I've decided that I'm going to post these chapters as soon as they're written, whether I've posted something or not today. I mean, I won't have a schedule for this one. They'll just come out when I can get them out, k? Cause Thanksgiving is coming up, andI'll have a lot of time on my hands after finals the week after that. Bear with me, and I believe it'll all be worth it.

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Chapter 2: First Date

I catch up to her and put my hands in my pockets. "So, what do you want to do?"

She scoffs. "Wasn't this your idea?" She looks off, staring at something in the distance that I don't see.

I rub the back of my head in embarrassment. "Well, yeah, but if I just pick something, I know you won't like it." I glance at her quickly, making sure that she doesn't see my uncertainty. 'I hadn't exactly thought this far ahead. I was just hoping that she'd say yes.'

She sighs deeply in resignation. "What about a movie? I mean, it's probably the only thing we can do this late at night." She shrugs and keeps walking.

I think about it closely, trying to discern if that's such a good idea. I shrug. "Sure. We can do that. What movie?"

She pulls out her scroll and starts to flip through the numerous showings at the local theater. "No. Nope. Not that one. Ew, definitely not. Maybe. No. Maybe. N-Yes! This one." She shoves the scroll into my face, and I'm forced to pull back just to see it. On the screen, highlighted in red lettering, is Grimm Massacre: Invasion. Gory and action-oriented, it's said to be the best movie of the year.

My face lights up. "A woman after my own heart." I theatrically place my right hand over my heart and the back of my left hand to fake a swoon. "I'd love to see that movie! When did it even come out?"

She punches me in the arm, making me wince. "Don't be stupid." Her deadpan voice is countered by the smirk on her lips and the definitely amused gleam in her glacial eyes. "It came out last week. Don't you keep up with what's going on around you?"

I shrug while still rubbing my arm. "I'm in the field most of the time, so I never have time to track the changing scenery of the social world."

She looks at me thoughtfully. "Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't know." She faces away from me and looks at the passing traffic. "What do you even do?"

I stop when she turns around to stare at me. "I'm a Hunter. You know, those guys that go into the field and kill Grimm?" I make a shooting gesture with my fingers, which makes her bust out laughing. Her laughing makes me smile. 'Isn't this such a vicious cycle of mush?'

We resume walking before our conversation strikes up again. "Yes, I know what a Hunter is. I'm a trained Huntress in the Atlas Military. I know too well what field work does a person." The despair in her voice is tangible. I feel my heart squeeze in my chest at her answer, not because of who she is but because of what I know she's had to do. The Atlas Military is known for its strict 'do it at any cost' attitude. In her position, she would have probably had to do horrible things, unspeakable things that are illegal or immoral. She would have had to compromise her own code of ethics to stay within their ranks and not be killed for treason or attrition of her comrades.

My voice catches in my throat, but I manage to whisper out a reply. "I'm sorry." I look into her eyes and see the tears that she's suppressing. I steel myself against the pain that I feel radiating off of her, bombarding my senses and emotions. "You shouldn't…"

She cuts me off with a shake of her head. "We should not speak of such things. It's classified." Just like that, her eyes are dry again. The glare returns to them instantly, shutting me out.

I nod in understanding. "Of course, I understand." I clear my throat and start again. "So, that movie. Let's get going or we're going to miss the last showing tonight." My attempt at nonchalance is an epic failure. You could see through my subject change like the transparent lie it is. Inside, I still feel her pain, her desperation to claw her way from the organization that has made her the way she is.

"Yeah, the movie." Mechanically, we move forward. The moment that we were having before is forgotten, or at least pushed aside. I can feel her tense up every time I get near her now, like she's afraid that I'll condemn her for all the wrongs she was forced to commit. 'But would I, if I truly knew what she has done?' I want to say no, but I know, in my heart, that I could never give a definite answer.

That pain that I felt from her is so similar. It was the sense of loss that pervades the senses. It was the loss of an innocence that you can never get back. She's killed, I can feel it, and she lets that guilt consume her. Her drinking makes sense now. She drinks to rid herself of that stain on her existence, if only for a little while. The alcohol inhibits her ability to analyze every facet of her life and wallow in the self pity and condemnation that she feels every second of every day. It's so similar, yet so different from my own pain. I think about why I began to drink to begin with. 'Summer's death was a big part of it, but it was something more. She and Taiyang were all I had left of my life, beside Ruby and Yang. When Summer died, Tai withdrew into himself and basically shut me out. I took of a little from teaching at Signal a few months back, then I grew lonely, reckless. So, I started taking missions from Ozpin. These missions weren't about Grimm. No, the targets were criminals. These people had death painted across their forehead, and I was the one to deliver it to them. So, yeah, the pain is similar, but it's not the same. I can feel that. She's had to kill innocents.'

I keep my thoughts to myself as we walk to the theater in silence. Her tension starts to ease as the excitement seeps into her. "I can't wait. This is THE movie to see, Qrow!" That's the first time she's said my name, and I'm overcome with joy. The way my name just rolls off of her tongue is like music, beckoning me to her.

I cough into my hand to disguise my horribly concealed awe. "Yeah, can't wait, Winter." 'And there it is, that name that just feels so right coming from my lips.' I smile stupidly at my boyish thoughts, overcome with some weird urge to repeat the name over and over again, but I refrain.

An answering smile appears on her face, even though she probably thinks that it's just from the movie. "Then, let's go! The movie's about to start." She grabs my arm and pulls me after her. We get up to the ticket booth, and I pull out my wallet, asking for two tickets for Grimm Massacre: Invasion.

Winter gives me this weird look, like a 'what are you doing' look. "What? I'm paying for tickets." I hand the boy the money and grab the tickets from his hand.

She shakes her head. "Don't you know who I am?" Her confusion is really just adorable, in a weird kind of way.

I scratch the top of my head. "Um, yeah. You're Winter Schnee, subordinate of General Ironwood in the Atlas Military, daughter of the CEO of the SDC, and, might I say, a drop dead gorgeous woman." I look her up and down to emphasize my last statement.

'She's so cute when she blushes.' I sigh heavily at my out of characteristic thoughts. I've been like this since I first met her. 'What the hell is wrong with me!?'

We enter the building and hand our tickets to the guy standing at the little podium thing. "You know?" She puts her hands on her hips in, I'm hoping, mock anger. "Then, why didn't you let me pay?"

I shrug. "Cause I asked you out. Isn't that, like, the code or something. Shit, I don't know. I just did what I thought was right. I mean, why wouldn't I want to pay for something for you?"

I can see the surprise that my statement brings her. "It's just, most people just assume that I'm going to be the one paying because I'm rich." She shrugs then continues to walk up to the counter to get snacks.

I follow closely behind her. I look at the menu and pick out what I want. "Um, I'll have a medium popcorn, a raspberry slushie, and some sour punch straws." I address Winter. "What do you want?"

She still looks at me curiously, but answers nonetheless. "Can I have a small popcorn, a large cola, and a chocolate bar?" She hesitates on the last one, but I hear her.

"Sure." I give her a smile before turning to the girl at the counter to tell her what Winter just told me. I pull out the Lien to pay, grab our stuff, and make my way to the right theater with Winter not far behind. I stop at the rows of seats and look at her. "Where do you wanna sit?"

She looks up and down the rows, then points toward the back center. "There." I sigh, but let her lead us to wherever she wants. We sit down just as the beginning credits roll on the screen. I hand her her popcorn and settle down for an amazing movie.

About halfway through the movie, I run out of popcorn. I sneak a peek at Winter to see her with a full popcorn bucket and a small smile on her face as she pops a piece into her mouth. 'Did she steal my popcorn when I wasn't looking?' "Did you steal my popcorn?"

Her smile grows wider. "Nope." She pops another piece into her mouth before taking a sip of her drink.

I laugh softly, trying not to disturb the people around us. "Uh huh. Sure." I reach over to pick a piece out of her bucket only to have my hand smacked. "Ow. What? You can take mine, but I can't have one piece of yours?"

She snorts a laugh. "Of course." She waves a dismissive hand at me while I pretend to pout while clutching my hand. We both turned our attention back to the movie just as a really bad scene comes on. The gore and blood makes Winter turn away as she covers her eyes with her hand. 'Maybe seeing this movie was a bad idea. I never would have guessed that she was squeamish.' I frown deeply at her aversion. I do something that I never thought I would have been brave enough to. I grab her hand and squeeze it lightly. She reciprocates and uncovers her eyes to give me a shy smile. 'And maybe it was a perfect idea.'

By the end of the film, Winter has her head buried into my shoulder to hide from the graphic displays on the screen. Our fingers are still intertwined, and I feel like I'm at the top of the world. It's strange that I have to wait for one of the strongest women I have ever met to show me how strong I really am. The end credits roll, and we leave, still holding hands.

"So, how was it?" I ask after we leave the theater.

She lets out a heavy sigh combined with a light chuckle. "It was okay, i guess. There was more… gore than any of the others in the series."

I nod. "Yeah, unfortunately." Then, something hits me. "Where are we even going?" I stop short at my realization.

Winter is forced to stop with me. "Well, I think we should part ways now. I need to get home." She yawns and pulls her hand out of mine.

I rub the back of my head nervously. "Will I see you again?" My voice in so uncertain that it's pathetic.

She leans in and kisses my cheek. "Same time next week?"

All I can do is smile like an idiot and nod as she pastes a confident smile on her face and struts away. Her lingering laugh catches the wind, making it travel to my ears. I take this time to close my eyes and finally bask in that melodious sound.

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A/N: Well, yes that happened. :) So, I'm open to suggestions. How should I proceed? Should there be a severe time skip? I think so, or else it'll get boring really fast. Anything is helpful. Favorite, follow, review! :)