"Shh, it's okay, kiddo." Tai rocked a screaming baby Yang in his arms. "Daddy's got you."
She screamed even louder, seemingly aware that her mother was no longer around.
"Give her to me," Summer offered, ignoring the burning pain in her shoulder from the last mission.
Tai handed his baby over to Summer. She mimicked Tai's actions while humming a lullaby from her childhood. It took some time but Yang finally succumbed to Summer's soothing voice.
"There we go," she pecked Yang on the forehead. Yang cuddled into Summer's chest and closed her eyes.
"You're a real lifesaver," Tai smiled apologetically. "Sorry for all the trouble, especially since you're still recovering."
"It's no problem," she whispered, gently lowering Yang into her crib. "C'mon let's talk elsewhere."
Tai nodded stiffly and proceeded out Yang's room, Summer following close behind. She glanced behind just before leaving, her heart ached for the sweet little angel cuddled under a pile blankets. How anyone had the heart to abandon their child was beyond her.
Summer gently shut the door and proceeded out to the living. Tai collapsed onto the couch and cradled his head in his hands. Summer sat beside him and placed her hand on his back. It was only a matter of time before he succumbed to his heartbreak.
"How are you doing?" She asked gently.
"Horrible," he croaked. "H-how could she just leave us like that?" Summer slightly flinched at his outburst. Tai may have been more expressive than Qrow but she has never seen him break down like this. It was difficult to see such a cheerful person fall into the pits of grief.
Summer wanted to tell Tai everything would be okay, that Qrow would find Raven and bring her home, but she couldn't bring herself to give him false hope. Not even she knew if Raven could be found.
"Why did she leave, Summer? What did I do wrong?"
"I don't think you did anything wrong." Summer assured. "You work endlessly to give Yang and Raven a good life-"
"Then why did she just walk out on us?!" He cried. Summer bit her lower lip, fighting back tears of her own.
"I don't know, Tai. I'm sorry." She pulled him into a hug. "I'm so sorry this happened."
It still felt so surreal. Summer wanted to return to the days when they could just come home and catch up with Tai and Raven over the dinner table, talking and laughing over a cup of beer throughout the night. Now her wish felt more like an unachievable fantasy.
Why did things turn out like this?
"Y-you must be hungry," Tai sniffled, slowly recollecting himself. "Let me make you something to eat."
"N-no that's okay, I'm not-"
"You and Qrow made a long journey back only to find out Raven bailed on us. Now he's out there searching for Raven while you're helping me with Yang. It's the least I can do."
"Are you sure you're up to it?"
"Don't worry about me, Summer." He wiped his eyes try with the back of his hand. "It'll help keep my mind busy for a bit."
"Okay," Summer hesitantly nodded. "Thanks, Tai.
As Tai prepared a simple meal Summer remained seated in the living room, gazing blankly out the window. It was cloudy, the wind was particularly abusive toward the trees today. She felt a pit form in her stomach at the thought of Qrow flying out in that weather, injured and fighting against nature's force. Every second that passed only seemed to further fuel her anxiety. She could hardly breathe.
'What if something happens to him out there? What if he gets caught up with a Grimm? Will he be able to defend himself?' Her paranoia whispered. 'I should've gone out with him. Sure, I'm not in the best condition to fight, but it's better than leaving him alone to fend for himself.'
"Summer?" She snapped out of her panicked thoughts and noticed the peanut butter jelly sandwich held in front of her.
"O-oh, thanks." She took the plate out of Tai's hand and began to munch, even if it was her favourite it had no taste.
"He's going to be okay," Tai said as if reading her mind. He returned to his seat beside her. "Qrow's a tough guy."
"Y-yeah you're right." She took another bite of her sandwich. "He's gonna be alright...we're gonna be alright..."
Yang's scream was overshadowed by the roaring thunder overhead. Neither Summer nor Tai could manage to calm her down. It was now Tai's turn to comfort the infant, he sang her a lullaby while pacing slowly around the house.
Night fell hours ago and the weather took a turn for the worse. Thunder and lightning now ruled the heavens, rain pelted onto their roof like a thousand bullets. To make matters worse, they have yet to hear from the Branwen twins.
"They're still not back," Summer was standing in front of the window, straining her eyes through the rain and darkness. "Why are they still not back? H-he promised he'd return before sundown."
"It's probably just difficult for him to fly through this storm," Tai said over Yang's screams, though now he sounded less confident than he did before. Another crack of thunder caused Yang to scream her tiny lungs out. Tai averted his full attention to his daughter again.
A flash of lightning lit up the area for a brief second, much to Summer's disappointment she still couldn't see her friends amidst the chaos outside. Without a second thought, she raced into her room, armed herself bolted straight to the front door.
"Where do you think you're going?" Tai grabbed her shoulder before she could reach the doorknob.
"I'm going to find Qrow and Raven." Summer said without batting him an eye.
"Have you lost your mind? It's a mess out there." He tightened his hold on Summer. "You can't just throw yourself out in that storm, you could get killed!"
"Two of our friends are out there right now and one of them is injured!" She shot back. "I need to do what I can to look for them!"
"And what if you get lost too?! No offence, Summer, but you aren't exactly in the best position to take on the storm either." Tai retorted.
"Half the team is already missing, I can't lose you too." He reminded her softly. "Please, Summer, don't go out there."
Summer desperately wanted to break free of Tai's grip and run head first into the storm. If it weren't for Yang's fearful screams holding her back she'd be long gone by now.
"Why did everything have fall apart at once?" She pulled her hand out of Tai's grasp and returned to her position by the window. The havoc conjured up by mother nature perfectly mirrored the turmoil she faced in her mind.
"They've been through worse," he assured, though his words felt empty to her ears. "Don't worry too much."
Summer didn't know how long she'd been standing their, motionless and drowning in her own paranoia. At some point, her hand found its way to the hilt of her sword, for once it did not give her the comfort she so desperately needed.
"You should get some sleep," Tai joined her by the window. She noted Yang was now fast asleep in his arms. "I'll wake you up when they come back."
"No, I'm not resting until they return." She stated firmly.
"Summer, you're injured-"
"So is he," she felt tears prickling her eyes. "And for all we know Raven could be hurt too."
Tai peered out the inky window alongside Summer. While the thunder finally ceased the rain and rattling wind seemed to worsen. A flash of lightning lit up their front yard again, this time reigniting a spark of hope. Summer held back a scream at the tall figure limping out from the forest, he was using his sword as a support to stay up. Even Tai seemed to breathe a sigh of relief.
"See?" He grinned. "I told you your boyfriend was a tough cookie."
Summer didn't bother correcting him. Another flash of lightning revealed Qrow managed to slip and was now lying on the ground. Just shortly behind him was a pair of glowing red eyes.
Summer's adrenaline went into overdrive. She bolted out the house and using all the energy she could muster she blasted into rose petals toward the Grimm. With a blink of an eye her she drew her sword and slashed the bear-like creature on its bulky shoulders. The Grimm cried out in pain while Summer landed on top of a tree. She clenched her teeth and clutched her injured shoulder.
The Grimm gingerly surveyed the area, baring its white teeth in all directions. Forcing herself to ignore the searing pain from her injury, Summer burst into rose petals again. This time she flew past the Grimm, the shockwave that followed her quick movement knocked the creature down and soaked everyone and everything within her proximity in icy cold water.
A battle cry ripped through the air as she lunged at her helpless opponent. With one swift move, she plunged her blade into the Grimm's head. Her opponent gave one last weak cry before falling limp, it's body disintegrating into black particles.
"Shit," she hunched over at the pain ripping from her shoulder and down her back. Knowing her luck the wound was bound to be reopened.
She faintly heard Tai's voice calling to her in the distance. She then remembered why she came out here in the first place. She quickly sheathed her sword and crawled over to the unmoving man ahead of her.
"Qrow," she whimpered once she was by his side. A flash of lightning allowed her to better make out his features. All her worst fears came crashing down on her shoulders at the rose red liquid streaming down his face.
"Don't worry, I got you." She whispered as she his arm around her shoulder. When she attempted to lift them both up she succumbed to her own injury, she fell to her knees and nearly dropped Qrow. He groaned but didn't seem to be fully aware of what was going on.
"I-I'm not going to leave you here," she attempted to hoist him up again failed as she lost her footing on the slippery grass.
"Summer!"
Summer looked up and noticed Tai running toward them with a flashlight.
"Over here!" She cried.
She squinted as Tai shined his light directly on them. Within moments Tai was carrying Qrow back while Summer held onto his sword. The trio stumbled hastily into the house. Tai carefully laid Qrow down on the couch while Summer barely had the strength to close the door behind her. It was then she realized just how cold and heavy her clothes felt. Qrow's sword fell to the floor with a loud clang as Summer collapsed shortly afterwards.
"Summer!" Tai rushed over to her side. His face drained of colour. "Y-you're bleeding."
"It's just an old wound," she said through chattering teeth. "Don't worry about me, do something about Qrow."
He glanced back at the couch and then at Summer.
"Fucking hell I can't do this alone." He shakily unclipped Summer's bloody cape and threw it aside. "S-stay right there."
Tai ran back to his room, returning seconds later with clean blankets in one hand and his scroll in the other. He first draped a blanket over Summer's shivering body before laying one down on Qrow.
Tai, still trembling, hastily turned on his scroll. Just as he was dialing in the number for help it slipped out of his hand and hit the side of a coffee table.
"Shit, shit, shit!" He cried as he attempted to turn on the now broken scroll. Tai's outburst woke baby Yang up, fearful cries sounded from her room.
"Goddammit! Of all the times it could break!" Tai rushed into the kitchen to presumably use the home phone. His footsteps disappeared into Yang's room.
Summer hugged the blanket close to her body but it failed to provide her with any warmth. She cursed and forced herself up, legs trembling under her weight. She gritted her teeth and stumbled to the couch where Qrow laid, once there she allowed herself to fall.
Qrow remained motionless if it weren't for his shallow breaths Summer would be sure he was dead. Blood continued to stream down from the gash in his head. Summer didn't think twice to wipe the excess runoff from his face. Her touch managed to draw him out of unconsciousness, he groaned and stirred under the blankets.
"Don't move," she ordered him softly. "You're injured badly."
At the sound of her voice, he squinted his eyes open and turned to look at her. A faint smile touched his lips.
"Huh, so I made it-" he was cut off by a cough. He visibly cringed from pain.
"I-it's okay," she whispered to him. "Everything will be okay, now." Pain clutched Summer's heart at the sight of his suffering. If it were possible, she'd be more than happy to trade places with him.
"It's so hard to see you like this," she sniffled, her hand gently stroking his hair. "What happened out there?"
"Don't...don't tell Tai." He pleaded weakly. "Raven...she's returning to our tribe."
"What?" Summer whisper-screamed. "But your tribe i-is full of..."
"Murderers," he finished for her. "Trust me, I tried talking her out of it but she didn't listen. Just gave me some bullshit about returning to her real family."
"N-no..." Summer pictured poor Yang growing up without a loving mother by her side. She could only imagine the pain Yang would go through when she learned why Raven is no longer around.
"I'm sorry, Summer." He said once he noticed her breaking into tears. "I tried...I really tried."
"It's not your fault," she answered in between sobs.
"She of all people should know what it's like to grow up without loving parents." He continued bitterly. "Can't believe that bitch would do the same thing to her own kid."
"Qrow, y-you shouldn't be so disrespectful to Raven. She's still your twin sister."
"Oh yeah? Well, she doesn't consider me her twin brother anymore." He spoke in a barely audible voice.
"E-excuse me?" Summer felt like she just got hit with a bunch of bricks. "Y-you're kidding, right?"
He closed his eyes," I wish I was, shortcake. How do you think I ended up like this?"
While Summer never had any siblings of her own, she couldn't imagine the hurt someone would go through knowing their own brother or sister rejected them as family—especially if they were a twin sibling.
"I'm sorry," she hiccuped. "I-I'm so very sorry."
"Don't be," fluttered his eyes open again. "It's not like she's dead or anything."
Tai walked out of Yang's room with the phone still against his ear. "Yes, I already told you we leave on the outskirts of town! No, it isn't there!" He took a quick peek at them and then headed into the kitchen. "No, I can't calm down! One of my friends is on the verge of death and the other one possibly needs new stitches!"
"So you reopened your back wound, huh?" Qrow commented with a humourless chuckle. "Even when I'm unconscious-"
"It's not your fault," she replied in an instant. "I was being a bit reckless while fighting a Grimm."
"Summer, you've got to stop covering for my semblance." He grinned tiredly. "They don't call me a bad luck charm for nothing."
"You're the only one who calls yourself that." She rested her head beside his. "You're my good luck charm."
"I thought you agreed to stop using cheesy one-liners."
"You know you love them."
"Nah, they cramp my style."
"Liar."
They fell into a comfortable silence. Summer snuggled her head further into the couch cushion and closed her eyes, fingers still mindlessly playing with Qrow's hair. Her heart skipped a beat the moment she felt his lips on her forehead. Her face heated up like up like stove.
'Did he just...? Am I dreaming or am I in heaven?' She thought as the blush on her cheeks deepened.
"Huh, I expected more of a reaction from you." He spoke after several seconds of silence.
'Yup, I'm definitely dreaming.'
"I-I thought you said we were only friends." She mumbled so quietly that she wasn't sure if he heard her.
"I never said we were anything more than friends." He pointed out.
"Then why?"
"You know the answer."His answer sent a shockwave of warmth through her chest.
Summer had never felt so happy and angry in her life. A part of her wanted to shower him with kisses while another part wanted to strangle him.
"How long?" She questioned tightly.
"For a long time now."
Summer shifted her head to meet his eyes. Their faces were inches away from one another.
"Why did you wait so long to tell me?" She challenged. "W-we could've been a thing. I-I wouldn't have spent so much time wondering if we could work out or not."
"You know the relationship would be difficult, Summer." He answered calmly. "It's because I care about you that I don't want you to be with me. I'd rather have you safe with someone else."
"I hate you sometimes." She felt fresh tears prickling her eyes. Ironically, it was this overprotective and caring nature of his that caused her to fall for him in the first place.
He smiled and kissed her on the forehead again, "you can't hate me forever, shortie."
Something shattered in the kitchen, sending Tai into another frenzy. Once again the sudden noise roused Yang from her sleep.
"Why now?" Summer continued to interrogate. "If you wanted to keep me safe like you said then why bother telling me now?"
"To be completely honest, I don't know if I can make it out of this alive."
"Don't say things like that." She chided, she couldn't—wouldn't believe the words that were coming out of his mouth. "W-we can get through this together. I-I know we can."
"It's looking pretty bad for me, Summer." He grunted as he turned his body to face her. It wasn't until he pointed it out that she noticed just how gaunt he looked.
She didn't think twice to snuggle closer to him, their foreheads resting on one another. The weight of Raven's betrayal, Yang's loss of a mother, Tai's heartbreak, and Qrow's potential demise all fell onto Summer's back like a boulder. Her world was breaking apart.
"You can't just leave me like this." She choked. "Not after what you told me."
"Even if I do survive, you know there's no chance we can have a functioning relationship."
"At least you wouldn't be six feet under the fucking ground." She felt the last of her composure breaking with that response.
"I-it isn't fair," she continued to cry. "I-I hate that you actively try to push me away. A-and now that I learn the truth..."
The blanket around her shoulders slipped off but she didn't care. She could barely breathe under all her sobs.
"I just look after you in different ways." His voice was growing quieter, drawing more tears from Summer's eyes.
"Keep fighting, Qrow. Please keep fighting." She leaned in and pecked him on the lips. "I love you, stupid."
"That's a pretty strong word to use, shortcake." He grinned weakly at her.
"After this long, I think I deserve to use it." She forced a smile onto her own quivering lips.
"Me too."
She closed the distance between them once again, this time he gently kissed her back.