Hello again~
I hope you liked Chapter 1 and the changes that happened in it. I always thought it would've been smarter for Ruby to be the one carrying her uncle out of the way of the Nuckelavee, considering her speed-based Semblance. And I thoroughly enjoyed writing in that bit where Nora shattered a part of its rib cage as it suffered from the blade tip being lodged in its back hoof. All-in-all, I wrote it more in Ruby's perspective (and the last part in Qrow's) instead of Ren and Nora, as I felt it would've taken away from the meaning of the story if I'd done the latter.
Those kinds of changes in the previous chapter? That's just the beginning of what I'll be doing here. Like I said in Chapter 1, I will be diverting from canon. Other than the things that happen regardless of Ruby and her group, I hope to have completely diverted from the canon timeline by the time I reach Volume 7. I hope you're patient with me on that, and I'll reward you the best I can.
Now to this chapter! After adding the extra bit at the end of last (well, first) chapter, I wanted to continue along those lines and decided that Chapter 2 here will start directly after that. That's right, folks, we're not in Volume 5 yet! Qrow's still recovering, and I know you're interested about the upcoming conversation. A conversation that, I'm happy to declare, will not be skipped like I've seen many an author do. That's another change in this story...many things people would normally skip on writing out, I won't. I feel that was apparent when I copy-pasted the entirety Ruby's letter (hope you liked that, by the way) but now you know it first-hand. I will occasionally be having them repeat things they said earlier in the chapter or story, but it won't be on the level of the characters constantly repeating what they said every single chapter previously; for the most part you'll get to see whole conversations without "and so he told her this" and all that jazz, and the repeating is only when I want to make a point about things, to get certain emotions across that would otherwise be muted if skipped. You the reader are a part of this story, too, it only makes sense that you don't have to assume what the characters do all the time.
Thank you all for giving this story a chance. Until next chapter, everyone!

~Chapter 2~

Okay, so, Qrow thought, please don't tell me I'm going crazy here. When he looked back at his former teammate, she raised her eyebrow as though expecting something. Huh, so whatever this is she probably can't hear my thoughts. That's...kind of reassuring, I'm not gonna question it.

"Hey, pipsqueak," he said to Ruby, who looked back over the chair she's sat at upon being addressed, "why don't you go ask your friends in the other room to help you with your letter, and we'll go send it after our meeting with the Headmaster. I'm gonna get some shut-eye."

"Okay, Uncle Qrow," she replied, standing up with her letter in hand. She contemplated something before smiling brightly, telling him to get better soon as she closed the door behind her. Qrow stayed silent for a few seconds, listening to her footsteps slowly clicking down the hall, before turning back to Summer.

"Okay, Sum, what the fuck's going on? Even when I was drunk off my ass, my illusions wouldn't speak to me like you just did. And I know you're not...well, alive."

That's what I want to find out, her voice echoed in his head. He now noticed her mouth didn't move when she spoke, signifying that while she couldn't — or pretended not to — hear his thoughts, her voice could broadcast itself in his mind whether she moved her mouth or not.

"Then who was the one that put superglue in Ozpin's tapioca?" he asked, in an attempt to scout out whether she was the real deal or not.

He heard her bell-like giggling in his head again as she covered her closed mouth with a hand, clearly covering up a laugh to no success. Nice try, bird-brain. That pudding was Glynda's, and it was an accident...on my part. I was busy fixing one of the chairs I broke in the cafeteria a couple days previously and I, uh...kinda sat on it. The glue. And it all went right into Glynda's pudding. Oh, I wanted to apologize so much to Glyn for that...

"Wait, this is new," he commented. "It wasn't Raven's fault?"

I had a bad week, she clarified, with her eyes drooping and her hand returning to her side. I was on the verge of breaking down from stress because of combat class, and then that ended up happening. Raven covered up for me, on the condition that I go with her our next day off to pay for her Dust and that I not tell you and Tai.

"So that half-assed story you made up wasn't because you didn't like me?"

Oh gods no, Qrow, she exclaimed, her eyes widening to near circles, of course I liked you! I had a massive crush on you! I wanted to take you into the Janitor's closet and make out with you until we couldn't stand! Gods, Qrow, I just...I was pretty devastated when you rejected me, though, I thought you hated me.

"Well shit, um," he stammered from the unexpected information, "just...wow. I never knew that. Either of those things."

Yeah, well, it's not like we can do anything like that now.

"...Can we–?"

Of course we can't, dumbass! In case you hadn't noticed, I'm kind of ethereal right now! I have been for well over a decade...you'd think you would've noticed by now.

"I'm the dumbass?"

Yes, Mr. "I-wore-a-ladies'-skirt-because-I-thought-it-was-a-kilt." She glared, soul-piercing silver boring through his soul twice today, and Qrow looked away sheepishly. You're the dumbass who apparently wants to screw your teammate's deceased and clearly see-through sloppy seconds, you're the dumbass who drowns his liver in poison every day, you're the dumbass who beats himself up over a Semblance he thinks he can't control every single waking moment...you're the dumbass who raised my kids when I couldn't, after I couldn't-! She sighed, finally opening her mouth to calm herself. You're the dumbass I fell in love with this whole time...the one I should've been married to.

"But Tai–"

I loved Tai like you loved Raven, but...he was really out of it after she left. You know this already, Qrow. I couldn't just leave him to wallow in his misery like that, and you weren't responding to my advances. I had to do something. If I'd known you still had feelings for me, maybe we could've had something. A silent, nearly-invisible tear fell from her eye, vanishing from existence as it separated from her translucent skin. Looking back, it would've been better that way.

"And go without Ruby brightening our lives? Not having a solid brain must've made you dumber than me, because that just...what?"

He's interrupted by Summer's chiming giggles, growing louder until she bends her neck back and lets loose a loud laugh that has her clutching her see-through sides. Though more tears fell from her eyes, they were shut in an futile effort to control the uncontrollable smile split wide on her face.

Oh gods, Qrow, that hit the spot. I haven't had a reason to let loose like that for a long time. I'd almost forgotten what it feels like to be happy after all this time. Oh, that was therapeutic.

"At least there's no doubt now you're the real Summer," he said. "But, how? Again, you're kinda dead! This better not be a fucking joke, Sum, because if I'm getting hallucinations from that fucking poison and I just kicked Ruby out of the room to convince myself I'm going crazy..."

You're not, Qrow. Though... she voiced her thoughts aloud (If she could even keep them secret, thought Qrow), why indeed? Why are you just now able to see me, when I've been with you for the majority of my afterlife?

"Really? Well um...you got any theories?"

Well, I do have one. Before her fight against the Nuckelavee, Ruby chanted something while she gave some of her Aura to you. Except...going along that logic, the implication of her doing that goes against everything we know about Aura.

"What're you saying? That Rubes changed my Semblance or something?"

No, you used it on the Nuckelavee before you blacked out again. Ruby's suspicions were true.

"So...what then? You're not going to say I have something like a second Semblance, are you?"

It's...very likely you do, Qrow. I'm not sure how, but it looks that way.

"Well, I guess I was right. You really are an airhead."

Qrow, I swear to everything that is holy that I will haunt you if you start making puns!

"Aren't you already?" He countered.

I-but-you, she pouted, I hate it when you're right...but that's not important right now. Yes, Qrow, I'm implying my daughter — my amazing, wonderful girl who didn't get to spend her childhood with a mother — did the impossible and gave you another Semblance, and didn't blow you up in the process I might add.

"You're full of hot air."

Apparently so, considering I'm currently one of two airheads in this room.

"Oh, so you get to make puns and I can't?"

Qrow, honey. At least with Tai, he tries. You kind of, well...murder it. Yes, that was a pun at your name, and I'm not sorry.

The two laughed for a few seconds, though Qrow stopped when he clutched his side where Tyrian had poisoned him.

"Well, in any case it involves Ruby. I'm gonna go have a talk with her."

Nope. She moved in front of him before he could start climbing out of bed, as though the action would prevent him from getting up.

"Um, why not?"

Because you're currently recovering, Ruby's letting loose with her friends, and your eyes are steadily drooping. Rest, Qrow, you're still recovering. I'll watch over you.

"But–"

Nope! she interrupted again, popping the 'p'. Don't even try it. Come on, close your eyes and sleep. We'll talk about what I need to tell you when you wake up, and after that you can talk to them when your Aura's in better shape. I promise, I'll be right here with you, darling. Go to sleep.

Slowly but surely, Qrow gave into her demand and drifted into dreamland. Before he fully lost consciousness, he heard Summer's voice faintly humming a calming tune he vaguely remembered from their time in Beacon. Soon, even it too vanished from his thoughts as he succumbed to the darkness of his second peaceful sleep in a very long time, a melody of white clouds and uplifting winds carrying him onward on light wings.


Ruby, Nora, Jaune, and Ren sat in a larger room than Qrow's. Ruby, sitting in front of a table, looked at her letter with a smile, with Jaune peering over her shoulder to read it. Nora sat at the opposite side of the table, knife and fork in hand while humming a happy jingle. Ren was busy in a nearby kitchen, and the distinct and delicious smell of pancakes permeated the atmosphere as he worked on their meal.

A slow thumping brought the three of them to attention, with them finding Qrow Branwen slowly walking towards them. Though he didn't look to have fully recovered yet, he was no longer clutching his side. Though his steps were heavy, he wasn't dragging himself to them either.

"You're up already, Qrow?" Jaune asked.

"Not quite yet, blondie," Qrow replied, "I'm still a little weak, but with my Aura I should be good by morning."

"What, no!" Ruby yelled. "Uncle Qrow, you need to get back to bed!"

Qrow held a hand up, and Ruby silenced herself. Ren, bringing over five plates of pancakes, looked at him with the others as Qrow got their attention.

"I'll do that in a bit, pipsqueak. I did sleep, and I need to walk around a bit anyhow. Damn hospitals," he glared around the place with a not-so-subtle distaste marring his features. "But first, kiddo, I was meaning to have a talk with you about what happened back in Kuroyuri."

"You mean about when she gave you some of her Aura," Ren inputted.

"Gave is...an accurate word to use here," said the tired Huntsman, rubbing his eyes with pinched fingers. He turned his attention to Ruby. "Rubes, exactly what did you do when you gave me Aura?"

"I," she paused, thinking carefully of her reply. "Well, I gave you Aura. B-But I was worried that your Semblance would've got in the way, that something would go wrong, and I just...went with my instinct?"

"And that instinct just so happened to include a chant?"

"A chant," Jaune repeated, now looking at the girl as well. "Ruby, what exactly did you say?"

"Well," Ruby responded, a frown starting to appear, "like I said, I was afraid of Uncle Qrow's Semblance getting in the way, and I just didn't have time, and Uncle Qrow w-was dying, so I just–"

"Ruby," Qrow said impatiently. "Calm. Now, what did you say?"

Ruby breathed out a breath she didn't know she was holding, and closed her eyes. When she opened them, her silver orbs calmly stared forward. "It's funny," she started, "I kinda made it up on the spot back there, but it just came to me. And I still remember the words like our first day of Beacon, it's...weird, but it fits."

She breathed in and out again, collecting her thoughts as she recited the chant, "For to live is to attain wisdom. Through knowledge attained in our lives, we rise above all and become paragons of glory and virtue. Through regret attained in our lives, we bare our fangs against the pain and shield the helpless. I release the battered chains of your soul, and stand by your side through death and time. I carry your heart past its limits, and by my shoulder, arm thee."

"Well, now," Jaune commented, after a lengthy pause, "I think I know my chants, considering what Pyrrha did with me at Initiation, but that sounds oddly like an Aura Awakening chant, doesn't it?"

"Yeah," Nora quipped in, "'glory and virtue' seems like a dead giveaway."

"You never do anything by half, do you kiddo," Qrow said. "Well, that confirms some of my suspicions."

"What suspicions?" Jaune asked.

"For starters," Qrow began, "my Aura got a super-charge."

"Hey, yeah," Nora interjected, "the doctors said that Tyrian's poison was really powerful, you shouldn't even be standing right now! Let alone talking to us!"

"I'll say it another way," Qrow said, "my Aura got a permanent super-charge. As in my max Aura capacity increased. A lot."

"And with that, you must have gotten an increased Aura regeneration as well," Ren said, "which explains how you recovered so quickly, even by Huntsman standards. But that's not all there is to it, is it?"

"Heh, nope," replied Qrow, popping the 'p'.

"So then, what," Jaune asked. "What did you get that's so much better than more Aura?"

"It should be obvious by now, Jaune. But," Ren adopted a pensive expression, "if that is indeed the case, it goes against everything we as Huntsmen understand about Aura."

"Are you saying I changed Qrow's Semblance?" Ruby said. Qrow laughed, covering his mouth as though to hide it. Ruby stared at him, her expression halfway between curious and glaring.

"That was exactly what I first thought too, word for word," Qrow said, "but no."

"Then what?" Ruby asked.

"It's simple, and yet so impossible," Jaune realized, eyes widening to an impossible degree as he turned back to Qrow. "You gave him a second Semblance."

"Uh, no," Nora stated, "people can't have two Semblances in them at once. Remember in class? Having two Semblances'll blow you up! Literally, boom!"

"And yet, we have a contradiction to that statement standing in front of us," Ren countered. He looked at Qrow, his eyebrows furrowed in thought. "Judging by the way our conversation is going, I assume you've already figured out what it is?"

"Yeah," Qrow affirmed. He looked Ruby in the eyes. "And Rubes, I'm gonna say something you won't like. You'll try to run, and I know because you've done it before. I want you to stay seated. If you don't, I'm banning cookies while we're here in Mistral."

"I can make my own cookies, Uncle Qrow," she retorted.

"Which is why I'll be regulating what food we're buying when we get settled in if you don't keep seated."

"Sitting down now!"

"Good. Now," Qrow sighed tiredly, the bags under his eyes now visible to everyone present, "there's not really an easy way to say this, so I'll say it upfront. I can talk to ghosts now."

"Whoa," Nora yelled excitedly, "you mean like 'I-see-dead-people', or you have hallucinations, or–"

"Nora," Ren interrupted. Nora quieted down, their routine down to an ingrained habit. The the two and Jaune looked warily at Ruby, noticing that her once happy smile was flipped into an uncomfortable-looking frown.

"Uncle Qrow...who did you see?"

"Rubes–"

"Who did you see, Uncle Qrow?" Ruby practically growled.

Qrow sighed again. "I saw Summer, Ruby."

A long silence followed the statement, Ruby's head down with her hair shadowing over her eyes. Her legs twitched, as though she deciding whether or not to risk losing access to her culinary addiction. Finally, after what seemed like a century, she raised her head up, her eyes filled with a steel that unnerved everyone in the room but her uncle.

"What did she say," her voice whispered silently, as though having forgotten her voice.

"Well," he replied thoughtfully, his fingers scratching his hairy chin, "this morning, she said pretty much what you'd expect her to say. 'Tell Ruby I love her', 'Tell Yang to stop mothering Ruby all the time', that kind of thing. Yesterday, though, she chewed me out for, well...the usual stuff. There is a funny story she told me then, however."

"Ooh, I love stories! Especially if they're blackmail!" Nora giggled.

"Heh, I don't doubt that. So," he smirked, "did Goodwitch ever tell you guys about the Tapioca Incident?"

"Yeah," Jaune laughed, "back at the start of first term, beginning of like, what...third day of combat class, Professor Goodwitch told us a story about how she got put in the hospital because someone filled her pudding with superglue. Yang went and said it was Raven Branwen who did it — your sister, which...it seems obvious now I think about it — and Professor Goodwitch used it as a lesson to ward people away from letting pranks go too far. Didn't seem to stop Cardin, though..."

"Well, turns out it wasn't Raven after all. Turns out it was all an accident, because Sum went and sat on a tube of the stuff and got it all in Glynda's bowl of tapioca."

"That was mom?" Ruby shrieked, surprised.

"Yeah, and my sister went and covered for her. Turns out Rae did have a heart after all...even if Summer had to pay for Dust on their next outing."

"Is...is mom still here?" Ruby muttered.

"Yeah, Rubes. She's, uh...currently hovering over Nora's pancakes, actually."

He forced down a chuckle as he looked towards Nora. Undeniably, Nora hugged the last of her pancakes while simultaneously scarfing them down. Summer's ghost stared hungrily at her pancakes, the tiniest drop of saliva hanging from the side of her mouth as she licked her lips in longing.

He took a look at his own plate, and cut a slice of fluffy pancake before putting it in his mouth. Not bad, he thought, and he sat down between Ruby and Jaune. Taking that as their own cue, the rest (including Nora, who got an extra helping of pancakes and a large smile from Ren) joined in silence. After several minutes, the group finished eating with satisfied smiles. After thanking Ren, Ruby turned her attention back to Qrow.

"Uncle Qrow...everything you said, about seeing mom's ghost, about having a second Semblance...is it really true?"

"Yeah kiddo, it is," he said.

"What're we gonna do, then," Jaune asked.

"Same as we always do," Nora answered, "we stick together and help each other out. Isn't that right, Ren?" Ren confirmed her statement by nodding.

"Speaking of 'together'," Ruby suddenly smiled widely, pointing to Ren and Nora, "I spy with my little eye, two hands holding each other~"

"Hehe, yeah," Nora replied sheepishly, a blush brighter than her skirt coloring her face. She raised her closed hand up, revealing her and Ren's hands intertwined. "When we were on the flight to Mistral, we decided to stop kidding ourselves and got together. So...there you are! Renny and I are together-together now!"

"How many kids are you planning on?" Jaune joked.

"U-Um," Nora stuttered, "a couple at least?"

Ruby gasped, "No way!"

"Holy crap, guys, I was joking. Are you serious?"

Ren nodded silently, his own blush as deep as Nora's.

"Get married, then," inserted an amused Qrow.

"W-We don't want to go too fast, though," Nora stuttered, with a shyness no one thought her capable of displaying, "We thought we'd sort out some of our priorities before we got married to each other."

"I'm not talking about 'too fast'," Qrow replied. "The two of you are clearly happy with each other, from what Ruby's told me about the two of you while...while Oz was alive..." He paused, then shook his head and continued, "From what she said, you two grew up depending on each other. And now you're together, and clearly thinking about kids. You should get married."

"What brought this on, Uncle Qrow?"

"Well," Qrow contemplates, "I'm not saying you need to rush things. But the two of you should think about doing it before you miss your chance. Times are getting really tough now, and they're only going to get tougher. You two need each other and meld together like bread and butter, and you clearly want to get married, so...start planning for it, at least. That's my advice."

"You know," Ren stated, "I don't think that's a bad idea at all, Qrow. We'll think about it." He smiled at Nora, whose eyed widened to pancake-shaped circles, glistening with unshed tears. As a happy tear fell from one of them, she leapt forward and hugged Ren tightly.

Qrow, sensing the mood, quietly got up from his chair, nodding to Ren. Ren nodded back at him before returning to hugging his girlfriend. Jaune placed his hand on Ren's shoulder and congratulated the two. Ruby, meanwhile, stared after Qrow before following him.

As Qrow reached his temporary room, Ruby grabbed his wrist and twisted him around.

"Uncle Qrow?"

"Yeah kiddo?"

"I...I want you to tell me the truth."

"I wasn't lying when I told you about–"

"This isn't about that," she interrupted, a calculated look on her face. "I know you too well, Uncle Qrow. The most you joke with anyone these days is with Dad, and it's only to get him riled up for a few minutes to get him out of his depression. You wouldn't joke about something serious like this, but...I just had to know. Sorry."

"It's okay, Rubes."

"Alright...so, I need you to tell me the truth again, then. Even if it hurts. Can you do that, Uncle Qrow?"

"Yeah, but let's go in here first." Qrow opened the door to his room and walked in, his niece closing the door behind her. As the two sat on his bed, he gestured for her to continue.

"Uncle Qrow, I want you to tell it to me straight...did you love my mom?"

Qrow sighed. "Somehow I knew you were going to ask me that question."

"Well?"

"The answer is...shit, I've already opened my dumb mouth too many times today, one more won't hurt. Alright Ruby, yes. I loved Summer. And today I found out she loved me back, too."

"Did she love dad?"

"I don't really know, squirt. I...I honestly don't think so. Not like how he loved Raven."

She let out a breath. "I had a feeling. All this time, nothing added up. And now it kinda makes sense."

"Ruby, your dad loves you more than anything."

"Of-I know he does! This isn't...I just always saw you with this terrible look on your face every time you took me to mom's grave. Dad's was always bad, sure, but yours was like...it was like I was literally watching you die inside every time. That's, well, one of the main reasons I went to mom's grave alone most of the time. So you didn't have to tear yourself apart for it."

"I'm sorry, Ruby."

"It's okay, Uncle Qrow. I just...I have a lot to think about now. Thanks for telling me, though...I really appreciate it."

After her thanks, she hugged her uncle tightly before getting up. As she opened the door, she looked back. "I love you, Uncle Qrow. And...you too, mom."

"Love you too, pipsqueak. Don't stay up too late, we, um...we've got a lot to talk about tomorrow too."

She nods, then closed the door after wishing him goodnight. Qrow let out a massive sigh as he lays back on his bed.

She'll be alright, Qrow. You did a good thing for her today, with everything.

"I don't know, Sum...I hope so."

Don't be like that, she'll pop right back up like she always does. In any case, you need some shut-eye as well. And I need to come up with ways to murder Salem and her lackeys for putting my girl through all this.

"Don't worry, I am. After everything that's been happening, I need a long rest."

...I love you, Qrow.

"Love you too, Flower."