"Okay," Ruby's voice drew Weiss from the beautiful view she had on the exit ramp. It was stationed near the beach and overlooking the ocean. "I found some snacks."

This was the most well constructed safe point in all of Vale and when they finally made it here, it was a chance to take a breather.

They'd made the most of it – having just come back from a long two months of scouting in Vacuo in a failed attempt to locate Cinder Fall or any traces of the damage she'd caused there. Nights spent sleeping on the ground or not sleeping at all. Eating military rations and running on nearly depleted Aura for hours at a time.

It was exhausting, but they'd survived and Winter demanded they come here to rest while the powers that be strategized their next step from Haven. It would be three days here to relax, then reconvene and plan the next move.

As much as she hated being sidelined, Weiss couldn't deny the relief at being here, with no responsibility.

With Ruby.

Even as Ruby came to her with a glass of milk and a sleeve of cookies.

"Ruby…I asked for something light and healthy."

Ruby scoffed and sat down next to her, her legs hanging over the edge of the exit ramp as the sun continued to set. "Weiss, we've spent the last two months running for our lives and fighting Grimm and eating literal dirt."

"We never ate dirt."

"We ate food that had dirt on it and you stole some fruit that one time that I think was growing other, more disgusting fruit."

Rolling her eyes, Weiss picked at a chocolate chip cookie. "First of all, I did not steal anything. I do not steal. I bargained for that fruit with some of our medical supplies and you thanked me at the time."

"Yeah, that's before I got food poisoning and got sick."

Weiss grimaced at the memory. It was a long, frightening and…icky night of vomiting. "Well I did get us that water which you greatly appreciated."

"Cause I was dehydrated from the bad fruit!" Ruby nudged her with her shoulder and Weiss sighed. "Look, it doesn't matter. We're here now and Winter gave us a few days and we're gonna enjoy it. We've got actual fluffy, comfy beds waiting for us and you had to know I wasn't going to turn down cookies and milk."

Glancing over at Ruby, Weiss couldn't resist any longer. It was so nice to see Ruby with a spark of happiness. Throughout it all, Ruby had worked so hard to keep her hopeful spirit. After Pyrrha died and Yang lost her arm, they came back together and started fighting again. The world only grew darker and more people lost their lives, but Ruby kept fighting and kept trying to be positive.

To anyone else, Ruby Rose seemed like the epitome of hope. She fought every day and smiled at anyone who was struggling. It was only in the quiet of the night that she let it all settle in, and as her girlfriend and partner – Weiss was the one who bore the brunt of that.

Though it didn't upset her, not at all – she felt that it was a privilege to be the one Ruby trusted in her weakest moments. She felt the same and together they kept each other afloat.

So tonight, with a smile on her face and a cookie in hand, Weiss was going to enjoy it.

"Very well, is there some kind of special…etiquette to this? Do I dip the cookie?"

"Do you –" Ruby guffawed and shook her head in disbelief. "Weiss tell me you've had cookies and milk before? Please tell me you're not a cookies and milk virgin."

Weiss rolled her eyes. "You're so dramatic," she sighed. "Ruby, I have never had cookies and milk before." The gasp Ruby let out made Weiss laugh.

"Weiss I just…I can't believe—all those years at Beacon together, I could have helped you!" Ruby clutched onto Weiss' vest and drew closed the distance between them. "I could have taken your cookies and milk virginity."

Leaning in, Weiss kissed Ruby on the nose and then tousled her hair. "I couldn't get anywhere near you and your cookies back then. You ate them all before any of us could get any."

"Well I was growing! I needed all the nutrients and stuff."

"Oh yes, there are so many nutrients in these cookies."

Ruby held up her glass. "The milk though!" Ruby took a big drink and let out a content sigh when she swallowed. "It's so tasty, but you…you need to dip that cookie."

Sitting the glass down between them, Weiss held up her cookie and inspected it. It did smell good, though she was never a big fan of sweets – she'd certainly kissed Ruby after enough of them to acquire a taste.

Giving in, she settled the cookie into the milk just as a nice breeze fluttered in from the ocean, it's sounds echoing behind them to set a wonderful mood.

Weiss looked up at those silver eyes watching her contently and smiled. Unsure of how in the world she was so lucky to find Ruby Rose and keep her through all this mess she called life.

Even as Ruby stared at the cookie, Weiss leaned in once more and kissed her forehead with a smack of her lips, making her girlfriend giggle and blush beautifully.

"W—Weiss! Your…your cookie is gonna break."

Satisfied with making Ruby flustered, Weiss pulled the cookie from the milk and inspected it. It looked mostly the same, only dripping with milk and soggier. She had no idea how this would improve the cookie eating experience but Ruby was the "expert".

Biting the cookie, Weiss mouth exploded with flavor and she saw Ruby's eyes light up at her reaction and knew she was sunk.

"You're feeling it aren't you? The vibe of the cookie is taking over now. It's amazing, isn't it? Tell me it's amazing!"

It was amazing, but Weiss wasn't about to give up so easily. "It's very unhealthy."

"Weiss!" Ruby went full pout and Weiss didn't stand a chance.

"Fine! It's delicious, is that what you want to hear, Ruby Rose? It tastes wonderful and all I can think about is how you only brought me five cookies and I want ten!"

With a hearty laugh, Ruby laid back and clutched her stomach as she kicked her legs in delight. "It sounds even better than I imagined! Weiss Schnee, cookie addict."

"I am not an addict!" Weiss reached over and swatted Ruby's arm playfully before pulling back and grabbing at the sleeve of cookies on Ruby's side. Just as she was about to drag it to her end, a hand caught her wrist.

"Oh? Not an addict? This from the girl who says she doesn't steal, suddenly stealing from her girlfriend?!"

Weiss crossed her arms with a scowl. "I am not stealing! We share things!"

"You don't have to steal, Weiss." Ruby picked up her cookies and held them out to Weiss with a smile. "I'd be happy to give them to you." Her giddy expression suddenly changed – not to one of sadness, but of reflection. She seemed to be pondering something, cookies still in hand, and Weiss waited for her. "I'd give anything to you." She said in a more serious tone and Weiss felt her heart begin to race.

Their relationship had come about fairly naturally. From partners to bedmates to kissing bedmates to kissing all the time mates. They were a couple and they told people they were partners in every sense. It was wonderful and exciting and terrifying with all the chaos around them – but it was theirs and moments like this were what kept Weiss going.

Still, to be in the middle of what she was sure was about to become a big moment was wreaking havoc on her nerves.

"I—I'd give anything to you." She said in return though it sounded lame in her head.

Ruby didn't seem to notice, merely grinning slightly. "I know, that's why I…love you."

It was the first time Ruby had said those words to her. Weiss felt so unprepared for them. She suddenly found herself trying to memorize everything around them. The color of the sky and the temperature of the air around them. How hard the metal ramp was beneath them and how she could still taste the cookies on her tongue.

Instead she found herself focusing on what was in front of her – a pair of worried silver eyes and slightly shaking hands holding out cookies for her.

Careful not to spill, Weiss moved away the two milk glasses between them and took the cookies from Ruby's hand and sat them aside. She then scooted a bit closer and put Ruby at ease when she cupped her face and used her thumb to brush against Ruby's cheek – just the way Ruby liked.

With a smile in her voice, she answered. "I love you too…dolt."

Suddenly she was wrapped up in Ruby's arms and dragged onto the ground.

Even Weiss couldn't deny the fact that being out here in Patch, away from the chaos of the city, was relaxing. Instead of tall buildings lining the road, there were trees and mountains in the distance for as far as she could see.

Traffic was lighter the further out of town they were and by the time they reached the road to Taiyang's home, there wasn't another car in sight.

That is, until they actually reached Taiyang's home and a red truck was backing out of the driveway.

Weiss didn't have to ask, in fact, she didn't even need the sidelong look Blake gave her as the truck approached them. She knew it was Ruby almost immediately and in an act of pure panic, she unlatched her seatbelt and slid out of her chair onto the floor.

"Oh my gosh, Weiss!" Blake called out as Weiss suddenly had her knees in her chest and her ankle twisted painfully against the floorboard. In that moment, the idea of seeing Ruby's face in any way was terrifying.

So much for being able to handle it.

"Miss Schnee, are you alright?!" Violet asked and Weiss merely held up her hand in a thumbs up because she was far too embarrassed to speak.

Instead she tucked her chin against her knees and decided not to move until Blake parked.

By the time Violet came around and opened the door to help her out, Weiss was covered in vehicle dust and her ankle hurt but not nearly as much as her pride. She had never had a reaction like that, not since the battlefield but that was instinct, this was…fear. She was scared of Ruby, terrified and what made it worse is that she didn't even really know why.

For so long, Ruby Rose was Weiss' safe place – the one person she could trust with everything. Now, the thought of seeing her again made her…well made her do things like that.

As she stumbled out of the car, Blake's snickering in the background, Violet dusted off her pants and Weiss could see the hint of a smile on her lips.

"Not a word." She threatened even though it was pointless.

Violet held up her hands in defense. "I won't, not yet anyway. I'll be saving this for later."

"Weiss," Blake called her name with a mixture of worry and derisiveness that only Blake could have. "What was that?"

Defeated, Weiss limped to the car and pulled out her bag. "I—I don't know. I panicked!"

"Clearly, you do realize that Yang's sister is going to be around a lot for this whole process?"

Weiss pouted. "I do! I do and I thought I was prepared for it but I just…freaked out when I knew she was right there. I wasn't prepared."

Blake stared at her for a few moments before taking a breath and walking over to her. She threw her arm over Weiss' shoulder and squeezed. "Are you sure you're up for this?"

"I am, Blake – of course I am. It's your wedding and I want to be here. I just have to…ready myself for interactions with Ruby. It's been a few years now, right? We should be okay." Blake nodded but Weiss wasn't satisfied. "Is…is she going to be okay?"

"Weiss," Blake laughed softly and started guiding them towards the house. "Just say it like you want to."

"Ugh," she groaned and lowered her head. "Does she…ever talk about me?"

"No," Blake said bluntly and Weiss felt like her heart was literally breaking in her chest. The reaction to Blake's comments was both devastating and infuriating. She was supposed to be over it – she was supposed to not miss Ruby anymore. She'd set her focus on work and had moved on. That's what she told herself every single morning when she woke up – that she didn't' miss Ruby anymore.

"No?" She pleaded and hated how broken her voice sounded.

Blake smiled. "No, she doesn't talk about you. In fact, she's never said your name once in the last few years. Yang and I both agree that she is afraid to say it or let herself say it at all."

"Oh," Weiss stopped and suddenly felt like perhaps the world wasn't ending after all.

She wanted to ask more questions, she wanted to know more about Ruby and how she'd been or what she was up to or why she was driving that death trap truck Weiss had seen.

Instead, she decided to shelf talk of Ruby for the time being. This was not about her or Ruby – she was here for Blake and Yang and their wedding.

"Okay, I—I'm sorry, Blake. No more talk of Ruby. I'll deal with it in my own time. We're here for you and your wedding. What do you need me to do?"

"Uh," Blake frowned and opened the door to Taiyang's house. "Everything? I have no idea what I'm doing."

Weiss chuckled. "Have you ever been to a wedding before?"

"No," as they stepped inside, Weiss couldn't help but notice the mess in the kitchen. It was the first room you saw across the way and the sink was packed with dishes and the counter was covered in boxes and empty plates. "I was invited to Coco and Velvet's but Yang and I were still doing work in Vacuo."

Weiss was listening, half listening as she took in the damage of this house. Blake was always a respectable and clean person – she seemed to enjoy a tidy living space. Sure Yang could be messy but she wasn't this bad and she was a teacher for crying out loud – an adult. Why had this house become so trashed? Who was responsible for—

"Oh hey, Weiss! You made it!"

Wearing nothing but a pair of track pants, Sun Wukong stepped out, tail waving back and forth and a bowl of something in his hand as he scooped out the last bite before haphazardly sitting it down on the counter without a second thought.

"Sun?" Weiss bit out his name with venom that he either didn't notice or ignored.

"You had better clean this up, Sun. Taiyang is going to throw you out." Blake threatened and he waved her off.

"I'm going to, I always do, don't worry." She would have believed him if he didn't just stand there over his dirty bowl with the sink right in front of him and do nothing. "Oh, Yang wanted me to tell you she went to get dinner with Ruby. They're bringing back pizza."

Bringing back…

Weiss glanced at Blake who didn't notice - too busy talking to Sun. When she tried a look to Violet, her assistant was buried in her phone. Nobody seemed to notice or care that they were bringing back food. They as in Yang and Ruby.

"Blake!" Weiss cried out and the Faunus turned to her with confusion. "Can you…show me where the bathroom is?"

Blake nodded. "Of course, it's at the far end of the hallway past the bedrooms. Haven't you been here before?" There was a memory – one Weiss had buried deep in the back of her mind. Blake seemed to catch on when Weiss' expression dropped and she grimaced. "Right, sorry. I—I it's down the hall.

Weiss nodded and on instinct, walked up and gave Blake another hug. The embrace was reciprocated in kind, neither of them needing to say anything.

Memories of war were invisible scars that all of them shared.

Fortunately, the bathroom was far cleaner than the kitchen and when Weiss heard the sound of bowls clanking around in the other room, she knew Sun was actually doing something.

Finding solace on the closed toilet seat, Weiss sat down and exhaled. She could do this, she was here and she wanted to enjoy it and Ruby Rose was not going to ruin that for her.

It would be easy. They would share their hellos and maybe a handshake or something and then split off and talk to the others. Violet was here and she could always run to Violet if she needed an escape.

But she wouldn't, because she was Weiss Schnee – the ice queen and one of the Vale Valiant (she never understood why people named war heroes such dumb names). She'd stared down Grimm the size of buildings and had stood toe to toe with the likes of Adam Taurus, Cinder Fall and even Ozpin himself. She could handle Ruby Rose. Yes, she could – she absolutely could.

"Miss Schnee?" Violet's voice at the door startled Weiss. She jumped up to her feet and reached for the door knob, only to hesitate before opening.

"Y—yes?"

"You've been in there a while – is everything alright?"

Weiss sighed appreciatively. Despite her sarcastic nature and strong desire to never let Weiss have her way – Violet cared about her. Perhaps it was just in the job description, but Weiss liked to think Violet enjoyed her company a little.

With a smile, she took a deep breath. "I'm fine, Violet. I'll be out in a moment. Are you okay?"

"Uh," Violet sounded confused by the question. "I mean, I don't know any of these people but your friend Blake brought me a cocktail that tastes like orange juice and shirtless boy challenged me to a game of Beowolf racing, which I spent the bulk of my childhood disgracing my brothers at. So yeah, I'm doing okay."

"Okay," Weiss laughed, it would be nice to see Sun get put in his place. "Listen, Violet I know you're here to help keep work organized for me and keep things running but…don't spend too much time on it, okay? We have people in Atlas who I think can keep the company afloat for the next two weeks. Enjoy yourself. You didn't have to come and you did and I appreciate it."

There was an extended silence on the other end of the door and Weiss worried for a moment that Violet was already gone to play video games and she'd been talking to a door.

However, a moment later she heard the delighted exhale of someone who'd just drank a large amount of refreshing liquid. "Does that mean I can have another cocktail?"

"Of course."

"Awesome! Blake can I have more of that riot punch?"

Weiss grimaced and pinched the bridge of her nose.

Not Yang's riot punch…

When she finally built the courage to step back out of the bathroom, Weiss was met with the yellow eyes of her best friend. Blake seemed genuinely concerned, even as she held out a glass of Yang's yellow death drink towards Weiss.

"I shouldn't," with Ruby coming…she really shouldn't.

"You're on vacation, Weiss. We don't start planning any of the wedding stuff for two days – drink with me tonight. Please?" Defeated, Weiss shook her head and took the drink. Blake smiled but still carried a bit of concern in her expression. "You gonna be okay?"

Peeking over her cup, Weiss nodded slightly. "I'll handle it, I'll be good."

"I know it's hard," Blake kept her voice down as the sounds of Violet and Sun playing games and screaming at one another nearly drown them out. "But it is Ruby and she's still…Ruby. She'll probably keep her distance and cling to Yang but just…try with her – at least to be friendly."

"We're home!" Yang's voice rang through the home over any other sounds and Weiss felt her stomach tie up in knots. Blake put a hand on her shoulder and gave a comforting squeeze before heading towards her fiancé. "Where's the ice queen?!" Yang cried and Weiss rolled her eyes but smiled despite herself.

She missed the big oaf after all.

Yang was always the center of attention – with bright blonde hair and lilac eyes and a frame built for drawing fire, she was hard to miss.

However, Weiss had no time to notice Yang in any way at all. Instead, the first thing she saw was Ruby Rose. Not just Ruby Rose, but Ruby Rose carrying four pizza boxes.

The boxes were insignificant; it was her arms that drew every bit of Weiss' attention. They were so…defined and strong and…

"Wow," she muttered just loud enough that a pair of silver eyes landed on her.

Ruby was wearing a checker patterned black and red shirt with the sleeves rolled up just enough to show off a pair of biceps that would live in Weiss' dreams until the day she died. The more she examined, the more differences she noticed.

Ruby's hair was longer; nearly halfway down her back. She looked strong but tired and when their eyes finally met, she immediately looked away and carried the pizza into the kitchen.

Weiss glanced at Blake who gave her a reassuring smile that did nothing to lift the tension Weiss felt in her chest.

Quickly, she drank the rest of her riot punch and winced as it burned all the way down her throat.

A moment later, Yang lifted her off the ground with an enormous hug.

Not all reunions are built up/dramatic moments. Sometimes they're just "oh shit, you're here" lol. Anyway, thank you for reading and all the wonderful feedback - I'm having a lot of fun.

Thoughts?