"Well, I think it's time we called it a night" Qrow sighed as he stood up.
"I think that's a good idea. A lot of excitement today" Winter agreed with a smile on her face after watching Ruby and Yang make two new friends.
"But we're having fun!" Ruby whined, waving her arms as the rest of them started to walk back to Winter's work.
"You froze up, dork" Yang laughed looking back at her sister.
"Yeah, but before and after was fun!" Ruby insisted, "Plus, we got ice cream! So I count today as a win!"
Winter was glad Ruby didn't run ahead this time, especially since the sun was starting to get low in the sky. When they got close to Winters building Ruby gasped and slapped her legs in excitement, drawing everyone's attention.
"Winter should come to family game night!" Ruby the words tumbled out of her mouth so fast Winter didn't understand them. Yang and Qrow did though.
"That's an awesome idea! She'd love it!" Yang jumped in excitement and turned to their uncle, "Come on Uncle Qrow, don't you think so!" Both of the sisters were giving him the most intense puppy dog eyes Winter had ever seen.
"Wait, what?" Winter asked nobody in particular, all three of them were in their own little bubble.
"I don't think that's a good idea. Isn't family game night supposed to be just, ya know, family?" Qrow emphasized the word family, raising an eyebrow.
"Winters our friend, so that makes her family" Ruby stated simply, hands on her hips like that was all that needed to be said.
"Plus it's always just the four of us playing the same games, a new person would be fun!" Yang explained. Winter couldn't help but notice the word four. Who else do they play with? She asked herself.
"Do you guys not like family game night then?" Qrow protested, sounding hurt.
"It's not that, we love family game night" Ruby started.
"But having someone new would be fun!" Yang finished with a grin. After that, the two of them started to ramble and plead listing things they'd do if Qrow let her come.
Qrow sighed and put his hand through his hair, "Are you two sure about this?" He asked them both seriously, the two of them nodding before he was even done talking. Qrow looked up to Winter now and coughed into his fist, looking away. "We have a family game night every few weeks, and Ruby and Yang wanted to know if you'd come to the next one. If you have plans or don't want to or anything, you don't have to" Qrow had a small blush on his cheeks that Winter couldn't help but giggle at.
"I don't have anything going on other than work, so I think I could squeeze it into my schedule" She chuckled watching the girls jump up and down, squealing and fist-pumping. Qrow looked a bit red, a hint of a smile on his face.
"Alright, you two go sit in the truck, I gotta talk to Winter about some stuff" Qrow pointed to the truck that was up the street.
"Like what?" Ruby asked innocently.
"They're gonna talk about us, Ruby" Yang laughed as she started to walk to the truck. Ruby gasped and stared at the two of them.
"That's not fun! Remember, the no therapy rule! Even for Uncle Qrow!" Ruby chirped as she followed Yang, looking back at them every few steps.
"I never agreed to that" Qrow called out, before they heard the doors to the truck close.
"Sorry about that, but they weren't gonna stop until I asked you. They get like that a lot, like when they want pizza or something. I could come up with some excuse for you if you want, by the way, they'd understand." Qrow shrugged his shoulders, but Winter laughed.
"I do wanna go though, it sounds fun" Winter smiled at him, but he looked suspicious.
"Really? Spending a night with a teenager, a preteen, and a random guy sounds like a fun night to you?" He asked curiously.
"Well, I wouldn't exactly call you a random guy anymore. More like an acquaintance" Winter said after a moment of thought.
"Acquaintance? Well, you're still just a random chick to me" He winked at her, and Winter couldn't help but chuckle at him.
"That hurts Blackbird. We'll see how you feel about that after game night. I think you'll call me your worst nightmare after I win " She tried her best to sound cocky, but it sounded less cool and more silly then she wanted to. Qrow laughed at her and she started to blush, glad it was getting too dark for him to see.
"Qrow, what were you gonna tell me? Before Ruby ran you over I mean" the though had been in the back of Winter's mind since he had brought it up. Qrows laugh faded quickly and the joy left his eyes and was replaced with anger.
"A few years ago, Ruby and Yang were in a bad spot. They had to see this one therapist, some moron named Dr.Lionheart. They talked to him and opened up to him, told him stuff that they hadn't told anyone else I guess. They trusted him, hoped he would help them out, but he told them it was 'Just their imagination' and ignored them. Life got a lot harder after that for them. A lot harder. One of the few grudges I've ever seen Yang or Ruby hold"
Qrow got quiet and looked up at the sky. The sound of honking horns and the sound of other people passing them in the street faded away. The street lights hadn't come on yet and the crimson red of the sunset illuminated Qrows face. "I wasn't around, but I shoulda been. I messed up Winter"
His face looked clear as his gaze dissected the darkening sky. No hints of anger, only guilt. "But that doesn't matter anymore" His eyes fell from the clouds and landed on her with a smile that looked like it belonged to a dead man.
"Qrow, you can't blame yourself for what happened. I'm sure you did all you could" Winter tried to convince him, but he wasn't listening anymore. Winter wanted to talk more about him, to try and get him to see her point of view but now wasn't the time for that. Right now, she felt her curiosity start to burn after hearing some of the story.
"What was the bad spot they were in? How did it get worse?" Winter wasn't sure if she should ask, wasn't sure if she wanted the answer, but she felt like she had to.
Qrow shook his head though, "I promised them I'd never tell anyone. I know it's childish, but I'll never break a promise, especially to those two. They'd never forgive me" His voice was hollow, he sounded like he wanted to talk but something was holding him back.
"Qrow, I'm trying to help them. You can tell me"
"No, I can't. Convince them to tell you, but I can't. I'm sorry" Qrow sounded sad, and he wasn't looking at her anymore. Winter was annoyed at him, her knowing what she was dealing with is part of her job. But at the same time…
"I get it. If my sister asked me to keep something secret I would take it with me to my grave" Winter admitted, "I'd even hide it from her therapist" Winter gave him a small smile. He turned to look at her, his face was full of gratitude.
"Speaking of that, what's the damage gonna be for this?"
"What do you mean?" Winter looked at him like he had grown two heads.
"For all this. Helping them, you know what I mean. How much do I owe you?" Qrow asked pulling out a checkbook from his back pocket and a pen from somewhere. "I'm not sure what your rates are, so just tell me how much" He leaned over and started to fill out the check on his leg.
Winter was shocked, to say the least. She had forgotten that this was work, that she was supposed to be getting paid. "Qrow, what did I tell you before?" He didn't look up from the paper.
"You said whatever I could afford, but I'll give you as much as you want" Qrow looked up at her determined. Winter thought for a second, tapping her chin while he waited for a number to write.
"A million dollars" She decided on, smiling down at him. He was already filling out the check.
"It'll take me a bit to get the money, but I have some people who can help" He explained, adding a few zeros.
"Qrow, I'm kidding!" Winter shrieked, ripping the pen away from his hand before he could sign it. "Don't worry about it, I'll do it for free!" Winter explained when he tried to take the pen back from her.
"I can't ask you to do that, Winter. You're a therapist, I owe you for your time. Now, how much?" He sounded serious, holding his hand out for the pen.
"I'm not asking you to, I'm insisting. I'll do it pro bono."
"Pro- what?" He asked with a contorted face like he'd just taken another bite of Atlas Vanilla.
"Free. I'll do it for free to help you guys out. I like these girls and they need help. So let me help them, please" Winter didn't want to beg, but she would if it meant she could help these girls. "Besides, I promised them I'd be their friend" Winter smiled at him, putting the pen in his hand slowly. "And I don't charge my friends"
Qrow looked up at her, an uncertain look in his eyes. But then he smiled at her and took the pen, pocketing it and the book. "Fine, friends then" He held out his pinky to her.
"Friends" She beamed, shaking his pinky as she had with Ruby and Yang.
"Alright Snowflake, have it your way then. But if you ever need anything, call me first" He said, starting to walk to the truck. Winter followed but only took a few steps before she had to ask.
"Were you about to pay me a million dollars for getting ice cream with you guys?"
"I was hoping it was a million in total, but yeah, pretty much" He shrugged like it was the most normal thing in the world.
"You're a weird guy, Qrow" She smiled at him and he smiled back.
"Not as weird as those two" He pointed his thumb to the truck where the girls were pressed up against the windows trying to get a better look at the two of them. "See you next week, Snowflake" He waved as he got in the truck and started it up.
"Later, Blackbird" She waved goodbye, then the windows opened up and Ruby and Yang popped out of them.
"Bye Winter! See you soon! Thanks!" Winter wasn't sure which one was saying what, but they were both waving and talking fast and loudly as they drove away. Winter smiled, a light feeling in her stomach as she walked to the parking garage for her car.