A/N: Not my best work but it was something I wanted to slap together.

By His Side

The uncertainly gnawed at him. The fall of Atlas on to Mantle had been a devastating sight. Yes, he knew it was going to happen but seeing one city drop on top of another had been shocking. He had to make sure they were safe. So, he tried to call them. But neither of his nieces answered. He should have known that it would be a futile attempt. If the plan worked, they and their friends would be in Vacuo with all the refugees. To far away to get a signal. But what if they hadn't made it? What if they were still in the city when it fell? Crushed by rubble or drowned in the rushing water.

So, Qrow just sat in the back of the cargo bay of the airship. His fingers twiddling with Clover's lucky pin. Some quiet crying drew his attention to see Harriet with her face in her hands and Elm trying to comfort her. Part of him wanted to yell at her. To say how everything was her fault. How her actions led to all of this. But that wouldn't be fair. She had nothing to do with Ruby and Yang or even the fall of Atlas. Besides Harriet was already beating herself up. She had just lost two friends in a matter of days, one of them because of her blind determination. He knew what that kind of self-loathing can do and yelling at the girl wouldn't help at the moment.

He was about to return his attention to the pin and his worry when the sound of some metallic thudding drew his eyes. Robyn was coming down the ladder. Once she reached the bottom, she turned to look at the weeping girl with pity in her eyes before turning to him.

"Marrow says we should have enough fuel to get to Argus." Robyn said solemnly. "We can work out where to go next from there."

He just nodded his head and returned his attention to Clover's pin. The only real focal point for him at the moment as he compilated his nieces' fate. Qrow heard Robyn's footsteps before she sat down next him placing her hand on his shoulder. He tilted his head only slightly but just put it back a second later.

"Hey, don't shutdown on me again." She said while tightening her grip. "I'd hate to have to tell another bad joke."

He was powerless to stop the slight rise of the corner of his lips. The woman sure had a way of getting to people.

"You need to talk about it." She insisted quietly, likely not wanting to infringe on Harriet and Elm's mourning.

"Yeah." Qrow let out a sigh. "I don't know how to deal with the uncertainty. Not knowing if Ruby and Yang made it or not."

"The Pipsqueak and Fisticuffs seemed quite capable of handling themselves from what I've seen of them."

"I'm well aware," Qrow stated, having watched them develop since they were kids. "but this whole thing was so chaotic. Something could have come up. Something could have gone wrong. What if one of her followers or, brothers forbid, Salem herself got to them before they escaped?"

"If something happened to them, I don't know what I'd do." His voice started to crack a bit. "I wouldn't be able to face Tai and tell him I failed to keep them safe. After my sister left and Summer disappearing It would destroy him to lose his little girls."

"Hey," he hadn't noticed the change but Robyn's hand had move from his shoulder to holding his own hand firmly, "you need to have a little faith. They are just kids and yet they and their friends have been fighting this battle while we were locked up. The fact that they came up with such an ambitious plan shows what they are capable of. And if something did come up, they would find a way out of it. They aren't the types to just give up. So, you better not either. Otherwise, I will have to drowned you in bad jokes, Five O'clock Shadow."

He couldn't help but quietly laugh at that.

This woman. He thought. Behind her hot temper was a passionate caring person who looked out for others. And she has been there for him at every turn. After Clover had been killed and both of them arrested, she had comforted him. When he was stuck in his self-pity when they were locked in a cell, she was there to help him through it. She was there to get his head out of his ass when he was so determined to go and kill Ironwood at the expense of everything else. And here she was again, reassuring him what his nieces could do.

Qrow tightened his hand around hers. She smiled and he returned the smile. He could get use to this.

A/N: I got to say I'm surprised by the lack of fanworks paring these two together. I can count on one hand the number I've seen.