A flash of bright light is suddenly seen under a large tree outside the small town of Vale, and two women suddenly appear just beneath it.

"Home sweet home! It feels so good to be back!" One woman, with hair as bright as the sun currently hidden behind the clouds, speaks with vigor and stretches her arms wide.

"It is good to be back," the other woman states, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand, trying desperately to rid her cheeks of tears.

Upon a sniff, the first woman turns with concern, grabbing at small hands.

"Ruby, how are you holding up?"

The woman in question shakes her head and smiles quite sadly, "Actually, I'm doing alright. It's like I finally have a sense of closure, you know?"

The older woman smiles back, giving her hands a final squeeze before letting go and turning back.

"I'm glad. It's nice to know that-"

Suddenly, her sentence is cut off as her face turns hard and she gazes around their small town.

Upon seeing her sudden change in demeanor, Ruby frowns. "What is it, Yang?"

As if on cue, a gust of wind rushes past them, making their hair flip and goosebumps rise.

Yang stares out into the dark abyss of night, taking in anything that seemed unusual to her. Their town of Vale seemed somehow… different.

"Something doesn't sit right here."

"You're probably imagining things, Yang. It's been a long day; let's just go home, take a long shower, and then you can cuddle with your girlfriend all you want."

Yang can't help but smile at the mention of her girlfriend as she turns to grin fully at her own sister, "You know what? You're right little sis. I'm going to do exactly that!"

She grabs Ruby's hand to start pulling her back to their home that sits at the very far end of the long and dreary street. The two had somehow lucked out on their first arrival at the town. Ruby was an absolute genius when it came to mechanics and fixing anything, so when the wealthiest woman came to them and asked Ruby for a full time position at her estate, it was hard to say no and came no surprise to them. Machines didn't come common amongst everyone nowadays, so to have one meant you were either incredibly wealthy or a downright thief. Whichever it was, though, Ruby didn't care.

"I bet," Yang starts, a smirk on her face, "Weiss is waiting right at the front gates for you."

Ruby's face burns up right like a thermometer as she squeaks out: "Shut up Yang!"

"What? I'm just saying she could be. Why don't the two of you just get over yourselves and finally be in a relationship?"

Ruby sighs at that, her blush flashing away. "It's not like that. She doesn't feel that way. Plus, I don't need a relationship! I have my machines! They can't talk back to you or nag you," she states, ending with a goofy grin.

Yang sighs loudly, rolling her eyes. "Whatever. Wait- hey look! It's Weiss!" She points to the direction of the huge estate where the head woman stands at the front gates waiting for them.

"Was I right, or was I right?" Yang laughs.

But Ruby scowls upon further observation, seeing the almost panicked look on Weiss's tired face. Her beautiful hair was all swept to one side just to keep it from falling into her face.

"Yang, you were right-"

"Course I was! She's definitely missing you Rubes-"

"No, Yang I mean earlier, when you said it didn't feel right to you?" Ruby points out the obvious state Weiss was in when they approached, "I think you were right. Something happened when we were gone."

When the two walk up, Weiss smiles a very tired and half hearted smile.

"Welcome back you two."

"Good to be back, Weiss. What's going on?" Yang asks, her face is back to what it was before, very serious and attentive. It still amazes Ruby how Yang can switch her personality to fit every situation. A sign of how much she's grown. Way to get sentimental, Ruby, she thinks.

Weiss glances over at Ruby, then back to Yang.

"It's Blake."

All three of them are rushing down the hallway; Yang is in front, her face still at attention but her worry is starting to seep out. Weiss looks over to Ruby, who looks back and finally nods. We will talk later, is what she gets from her look, and she doesn't doubt that they will.

Yang bursts through the door, closing in to see a doctor at the bedside of Blake. Her face was red and her eyes were closed, looking to be in a pain Ruby could only describe as looking unbearable.

"What's happened?" She asks, panic showing in her lilac eyes. Ruby watches with concern, and the doctor stands.

"She's got a fever. A very high one."

Yang sighs in reply, and Ruby scowls.

Weiss moves once the doctor says he would like to speak to her, and the room grows awfully quiet.

"Blake," Yang scoots closer to the sweaty woman on the bed, "Blake, can you hear me?"

The woman stirs only for a moment, her breathing only soft and quiet. Yang smooths over her dark hair out of her eyes, combing through it afterwards in worry.

"Ruby-"

"I know."

"Do you think it was us?"

Ruby shakes her head, even though her sister couldn't see, "No. We know the rules and were careful. Plus, we were not in Blake's own timeline. This is purposeful…"

"You have to tell Weiss. She needs to know; Blake is her best friend."

The woman nods at her sister, choosing to leave her in peace for the moment. Once she walks out the door, she closes it behind her with a heavy sigh and eyes closed. There's a lot to do now, and I need to talk to-

"So?"

Ruby jumps sky high and has to cover her mouth as to not scream at the sudden voice right next to her being.

"Weiss! Don't just sneak up on me like that!" She turns to see the woman standing with a serious look on her face.

"I'm sorry- I just finished talking to the doctor. Do you have any clues as to what's going on?"

The woman breathes out, "I have a few… is there someplace we can talk in private?"

The two head to Weiss's study, the place besides her workshop that Ruby loved in this huge mansion of hers. The chairs were a comfy leather, the fireplace made everything warm and inviting, and she found comfort in the long cases of books that she was still working on to this day.

Ruby surprised herself with how much she knew about Weiss. She was the most independent and beautiful person she had ever met. The only reason why she was in Vale was the fact she ran away from home; and now, is even competing with her own family on selling the best inventions on the market.

Specifically… Ruby's.

"Let me get us something to drink at least," Weiss states, "You were gone for a while, so you must be hungry," she looks to her with a very small smile that Ruby thought was only reserved for her and her alone. Somehow, her barest hints of smiles were something she admired and adored all at once. So all she could do was nod and watch her walk out through the decorative oak doors.

Leaning back, Ruby closes her eyes and sighs again for the millionth time that day. She doesn't think she's ever sighed so much in her entire life, but today was a stream of emotions. I should be more concerned with Yang. She let's these things get to her so easily, she'll be an emotional wreck if we don't find a solution. And fast. Hopefully Weiss can give us some valuable information.

As if on cue, the woman walks in with a tray in hand, setting it down on the small wooden table to the right of the chair Ruby was sitting in. There is some tea and a couple pieces of fresh fruit that looked absolutely delicious- if her appetite wasn't quite with her. So, instead, she takes the small cup of tea to hold and warm her hands.

Weiss sits, tea in her hand as well, and breathes out. "First things first, how was your trip? Did you get everything you were looking for?"

Ruby feels bad she hadn't told her what the initial travel was for, but she didn't quite feel

like she needed to know. She just told her she needed closure. And she didn't pry. "It was good," she looks down at the cups nestled in her hands, "I… feel a lot better about things, that's for sure."

The woman studies her for a moment, before she nods, "Good. I'm glad to hear you're doing better because of it."

The air in the room is weird, Ruby thinks. Poor Blake…

"Blake was just fine before you two left. It seemed as though her sickness appeared instantaneously. I knew you two would be back from your traveling around this time, but her condition had already worsened ten fold. The doctor himself even said he's never seen a fever this accelerated." Weiss says with a frown, her fingers playing with the decorations on the rim of the tea cup she held. The bright silver ring gleamed in the light from next to them, and it made Ruby's heart hurt a little.

"It's because it's not an actual sickness," she takes a sip from her cup, her lips curling upwards at how good it felt for the warmth to seep down her throat even though her chest still ached.

Weiss scowls, "Do you think it has to do with your traveling?"

"Not ours," she states firmly, "Yang and I are always careful when traveling through time. There are many rules, Weiss, that we must follow. But…"

"But?"

"Well," Ruby sits up straighter, trying to find the right words to explain to Weiss. To her, traveling through time was a difficult concept to understand. Even when the sisters first decided they should tell her, she fought to learn more and try to understand the best she could. But the sisters had been traveling for years; it was something Ruby had figured out by complete accident. Ever since she tampered with her newest invention at the time, the 'memory compactor' that could take someone's memories and store them, a loose bolt was somehow the final ingredient in causing her to suddenly fall back a couple minutes in time. It wasn't hard for her to figure out how it happened- and more so perfect it. Now, sitting comfortably on her wrist in a small compact form, was her ability to travel through time lines. It looked just like any other outdated watch from their time, with a brass coating and the normal hands of a clock.

"A fever like this is a clear indication that someone is interfering with her timeline. More specifically, her past timeline. It happened to Yang once, when we were first figuring out our traveling."

Weiss folds her arms and sits back in her chair, "So you're saying someone is trying to change Blake's past?"

"Trying is the key word. Timelines are definite; For one person they only flow one way. But, if someone were to go back and change a significant circumstance in that person's life, it causes a ripple that needs to stay consistent in order for it to fully change. Meaning, a lot of change is required. Changing one major event in a person's life doesn't necessarily change their timeline completely. Think of a river: It only flows one way. But throw a rock in it? It splits-" she uses her hands to motion them away, "but usually comes back to where it was meant to be." Her hands are brought back together and then dropped into her lap.

Ruby watches as Weiss sits back in her chair, trying to understand everything she's just told her. She wonders if maybe she sprung a little too much at once; she does start to ramble from time to time, and it never ends well. Yang always tells her she needs to realize her mind works differently than everyone else's.

"So, you're saying you must head back in time, into Blake's past, and find out exactly who and what is meddling in things?"

She's actually impressed she's managed to absorb everything she's explained so far. She knew she chose a good one- wait, no, she isn't even- ugh Ruby, you need to stop.

"Yes, exactly that," She says, "The only thing is, we have to go into the future to see what's changed. Some sort of clue."

Weiss hums and looks down at her feet in concentration. Ruby knew she was trying everything in her power to give some advice, but even this was beyond anything she could understand. Even Yang has a hard time remembering all of the rules and specifics of traveling.

But the look in her eye, the way she spins the ring on her finger; this is what makes Ruby feel the worst. She knows she's waiting for someone, she always does this when she's thinking about them. She also knows that someone like her could never actually have a chance. She's always trying to explain it to Yang, but her sister was too caught up in her own romance to understand.

"Weiss," she speaks up in order to stop the depressing train in her head, "Do you know anyone who would have anything against Blake? Someone who would maybe want revenge on her?"

She effectively brings her back to their world as she looks up and rapidly shakes her head, "Of course not. Blake is one of my closest friends who's lost everything. The least I could do was to let her continue to live with me," the woman sighs, "I don't think anyone could ever hate her."

And she was right. Blake was someone who had such a soft heart Ruby was often star-struck with her charity. Yang chose a good one.

Weiss stands to move towards the window, stopping before it to gaze at the bright moon above just peeking behind the dark clouds. "You're going to be gone for quite a while, aren't you?"

As if almost sadistically, Ruby gives a smile and laughs, "Weiss, this will probably be the longest travel I've ever taken. And quite possibly the most trickiest one. What we have to do is jump to her future timeline; that way we can actually see what has changed and maybe have a guess as to who or what is related. That way we can hopefully find a specific spot in the timeline that someone is currently messing in. It will be long… but," she stands, setting her cup on the tray politely, "We care about Blake and don't want this to happen to her. We can't just sit by and watch her whole timeline change. It would have awful side effects. I mean… look at both Yang and I."

Weiss turns, a worried and guilty look on her face. "I don't like the thought of you two risking your lives. I already have Blake sick, I don't want to lose the two of you as well." She pauses, smiling a little as she says, "Even though you're my house staff, you're still my friends. Important friends."

Ruby can't help but grin, "We will be fine. Yang and I know the rules well enough. We will be careful, and we'll have each other. Don't worry too much," she taps her fingers on the side of her thigh instead of reaching out to her like she wanted to, "Or you'll get even more of those grey hairs on your head."

That makes her instinctively reach up to her head, and causes Ruby to laugh out louder than she thought she would. But the smile on her face, the way her lips curve up and her blue eyes light up, makes that laughter worth it.

By the time Ruby reaches Blake's room, it's well past the sunrise. She couldn't believe she had talked to Weiss for that long, but in the back of her mind she really can believe it. The two somehow had this unspoken bond between them and she knows it isn't just because she has a bit of a crush on her. It's strange, she thinks, because I feel as though our timelines are connected.

Once she reaches the door, she pushes it open to see her sister still sitting on the edge of Blake's bed, lightly stroking the woman's hair back. The gaze in her eye was heartbreaking, so much so that Ruby felt it was contagious as she could feel her heart glaze over with guilt and sadness.

"Yang," she whispers in the quiet morning, "We need to fix this."

She watches as Yang glances at the watch on her own wrist, tapping it to make sure. Ruby knew it was because she had to make sure they were still in their real timeline, their real time. It was something her sister had a habit of doing, but Ruby never said anything about it. She had her own coping habits she didn't want to talk about.

"I know," comes the soft voice, a sigh resonating from deep within her lungs as she finally stands, only to bend over and kiss Blake's forehead tenderly, "I just wanted a little more time with her, just in case we screw up."

"We won't," Ruby says with a firm voice, the light from the windows temporarily blinding her and she shifts, moving to grab her sisters hand, "Yang look at me, please."

Her sister doesn't move for a long time, but finally her watering eyes slide over to Ruby's face.

"We got this." She says with a big smile, lifting her hand to wipe the last tear from her cheek. She squeezes her hand, tapping the watch on her wrist for her.

Yang swallows, breathing in deeply and finally gaining the courage she needed. "Okay," She says with her own firm voice, giving a smile of gratitude to Ruby, "Let's do this."

Yang watches as her sister grabs a chair for her, setting it up right next to Blake's bed. "Hopefully we won't have to go too far-"

"I'm going alone, Ruby."

Ruby looks up confusingly at her, staring as she asks why.

"Because," the sister moves over to sit down in the chair, brushing her blonde hair from her eyes as she stares down at Blake, "This is my job. I need to figure this out myself. And-" she cuts off her sister as she sees her mouth open in protest, "-I need to see this for myself."

Ruby shuts her mouth and clenches her jaw, but Yang knew she couldn't argue with her older sister. This was her job, and she was going to do it alone.

"Fine," Ruby finally says, rubbing her cheek, "But! You have to be careful. No one sees you, no one knows you. Stay hidden. And last but not least, try not to touch anything again?"

Yang can't help but smile, "That was one time."

Ruby gives her a look, "One time too many. I'm serious Yang!"

"Okay, okay," she sighs, "I won't. In and out in a jiffy. Promise. I swear, sometimes I feel like the younger sister."

Once her sister shakes her head, Yang breathes out and looks down at her watch. She sets the big hand at the twelve, and then takes a big breath and puts the little hand on the eleven. "I'm going about two years, hopefully that will yield some results."

"Good idea..."

The older sister looks up, finally actually looking at her sister for the first time in hours, and she feels her heart plummet. Ruby stands clenching her jaw, her hands down and fingers playing with the end of the sweater she wore.

"Ruby," she grabs her attention as Ruby looks up from staring at the floor, her eyes starting to glaze over. "I'll be okay."

Ruby in return shakes her head, "No, you won't. You know the rules."

Instead of saying another word, she stands and rushes over to her sister, grabbing her into the biggest and warmest hug she could muster.

"It's only for a few minutes. Probably five at the most for you. I'm only looking for a small clue, okay? It's only a few minutes out of me-"

"But a few minutes stacks up Yang!" Her sister interrupts, and she can feel the hands around her clench her shirt, "I just-... I just don't want to lose you any sooner…"

"And you won't," Yang rubs her back, "You won't, and I can promise that. Okay? I'll be okay, I know you worry. Like I said, a few minutes at most." She pulls away and wipes more tears from Ruby's still dusty cheeks. Ruby finally nods and steps back, smoothing out her short bangs loose from her ponytail, "Please be careful."

Yang nods, pushing the dial in and giving her sister a quick glance before touching Blake's arm and disappearing in a bright white light.