A/N: Holy Rudolf's Balls, Batman! This chapter coming out on Christmas is a complete coincidence. Either way, enjoy your day of gifts, happiness, and hoping that the patron saint of prostitutes (look it up) will slide his fat ass down your flue.

Qrow never was very fond of nautical travel. It wasn't that he was afraid of the water, he could swim with the best. It was more of a concern regarding his Semblance. Being the living embodiment of misfortune, he was worried that the boat would run aground or spring a leak for no reason whatsoever. This, however, was not the main cause of his paranoia.

Summer had obviously picked up on his agitation, as he was vigorously tapping his finger on the guardrail. Placing her hand on his shoulder, she told him, "It's gonna be fine. We'll make it to Vale and then the job will be over before you know it."

"That's the plan, at least," he said, her attempt to console him clearly not proving successful. "But I'm not so sure. With my Semblance in play, anything could go wrong, at any time."

"Well, if that happens, we can handle it," she replied. "Qrow, we've been partners for a long time, when have you ever known me to back down from a fight?"

"Never," he conceded.

"Exactly. And if you think I'll run away from this, and let you go and get yourself killed," she paused, letting her words sink in. "Then Ozpin must have fucked your brain up something serious when he gave you those powers."

Deep down, he knew that Summer was right. He needed her here with him, not just to watch his back, but for emotional support. Ever since Raven had left, abandoning Tai with a newborn Yang, Qrow had been in a downward spiral. He couldn't help but feel somewhat responsible for his twin's actions. Not a day would go by that he didn't think that, had he been there, maybe he could have talked her into staying.

In those days, he and Summer had been in a relationship, and she was his only source of comfort, the only one that would hold him close and tell him "it'll be alright." Their time as a couple hadn't lasted long past then, however. They broke up soon after Yang's birth. Not because of some huge fight or disloyalty. They both simply decided that, among other things, it wasn't working out in a way that benefited all parties involved. Nowadays, they still maintained a healthy friendship.

"I get that, but if anything happened to you, Tai would never forgive me…Shit, I could never forgive myself."

Summer understood his fear. Despite his gruff exterior, Qrow cared deeply about his family and wished nothing more than to keep them safe. "Okay, if something does happen, Tai's a big boy, he may be mad at first but, eventually, he'll come around," she said. In order to get his full attention, she pulled back her hood and turned his head to look her in the eyes. "And you won't have to forgive yourself. Remember, I chose to come on this mission. I want to be here."

Hearing her say it out loud helped ease his nerves, allowing him to clear his head and relax a bit. He smiled and thought to himself, "Dammit, woman. You're sure not making this whole 'platonic relationship' thing very easy." She was invoking feelings within him that he knew she would find inappropriate, in layman's terms, she was giving him a massive brain-boner.

"Well, Ms. Rose, are you certain you want to be seen standing quite so close to a rogue, such as I?" he jested in a goofy, seductive voice. Indeed, she had, unconsciously, moved in very close during their conversation. "Why…if your husband got word…consider the implications. Scandalous. Simply scandalous!"

That certainly lightened the mood, as Summer let loose her signature, high-pitched laugh and playfully punched him in the arm. "You dick," she giggled. "Here I am, trying to convince you that we're not gonna die. And then you pull some stupid shit like that?"

They bantered back and forth for a while longer, swapping mock insults and jokes. Among them was Summer's most impressive arsenal of puns which she had accumulated by spending time with Tai. Eventually, they both fell silent, simply enjoying each other's company and taking in their surroundings. They were lucky to have caught the ferry-boat off of Patch so early in the morning. Aside from the fact that they could now spend the rest of the day making their way through the Emerald Forest, they were treated to a beautiful sunrise coming up over the horizon. The sky, a mix of all different shades of orange, pink, and blue, and the light dancing off the water gave the whole ride a constant feeling of tranquility. The current rushing by beneath them provided a soothing layer of background noise. All in all, the scene helped take their minds off of the impending peril that they would soon face.

The rest of the ride was, to say the least, uneventful. The boat made port in the City of Vale by seven o'clock. From there, they began making their journey on foot. The city was quite busy, despite it being so early. Street vendors were already peddling their wares, construction workers filed into and out of the new mall complex, and the roads were filled with motor traffic.

Qrow had always felt at home in big cities such as this. They allowed him to disappear, to fade into the crowd. But, then again, he was also very wary of them, around every corner there was someone that could potentially try to rob, kill, or, worst of all, sell something to him.

Gesturing to the environment around them, he asked Summer, "Kinda makes you appreciate the fact that this mission takes us out into the middle of nowhere, huh?"

She looked up from her scroll, on which she had been gathering as much intel pertaining to Mad King Redwood as she could, to little avail. "Hmm? Did you say something?"

"What I'm saying is, if Redwood had kidnapped the girl somewhere in the city, we would never be able to find her. There're just too many places to lay low," he explained. "But since he made his base out in the woods, we at least have a vague idea of where we're going."

She put the device away. "You've got a point," she responded. "But, if they were anywhere in the city, we could ask around, find witnesses, maybe even get the help of the local law enforcement."

As if on cue, a pair of what appeared to be detectives passed by them, having a conversation about something that could only be described as "less than legal."

"You get your money from Papa yet?" one asked the other.

"Yeah," he replied. "And he threw in a little extra for gettin' rid of that nosy shopkeeper."

Upon hearing this, Summer's opinion regarding Vale's constabularies was swiftly changed. "Okay…Maybe not."

"'Protect and Serve' my ass. Those guys are more crooked than a Geist's dick," Qrow criticized. He hated dirty cops more than the criminals that they pretended to chase. No matter how much he wanted to, there was no amount of evidence that could justify him taking one down.

"That may be true, but we can't get distracted. Remember, we're on a time crunch here," she said. "Every minute we waste here is one less that girl has to live."

"Right. Speaking of which, you got any ideas on how we're gonna get in and, more importantly, out of Redwood's camp?"

She pulled her hood back up to shield her eyes from the intense morning sun. "A few. None of them good, though. Give me some time and I'll think of something."

Their trek through the concrete jungle continued on for another three hours, as they were on foot. The way was made difficult by the city getting more and more crowded and busy as the day progressed. For every block that they walked, it seemed as though there were ten more, just brimming with the citizens of Vale, in their way. Finally, the pair of hunters reached the edge of the Emerald Forest by midday.

Despite it being winter, and as such, nearly freezing, the trees and ground foliage were still quite green and lively. The dense growth caused the way forward to be shrouded and dim, giving off an eerie sense of dread. Qrow thought about all of the missions that he and the rest of Team STRQ had taken in the ancient wood. Never before had he been actually afraid to enter it. Now, the mere idea of the threat that they faced within, and the possibility that one or both of them could be killed, sent a chill down his spine.

He turned to Summer and said sternly, "Are you ready? I mean, we still have good fifty miles to walk. But once we set foot in there, there's no turning back."

She pulled back her hood, revealing her eyes, which were usually soft and loving, but now were cold and determined. "Yes. That girl is counting on us, we can't let her down."

Qrow was filled with a mix of pride and regret when he saw her resolve. Sure, she was putting her own life at risk, coming with him. But there was no one he

would have rather had at his side. He popped his jacket's collar in a vain attempt to block some of the harsh wind, took a deep breath, and sighed. "Alright. Let's fuckin' get this over with."

Later that evening, a blanket of clouds had covered the sky as far as the eye could see. The wind howled and whipped at the treetops. A storm was coming. It was as if nature itself was trying to halt their progress towards Redwood's camp. Still about ten miles away from their destination, Summer had decided to make camp. Not just because of the ever-worsening weather conditions, but to lessen the chances of their discovery by a wandering scout. After all, who could say that the bandits would let the girl live if a pair of huntsmen were found trying to rescue her?

The spot she chose was perfect. A small cave surrounded by brush and undergrowth. It provided adequate protection from the elements and a line of sight in nearly all directions.

To minimize the weight of their packs, they had only brought one tent, as one of them would always be on watch while the other caught some shut-eye. By the time night fell upon the forest, Summer had the tent set up in the cave and Qrow was preparing a wholesome meal of jerky and freeze-dried fruit.

"Dinner of champions!" he announced sarcastically.

Summer laughed, the phrase had become one of his traditions when Team STRQ was still taking on jobs. It, of course, got very old, very quickly. Nowadays, to hear him say it sent a wave of nostalgia over her. "You know, if Tai were here, he'd kick your ass if he heard you say that," she informed him. "He has nightmares where all he hears is you with that stupid phrase."

"Hah. No shit? Well, I'll have to ask him about that, sometime."

She came over and sat down, next to him. They couldn't risk a fire. Not while they were so far into Redwood's territory. Instead, they made do with a small storm lantern. It didn't do shit to keep them warm, but at least they could see with it. She took a piece of jerky and began gnawing on it.

"Now. How's about you tell me about this job, huh?" she inquired between bites. "Who is this girl we're rescuing?"

Qrow nodded. It had been a pretty big lapse in judgment for him to bring Summer all this way without giving her the slightest bit of information. "Well, her name is Marigold Stiltz, nineteen. She's the heiress to a big-time logging company based out of Vale," he explained. "According to her father, this was her first time overseeing a convoy solo. It was supposed to be a routine job; but a landslide took out their mountain route, which was, apparently, much safer than cutting straight through the forest. Anyway, long story short, the caravan got ambushed by the Mad King's raiding party. Killed everybody except Marigold and one guard that they sent to give the ransom notice. He figured she'd be worth a few million Lien to her dad."

"Okay…Is she?"

"Yeah. You asked what was in my pack when we left your place. It's the ransom money," he said, gesturing to his bag.

Summer gave a sigh of relief. "Well, that makes things a lot easier."

"You're right. But I'm not so sure that they'll just let us walk out after handing it over," he speculated. "My original idea was to shoot my way out after making the exchange. But now that you're here, you can come up with a better plan."

She chuckled, taking a swig from her water canteen. "Actually, that is my plan…some of it, anyway."

"Please tell me you're kidding."

"No, that's the plan. You and I go in, pay for the girl's release, and when Redwood tries something, you amplify your Semblance," she elucidated. "The way I figure it, that should give us an edge and in all the chaos, we escape."

"Alright, but there's still the fact that we'll be on foot. I doubt Marigold will even be able to walk, let alone run. How are we gonna outrun a whole army of bandits?"

Qrow saw a spark of creative mischief glint in her eyes. "Oh, my dear, that is where it gets fun. See, I did a lot of research on this guy's recent activity. And during said research, I discover that our friend, the Mad King, has in his possession one state of the art Atlesian military airship." Summer was thrilled with herself for devising a plan that involved hijacking a stolen aircraft. "An airship that we can commandeer and fly straight home."

"Well, shit, we might actually be able to pull this off," he thought. Team STRQ had a very colored history of stealing various types of vehicles, airships included. It was one of the things that made them infamous at Beacon.

"You've thought of almost everything, haven't you?" he asked.

She smiled. "Just about, yeah. There're a few more details to discuss later, but for now, I've got something for you."

"You what?"

"Well…since it was your birthday last month, and you weren't around then, I figured now would be as good a time as any to give you your present," she explained, rummaging through her bag and eventually producing a small gift-wrapped box.

The parcel was a little bit larger than a CD case and was covered in white and red polka dot wrapping paper. It felt heavier than a trinket or knick-knack, about half a pound. Summer had made a habit of celebrating here teammates' birthdays every year, whether they ask for it or not. It was just one more thing about her that Qrow found endearing.

"Summer, how many times have I told you that you don't need to keep doing this?" he asked. "My birthday just means that I'm one year closer to becoming an old man."

"Enough. And how many times have I told you that I don't give a shit? I'm doing it anyway," she retorted, playfully jabbing her finger into his arm. "Just open it."

"Alright, alright, I will," he said.

The wrapping tore off easily, revealing a fancy black box with a strange, intricate logo on the front. When he removed the lid, Qrow found a leather-bound steel flask. Inlaid on the leather was his symbol, a pair of gears, surrounded by a crow's wing.

"Summer, I…I don't know…"

"I know you don't drink all that much. But now if you ever want something a little strong than water when you're on the road, you've got it." She leaned over and wrapped her arms around him, "Happy birthday, Qrow," she whispered.

"Thank you for this. It means a lot," he replied.

Then, out of nowhere, she pressed her lips to his, and for a single, fevered moment they both felt emotions stirring deep within them that they had abandoned long ago. He returned the kiss, cherishing every second of it. It had been years since he'd felt this way, and he'd be damned if he was going to let it go to waste. However, he also understood the fact that those days were behind them, and now she had Tai. No matter how much he wanted her back, Qrow knew that Summer Rose wasn't his anymore.

It appeared as though she knew it as well, because an instant later, she pulled herself off of him. Even in the darkness of night, her face was beet red. "I uh…I," she stammered. "I'm so sorry. I don't know what came over me." She cupped her head in her hands in an effort to cover her shame.

"No, you don't have to apologize for anything. I should have stopped you, but…well, I guess I didn't want to."

"I don't know what I was even thinking. For a minute, I just forgot where I was. I thought it was years ago when we would go on missions like this, just the two of us…together."

He had exactly the same thoughts. One minute they were here, planning for a raid on a bandit camp, the next, they were young adults, still in love with one another.

"I get it. I do. It was stupid of me to let you get to me like that," he said. "But…in all honesty, I can't say that a part of me didn't like it."

She looked up at him, and then he noticed that she had tears welling up in her eyes. He wondered what he said to upset her.

"Hey, hey, what's wrong? What'd I say?" he asked, shifting his position and wrapping an arm around her.

"You didn't say anything. It's not something you said," she sniffed, leaning back into him. "It's what you can't say. I know that you still have feelings for me, and I'm a piece of shit for basically rubbing it in your face that I'm married."

She wasn't wrong. He did feel a little cheated by the kiss, but he knew better than to say as much. "Hey, look at me," he told her. "I made my choice a long time ago. Just like you when you decided to come here with me. I chose to let you go, and now I'm living with that, whether I like it or not. How I feel is in no way your problem."

Neither of them knew who he was trying to convince more, her or himself. His intent was clear, he was attempting to alleviate Summer's concerns for him; and it helped ease her mind, if only slightly. However, on the whole, his words fell on deaf ears.

"Qrow, you say that, but I can't help but feel like I'm making things worse just by being here," she whimpered, tugging at his heartstrings even more.

"You may be right, you coming with me might have brought back a few old memories," he consoled. "But there is no one I would rather have at my back."

Her breath started to slow. She was beginning calming down, accept his reassurances. "You're sure? You don't blame me for that kiss?"

"Absolutely. You with Tai now, you two are happy together, and I'm happy for you," he said. "Besides, even if you weren't, you could do so much better than an asshole like me."

That caused her to laugh softly. Wiping her eyes, Summer smiled. "Thank you, Qrow. That's been something on my mind for a while now. I guess it just took a stupid mistake to finally get me to talk about it."

"You know what? I understand, you never could stand to let anybody else stay sad for very long. It's one of the things I love about you."

"Yeah, well…sometimes I wish I wasn't so damn empathetic. It'd sure as hell make disciplining the girls easier. But I'm glad you don't hate me. I couldn't handle losing another friend."

"I would never leave you, Tai, or the girls. You're all stuck with me."

She stood up, stretching out to relieve the soreness of sitting on the floor of the cave. "Good to hear," Summer groaned. "Anyways, it's late we need our sleep. Do you mind taking the first watch?"

"No. You go ahead, sleep well. Tomorrow we've got a shitload of work," he told her. "G'night, Summer."

"Night, Qrow," she said, disappearing into the tent.

And with that, he was left alone in the cave. Finishing off the last of his jerky, he resigned himself to staring, blankly off into the woods. The pair of hunters were certainly in for a tough time the following day. For now, they were merely guests of the seemingly infinite Emerald Forest and all the monsters that called it home.

A/N: So…Yeah, Qrow and Summer had a thing for each other back in the day. Also, during the editing phase, I noticed that there was a lot more language in this chapter than the previous one. I guess it's because they're out of the house and away from the kids.