The sterile halls of the rehab center stretched before the redhead committed there. She strode through the empty halls, looking for… what? Signs of Life? Weiss? Dust? The woman rounded a corner to find what must be the very last thing she would be looking for. Amber eyes burned right into her soul, and a vicious laugh filled the air.

With a start, Ruby awoke safely in her bed. A nightmare… even after ten years… why? Is it trying to tell me something? The redhead shook the dream from her mind and turned over to find rest again. By morning, the dream was forgotten.

Silver eyes slowly opened and Ruby Rose-Schnee was treated to an early morning image of her sleeping wife for her first sight of the day. Weiss looked so calm, at peace, when asleep. With how stressed the rich girl had been lately, Ruby didn't want to end her serenity. But today held the finality of the events that were stressing Weiss out, and Ruby knew the alabaster woman needed to wake up eventually. With a smile, the redhead decided that the best course of action was a soft wakeup.

By the time Weiss was fully conscious, she was already returning Ruby's morning kiss. The white girl may have smiled if her and Ruby weren't already tongue deep into each-other's mouths. Reminiscent of their early relationship, this innocent, chaste kiss was quickly turning into anything but. A tired Weiss barely managed to push Ruby up and off of her. "Not now, Dolt… today is too important for me to be late."

"I can be quick, Snow Angel." Ruby muttered as she kissed her partner's neck.

"Ruby…" Weiss half-groaned, half-sighed.

With a mischievous smile, Ruby opened her secret weapon. "I love you."

Weiss froze up. "Don't say that now…"

"Why not?"

"Because I won't be able to stop myself, because I know…"

Ruby smiled, her victory already apparent. "I love you." She whispered between kisses. "I love you…"

"I…"

"Say it."

"I love you too."

And with that, Weiss dropped any thought of resistance.

"One day I will find a way to stop you, mark my words!" Weiss shouted as she rushed to get ready.

"I'm sorry, Snow Angel…" Ruby mumbled.

"You will be if I end up being late!"

"You could have skipped the shower…" Ruby pointed out.

"I refuse to show up to this meeting both late and smelling like sex." Weiss deadpanned. Ruby's gaze dropped again and Weiss's tone softened. "It was nice… relieved some of my built up tension over today… Just, next time, the kiss will be enough."

Ruby brightened back up a little bit. "Of course. And sorry again. I love you!"

"I love you too! See you later!" Weiss rushed out the front door of the Atlestian penthouse where the pair lived to make her oh so important meeting.

Satisfied that she played her cards right, Ruby smiled and began wandering the home. She made herself a cup of coffee with their expensive gourmet home-brewing machine, watched some television of their expensive projection system, and even indulged with a small helping of expensive chocolate. Being married to one of the richest people in the world certainly had its perks.

Not that Ruby was spoiled… in fact, she wasn't allowed to touch a single Schnee dollar unless she was being a productive human being on her own. Ruby Rose-Schnee had her own job, paid her own car bills, and dealt with her own parking tickets. While all this was indeed supplemented by a Weiss-controlled allowance for the redhead, Ruby felt proud that she could prove she could hold herself up. Speaking of jobs… Ruby frowned as she remembered she had some work to do today.

Turning off her shows, Ruby made her way back to her personal office, just off of the main bedroom. Her computer was already on inside, running a program.

"Or rather, attempting to run one…" Ruby scolded herself. In the past few years, she had proven herself one of the top software designers in the field. This was actually a private contract, outsourced from Google itself, and Ruby would be damned if she would let this bit of coding be the first project to beat her. If only I could figure out what I'm missing… I'm sure I'm just one little detail away from all the code falling into place.

Ruby sat down and stared at the screen for hours, making small adjustments as she needed but mostly looking for her 'golden ticket'. A chance for a break came when her phone rang. She smiled and picked it up. "You have reached the Rose-Schnee residence. Unfortunately, the current attendant is out. Of her mind, that is."

"Oh, hush, Dolt." Weiss replied, but Ruby could hear the smile in her voice.

"How did it go?" Ruby asked, her nerves rising.

"Well, let's just say father is very furious with me." Weiss giggled.

"So it worked!?"

"Yup! Thanks to a very effective hostile takeover, you are now speaking to the CEO of the entire Schnee Mining Company!" Weiss announced.

"Go Weiss!" Ruby shouted.

"Yup, there will be a great many changes in the SMC starting today. Never underestimate Schnee women."

"Or Rose-Schnee women, for that matter." Ruby reminded her wife.

"I'll be home in a few minutes so we can get ready for the birthday party." Weiss informed her.

"Birthda- BIRTHDAY PARTY!? That's today! I totally forgot!" Ruby smacked her forehead.

"I'm sure Blake and Sun won't care, and their child is too young to worry about it. I remembered, and I anticipated you forgetting. Your outfit is taken care of." Weiss told her.

Ruby smiled. "How did I get so lucky as to bag a wife like you?"

"Luck had nothing to do with it. You earned it, remember?" Weiss reminded her.

Ruby looked down at her right arm and smiled wider. "You're right. I'll see you soon. Love ya!"

"Love you too, Ruby. See you soon."

The couple ended the call and Ruby returned to her work. Ruby got so absorbed in the code she missed hearing the front door open and close. Weiss snuck into Ruby's office unnoticed, and smiled as she watched the girl concentrate while leaning back in her chair. Weiss realized too late that Ruby kept leaning it farther and farther until…

"AHP!"

THUD!

"Oh, shit! Ruby, are you okay?"

Weiss rushed to her wife's side, which was currently above her head as she had landed butt up with her back on the floor. The toppled chair rolled off the side after she fell out of it.

"Ugh… I'll be fine once I stop seeing stars…" Ruby groaned.

Weiss gave a relieved sigh. "You clumsy Dolt."

"Snow angel…" Ruby replied, though probably out of sheer trained reaction.

Weiss helped Ruby back to her feet. "How's the Google project?"

"I'll figure it out." Ruby assured her. "I still have a week before the deadline, that will be plenty of time, even if I have to comb through every inch of code to solve my current dilemma."

"I don't know how you do it. I can read people like an open book, but those computer languages might as well be Swahili."

Ruby giggled a little. "I like doing it. It's like a puz-zle…" The redhead stopped short and stared at the monitor. Weiss recognized this behavior and backed off to let Ruby and her mind work. Suddenly, the redhead bolted to the keyboard and started typing like mad. "I saw it! What was it!? Where was it!? I fucking saw it!"

Weiss couldn't even keep up with how fast Ruby read and manipulated the on screen text if it were English. She knew the redhead's brain was going a mile a minute, analyzing everything. This was the 'breakthrough'.

"Wait… Yes... Yes. Crap, no… Wait a- YES!" With a few final keys, Ruby smashed on the enter key and the computer went fuzzy. After a moment, an interface for the program Ruby spent the last month trying to develop finally appeared on screen. "I got it! A week before deadline too! I can do bug checks over the next few days, and hand it in early!"

Weiss smiled. She very much enjoyed seeing Ruby get excited over these things. "Congratulations, Ruby. I'm going to take my shower real quick while you close shop here, okay?"

"Sounds good, Snow Angel." Ruby nodded and she saved and backed up her program, making doubly sure she wouldn't lose her progress.

Ruby finished up quickly and decided to grab a second cup of coffee. On her way through the kitchen, the doorbell sounded throughout the house. And uneasy feeling washed over Ruby and she went to answer it slowly. Peeking her head around the corner, Ruby was greeting by the last person she ever wanted to see again, and her nightmare came back to the forefront of her memory.

"Hello, Bright Eyes."

Cinder Fall stood in the doorway, looking a little thinner than Ruby remembered. She simply stared the dark woman down for a long time before finally speaking. "What are you doing here, Cinder?"

"I just got back out a few days ago. As far as Vale is concerned, I'm innocent and clean." Cinder smirked.

"But the luster on your eyes tell me the exact opposite." Ruby deadpanned. "Ten years without access is more than enough to break the addiction. I did it in just four months. How long did you wait before dosing?"

"Oh, come on, you know you miss the feeling…" Cinder said as she made an attempt to enter the threshold. Ruby pushed her back into the hallway.

"You are not welcome here." Ruby warned.

Cinder smirked. "I heard some interesting things since I got out, Ms. Rose-Schnee… I'm sure there are a great many things I could tell Weiss that you wouldn't like."

"I'm sure of it too, but Weiss already knows everything. Wasn't it you who taught me not to make the same mistakes twice?" Ruby scowled. "You may be free as far as the law is concerned, but as I said, you are not welcome."

"Then how about a few bucks for the road, at least? I'm sure you can spare it." Cinder smoothed her voice over, but Ruby could hear desperation behind it.

"Seriously? You're begging me for money?" Ruby scoffed. "If I ever see you again, Cinder Fall, it will be too soon. Leave, now."

Cinder almost seemed shocked at Ruby's resistance. It seems after ten years in prison, Cinder thought she could resume her old life right where it left off. Or at least hoped it, at any rate. "Okay, yes, I am… Look, Ruby, I need it. Bad. No one will give me a job. Getting arrested and being prison for ten years kind of ruins one's reputation. My name is poison thanks to that bitch. I need it."

Ruby shook her head. Was I ever this pathetic? "Leave, Cinder. Don't come back."

Cinder's features twisted into rage. "Fine, I see how it is. You two are probably still buddy-buddy, huh? I'll get you both, I swear it!" The vicious woman stomped off.

Ruby closed the door and hit the intercom button that allowed her to talk to the doorman. "Johns?"

"Yes, Ms. Rose-Schnee?" Johns's voice answered, metallically tinted by the speaker.

"A woman came up a few minutes ago, and is on her way back down now. Dark hair, ashen at the tips, tight red dress… She's not allowed in the building after today."

"Understood, Miss. I'll ensure eyes are kept out for her."

"Thank you, Johns."

With that done, Ruby next went to her phone. She finished dialing Emerald's number when Weiss got out of the shower. "Who was at the door, Love?" Weiss asked, only getting a 'hold on a moment' finger from her wife as she waited for the dial tone to end.

Finally, there was a click that meant the call was answered. "Hey, Em, I need to tell you something."

"Sorry, sis, it will have to wait." Yang's voice came over the line.

"Is it Ruby? Please give me back my phone!" Emeralds faded voice came from the background.

"Sorry, Emmy!" Yang spoke away from the receiver before returning to it to speak to Ruby again. "Emerald is being punished. She's lost her phone, as well as a few other, privileges."

"Yang, I really need to tell her something." Ruby deadpanned.

"I said I was sorry!" Emerald shouted again from the background.

"Sorry doesn't bring back my cheesecake, woman!"

"But it was so delicious, I couldn't help it… I was going to get you another one before you noticed." Emerald whined.

"Well, I noticed! So, yeah, we'll be at the party tonight for definites. Is that what you wanted?" Yang asked.

"No, I needed to tell her that Cinder is out. She came to the penthouse." Ruby warned. The immediate reaction was shocked silence from both Yang and Weiss.

"If she comes for Emmy, we'll be ready." Yang assured.

"Did you already warn the doormen?" Weiss asked.

Ruby nodded her wife's way and answered Yang with a "Thank you."

The call ended and Weiss walked up to Ruby. "What did she want?"

"Money, threats, and me. The usual." Ruby told her.

Weiss nodded. "Well, let's not worry about it now. We'll be ready for her. Get your shower, it's a decent flight into Vale."

Ruby nodded and headed to the bathroom.

The birthday party for little Ray Wukong was in full swing by the time the Rose-Schnee's arrived. Blake greeted the pair at the door. "Hey, you two! Thanks for coming."

"Of course!" Weiss nodded.

The pair began to snack and mingle with the other guests. Soon enough, Ruby found herself on the backyard bench. Emerald came up and sat next to her. "Hey, Rubes. You okay?"

"I haven't been scared of Cinder for a long time." Ruby answered. "How are you holding up?"

"The mailman came to the door about an hour after you called. I was so scared it was Cinder that I made Yang answer it." The green haired woman admitted.

"She won't find you as easily as she found me, not if she's trying to find Sustrai in the phonebook." Ruby assured her.

"Yeah… another perk of becoming miss Emerald Xiao Long, I suppose." Emerald smiled the blonde's way, who was currently trying to avoid a wild piñata bat that was way off target. "It's kind of funny… I used to hate you because you stole Cinder's attention. Now we're best friends and I'm married to your sister."

"Life is strange." Ruby agreed.

The pair sat in silence for some time before Gavin, one of Ray's friends from school, ran up to greet them. It was the first time he met Ruby, and his eyes were drawn immediately to the inside crook her right arm. "What is that?" He asked, pointing.

Ruby looked down and smiled as she always did when she laid eyes upon the tattoo. She had gotten it soon after she left rehab. The intricate white rose design was not a simple cover up for what lay beneath. In fact, it was a reminder as well as, "A promise." Ruby answered Gavin. He stared at it for some time before being distracted and running off.

Even after he left, Ruby continued to gaze upon the tattoo. A promise. Ruby Rose-Schnee was quite proud of her promises. From the smallest promise to show up for a lunch to a few quite inane ones like finding a way to get Blake early access to her favorite book series before they were released, Ruby had fulfilled every single one. Yes, Ruby was quite proud of her promises. After all, she thought, continuing to stare at the tattoo, I haven't broken a single one in ten years.