A/N: Chapter 7 of Bad Luck Rose is here, ladies and gentlemen. Been a little rough lately (got the damn flu, had to deal with my fiancée's parents being assholes…), but I hope a slightly longer chapter will make up for it.

Bad Luck Rose

Summary: Qrow let out a frustrated sigh as he picked up his glass, swirling the liquid within. "Dammit. Why does it have to be you?" She leaned her head against his shoulder, looking at him with teary eyes. "Because…I love you."

*Chapter 7*

"I'm sorry, but you left us with no choice," Ironwood murmured. Ruby was incredibly nervous with the General in their quarters; not even the headmaster had been in their room before. 'Stay strong…stay strong…' Team RWBY had been engaged in some misadventures during their second semester, including a massive food fight that would surely be one for Professor Ozpin to record and sell copies of.

But this wasn't some minor mischief that would only result in a tiny slap on the wrist or possibly a detention for one day.

Yang had fought Mercury Black during the one-on-one finals of the Vytal Festival, and after a narrow victory which saw Mercury's aura completely drained and Yang's barely at an acceptable level, the blonde brawler attacked him. Mercury was being flown into Mistral for emergency medical treatment to save his leg from being dismembered, and now, Yang was being interrogated by the General of the Atlesian Military and possibly facing assault charges. All in all, it was a mess that Ruby didn't want to be in.

"But he attacked me!" Yang protested, more dramatic and on the verge of getting incredibly emotional.

"Millions of viewers and footage say otherwise," Ironwood countered.

"But Yang would never do that!" Weiss spoke up, genuinely concerned for the self-proclaimed 'Mama Bear' of Team RWBY. The heiress and Yang didn't see eye-to-eye on a lot of matters, but they at least respected each other's decisions. Most of the time. Weiss still wasn't happy when she accidentally walked in on Yang and Blake having sex earlier in the year.

Yang held her head in her hands, trying her best to keep from making an even bigger scene, and Ironwood let out a sigh. His blue eyes were sad as he looked over the four girls. "Look, I'm sure that you are all good students; your test scores in both combat training and your other classes suggest it. The staff members have assured me that you would have never done something like this under normal circumstances. What I hope this to be is nothing more than stress from the battlefield. When you're out there, your mind can very easily become confused and make you see things that aren't there. Even with the danger has passed."

"But I wasn't—"

"That's enough!" the General cut off Yang's second attempt to protest with a growl. "Whether this was an accident, or an assault, you still attacked an innocent student. The people are already drawing their own conclusions. And it's my duty to inform you that you have been disqualified. Good day."

Ironwood left, the door to their dorm closing behind them, and Yang looked up with dejected lilac eyes. "You guys believe me, right?"

"Duh!" Ruby rubbed her half-sister's shoulder.

"You're hotheaded, but no ruthless," Weiss agreed.

"Blake?" Yang looked at her girlfriend Blake, who had yet to speak during the whole interrogation. The cat Faunus wasn't meeting Yang's eyes, her own gaze set firmly on the floor. When the girl didn't answer, Weiss and Ruby exchanged shocked glances, the heiress's mouth open in surprise.

"…I want to believe you," Blake finally answered. Her response produced a horrified gasp from the young leader and an indignant cry of annoyance from Weiss.

"Just what in the name of Remnant is that supposed to mean!?" she demanded, smacking her hand down on her bed. "Yang would never lie to us! Can't you have faith in your girlfriend!?"

Yang's eyes were watering, bright with hurt and tears threatening to burst, and Blake took a breath before meeting her girlfriend's eyes. "Yang…this is all too familiar. I had someone close to me, named Ilia, change. It wasn't instant, like with Adam; this was gradual. First it was mistakes, then it was self-defense. Soon, I started to think she was right. But, you're not her, and you'll never be her. That's why I trust you. But you need to promise me that you saw him attack you, and that you regret doing what you did."

Yang wiped her eyes, swallowing and looking her in the eye. "I saw him attack me, so I attacked back."

Blake nodded quietly, walking across and giving her hand a squeeze. "Thank you."

"I'm going to rest for a bit," Yang murmured. "Do you think you can give me a little time to myself? i don't need to be like this in front of you."

"We'll get out of your hair." Blake kissed her cheek and walked out, Weiss in tow.

Yang looked up, sighing, and she blinked when she saw Ruby was staying with her. "Ruby? Why are you still here?"

The young redhead shuffled her feet, her silver gaze on the floor and her face red. "I…I need to talk to you about something. Something important, and I don't know who else to ask." 'Oh Oum why…why am I asking Yang of all people about relationship advice? Is it because I trust her, or because she's my big sister?'

"Can it wait a second?" a voice quietly interrupted. Both girls turned to see their uncle leaning against the door, his red eyes sad. "Oz told me what happened, firecracker."

"Hey, Qrow…" Yang murmured. Ruby felt a pain in her heart at the sight of her sister looking so defeated, and it was like she wasn't the same outgoing big sister she knew. Instead, it was as if Yang was replaced by someone completely different, but wore the same mask.

"So, why did you do it?"

"You know why, Qrow."

"All I know is that you attacked some helpless kid. So either you're lying, or you're crazy."

"I'm not lying," Yang growled. "I really did see him attack me."

"Right, so it's the crazy. I got it," Qrow mumbled, reaching for his flask. "Isn't your little cat girlfriend supposed to be the emo one?"

He took a swig, and Yang looked down at the floor. "I saw my mom." Qrow and Ruby looked at the blonde in surprise, and the elder sister continued in. "I was in a bad spot, and had taken a really hard hit. But when I came to, the person attacking me was gone, and I thought I saw her. Her sword, just like in the picture you and Dad have of."

"You're not crazy, Yang," Qrow murmured, taking a seat next to her and ruffling her hair. "You definitely saw your mom. Let me guess; she didn't say a word to you, did she? A real good mother she turned out to be."

"That was real? Why didn't you tell me?" Yang demanded, her lilac eyes tearing up again. "I've been looking for her for so long!"

"I know. I was waiting for the right time, I guess," the dusty huntsman admitted. "And this sure as hell isn't it. But now's better than later, I suppose. Raven found me when I was out looking for information on one of my more recent jobs, and she wanted me to pass on a message to you instead of bothering to talk to you herself. She wanted me to tell you that she saved you once, but you shouldn't expect her to show that kindness again. Raven's got a really unusual way of looking at the world that I don't agree with. And she's dangerous. But you're a tough egg, kiddo. You had a slip-up, but I say you put it behind you and move on."

"Move on to what?" Yang asked, looking up at her uncle. He wasn't around often, due to being off on a mission in some of the worst places in Remnant, but when he was, he provided better emotional and mental support than one would think. On the surface, he seemed to be a distant drunken huntsman with a cynical sense of sarcasm, but he really did care for Ruby and Yang. For awhile, it seemed as he was the only functioning member of Team STRQ left, with the girls' father battling depression from losing two lovers.

"Well, your mom let some info slip the last time we met. If you ever want to find her, I can help," Qrow replied, sitting down next to his eldest niece and ruffling her hair. "Just don't tell your dad; he'd attempt to rip me a new one if he found out. And as I'm sure you know, he packs one mean punch. It's no surprise where you get it from. Along with your awful puns."

"They're not that bad," Yang mumbled, leaning into his shoulder and wiping her eyes. "And…thanks, Qrow. You really know how to make a crappy situation better."

"Comes with years of having to play therapist to Taiyang," the huntsman murmured. "For future reference, taking your depressed friend to a strip-club in an attempt to cheer him up doesn't work. That idea backfired real quick."

"Do I want to know?"

"Story for when your sister isn't around."

Ruby blushed, squirming uncomfortably as the image of her uncle and dad at a club of ill repute raised its ugly head. 'It's no secret that he's been with other women before. And come on, you're underage! You shouldn't care so much about this! And yet, you want to be with him more than anyone!'

'You do know you're not technically related.'

'He raised me!'

'He'll notice it sooner or later. You might as well tell him.'

"I'm going to get some sleep," Yang sniffled, pulling her and Blake's bedsheets up over herself. "Lemme know if anything interesting happens at the fight tonight, okay?" Her sniffles quickly turned into snores, to no surprise of Ruby; the blonde brawler was the only one who could fall asleep faster than Zwei, who jumped up to snuggle his way under the covers.

"I got your message, Ruby." Qrow turned to his youngest niece, and the redhead felt her heart start to pound as he sat down on the chair that went with Weiss's desk. "It's not like you to ask to talk to me about something personal."

"Um…can we go somewhere else?" Ruby shifted her feet, her silver gaze staring at the floor. The tension was threatening to overwhelm her, and for several long seconds, she was afraid that she wouldn't be able to say what she needed to him. 'You've faced down Grimm and survived seeing your sister mostly naked and drunk. You can do this.'

Qrow blinked, and he nodded a few times before standing up, waving to her. "Come on kiddo. I know a perfect place for us to talk."

Ruby fell in next to her uncle, and though everything about it screamed against her common sense, she held onto his arm like she used to when she was a little girl. Qrow looked down in surprise, and he ruffled her short hair. "I remember when you used to be clingy like this. Often after I would read you a bedtime story. You would hold onto my hand until you fell asleep. You have no idea how big of a smile that would put on my face."

"I-I'm sorry…I don't know why I'm being like this," Ruby mumbled. 'Don't lie. You know why you're clinging to him like a fraidy-cat. He's the one person besides Yang and Dad who you feel safe around, no matter the situation. You always trust him.' Qrow wasn't related to her, but he helped raise her to the best of his abilities; with her dad battling depression from losing two lovers, Qrow had to play 'Papa Bird' for quite a bit of Ruby's childhood. He took her to parks, read her fairy tales, and even knitted her very first cloak when she was five years old.

"Hehe. Hey, do you remember what you used to make me do when you were a little pipsqueak?" Qrow asked, a happy smile forming on his face. "You would make me sneak cookies out of the house for you whenever we went to that one park nearby. And then I'd have to take a little of the blame whenever your dad had a fit looking for whoever ate them all later on."

"I… I'm sorry," Ruby mumbled in embarrassment, wishing she could just fade away as her uncle recalled the scenario. "I didn't mean to get you in trouble." 'Why is he bringing that up?'

"Don't worry about it, kiddo," Qrow chuckled, seeing she was as red as her namesake. "I quite enjoyed those little shenanigans of ours. You have no idea how nice of a change it was, with Yang nearly burning the house down whenever she had to get her hair trimmed and your dad being as emo as your sister's girlfriend."

"Blake isn't that bad…"

"From what Yang tells me, she's pretty damn close. Only she would go for the one with a troubled past. Like father, like daughter."

It was nice for Ruby to see Qrow mostly happy again. Ever since he quit teaching at Signal, Ruby noticed that the huntsman often looked tired and wore a sad expression on his face. That is, right up until he saw her. His sad look was replaced with a more cheerful expression, as if Ruby's mere presence made him happy. 'I always wondered why that was the case. But more so now, since I realized how I felt about him.'

Her heart thumped painfully as the two walked out of the school and down towards the city; it felt like it would burst in her chest. It didn't take long for the young redhead to realize that Qrow was taking her to her favorite ice cream shop, and her silver eyes were wide. "Ice cream?"

"Yep. Goodness knows it's been long enough since you've been spoiled," Qrow laughed. "After all, a good uncle takes care of his niece as best as he can. Even if he has a drinking problem and has a little run with your teammate's older sister."

Ruby's ears lit up, and she let go of her uncle's hand to cover them with a furious blush. "H-hey! I'm still only fifteen!" 'Ah! And I'm jealous of the fact that he did things with Weiss's sister!'

"Sorry kiddo. Forgot you're not like your sister. I'll let the Mama Bear be the one to give you the 'birds and the bees' talk. Tai owes me big-time for making me be the one to give it to Yang." Qrow scratched his head awkwardly while he held the door to the shop open for her.

Ruby stepped inside, her big eyes growing round at the sight of all the delicious ice cream waiting to be consumed. "Wow…I never cease to be amazed at how many flavors they have here! Rocky Road, Apple, Chocolate Eruption, French Vanilla…mmm." 'It's so hard to choose just one! Why does there have to be so many good choices?'

She spotted a flavor they were lacking on her last visit, and she pressed her hands on the glass. "Chocolate chip cookie flavored!?"

"Hehe, I figured you'd like to be the official taster of it," Qrow smiled, ruffling her hair. "They just got it in last week."

The vendor appeared behind the counter, wiping his sticky red hair from his face and panting. "What can I get you two?" Poor guy was probably the only one working, and today was quite busy, with many of the booths already filled up.

"Two scoops of chocolate chip cookie, a chocolate shake, and two Cokes please," Qrow ordered.

"Order will come up to 360 lien."

Qrow pulled the cards out of his pocket, tossing them lazily onto the counter. Ruby gave his hand a squeeze, flushed at the spoils. "T-thank you Uncle Qrow!" 'He really is the best uncle ever.'

"Hey, it's no big deal." Qrow picked up their orders and carefully carried them over to the last available booth, sitting down. "I figured it had been awhile."

Ruby sat down next to him, making him look at her with a bemused expression. "Damn…you're feeling clingy today, huh?"

While his tone was gentle and teasing, like the uncle she knew and loved, there was something else underneath. Something hidden.

Something guilty.

"So. What was it that you wanted to talk to me about?" Qrow pressed, taking a sip of his drink. It was a little strange to see him not drinking some sort of alcohol, but the huntsman seemed to make it a point to not be drunk in front of her, from the time she was fourteen.

"I…" Ruby swallowed nervously, her heart thumping painfully. "I've…been having these feelings. I didn't know what they meant at first, or why they were happening. But now, I think I know why."

"Who is it?" Qrow asked quietly, not meeting her gaze. "Someone I know?"

"Uncle Qrow…I'm so sorry," Ruby started to cry silently, tears streaming from her silver eyes. "It's you."

The huntsman coughed, hitting his chest and trying to clear his throat. When he regained his breath, he looked at her seriously, placing his glass down. His red eyes were solemn, and he shook his head. "Ruby, I…I don't know what to say. I already feel bad as it is for being closer to you than I'd like. Your dad would kill me if he found out, your also the daughter of one of my best friends…this is wrong. In so many different ways. And yet…"

Qrow let out a frustrated sigh, picking up his glass and swirling the liquid within. "Dammit. Why does it have to be you?"

She leaned her head against his shoulder, looking up at him with teary eyes. "Because…I love you." Ruby sniffled and buried her head into his chest, her tears dripping down her cheeks and staining his dress shirt. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have…I feel like a freak."

Qrow let out a quiet, bitter laugh, stroking her soft hair. "Tell me about it. Being physically attracted to someone who's the daughter of your best friends. As if fate wasn't out to get me already, it goes and throws this little wrench into my life."

He took a sip of his drink, the ice clicking, and he leaned to give her a tight hug. "Listen…for now, don't say anything to anyone. Not even Yang. The fewer people who know about it, the better. We don't need your dad storming up to me and trying to rip my arms off before clapping along to my death, okay?"

Ruby nodded quietly, leaning into the hug, and Qrow ruffled her hair. "Hey, chin up. We can think of something."

"Mmhm."

She didn't even notice her ice cream was melting.

A/N: And that's a wrap for this chapter. Please, leave your thoughts below, and I hope to not have another massive fucking lapse in terms of updates.

Also, please check out my Drunk Marriage fic! That's right; I'm part of the community now :3

Peace!