Chapter 75

Qrow made his way down the hall, second door on the left Yang had told him, of course it was closed. He would have to purposefully intrude on a safe space to start with. Heaving a sigh, he knocked twice. "Yes?" Weiss' muffled voice snipped from within.

"It's Qrow." He replied. Met with silence, all he could do was wait.

"Come in." Ruby's voice softly replied.

Qrow felt a pang in his heart. She sounded tired, drained. It pained him to hear it, and things would probably only get worse. Slowly, he opened the door and stepped in, shutting it gently behind him. Ruby sat on Jaune's bed, Blake and Weiss flanking her, an arm wrapped around each of Ruby's, who clenched their hands like lifelines. At this point, they probably were. "Hey kiddo, Blake, Weiss." Qrow greeted.

Ruby managed a small smile, but it was just as tired as her voice. Weiss and Blake nodded, the latter indicating the desk chair across from them, which Qrow sat in and waited. Weiss seemed impassive, regarding him with an icy stare. Blake wore a small frown, her golden eyes burning. It reminded him of Raven. Ruby looked warn down, eyes red and bloodshot. That hurt even more. "What happens now?" Ruby finally asked, voice muted and strained.

"Well Ruby...I don't know." Qrow admitted. "It's really up to you. What do you want to happen?"

"What I've always wanted...I wanted to be a family again...and I still do." Ruby's voice strengthened, if only for a moment, but it was enough to make Qrow smile.

"Was this it?" Weiss interrogated. "No more secrets?"

"Nothing comes to mind." Qrow replied. "As far as I'm concerned, it's always been the one thing. You'll have to ask Summer."

"I guess so...Blake, Weiss, can I have a minute?" Ruby requested.

"Of course." Weiss agreed.

"Take your time." Blake added. "We'll keep Yang company."

"Thank you." Ruby pecked Blake on the lips with a smile, before turning to Weiss to do the same. "I love you."

"We love you too." Weiss whispered before standing. Blake followed as she left the room.

When the door shut again, Ruby clasped her hands together, staring at the door. "You were in love with mom?"

"I was." Qrow answered.. "We all were. But Summer was in love with Tai."

"But she...she slept with you?" Ruby asked.

"Yeah...she...wasn't in a good place." Qrow sighed.

"You don't have to defend her Qrow." Ruby noted.

"I know, but it takes two to tango, and when push came to shove, I didn't say no." Qrow insisted. "Things seemed bad for Summer and Tai, and Summer came onto me for...whatever reason, and I just...I didn't want to say no. So I didn't."

"And here I am." Ruby said.

"And here you are." Qrow nodded.

"So I was a mistake." Ruby suggested.

"No." Qrow snapped.

"How?" Ruby pressed.

"Because I say so." Qrow replied. "Sleeping with Summer was a mistake, going along with the lie was a mistake, telling the truth the way I did was a mistake. You? You're not a mistake Ruby. You were worth all that, even if I fucked everything else up royally. Even if I was only ever uncle to you. It was all worth it because you are not a mistake. You're the best thing to ever happen to me. That's a fact, and I'll...I'll fight anyone who says a word against you." Qrow swallowed, his voice thick, tears prickling at the back of his eyes.

"What…" Ruby croaked, swallowing herself, eyes teary. "What do you want Qrow?"

"I want what you want Ruby." Qrow answered.

"No, that's not what you want to want." Ruby shook her head. "That's selfless. Be selfish. What do you want Qrow? If you could have one thing come from all this, what would it be?" Her voice wavered, but her gaze was strong, those beautiful silver eyes boring into his heart more deeply than Summer ever had before her.

"I want to hold my daughter, not my niece." Qrow barely got the words out before Ruby slammed into him, scrawny arms squeezing him tightly as she buried her face in his shoulder.

"Like father like d-daughter huh?" Ruby said thickly through tears.

Qrow laughed breathlessly, squeezing her back. "Yeah, chip of the old block." He half sobbed, half laughed, Ruby joining him.

"A-all these years and...it's gonna' be so weird not calling you Uncle Qrow anymore." Ruby grinned.

"Yeah, Daddy Qrow doesn't have the same ring to it." Qrow joked.

"Daddy, Dad, that's gonna' take a lot of getting used to." Ruby admitted.

"You're not gonna' stop calling Tai dad are you?" Qrow asked.

"No...no I won't." Ruby replied. "He's not my father, but he'll always be my dad. He...he doesn't hate me does he?"

"No, God no Ruby." Qrow insisted. "He loves you so much. He just...he couldn't deal with it. It wrecked his head to think about."

"I just wanted him to talk to me." Ruby sighed.

"So did he, but it took him so long to get back on his feet, he just couldn't handle lying to your face." Qrow explained.

"And you could?" Ruby pulled away, enough to look Qrow in the eye, but not to let go.

Qrow sighed. "I can't excuse it away Ruby. I didn't want to screw things up harder. I didn't know what would happen if I told the truth. At least with the lie, Summer couldn't force me away entirely. I could still try and be there for you. It was a shit situation, and none of us handled it right. And I'm sorry."

Ruby nodded sadly, managing a small smile. She took Qrow's hands in her own. "It hurts Qrow, being lied to, but I understand. You've always tried your best for me, even with Summer forcing you away. Even when things kept going wrong you never gave up. You were always there for me." She smiled a larger, more genuine smile. "I forgive you Qrow. I wanna' start making up for all the days we lost, all the times I called you uncle instead of dad, every day Summer made you lie to me. We'll take them back, one by one, eh?"

Qrow smiled. "There's nothing I want more in the world Ruby."

Frightened by the shouting, Zwei had hidden under the couch. Once Summer had calmed down, Winter coaxed out the still anxious animal. It seemed he was no longer in the mood to play, and his adorable puppy yawns indicated he was tired. Winter set out the dog bed Qrow had provided, and Zwei dutifully climbed in, quickly falling asleep. After that, silence reigned supreme in the Rose household. Until it did not.

"I feel sick." Summer suddenly stood, hurrying from the lounge. Winter and Pyrrha exchanged a worried glance, before quickly setting their cups down and following her. Summer fumbled with the bathroom door handle, barely twisting it open before slamming her hand over her mouth, scrambling to the toilet bowl just in time for her lunch to make an untimely reappearance.

Winter entered the bathroom to see Summer clutching the rim of the bowl desperately, hacking and coughing, gasping for breath. Pausing to shoot Pyrrha a glance, Winter noted the look of helplessness on her face and tried to counter it with a smile. "I can handle this." She promised softly, not that Summer could hear her over the retching. Pyrrha hesitated but nodded, so Winter shut the door and moved to kneel beside Summer.

"I-I'm sor-" Summer's apology was interrupted by another heave. Her stomach seemed to have emptied, as barely a trickle came from her mouth.

Winter shushed and lay a hand on Summer's back, rubbing soothingly. "It's okay. You're under a lot of stress." She made to stand, and Summer's hand shot out, latching onto her shirt, forcing her to pause.

"Please don't...don't leave, please don't leave me please…" Summer begged before another dry heave wracked her body, forcing another pained sob from her throat.

Winter's heart ached for her love, and she took the clinging hand in her own, planting a kiss on its back. "I'm not leaving you Summer." She vowed. "I promise you that." Summer seemed to deflate, some of the tension leaving her body as she whimpered and hitched. "I am however getting you a towel, and a glass of water."

Summer's hands went limp, and she bobbed her head. "Mmkay." Her nasally voice echoed from the bowl.

Standing, Winter made her way to the vanity, opening its doors to find a pile of folded hand towels, but unfortunately no cups. Still, she took one of the towels and dropped it in the sink, turning on the faucet and moving to the door. Pyrrha stood frozen mid pace, scroll in her had, biting her thumbnail. "Could you bring a glass of water please?" Winter requested. Pyrrha nodded, hurrying off to the kitchen, and hurrying back almost as fast, a mug of water in hand. "Thank you, and Pyrrha." Pyrrha met Winter's gaze with an arched brow. "We're going to get through this, I promise."

Pyrrha managed a weak smile, which Winter returned, before closing the door once more. Shutting off the faucet and wringing out the towel, she returned to Summer's side. She had pulled herself into a more comfortable position by the toilet, hunched over it fearfully. Winter held out the towel, and Summer gratefully took it, wiping her mouth and nose, and her left hand, which had caught some of her initial outburst.

"Thank you." Summer whispered, meeting Winter's gaze with yet another weak smile.

Winter held out the mug. "You're welcome, now rinse." She commanded. Summer obeyed, taking the mug, sipping from it, and swishing it around her mouth before spitting into the bowl. She repeated this several times, before swallowing the last of the liquid and sighing. "How do you feel?"

"Better, a-a bit...it's just…" Summer slumped to the side, leaning against the wall beside Winter, pushing the mug and towel away. "I don't know what to do. I've never been good at...anything. Winter, I've just tried, and tried and tried and no matter how much I fail everything just kept working out, but I don't know what to even try to do here!" She hyperventilated, hiding her face in her hands. She felt Winter's arms wrap their way around her stomach, and a kiss planted on her shoulder.

"Breath, slowly, in." Winter inhaled audibly, and Summer imitated her. "And out." Winter exhaled, Summer's own breath much shakier. But it seemed to have some effect.

"I don't know what's going to happen Winter." Summer continued. "I'm scared."

"I know." Winter said.

"I just...Ruby was so hurt, and Yang was so angry, and I thought she was gonna' hit me, but she didn't and she should have because I deserve it, but she didn't and she's gonna' come back and yell at me and I don't wanna' go through that." Summer rambled. "I've lost them Winter. I've lost my baby girls. They hate me and it's all my fault."

"You haven't lost them Summer." Winter encouraged. "And they don't hate you, even if they say so. They love you too much for that. Things are just going to be difficult for a while."

"Things have always been difficult." Summer sighed. "At least before I had my daughters to support me, even if it was because of my lies."

"You still have Pyrrha, and you still have me." Winter noted.

"I lied to you too." Summer said.

"And I forgive you." Winter responded.

"I don't deserve it." Summer insisted.

"I don't give a damn what you do and don't deserve." Winter countered. "I love you, and if I say I forgive you, I forgive you, and that's that." Winter shook Summer for emphasis, pulling her closer against her chest.

"I love you too Winter, with all my heart." Summer declared.

"I know sweetie." Winter kissed Summer's cheek. "I know."

They sat there for a time, basking in the brief peace afforded them, uncomfortable as it may be against the cold bathroom tiles. Eventually, Summer shifted uncomfortably. "Winter, I really need to use the toilet."

"Hmm." Winter grunted, standing alongside Summer.

"Alone." Summer insisted. Winter sighed, reluctant to leave her lover emotional and alone. "Winter...I promise, if you leave me alone, I will come out of this room healthy and unscathed...or at least unscathed." Summer managed a slightly stronger smile this time, which Winter reciprocated.

"Fine, I'll go keep Pyrrha company." Winter agreed. "And brush your teeth." She said over her shoulder as she turned and opened the door.

Summer rolled her eyes. "Pfft, yes mom."

Nora woke up with a groan. She had to go to the bathroom...again. As her pregnancy progressed, her bladder's capacity shrunk, leading to ever more frequent trips to empty it. It was worst when she was just trying to sleep. Nora was rarely able to get more than an hour or two of sleep before being forced to answer nature's call. She rolled out of bed and onto her feet, then shambled into the adjacent bathroom. As she sat on the toilet, she noticed a smell. Not a typical bathroom smell, no, it was coming from elsewhere in the apartment. There was no mistaking it.

Food. And not just any food, but fast food. Just a whiff was enough to make Nora's stomach grumble. She quickly finished up, flushed and washed her hands before rushing out into the hallway. She made her way to the living room, only to stumble upon some unexpected guests. Yang, Blake and Weiss were arrayed on the couch. The bag of food that had lured her was on the coffee table in front of them. Blake and Weiss were picking at a cup of fries while Yang chomped on a cheeseburger.

"Uh...what are you guys doing here?" Nora asked.

The trio on the couch turned their attention to the new arrival. "Oh...hey Nora." Yang greeted shakily. "What are you doing up?"

"I smelled the food." Nora replied. "I guess you guys brought it?"

"No, Qrow brought it." Yang corrected.

"What's he doing here?" Nora asked.

"After you left the party, things got...tense." Weiss started. "There was an argument and...maybe it would be best for Yang to take over."

"Fine." Yang sighed. "Nora, maybe sit down."

"Oh my God, did someone die?" Nora gasped.

"No, no, it's not quite that bad." Yang shook her head. Nora took Yang's advice and sat in a chair across from the couch. "Though that might be easier to deal with. Thing is...Qrow got into an argument with Summer and Raven and well...it turns out Qrow is Ruby's father."

"What?!" Nora exclaimed.

"That's not it." Yang continued. "It wasn't his idea to lie about it either. It was Summer's. She decided to tell Tai the kid was his so he would marry her. She took advantage of Qrow while he was vulnerable, tricked my dad, spent years lying to Ruby...she destroyed my family." Yang's volume had been rising as her anger built, but she took a moment to calm down before continuing. Nora could do nothing but stare in disbelief. "When Ruby found out...she freaked, rode her scooter through the snow to here. She's still here, talking to Qrow in Jaune's room."

"Where's everyone else?" Nora asked.

"Summer's back home with Winter and Pyrrha." Yang replied.

"Is Summer okay?" Nora pressed.

"I don't know, and frankly, I don't care." Yang growled.

"I...I uh…" Nora stammered. "I have to make a call." Nora stood and returned to her room to retrieve her scroll. She had to know if Summer was okay. Even though Summer had done something terrible, she had still been a mother to Nora, Mama Rose, and nothing would ever change that. Nora went through her list of contacts, finding Summer, but paused. She was afraid to call her directly. What if something she said made things worse? No. She slid her finger across the screen until another name appeared. She would call Pyrrha instead. Pyrrha would be able to tell her what she needed to know.

Nora tapped her scroll to call Pyrrha. "Hello?" Pyrrha answered after a pair of rings.

"Hey Pyrrha." Nora responded. She wandered out of her room, slipping into the one next door, the room filled with her stuffed animals. "I uh...how are you?"

"I'm...alright." Pyrrha lied.

"Yang told me what happened." Nora noted. She climbed onto the bed with the stuffed toys, snuggling into the softness. It was what she did when feeling nervous or down, and this certainly qualified as one of those times. "I...wanted to make sure Summer's okay."

"Oh..she's...been better." Pyrrha struggled. "She's...feeling ill."

"Is she...she's going to be alright, isn't she?" Nora pressed.

Pyrrha did not answer immediately. "I...I don't know." She admitted. "Winter and I are doing our best but...she's not...hold on." Nora could hear Winter's voice in the background, but could not make out the words.

"Did something happen?" Nora asked.

"No, no, I just have to get something." Pyrrha answered. "Summer threw up, that's all."

"Oh, okay." Nora breathed a sigh of relief. "Should I...maybe if...is there anything I can do?"

"I don't think so." Pyrrha replied. "I've never seen Summer like this." She hesitated. "But don't worry, I'm sure she'll get through it with Winter's help. Ruby and Yang will forgive her eventually, then everything will be fine."

"What if they don't?" Nora pressed.

Pyrrha had no real answer. "I'm sure they will." She finally said. "Try not to worry too much, okay?"

"I'll do my best." Nora declared. "I just...tell Mama Rose I love her."

"I will." Pyrrha promised.

"Thanks." Nora responded. "Talk to you later."

"Bye." Pyrrha hung up.

Nora tapped her scroll and let it slip from her hand. It had been such a great day, a happy day, and now it had all gone wrong. Her family was hurting, and that meant Nora was hurting too. She pressed herself into the heap of stuffed animals, hoping that immersing herself in their softness would drive away the feeling of anxiety in the pit of her stomach. It did not work.