It was raining, a gloomy early spring rain that would convince most of Patch to stay indoors. The kind of day where adults might make hot chocolate for the kids and everyone would pair off to play card games, or read, or catch up on paperwork. Whatever you ended up doing, you'd try to avoid going outside at all costs, where the paths had turned to sludge and the few lights barely cut through the early evening gloom.

And you definitely wouldn't sacrifice your raincoat because you didn't have anything at home to cover the grocery bags, hoping to trick yourself into believing everything would be fine.

Qrow cursed to himself, trying to adjust his grip by shifting the bags around without exposing them to the downpour. His clothes were already completely soaked through, and he could feel his boots sticking with each step he took through the muck, but at least he could see Tai's cottage in the distance. He was almost there…

Finally he reached the cover of the shallow overhang at the front door. He considered trying to knock, but the bags in his hands were too awkward for that. Figuring the door was probably unlocked anyway, he gave it a rough shove with his shoulder.

Tai looked up from the kitchen area as Qrow stumbled into the cottage. His eyebrows rose just slightly before his face returned to the melancholy that had become the norm these past few months. He turned back to the stove and started stirring again.

"I brought groceries," Qrow said, deadpan, setting the bags down just past the doormat. He spotted a towel someone had left on the coat rack—Summer, probably—and grabbed it, wiping at his face.

Summer came out of the downstairs bedroom holding Yang, bouncing her up and down in an attempt to keep her entertained. It didn't seem to be working so well; while the baby wasn't crying, she still had an unhappy look on her face. Summer turned towards Qrow and he saw the distant exhaustion in her body and her eyes.

"I'll take her," said Tai abruptly. His voice still lacked enthusiasm, but when Summer handed Yang over the baby relaxed almost immediately. Tai, too, seemed to be drawn a little more back to the present.

Without a word Summer turned and went over to the couch, and Qrow saw that it was made up as a bed, just like the last time he was here. She grabbed some spare clothes that were obviously hers and headed straight back into Tai's bedroom, emerging once more with a laundry basket.

Qrow grimaced. After Raven had left, he and Summer had agreed to work together to support Tai; as close as the two women had been, it still wasn't the same as how Tai felt about Raven. On top of that, with a baby just barely old enough to crawl Tai needed all the household help he could get. Neither Summer nor Qrow was going to let little Yang go uncared for.

But it hadn't quite worked out that way. With Raven gone, Ozpin had pressed Qrow to take on more and more reconnaissance. Plans could change down the line, but right now it was imperative that they complete the operations already in progress. That's what the headmaster had told him, anyway.

By contrast, or maybe to make up for the increased load on Qrow, the special assignments for Summer had stopped entirely for the time being, and of course she wasn't signing their "team" of three up for any regular missions. So in practice it was Summer who was over here helping Tai—nearly every day, she had said. Enough that she slept over on the couch several nights a week so that she could help out in the morning.

Qrow felt guilty for not being able to do more, especially since he could imagine how much Summer had to be hurting as well. Bringing over groceries whenever he could was little more than a gesture.

"Qrow, could you come stir this?" Tai asked. No hello, no thanks for the groceries. Qrow wasn't upset; he was worried. Logically he knew that people managed to recover from these things, and that it took different amounts of time for different people, but that was little comfort in the face of a reality that offered no guarantees for the future.

He took a quick swig from the flask he had started carrying, then crossed the long living room and stepped around the dining table to join Tai at the stove, dutifully picking up a wooden spoon to stir the contents of the pan. "You know," he mused deliberately, "when most people make an 'easy home-cooked meal', risotto's not what they're talking about."

Tai stared at him for a moment, then went back to focusing on Yang, rocking her up and down as Summer had tried to do before. With one arm he opened the fridge and pulled out a bottle of formula, then used a quick flash of his Aura to heat it up. Qrow snorted, and Tai looked back at him. The man didn't say anything, but those tired eyes held a faint hint of challenge.

Qrow's mouth quirked upward. "I hadn't you seen do that before," he explained. "…Sure is convenient."

Tai relaxed, ever so slightly. "I only thought of it a week ago," he admitted, sounding a little bit more like the Tai they were used to. "I couldn't believe I didn't realize it sooner. And she likes it too." He nodded down at the baby held against his chest, and Qrow saw her head turn towards her father's hand.

"Maybe she's learned it means it's time to eat," Qrow offered.

This seemed to be the wrong thing to say. Tai's face closed up again, and he stepped up to Qrow. Qrow blinked, wondering what was going on, and before he knew it he was holding Yang in one arm and the bottle in the other. "What do I, ah…"

"Just keep her up, and make sure the bottle's tilted so she can drink," Tai instructed, already turning back to the stove.

Awkwardly Qrow did as he was told. It wasn't the first time he had held Yang, of course, but somehow it still wasn't natural, and it was his first time feeding her. For her part, Yang continued to eye him with some kind of guarded suspicion, even as she reached for the bottle with her tiny hands.

"You and me both, kid," said Qrow, angling the bottle up a little more.

It occurred to him that as much as people said they could see parents' features in their kids, he couldn't see any link between his sister and the pudgy baby in front of him—nor any resemblance with Tai, for that matter, save the wisps of blond hair. The thought gave him some sort of grim satisfaction, as if Raven had tried and failed to leave behind this reminder of her presence.

The bottle empty, Yang turned slightly in Qrow's arm, settling into his chest the same way she had leaned against Tai earlier. Qrow froze for a moment, then relaxed and smiled down at the baby.

Summer came back into the living room, finished with the laundry for the time being, and smiled too when she saw Qrow holding Yang. Her expression was a bit wistful, and Qrow felt a pang of guilt at the fact that Summer was putting in all this time taking care of the two Xiao Longs and yet he was the one in this peaceful position with Yang.

"Let's put her to sleep," Summer murmured, and Qrow nodded. They stepped into Tai's bedroom, where the crib stood against the wall opposite the foot of the bed.

"How is he holding up?" Qrow asked quietly. He set Yang down as gently as he could.

Summer shook her head. "It's not good," she admitted bluntly. "He's still barely left the house, and…well, you saw how much he's talking these days." She took a breath and looked down at the crib. "I think he's putting all his efforts into taking care of Yang, but when there's a moment of quiet he just…sits."

"I guess he's…" Qrow trailed off, looking at the bed. Easily wide enough for two, but clearly only one side was being used. Tai was definitely taking Raven's absence worse than he and Summer were, but it didn't feel right to blame him for it.

After all, the person whose fault it was wasn't here to answer for her actions.

Summer's thoughts had apparently gone in a different direction. "He's definitely improving, though—at least, I think he is." She smiled at Qrow again. "It might not seem like much, but those few sentences back there are a real step forward. I mean, he hasn't had the energy for conversation much these days, but for a little bit there he sounded like normal."

"Progress." Qrow thought back and realized Summer was right. That didn't make it any easier, but…no, actually, it did make it a little easier.

He sighed and looked at her again. "And how are you doing?"

Summer's smile turned sad, and she paused before starting to speak. "I miss her," she said candidly. "I miss our banter, our hair-brushing sessions, our Scroll chats. I miss the condescending look she'd give me when she thought I was being naïve. I miss her pleased laugh when one of us managed to surprise her. We were close, Qrow." She took a slow breath. "Next to that, staying over on Tai's couch for a few weeks doesn't seem too important. And Yang is cute when she's not being a little brat."

Qrow laughed quietly. Thank you, Summer.

"Glad to hear it," he said instead. He heard Tai snap the stove off in the other room, then a scrape of metal as the pan was taken off the burner. "Guess we'd better get back out there."

Summer suddenly jumped forward, clinging to him in a quick, desperate hug. Qrow squeezed back around her small shoulders. The two of them stayed like that for only a second or two before Summer pulled back, but Qrow hoped it would help.

They emerged from the room to find Tai spooning scoops of risotto onto plates at the table. For a moment Qrow could imagine he was visiting a typical Vale household, a quiet family of three-with-baby sitting down to dinner together. But as they sat down, the empty fourth chair across the table kept them grounded in reality, reminding them that they were still missing someone.