Winter's eyes fluttered open slowly, a feeling of peace filled her body along with early morning grogginess. She could feel Qrows arm wrapped around her side holding her tight, so she didn't try to move, not that she wanted to. Winter listened to Qrows steady heartbeat, looking up at his face as she did. He was still asleep, his eyes closed and a dreamy smile floating on his lips.

Winter grinned, as an idea popped into her head. She slithered out of Qrows grip, crawling slowly up his body, making sure to keep as much of her weight off of him as possible. Both of her knees were pressed into the couch and her hands were on either side of his head as she looked down at his sleeping form with a glint of mischief in her eyes.

A roar of emotions filled her belly as she leaned in and captured his lips in hers. She felt embarrassed, excited, hopeful, anxious, and so happy as she reached a hand up to cup his sleeping face.

It didn't take long for Qrow to wake up and realize what was going on. She felt his hands start to glide up and down her back, leaving a trail of goosebumps behind as they moved.

The kiss was getting more intense now, with both of them leaning into it. Winter was playing with his hair, Qrows hands were firm on her hips, and when she felt him bite her lip, she trembled.

"Merry Christmas Snowflake," he whispered to her as they pulled away, both of them breathing more than a little heavily. She tried to trail after him, hungry for his touch, but the hands he had on her hips were firm and kept her from chasing after him.

"Qrow, it was just getting good," Winter pouted, the tips of her fingers moving up his chest. He sat up slowly, moving her with him so she was sitting in his lap facing him. She put her arms around his neck and moved to kiss him again, but once again he stopped her.

"I know, I know. But I don't wanna rush doing that sort of stuff, and we have to get back to the girls" he explained with a shrug and a smile.

Winter blushed, embarrassed with exactly how willing she had been to rush it. She agreed with him, but still. "Your hair looks really, really good by the way," Qrow told her as he reached out and started to run his hands through her messy, knotted, bedhead.

"My bedhead does not look good," Winter scoffed as her body melted at his touch, "Your bed head looks incredible though," she complimented as she reached her hand up, playing with it some more.

"Eh, maybe you don't like it, but I love it. It's cute on you," he whispered as he leaned in and gave her a kiss right on her blushing cheek. "Come on, we have some brats to see," Qrow groaned, not making a move to get up.

"What?" Winter wondered, looking at him curiously.

"Win, you're on my lap," he laughed, patting her hips.

"Oh. You're strong, why don't you just pick me up?" Winter teased with a wink after she realized where she was sitting. She was about to move off of him when she felt him grab her legs tightly and heaved them both into the air in one quick movement.

"Was that good enough for you?" He grinned as he looked down at Winters wide eyes.

"I didn't actually-" Winter started, but right then Qrow leaned forward and planted a hard kiss on the crook of Winter's neck. Now, Winter had done a little bit of… research, on this sort of stuff. She was human after all. But something about that kiss took her breath away and would have made her legs give out if she'd been standing.

But, once again, Qrow cut things short. Not only did he pull away, but he also put her down on her wobbly legs so fast that they almost did give out on her. "Not cool, Qrow! This better not be a usual thing!" Winter complained, wanting him to come back as he walked away laughing. Right then, the alarm on her phone started blaring on the ground, making Winter jump about three feet in the air, all the while Qrow was wheezing with laughter at her face. "Jerk," Winter called out with a smile as she let out a laugh right alongside him.

There weren't many mornings that Winter could consider perfect, but so far this was shaping up to be one of those lucky few.

The morning moved quickly after that. Winter showered, punching Qrow, finished packing, all happened in record time. Not too long after that the two of them were on the elevator heading to the lobby. Winter had a backpack she'd flung on her shoulders while Qrow was dragging around her suitcase. She wasn't sure if he was doing it because the doctor had told her no heavy lifting or if he was just being nice, but either way, she appreciated it.

As soon as the door opened, Winter walked over excitedly to the desk holding a small gift wrapped in bright blue paper with a bow on it. "Merry- oh," Winter said softly, looking up and realizing that Earl wasn't at the desk.

She stood there, shocked, until Qrow came over and tapped her on the shoulder. "Everything good?" He asked, not sure what was so surprising about an empty desk.

"Don't know. Earl's always been here. Like, always. This is the first time I haven't seen him here," mumbled Winter, her mind rushing with possibilities and horrible outcomes.

"It is just after sunrise. Crazy idea, but maybe he's sleeping? Or maybe he's spending time with his family? It is Christmas after all"

"Maybe. I guess that makes sense. Still, I was hoping to talk to him before I left," Winter lamented, her heart heavy.

"Don't worry, you'll see him soon enough. Hell, if you wanted we could come and check it out tomorrow," He smiled, managing to lift her spirits as nobody else could.

She walked around his desk, gift in hand, and was about to put it on his chair when she noted a note sitting there with her name written on it. Curiously, she picked it up and read. Winter, I'm visiting family for the day so don't call the cops or anything. Have fun at your boyfriend's house -Earl.

It was simple, but the fact that he thought about her when writing this made her day. In the desk she found a piece of paper and a blue pen, quickly leaving a note of her own. I can never thank you enough for how kind you've been to me, and I hope this helps express that at least a little. -W.

Then she set the gift down on his chair, right where his note had sat. The gift was a large book of crossword puzzles that she hoped he didn't have yet. It wasn't much, but she couldn't think of anything else he'd like or use.

Winter couldn't help but giggle as she walked away, a little sad she wouldn't be there when he opened it, but happy about the gift nonetheless. She was humming as she walked up to Qrow, grabbed his hand tightly before leading them towards the exit doors.

"What did you get him?"

"It's a secret," Winter chirped happily.

"I'm gonna guess it's a secret I don't get to know?" He wondered as Winter nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, that's about right," He sighed, but his face was smiling while he looked down at Winter's grinning face.

As she opened the door she felt the crisp morning air seep into the building and rush around her and Qrow like water. The sun was low in the air, illuminating the city in rays of twisting golden light as a light snowfall dancing down from the dimly lit sky. It was breath-taking and the two of them took their time strolling to the car, enjoying the view.

The car ride was slow going and peaceful, with the radio full of old Christmas songs. My two front teeth, Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer, the little drummer boy, and all the rest played as the two of them laughed and sang together all the way to Qrows house.

The neighborhood was silent as the two pulled in, with nobody walking dogs, playing, and not even a single kid screaming in joy for their presents. It seemed like everyone was either asleep or still except for Qrow and Winter. But what the neighborhood was lacking in noise, it more than made up for in decorations.

There were reindeer, Santas, elves, snowmen, and lights from bright blues to the darkest reds shimmering in the morning twilight. Maybe a little bit shockingly, Qrow's house was by far the best.

There were lights decorating every window sill, reds, and greens criss-crossing across the gutters. There were four huge snow people in the yard, one for each of the girls, Qrow, and then a small one who she guessed was supposed to be Maria. There was even a plastic reindeer sitting on the roof

It wouldn't have been a shock to her if she was told that Ruby had come up with everything, but it also wouldn't have been too much of a shock if Qrow had either. It didn't really matter though, because she was sure it was a team effort no matter what, so she took her time taking in every strand of lights as she walked. Qrow was right beside her, eating up her wonder and joy with a deep grin.

"Do you like it? Took a whole day to get it all set up,"

"Yeah, I really do. Huh, it didn't really feel like Christmas until right now for some reason," Winter admitted looking up at the shimmering lights.

"I know what you mean. If I was by myself I probably wouldn't even know it was Christmas. There were a few years like that actually. But with the girls here I don't think I'll ever forget it again," He chuckled, as he looked at the lights, his hand now in Winter's.

I wonder if that'll ever happen to me, Winter thought to herself excitedly as Qrow leaned down and kissed her on the cheek. Winter grinned as Qrow walked ahead of her and opened the door wide for her.

When they walked into the house it became crystal clear that everyone else was fast asleep with how silent the room was. The only two things making noise in the house were the sounds of two softly snoring girls… And a woman who was snoring so loudly that Winter was sure the foundation of the house must've been shaking.

After taking off their shoes, the two walked into the living room and found exactly where the noises had been coming from. On the big chair, sounding like a chainsaw cutting into a rock, was Maria wrapped in a thick brown blanket.

The girls were asleep on the couch. Ruby was laying on her belly, half her face mashed into the couch with a line of drool going down the leather with Zwei sleeping at her feet. Yang had her legs half on Ruby's back and half on the couch as she leaned back with her head on the armrest of the couch. They both had thin blankets on them, courtesy of Maria, and looked utterly peaceful.

Winter tore her eyes away from the scene and looked at Qrow, who looked starstruck. His eyes were glued to them and glowing with compassion and love, it was as easy to see as his eye color.

Winter was at a crossroads. She wanted to wake the girls up and to shower them in gifts, but she also wanted to keep watching them sleep. But before any of that, there was something she had to see.

"I'll be back," She whispered to Qrow, who nodded at her seriously, knowing what she was going to do.

"Come get me if you need anything," he told her calmly before he headed upstairs, taking her suitcase with him. Winter noticed that he only used one arm to lift up the heavy bag, and for the millionth time that day, she realized how lucky she was. After Qrow disappeared, Winter took a deep breath and steadied herself as she walked down the hallway to Yang's room.

Yang's door was closed tight, and when she tried to open it, it was locked. Winter took a step back and anxiously waited a moment before carefully knocking, "Blake?" She whispered, softly enough so only someone in the room could hear. She leaned forward and pressed her ear against the door.

Winter strained her ears to pick up even the slightest noise, but after a minute there was still nothing. She sighed, realizing that she must've gotten something wrong. She was about to move when she heard the high pitched creak of a bed and the fluttering of nervous feet coming closer to the door.

There was nothing for a moment, as if the person on the other side of the bed was thinking, and then she heard the lock clack open. Winter quickly stood up, trying to look like she hadn't been listening as hard as she'd been, as the door slowly started to open. Standing on the other side of the door was the black haired mystery, Blake Belladonna, looking sheepish and scared.

"Hey," The girl said in a barely trembling voice. She was dressed in a pair of gray pajama pants and a black t-shirt, and Winter noticed a book lying open on the bed. Blake took a few steps back into the room and stood there for a moment. But then she started to pace around the room, apparently too anxious to stop, even though her face was calm and collected. Winter saw the girl's eyes flick to the window, and could see what she was thinking.

"It's ok, you don't have to worry," Winter assured her as she closed the door behind her, making sure it didn't make too much noise. Blake looked less than reassured as she crossed her arms in front of her defensively and kept as much distance between the two of them as possible.

Winter walked over to the bed and sat down next to the book and took a look at the cover, not daring to touch it. "Catcher in the rye? I love that book," Winter said excitedly as she looked at the cover. The book was old and well worn, with more than a few pages starting to come loose from the spine. "I'm guessing you're a pretty big fan yourself?" She smiled, and Blake shrugged. Winter waited for the girl to say something, but sighed when the silence persisted, knowing it was time to get serious.

"Blake, we need to talk. Your parents miss you,"

Blake stiffened at the mention of her parents, her eyes growing thin and angry. "You don't know anything," Blake cautioned, her voice filled with disdain.

"I might not know everything, but I know a little. Five months is a long time to be gone from home, Blake. I met them and I can see how much they miss you" emphasized Winter, sadness and worry seeping into her voice.

"Miss me? Those two don't miss me. They never have and never will, no matter what nonsense they try and tell you," Blake said heatedly, clenching her fists.

"They told me how worried about you they are, they even said that they've been doing badly at work because of how much they've been worrying," Winter was talking honestly and truthfully, but something about what she said made Blake snap.

Her eyes flared and Winter could see how hard she clenched her jaw in anger. "Shut the hell up! You think you know what you're talking about but you don't! They don't miss me, they probably didn't even realize I was gone until you stuck your nose where it didn't belong! I told Yang and Ruby not to tell you, I trusted her!" Blake screamed, tears at the edges of her eyes, her breathing heavy.

"Yang didn't tell me anything. I overheard you guys talking during Halloween. If anything you told me," Winter admitted, still feeling bad for eavesdropping. Blake seemed to relax a little after realizing Yang hadn't broken her trust.

"Then how did you find out about my parents?" Blake asked, her voice still quaking, but there was less rage there now at least.

"Blake, hun, if you're gonna come up with a fake name, you should really come up with something a little less on the nose," Winter chuckled lightly, while Blake looked away silently.

"I guess it wasn't my best. I thought you were just some random person at that boxing match, how was I supposed to know you knew Yang?" Blake said defensively. Winter wanted to laugh a little but kept herself in check. She did let herself smile a bit wider though.

"You could have asked," Winter offered up, only getting an embarrassed sideways glance from the girl.

"So, is this the part where you drag me back home?" gritted Blake, her fists getting tense again.

"Blake, if I tried to force you to do anything I feel like Yang would probably kill me," Blake let out a small chuckle after that line but stiffened up the moment after. "I'm not gonna force you to do anything. After Halloween, I went home and played a hunch and put a few names through this system we have at my work. Eventually, I got a hit on you," Winter explained, watching as Blake slowly let her arms down. "I got in contact with your parents and got to talk to them,

"You met them?" Blake choked, sounding uneasy.

"Yeah, I did. I asked a caseworker friend of mine to help me out, so she set up a meeting. We talked for a while, and I got to know them and their side of the story. They seemed… Distant, at first. But the more we talked the sadder they got until they broke down crying," Blake looked shocked, almost touched by her parents' reaction.

"God, I knew this would happen. I told Yang I shouldn't have hung out so much, but she said it would be fine. I knew someone would see me and tell them where I'm at," Blake sounded almost defeated when she talked, and Winter saw some of herself in those golden eyes.

Blake didn't wanna go home. She was scared and had been beaten down so many times in one way or another that she was sick of fighting. The more Winter thought about it, the more she realized she probably would've done the same thing Blake had done. If her father hadn't found her diploma, she almost certainly would've run away on her own sooner or later. Actually, it would've been sooner. Hell, the two of them even ran into the sisters and Qrow and got swooped up in their crazy energy.

"I told them you were safe and that I had some information, but I didn't tell them where you are," Winter told her simply, catching Blake totally off guard. The girl stopped pacing and finally turned to look Winter in the eyes.

"You didn't? Why not?" She asked, confused. Winter sighed and leaned back on the bed until the top of her head was resting on the wall.

"Because I didn't know your side of the story. I'd met your parents and heard everything they had to say. But if I know anything, it's that there are two sides to every story, so I wanted to ask you why you left, what they were doing that made you wanna leave in the first place. So here I am. And if you're willing to explain to me, then I'm more than willing to listen," Winter looked over at Blake and watched as the girl thought through her options.

Blake sighed in defeat before walking over to the bed and moving the book, taking its place next to Winter on the bed. "My parents are diplomats from Menagerie. That means they're always coming and going. Sometimes they used to take me, but now they always just leave me at home. Then whenever they were here they didn't care about me. Hey, mom, I just read this cool new book! 'That's nice, dear'. Hey, Dad, do you wanna watch a movie? 'Not right now, Blake,'." Blake stopped talking and drew a shaky breath.

"One day this summer I got sick of it and packed my bags. I left and didn't look back, never even thought about coming home. After that I sort of drifted around I guess, sleeping in beds whenever I found someone nice enough to let me stay and wherever I could find if I didn't. Then, I met Yang…" There was a silly smile on her face that Winter knew all too well. After all, she was sporting the same grin a few hours ago with Qrow.

"I was staying at the community center where her boxing club is when we met. She was so nice, so genuine, and we hung out a lot after that. One day I told her everything, expecting her to never talk to me again. But apparently she'd already guessed most of it, and she said I could stay with her. We were too scared to tell Qrow, so we kept it a secret, but Ruby found out sooner or later. She promised she wouldn't say anything, thankfully. So I've been sharing the bed with Yang since then, and that's pretty much it," Blake sighed, looking thoughtful.

"Sharing the bed?" Winter asked her curiously, to Blakes horror...

"She said that she didn't want me sleeping on the floor, and I didn't want her sleeping on the floor, so we compromised," Blake admitted, "She's really warm, it's nice," Blake said, her face redder than Ruby's wardrobe.

"What do you think?" Blake asked nervously, looking at Winter who was silently thinking.

"I get it," said Winter, nodding to herself.

"Get what?"

"Why you left. I get it. Honestly, I totally would've done the same thing," She confessed with a small laugh.

"Y-you would've? Aren't you gonna ask how I could put my parents through something so terrible? How dangerous it was?" Blake asked sarcastically, but Winter shook her head.

"Course not. I'm gonna let you in on a little secret, Blake, my dad's kind of a dick. I know exactly how you could do that because I thought about doing the same thing a million times when I was your age. And it was dangerous, but there's not really much of a point in yelling about it after the fact, is there?" Winter chuckled, sitting up and the bed and turning to look at Blake.

"You were hurting and didn't know what to do. I don't think you ever meant to hurt them, you just wanted them to care. At first, I wasn't sure about them, but they're nice people, Blake. I don't think they realized how much they were hurting you. You must miss them so much," Winter said soothingly.

To her credit, Blake was taking in everything Winter said rather well. But it was clear that she'd pictured some version of this conversation a million times in her head, and it had never gone like this for her.

"Not often… but sometimes I do," said Blake, looking down at the ground sadly so her hair was covering her eyes.

"Do you wanna see them again?"

Blake bit her lip and shook her head no, her hand's fists again.

"It's ok if you wanna see them ya know. I wanna see my dad all the time, even though he's a dick," Winter said with a smile as she reached out and grabbed Blake's hands.

"I really miss them, but I'm still so mad" Blake sniffled as a tear raced down her cheek, quickly followed by another. Winter reached over then and pulled Blake into a tight hug. Blake didn't break down dobbing or anything, but she cried and held onto Winter as months of frustrations finally made their way out of her.

"One step at a time. You've got us in your corner now, so you don't have to do anything you don't wanna. But if you wanna meet them, talk to them, we can do that when you're ready. But it is Christmas, so maybe we can start with a phone call once you're ready? They'd be glad to hear from you," Winter said soothingly as she rubbed Blakes back, holding her as she sobbed.

Blake pulled away from Winter, her face was blotchy and her eyes were red, but she still nodded and wiped her tears away.

"I think that would be a good place to start," Blake agreed, sniffling. "I don't have to go back to them?"

"Not yet. But you and I are gonna talk to them, and hopefully we can get there sooner or later. In the meantime, Qrow's more than willing to take care of you," Winter assured her with a smile.

"Speaking of staying here, how did you know I was? You called my name at the door like you knew I was here," Blake asked curiously, her voice still trembling.

"Oh, that was sort of a hunch. I knew you were friends with Yang and Ruby, and I know neither of those two would let their friend live on the street," It had been a silly idea to her when she'd first thought of it. But the more she thought about it, the more Winter thought it was the case.

"I guess they wouldn't, would they?" Blake asked, cracking a smile before she tried to hide it again. "By the way, I should probably tell you… On halloween, I saw you and Qrow kiss. I thought you saw me for a second, but you never said anything. It was a total accident, I didn't mean to," Blake explained quickly and awkwardly, looking away from Winter.

Winter on the other hand, laughed. "Yeah, I thought someone had seen. Sorry, must've been pretty gross,"

"A little, but… I also heard you turn him down. Are you- did you, ya know?" Blake asked nervously, the blush on her face not having anything to do with the tears from earlier.

"We were never dating, but we liked each other for a long time. At least, I liked him for a long time. But we never dated. That was a pretty boneheaded move on my part though, it would've saved me a lot of trouble if I'd just said yes then," Winter chuckled, scratching the back of her head.

"Oh. Then why didn't you?"

Winter thought, but she already had her answer in mind, "I was scared and confused. I didn't think it would work, so I was too scared to try. But I'm not scared anymore. And you'll be happy to know that the two of us have been dating for," Winter stopped and checked the time on her phone, "About four hours," She said with a huge, toothy smile.

Blake brought her legs onto the bed and wrapped her arms around them shyly, "That's good. I always thought you'd be good together… Was it scary? To tell him how you feel, I mean," Blake asked softly, her face full of anxiety.

Winter put her hand on the girl's shoulder and squeezed, "Terrifying. And it was the best feeling in the world," and those words were true. Blake nodded, looking lighter than Winter had ever seen her.

Winter pulled out her phone and messed with it before handing it to Blake, "This is your parent's phone number. If you wanna call them, I think it would be a good idea. I'll be right outside with everyone if you need me. Oh! And if you could keep that Qrow and I are, uh, dating, secret for a bit? We just wanna wait a little bit before we tell them" Winter chuckled a little awkwardly as she scratched the back of her head.

"Thanks, Winter, and I will. You're really nice by the way, and I really like your hair down like that," Blake stood up to and started to pace around the room as she hit the call button. Winter gave her a thumbs up before walking to the door and closing it just as softly as when she'd entered. What a great Christmas this was turning into, she thought with a huge grin, glad she could help Blake even a little bit. Winter excitedly thought of what else the day would have in store as she walked back to her Qrow and the girls.

-Authors note-

I feel bad, this was supposed to be the last chapter before the epilogue but it ended up being way too long and I felt like I was rushing. So I decided to make it two chapters. So there's next week's chapter and then the epilogue, and then this story's done! I'm happy and sad it's coming to an end, but I couldn't be happier to have so many people experiencing this with me! Also, thanks so much to all of the comments lately, it's been really really incredible and I can't believe it! I hope everyone enjoys the next few chapters, because I'm working really hard on them! See you guys next week!