digging. They found out about us. They then told Ozpin and Ironwood. I have three options that they gave me. Turn you in, end us, or go to prison."

"B-But you're not a student anymore?! You graduated two years ago! What power do they have over you?!"

"Enough to blackmail me. I've respected our career differences and have made peace with it but no one else has. They're thinking I'm a traitor. Everything I've worked for can be stripped from me with a single word. I'm sorry but I can't lose being a huntress. It's my life's dream and I can't give it up. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

Roman felt numb. The greatest thing he has ever had was about to escape his clutches. But this time he could not steal it back. It was tearing him apart bit by bit, piece by piece until there was nothing left but a hollow tattered shell left of a man.

"Roman please let go. I don't want to go but I don't have a choice. I can't lose being a huntress no matter what it costs me. Even if it costs me you. I love you so much but that's the one thing I can't lose. So please don't make this harder than it has to be?"

He still remained frozen and when she saw this she leaned up and connected her lips with his. Somewhere inside him it registered that this would be their last kiss. The last time he would feel her warmth directly, the last time he would be able to feel her comforting embrace, the last time he would get to show her how much he loved her.

She was the one to break the kiss and when she did she gave out a halfhearted laugh. "I guess you were right. Life isn't a fairytale. Not everyone gets a happy ending."

"But I'd do anything! Please tell me there's something I can do to make this right? Please? I don't want to lose you. You're everything to me."

"Unless you can turn back time and undo every crime you've committed. Otherwise there's nothing you can do. Sometimes even love isn't enough."

Roman felt his hope shatter into a thousand irreparable pieces. With that his arms dropped to his side limp. All he could focus on was how the bringer of all his happiness was about to leave his life forever. He did not blame her or fault her. He understood why. But the very fact that it was happening was enough to break him.

He could not move as she let go of him and stood up. He could not move as she slowly started walking away from him. When he heard the clang of her boot land on the metal of the fire escape something snapped within him. Quick as a flash he was right behind her and grabbed her wrist stopping her from moving any farther.

She did not turn around to face him. He could tell from her voice that she was trying to be strong but was crying at the same time. "I'm sorry but I have to go. I hope you can find someone who can grant you the happiness you deserve. I'm so sorry that it can't be me. Goodbye Roman."

She began to pull again but his grip kept firm. "Roman I know it's hard but-"

"No." He said sternly. "I'm not letting you go."

"Don't make this harder than it has to be."

"I'm not letting you go until you answer a question of mine. Just one question and I'll let you go. But you have to look at me when you answer."

Her shoulders slumped as she sighed. "Alright, what is it?"

He ran through everything in his mind. Every memory of the two of them played back in his head. He thought back to what started it all. He wanted her to be happy.

He garnered all of his inner strength to firmly ask "Was all of it worth it? Was everything we've gone through, the good and the bad, was it all worth it to you?"

She turned around and smiled. Not a fake smile but a genuine, honest smile that held true happiness behind it. He could tell that all their memories were flashing in front of their eyes. "Yes. It was worth every waking moment."

With that she hesitantly turned around and walked away, her wrist sliding out of his limp grip. He stood there listening to the clanging of her shoes on the fire escape until she reached the ground. He looked into the distance and saw a beautiful streak of red rose petals flying through the streets. Then she passed far enough that she was no longer in sight.

He stood there long after she left. The wind picked up again and he could swear he could hear her voice of excitement as she ran through the rain of leaves. But this time it was not real. He looked around him at the fall scenery and no longer found beauty. All he saw was the death of everything around him and darker and darker days ahead of him. But most importantly he felt a sensation that he had not felt for a long while no matter the time of year.

He felt cold.

Appreciate love