Steps, like sending her to hell, like not letting her drag him down with her, or just to her bed, metaphorically anyway, there wasn't always an actual bed involved. What steps did he mean? Did she even want to know?. Ruby quickly decided that no. She really didn't.
"I seduced you, then the love happened, maybe on both sides, maybe around the same time, though it took you longer didn't it?. I know it did. And the sad fact is, I never wanted love, love wasn't the plan. Love made you weak. Thats what I believed. But it doesn't does it, it makes you strong. Makes everything worth it. Because I remember those moments I tainted and they're honest. To me its the most honest I've been with you till I told you the truth, It's just little things, but they mean so much to me, remember that first time we went for a proper date, first time we were a couple. We looked for this apartment together and I wanted you to have an input cause you'd be here a lot. You sang the Doors to me when I was ghost sick. You gave me a birthday Sam. A day that was all mine and it meant so much to me. Don't tell me I ruined that too. I need you to remember that because, that was the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me and I was genuinely truly grateful." She wanted the memories, wanted them to look back on and laugh about and it wasn't fair to her that she had to give them up. "Those moments were true. Purely and honestly true. And I'm sorry I ruined them for you, but thats me becoming different, everything we shared up till now. Thats the making of me. Don't take it away, don't tell me it means nothing to you. Please Sam"
She wanted to cry, she honestly did and she could feel the tears welling in her eyes, but she wasn't going to cry. She wasn't asking for sympathy. He hadn't come over to offer that. And she was crying too damn much around him anyway. It was unseemly.
"We're pretty badass when we try. I remember there were times, we'd just be sitting here, not even really doing anything, you'd have... drunk come over, and we were just us. It felt like nothing could touch us. And in my logical mind I knew it would break. I knew I couldn't keep lying. But you'd put an arm around me and I'd be untouchable to anyone else. I'd be yours. Do you know how much I miss being yours"
He didn't need protecting, neither of them did, from evil clowns or otherwise. But just maybe they needed each other. So for now, just maybe even for a few moments she gave in to the urge she could almost sense. She just wanted to joke with him. Be friendly. That was allowed right, that was within the boundries. It had to be. "Oh you don't need protecting?" she asked with a coy smile. "Manly skills?"