A/N: Okay, updates are now coming every two weeks! I know a few of the reviewers seem to not be Taiyang's biggest fans, but I am trying to show him in at least a slightly different light.

When I'm gone, when I'm gone, you're gonna miss me when I'm gone
You're gonna miss me by my hair, you're gonna miss me everywhere, oh
You're gonna miss me when I'm gone

five months back

Raven was fully dressed, weapon at her side, when she leaned partway through Summer's door, and it was already sign enough that something was off. Leaning back from her computer screen, where she was going over public access mission boards for any missions that hinted at something she wanted to keep an eye on—though dressed for bed, Summer clearly wasn't sleeping either—Summer pulled her reading glasses off her face and nodded her head backward. "Come in."

Her teammate slipped through the door, padding across the room silently, and Summer watched her with sharp, appraising eyes. Having found the answer to her unasked question in Raven's expression, Summer's lips pursed sadly as the taller girl sat beside her on the bed, Summer curling her legs up to her chest to make room for her. "You're going, aren't you?" she asked softly.

There was only a brief pause before Raven nodded. "I am."

Biting her lip, Summer tried to keep her expression—what she knew Raven would criticize as 'those big, sad, guilt-tripping doe eyes'—in check. It took a few moments before she shook her head, attempting to compose her response. "You're… Raven, you're sure? I know what Ozpin wanted, but—this started eight months ago, Raven, things were different, you didn't even know you were pregnant. How can you still want to go?"

"It's important, Summer." Raven's voice sounded mournful and heavy with regret, but also determined.

"Isn't it always, with Ozpin? But can't he make due; you have Taiyang—you have Yang, Raven, don't you want to stay with your daughter?"

Raven barely winced, but Summer knew her team, and she knew Raven; she could see agony hiding masked in Raven's eyes. Summer knew her teammate's heart was aching at the thought of leaving them—but she could see Raven had to do this, too.

"I know, Summer," she said quietly, and Summer suspected her softer tone was to make it impossible to identify any heavy emotion in her tone. "God, I know. Yang… she's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. I still can't believe she came from me whenever I hold her in my arms—she's so precious and wonderful, I—" Raven's sentence broke off, and she shook her head sadly. "It kills me to think about leaving her, I think I'd take her with me if I thought for a moment she'd be safe. And Taiyang…"

She trailed off. There were so many heavy things weighing on the unspoken words hanging in the air, the ones she couldn't voice. Summer knew Raven had never been one to actually lay her feelings right out in the open—she and Taiyang had always had their own, effective ways to make it clear how head over heels they were for each other, so it hadn't mattered that communicating it out loud was, more often than not, beyond Raven's grasp. Summer could feel it all hovering in the air now, and she understood how hard it was for Raven to leave him, and she understood that if she was still leaving now, it meant she had to.

Sighing, Summer reached to run a hand back through her hair. "Christ, Raven, you're sure? I mean—you just had a baby a month ago, are you sure you can handle running off to handle such a big mission so soon? Physically?" She hadn't heard her teammate complain even once, but Summer knew she wasn't operating at one hundred percent—she knew there was a lot to recover from after pregnancy, and she definitely knew that four weeks was too soon for Raven to start putting any extra strain on herself.

Shaking her head, Raven replied, "It doesn't matter. Ozpin asked me to do this months ago—it's been held off long enough, I can't make it wait any longer."

"Two more weeks to rest won't kill you."

"I've made this wait too long already, I'm not giving it another two weeks. I have to go."

Staring at her, Summer hated knowing that Raven was too stubborn to be swayed, that she always had been. And she hated knowing that her mind was made up. Mostly, she just hated that she couldn't protect her team, couldn't keep them together and keep them safe.

"And…" Raven paused, weighing her words. "Maybe I don't have a right to ask this, since I'm leaving them and I'm leaving you, but… can you take care of Taiyang and Yang for me? Just… make sure they're safe and happy, if you can?"

Smiling sadly, Summer reached to rest her hand over Raven's on the bed, and nodded. "Of course."

"And—tell Taiyang and Qrow that I love them, and when she's old enough to understand, make sure Yang knows every day that I loved her… please."

"Raven… please, you can tell her yourself, you don't just have to be gone—"

"Ozpin said this will safer if I don't have constant attachments, and I'm just preparing for the worst—if I can't ever see her again. Summer, please."

Biting her lip, Summer hesitated a few moments before giving another, halting nod. Of course she would do those things for Raven—she just hoped she wouldn't have to do all of them. She hoped Raven would be back on her own to tell Yang herself. Squeezing her teammate's hand gently, Summer's voice was soft as she said, "Take care of yourself, okay? Be safe."

Like it was finally fully registering to her, a look of the faintest surprise flashed across Raven's face as she replied, "You're really letting me go? You're not going to go get Taiyang and Qrow and get them to make me stay?"

Summer shook her head firmly, once again squeezing her teammate's hand. "This is your decision, Raven, and I know you. I want you to stay, I want you to change your mind more than anything, but I know that if this is what you've got your heart set on, I have to let you go. And I know that if this is what you have your heart set on, Taiyang and Qrow sure as hell aren't going to stop you, they'll just make things more difficult on your way out. And—if you ever need help, or get in too deep, I mean it, Raven, I want you to be safe. Call me, and I'll be there to help you in a flash. Okay?"

It took a beat for Raven to muster a response, and if Summer didn't know any better, she'd swear she saw her teammate's eyes starting to shine with emotion. Slowly, Raven nodded, and gently pulled her hand out from under Summer's as she stood. "I will. I—I should go now."

Summer's legs slid off the bed as she stood, as well, expression somber. Before either of them could say anything, she'd stepped forward to wrap her arms around the taller woman in a tight hug. It was barely a moment of hesitation before Raven's arms wrapped around her in return, just as tight.

"I'm gonna miss you, Birdy."

Raven lifted a hand to lay on Summer's head where it rested against her chest, her fingers stroking her shorter friend's hair in an affectionate gesture that had become habit over the years. Her voice was barely audible when she spoke. "I'll miss you, too, Rosie."

Summer tightened her grip on her teammate for a brief moment, before sighing and letting her go. Tempting as it was to cling to her like a little kid trying to keep their parents from going to work, Summer knew she couldn't stop this, and she knew Raven could make her own choices. "I'll see you off," she said, voice so firm and decisive that Raven couldn't have protested even if she'd found reason to. Lips pressing together, Raven nodded, and the two moved to Summer's door.

Padding down the hallway in silence, Raven kept her eyes cast forward and her expression stoic, but Summer couldn't help stealing glances toward her, nor could she help the air of unease rolling off of herself as she struggled with what to say, and what not to say. She knew she couldn't convince Raven to stay, so she wanted Raven leaving to be as painless as possible for the woman, but… was it too much to ask that she at least say goodbye to her team?

Raven released a sigh as they reached the door, pausing and turning to Summer. "Whatever you want to say, you can say it."

Hesitating, Summer glanced away a moment before shrugging. "You sure you don't want to tell Tai and Qrow goodbye?" She met her eyes, offering an almost apologetic smile for even having said it. She knew Raven had her reasons for not wanting to, and even if she didn't agree with them, she knew this was Raven's choice. She didn't have to like it all that much, though.

Raven's expression tightened, something small and vulnerable showing in her eyes, and she turned her head away from Summer. After a moment, she finally responded. "They're not going to understand, and you know that. They'll try and stop me, and they'll fight me every step of the way, and they'll make this worse than it has to be."

Don't you think they deserve a goodbye anyways? But Summer couldn't ask it out loud. Because she knew that Raven felt it, too—the difference was that Raven had the one professional skill that Summer could never manage; Raven could compartmentalize. When Raven knew she had to do something to complete a mission, she could put aside her feelings and attachments, put aside her worry for how it might affect those she was close to. Summer never could—caring was just in her nature.

Sighing, she dropped that line of thought, offering a somber smile. "Do you have everything you need? Do you need food for the way, or warm clothes, or anything?"

Raven huffed out a small laugh, shaking her head. "Hell, Summer… this is why you were the only one I couldn't leave without saying goodbye to. You're so stupidly nice all the time. I'm fine, Rosie. I'll be fine. Just… take care of our family, okay?"

Summer blinked a little harder than was necessary as the implication of the word 'our'—that Raven considered Summer as much her family as her brother, or her daughter, or the father of her child; that Raven trusted her to keep them safe. Summer barely managed a nod before she lurched forward, her arms wrapping around her teammate again tightly. She hated that she was leaving, hated that they had no idea how long Raven might need to stay away—hated that Raven might be back to visit in only six months, or six years, or sixteen. She hated not knowing, and she hated saying goodbye.

Raven returned the hug for a few moments, before releasing a heavy sigh and moving her hands to Summer's shoulders, gently prying her friend from herself. "I should go. I can't stand here forever."

With a heavy heart, Summer gave a reluctant nod as Raven reached for the doorknob, pulling the door open.

"Goodbye. And good luck," she said softly. Raven turned back to look at her as she started to slip past the threshold, her expression mournful.

"Goodbye."

And then she was gone.

Qrow didn't actually make it back to his room. Not right away, anyways. He was halfway down the hallway when his steps faltered to a stop, and he sighed, his head hanging as he leaned against the wall. Don't be so overdramatic, Qrow, he chided himself, but he couldn't help it—this was the last thing he'd expected, and he hadn't exactly been able to brace himself for it. Overdramatic.

Yeah, okay, so Taiyang was too drunk to know what he was doing, and Summer said it didn't mean anything and she didn't want it to. And Summer knew herself better than anyone else—even Qrow, even her partner, her best friend, he couldn't know what she was thinking and feeling. And he was inclined to trust her. But Summer was so focused on taking care of everyone else and keeping everyone around her happy—Qrow was also inclined to wonder if she really bothered to stop and think about the nature of her own feelings.

Summer didn't usually dwell the way he'd just seen her dwelling on that kiss. She didn't tend to duck her head and fidget with her shirt hem over something some guy did. And maybe the reason it still echoed through her head was just because she was worried, like she said, but maybe…

His head still hanging, Qrow could feel his heart sinking further and further as he let out another defeated sigh. He had hoped that maybe… some day he'd have a shot with Summer. He knew he didn't deserve her, and he never in a million years thought there was anything he could do to earn a chance from her—on the contrary, he owed her; after everything she'd done for him, was still doing for him, what else could he offer but complete devotion and admiration? But she'd never asked such a thing from him, so he'd never tried to offer something she wouldn't want, and now… well, now he just wanted her to be happy.

And if her heart was pushing her towards someone else for that happiness, Qrow wanted her to have it.

The problem was, Qrow didn't exactly think that a man who could barely hold himself together without breaking down over another woman, a man who didn't even know what to do with his own daughter every now and then, a man who found himself drunk at least once a week just to handle losing his first girlfriend, was really the kind of man equipped to offer that happiness. But Taiyang was a good man, and a damn good friend, and Qrow had known him at his best—and he knew, that kind of guy, happy, clever, loving, that was the kind of guy Summer deserved.

He just had to find him again.

Pushing off from the wall, Qrow continued down the hallway again, but this time he changed course from his own room to Taiyang's. His hand hovering over the doorknob, he hesitated only a moment before turning it and slipping into the room. It was dim, but he'd always been able to see through the dark easily, and his eyes found Taiyang sprawled in the center of his bed instantly.

"Tai?" His voice was quiet, less for Taiyang's benefit and more so Summer wouldn't hear them in here and assume Qrow had come to defend her honor—honestly, if Summer had felt that necessary, he knew she'd have kicked Taiyang's ass herself. Qrow let out a small breath of relief when his teammate stirred; he was glad he didn't have to wake him up, at least.

Some sort of noise escaped Taiyang's mouth, something that maybe was supposed to resemble speech, but it came out more as indistinct mumbled gibberish.

"Got a moment to talk?"

Another grumble came from the mass under the blankets, one Qrow took for assent as he moved to sit on the edge of the bed. Taiyang shifted to accommodate him, so he couldn't have been too bothered by the interruption to his attempt at sleeping off the drinks he'd downed earlier in the night. He rolled slightly to squint at Qrow through bleary eyes, and Qrow realized he had no idea how to start some sort of mourning intervention like this.

'Hey, I get that it sucks that my sister dropped you and left your daughter because she ran off to do some mysterious thing, but get over it'? No, probably not.

Qrow settled for quietly asking, "Bro, you know you can't go on like this, right? You can't keep turning into a wreck at every chance like this. You've got a kid, man, and I'm not always gonna be able to keep an eye on her while you run around bar-hopping."

Taiyang blinked, before rubbing his hands over his eyes roughly. "Shit, bro, don't pull your punches or anything," he grumbled through a sigh, before propping himself up slightly. "'Sthere a reason you're coming in to trash talk my shitty parenting tonight, or…?"

"Tai, come on, you know I don't think you're a shit dad," Qrow sighed with a hint of frustration, shaking his head. "You and Yang are practically inseparable most of the time, you actually know what all her different cries mean—something I sure as hell still haven't figured out—you can get her to sit still and laugh instead of screaming at you while you change her diaper, you have all her favorite foods memorized. You love that kid, you're a great dad—but you kind of need to pull it together as a person."

Stifling a yawn, Taiyang squinted at Qrow again. "Is this about me going and having a few drinks with team MJRL after our consult? C'mon, man, it's not like I'm out drinking every other night or a drunken mess every day of the week. We all used to—"

"Used to. We're not kids anymore, Tai. You have a kid, you can't act like you're still some party guy on the coolest team at Beacon anymore—and that's not what this is, anyways. You drink to try and forget her, you still end up in that old diner where you had your first date moping every other week—she was my sister, Tai. She's been there my entire life, I feel empty without her around because I've never had to be without her; I know that it hurts, but you have to move forward, man. Yang deserves better than a dad who can't stop wallowing in the past and missing someone who left on her own."

Summer deserves better than to be second to Raven's shadow.

"Qrow…"

Qrow shook his head, sighing once more. "Just—promise you're gonna try to move on, man. Give a life without Raven—a happy one—a chance. Okay?"

"Why do you care so much?" The question caught Qrow a little off guard, and 'because I'm in love with Summer and I think she might be falling for you and I want you to make her happy' seemed like a terrible response. Taiyang watched him expectantly, and with a shrug, Qrow found another answer that was just as true.

"Because Yang's my niece, and because you're practically my brother. You're my teammate, and my friend, and I've got to be honest, man, I hate seeing you like this. I know you, and I know you deserve more happiness than this. I just… want to see things get better for you."

They were both quiet for a few moments, and then Taiyang finally spoke. "I'll… try, man, if you really think it's better for Yang. But don't make it sound so easy."

"It's not easy and I know it. Like I said—she's my twin, it's hard for me, too. But trying's all we can do, and when it gets hard—when you need help, just… don't be afraid to talk to Summer and I. Don't be afraid to ask for help or vent—don't rush to drink or fall apart, okay?" Pausing, Qrow started to stand again, adding earnestly, "We're here for you, brother."

He was halfway to the door when Taiyang's confused voice halted him. "You dyin', Qrow?"

Dropping his head, Qrow chuckled a little. He knew that he and Taiyang didn't often make a habit of offering emotional talks like this, but—well, it didn't take a death to make him get over that.

Apparently, it just took him worrying about Summer's happiness.

"No, man. Just worried about you, is all. Summer is, too. Sleep tight, Tai."

Faint smile still on his face, slowly shifting to a rueful one, Qrow slipped back out of the room and made his way down the hallway once more.

A/N: I felt ridiculous for using 'bro' and 'man' so much during that talk, but you know these two can't have an emotional conversation without using a surplus of those words as like a 'we're still manly despite our emotions tho' and 'no homo tho' disclaimer.

Thank you so much for reading! Please leave a review if you liked it or didn't, or if you have any questions!

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