Heart to Heart

Chapter 63: One Popular Spot

Qrow had led Willow to a small but charming restaurant that was off the beaten path. At first, she wasn't sure what kind of place he had been leading her to. The alleyway wasn't exactly a main street, and while she was used to dining in fabulous Five Star restaurants where the staff all wore immaculate uniforms, and the place was designed in the most elegant ways possible. She strangely felt a comforting atmosphere in the place.

"I think you can ditch the glasses and hat," Qrow told her. "Doubt anyone you know would walk into this area of the city."

She did just that as she felt he had a point, no one in her society circles would be here. They generally stuck to the higher-class areas of the city. Even in Atlas there was class distinctions. She looked around, the place has a Mistral feel to it with red wallpaper and golden dragons and tigers on the walls, stylized lights and polished oak tables. The place smelled of preparing food that she had to admit made her stomach eager for something.

"I take it this is one of your usual spots?" Willow asked him.

"Actually, this is my second time here, this guy I worked with Clover showed me this place," Qrow explained to her. "Apparently, it's a family business, three generations going. It was found by someone in the academy awhile back and it's kind of become this secret place to hang out that only a few people know about."

"Why so secretive?" Willow asked him curious as to the reason.

Qrow shrugged. "Guess they didn't want the place to get swamped by people. Wanted to make sure that not only is this place kept running but also that not to flood it or else they would have to start making reservations just to get in. Which suits the family just fine, they prefer regular business that doesn't swamp them."

He figured that it also meant a lot less stress, if you were packed every nice while nice for profits this was mainly a family business and they only had two cooks. If one or both fell ill, they would have to shut down until they recovered.

"Is this place really that good to keep secret?" She asked.

"Oh yeah the meal I had here last time was great," Qrow eagerly had been wanting to take her here to show off the food. "Trust me, once you have a meal here you might sneak out more just to come here."

She had her curiosity peeked as a young woman took their orders. It was a simpler selection of foods that she was raised on, but she was in the mood to try something new. They made some idle chatter but when the food arrived, she had to admit it did smell divine. When she tasted it, how the food melted in her mouth rich in taste but not overpowering she had to admit, he was right.

"I do admit, this is very good," Willow was enjoying the food, the atmosphere of the place and of course her companion. Qrow looked at her with a grin taking another bite before speaking.

"Told ya," He simply stated. "I've been around the world a few times in my life, and this is quickly becoming one of my favorite places. Nice and quiet, with good food and out of the way so it's not too busy."

"I expect you have had a very exciting life," Willow envied him in a way, the freedom to just go anywhere he wanted to go.

"That's one way of putting it," he sighed as his good mood seemed to fall a bit.

"I'm sorry, did I say something?" She asked confused.

Qrow waved it off, "Naw, nothing like that. Sure, my life can be exciting but it ain't all adventure and story book endings."

Willow didn't really know much about the life of a huntsman, even though her two daughters went to academies she didn't really know much about that side of their lives. "If you don't want to talk about it you don't have to but I am curious. I don't know much about you, and I would like to learn more."

"It's not exactly a happy story," he warned her.

"I'm familiar with unhappiness." She told him in a flat tone.

Qrow shook his head. "Maybe but not like this. Well, I guess I'll start with my childhood, so much as it was. My and my twin sister Raven, don't ask which of us is older, we've been arguing that point for years, well we were left to die in a forest."

"What!?" Willow was horrified hearing that.

Qrow shrugged. "I don't really remember our parents, just kind of vague figures. I just remember being led there with a small bag of food and water and told to wait. We waited until night, and they didn't show up, so we went looking and we soon got lost. We spent a week out there, nearly starved to death when a tribe of bandits called the Branwen Tribe found us."

Willow sat there transfixed she had never heard of such a story.

"Well, it wasn't easy living, it was either do what they said or die," Qrow took a drink of his iced tea as all those old memories started to come back to him. "We did a lot of things I regret in order to survive, we hurt a lot of people, people died because of us."

Qrow hated himself for going along with it, but he had been a kid, and they were the only ones to take them in. At the time he just figured it was how the way the world worked. He could still see the people he hurt while being a bandit. It was one of the reasons she joined Ozpin, he wanted to make up for all those years and all the pain and suffering he caused others.

"Eventually the tribe wanted us to get into Beacon to learn how Huntsmen and Huntresses operated, they figured if they knew how they worked they could evade or fight back." Qrow darkly chuckled. "It was the one good thing they ever did for us. We got ourselves some fake identities and backgrounds to get into the school. Ozpin at the time, well he saw right through us, but he didn't kick us out. He took us aside one day and explained he knew why we where there and he gave us a choice."

"Which was?"

"Either we leave or stay," Qrow shrugged. "I thought he was going to throw us to the authorities, but he said he saw potential in us, that we didn't have to harm others to make our way in life. I won't lie, those years in Beacon were the best years of my life. I met Tai and Summer, our teammates and in Tai I found a brother I never had. In Summer, she was the kindest person I ever knew. For the first time I felt like I found a place I belonged."

"What happened?" Willow could see the emotions playing on his face and how much he missed those years.

"We graduated, Raven got pregnant with Tai's kid soon after, they were going pretty steady and even got married…" he stopped as he frowned.

"Something happened?"

"She left," He stated with a voice mixed with disappointment and anger. "She just one day up and abandoned both him and their newborn daughter. She wasn't even a year old, and she abandoned them both…just like how our parents abandoned us."

Willow's eyes widened, she might not have been the best mother, retreating into her drinking for the last few years but she could never just walk away from her children. They were the only good thing about her marriage. "Why in the world would she do that?"

Qrow shook his head. "She has some screwed up reasons for it, they're all bullshit to me. We've argued about it for years after it. Anyway, she went back to the tribe, and I run into her now and then. Tai remarried to Summer and had another daughter with her…but she went on a mission and didn't come back."

Qrow looked at his glass and wished it was alcohol at this moment. "That's the life of a Huntress or Huntsman, you don't always come back. I've lost a lot of good friends over the years; it never gets any easier."

He thought about all those friends that were gone because of Leo's betrayal. If that man hadn't been killed, Qrow had half a mind to kill the man himself all over again if he could. All those lives lost all those broken families left behind when he went searching for allies. All dead because of one coward's betrayal.

Willow was silent at that as she drank a little bit of the wine she ordered. "I'm sorry."

"Not your fault, just how the dice rolled in my favor in life." He simply stated he had come to terms with his past, he didn't like it, but he accepted it.

"Still," she paused. "I can't really compare. I know I don't have the right to complain about my life when I have so much but it's all so hollow. I was raised to talk a certain way, to act a certain way, to think a certain way. I thought at least my marriage was solid and that we were in love…"

"How long until that lasted?"

Willow had to think about it. "I suspected something was wrong for a few years, we would have small arguments but then they got worst and worst. I think Weiss was nine, no wait ten, we had a huge argument that day and that's the day he said he never loved me, that the only reason he married me was to get the Schnee name, our money and the company."

She took another drink looking at her own glass. "That's when I started drinking. I couldn't take it anymore and just wanted it all to go away, to feel numb to it all. I thought despite everything maybe it could work out, maybe there was a chance but there wasn't. Our entire relationship was built on lies and deception. He made me think he actually loved me, and you know the worst part of it all?"

She turned to look at him with her eyes shinning with tears. "I actually did love him once, when we were young, I thought he actually loved me back."

Willow looked away as the hollow feeling started to eat her up inside. Then she felt a gentle but rugged hand wipe a tear from her cheek and she looked to see him leaning over looking at her with compassion and even a bit of understanding in those pain filled eyes.

"Sorry you have to go through all that, it seems life kicked us both around in different ways." He told her.

He rested his hand on one of hers still staring into her eyes. "I think that's what really drew me to you. Never really been with anyone on a permeant bases, I think before now the longest I've been with a woman was a week, I think that's because in the end, I knew they couldn't understand. They never understood just how cold and cruel life can be."

"It can," Willow said her voice choking up as she felt her hand embrace his. A yearning deep inside for someone, anyone to acknowledge her pain and accept her for it was mirrored in the man in front of her.

"Well, they say misery loves company," He leaned in and kissed her.

She was surprised he would do something so affectionate in public, even in a small place like this. In Atlas society it was improper to show such things but in that moment she didn't care. She just wanted someone, anyone to take away her pain and emptiness inside and fill it with something better. She tasted she rough lips on hers and in that moment everything just melted away.

Not far away another two people were talking down that same side street.

"And you are sure there is a place to eat here?" Winter asked.

"Well Clover only took me here once, but the food was pretty good. He swore me to secrecy, but I think he wouldn't mind you knowing about it," Marrow explained. "Since you're a Specialist like us and being the General's right-hand man-er-woman, that says how trustworthy you are."

'Not like I have many people I could tell,' She thought to herself. The evening had been going well and she found she missed the comradery her fellow soldiers had. She had been so focused on her career she hadn't even realized just how isolated her life had gotten handing out with the Ace Ops. She had felt more relaxed in a military group, mainly because she could understand them more.

Before she had realized it, she and Marrow had been the only ones left. She had been about to call it a night when of all embarrassment her stomach growled. You'd think in a bar that wouldn't be overheard but Faunus hearing was something she forgot about. So, Marrow had suggested a place close by, she tried to disengage but of course her stomach had to argue with her.

So, to save herself more embarrassment she went along with it, if only so she didn't have to look rude after the invite. He was just inviting her, a work colleague to a meal, nothing more, right? At least he was proving to be relaxing company.

Marrow was a little nervous asking her if she wanted to get a meal, at first, he was just thinking that it was only because he knew she was hungry. Truth was he was too, but it wasn't until they were walking when it dawned on him that he had drinks with her and now they were going out to eat together. It was almost like an actual date, which only made his nerves worst. He still wasn't sure if she was just being friendly or if he was reading more into this than there was.

Making a quick look he had to admit she was a beauty. She carried herself as the guidepost for military decorum, always seemed to have a perfect posture and movement. He also couldn't deny she had that highborn kind of face you know the kind with perfect cheeks and aristocratic style. He also hadn't noticed until that night at the Schnee mansion just how amazing her eyes were. That very light blue that seemed to pierce into you was very unique.

"Are you alright?" Winter asked. "You look a little flushed."

"Oh, uh, no it's nothing," Marrow quickly tried to cover up. "Just feeling a little warm wearing the uniform all day is all, I'm a little sensitive to heat." Which wasn't a total lie, his canine half was a bit more sensitive, but he was used to the uniform.

"I suppose the uniform was only intended with humans in mind when they were created," Winter frowned at that thought.

"Things are better now that the regulations allow for Faunus to customize the uniform for certain body parts," He offered as he wagged his tail. "When I first joined in the academy, they didn't have that for my first year, so I have to suffer stuffing my tail in the waistband."

Winter felt bad not just for him but because it took Atlas so long to finally start to make regulations that were more inclusive to non-human members that choose to join. She was about to say something else when she noticed a familiar sight down the road in front of them with a very familiar voice.

"So, this place is somewhere your father knew about?" Weiss asked Flynt who had her arm wrapped around the taller boy.

"Yep, the owner and my pop went way back," Flynt explained. "Both are family businesses and he used to take me here all the time." He smiled at the memories of better days, before his dad's dust shop had closed down. "But then I went into Huntsman training, and you know the rest."

Weiss' face fell a bit, "I still feel sorry for what happened to your family's business."

"Not your fault, I know that much now," He felt bad about trying to lay all the blame on her back when they first met in the tournament. Especially now that he had gotten to know her and from their talks how much of a bad opinion she had of her father, and he honestly never thought how it had to be to live in her world.

All the things she had been forced to learn, parties she had to go to, how frustrated she sounded from how she had to always act around people, the limited freedom she had to work so hard just to get. He also couldn't help but notice her change since Beacon, she was much more independent now and also more open and friendly. Plus, he also loved to hear her sing, them playing music together somedays were the highlight of the day for him.

As he looked at the shorter girl she suddenly stopped and looked surprised. Flynt looked up and froze. Right there in front of them was her older sister, Specialist Winter Schnee with a Faunus Specialist he didn't know. He looked kind of familiar, but he couldn't place him. At any rate his focus was on the scary older sister looking right at him.

Winter had already had a small chat with him earlier when apparently, she had found out he was hanging around Weiss, or would it be more precise to day dating? Although the two of them hadn't talked about it, he was pretty sure their relationship went beyond just friendship.

"Sister?" Weiss blinked.

"Weiss," Winter arched a brow at her younger sister with the boy. While she knew they were together this was a first for her. "I see you are out with…Flynt was it?"

"Yes ma'am," Flynt couldn't help but slip back into student mode. A Specialist were the elite of the military forces and in Atlas all their teachers were military members. He was suddenly becoming all too aware that out of everyone here, he was the only student around since Weiss and her friends had been given full Huntress licenses.

Weiss could feel how tense he was being and decided her sister was not going to scare him off. Even if she didn't mean to, she knew her sister could be a bit intense but that was just how she was. "Yes, we're out on a date night and he's taking me to this restaurant here. What are you doing here with Marrow?"

Now the older Schnee was on the backfoot as she suddenly realized just how this might look. She was here alone with a young man her own age in the same profession to eat together.

"Well, we were out with the rest of my team, and we were hungry, and I knew about this place," Marrow offered scratching the back of his head.

Winter was thankful for his quick and honest response.

"Oh, and here I thought you two were out on a date." Weiss stated she had to suppress the grin on her face at the sight of her older sister actually blushing a bit, she also noticed Marrow getting a little embarrassed too.

'Oh, what have we here?' she mentally thought. 'Could my dear sister be keeping a secret office romance or maybe it's just the suggestion they were on a date?'

"T-this is just two co-workers going out to dinner together," Winter snapped trying to gain control.

'Ah, so that's it,' Marrow thought as he guessed he had his answer he was relieved to know what this was, so what did he feel a little disappointed?

"Well, we won't intrude on your outing then," Weiss stated as she took a step forward pulling Flynt slightly to get him moving. "Flynt here has promised me a great meal and I'm looking forward to it."

"Oh, right," Flynt nodded to the two Specialist as Weiss led them inside the doorway.

Winter decided this was an opportunity to at least see how this boy treated her sister in person. She took Marrow's arm. "Come along."

"Y-yes," He wasn't sure if she noticed it or not but when she pulled on his arm he felt it connect with the side of her chest.

'Soft,' was the first thing that got into his mind.

Winter was too focused on her little sister she hadn't noticed, when they entered, she saw Weiss had stopped still and staring at something. Flyne was asking her if she was okay, but she wasn't responding. Instead, Winter followed her gaze and what she saw was so shocking her brain refused to process it at first.

"Mother?" Weiss asked in a low tone.

That confirmation on what she was seeing allowed her brain to slowly start to process things. There at a table together was her mother and Qrow, who was currently leaning in and kissing her mother who seemed to be enjoying it.

Her mother and Qrow where here having a private dinner together.

Her mother and Qrow were kissing.

Her mother and…QROW!?

"Qrow!" She shouted out startling everyone in the restaurant as her voice carried with the full power of a military officer and an outraged daughter all in one. Qrow and Willow snapped apart as both turned surprised at the sight of it.

"Oh shit," Qrow muttered seeing the murderous look in the eldest daughter. Now he had seen her mad, hell he had made her plenty mad a lot of the times but this, this was something new. He could actually make out one of her eyes twitching.

"Winter, Weiss!?" Willow gasped seeing her two daughters here and knowing what they had just seen. She was mortified and even horrified by how they might react to her affair. Why of all places did both have to walk in at that exact time?

Well, one explanation she would later learn would be Qrow's semblance of bad luck but she wouldn't know about that until much later.

"Hey there Ic-uh Winter," He figured calling her 'Ice Queen' wasn't the best way to diffuse the situation. Plus, her mother was literally right next to him too. He then looked to Weiss who hadn't moved or said a thing. "Weiss."

Willow blinked and looked at him. "You knew both of my daughters?"

Qrow suddenly realized he never explained fully about team RWBY but he figured she at least knew her daughter's team. He might have guessed wrong on that. "Thought you knew? She's on team RWBY, the same one as my nieces I told you about, in fact she's Ruby's partner on that team."

"Oh…I didn't know that," Willow felt horrible for not even knowing that much about her own daughter's life but she had been too…busy. No, if she was being honest, she was too 'busy' drinking her wine collection.

"As for Winter, well I've worked with her on and off for a few years," He explained.

"Qrow, what is the meaning of this!?" She demanded her hand going to the sword at her side.

"Whoa, you can't start something in here," Marrow quickly reacted holding her arm. "You can't start a fight in here since you'd have to explain to General Ironwood why the police had to be involved."

Winter paused thinking about it, the police would most likely be called if a fight started out here. A fighter between two people like herself and Qrow could have a lot of public damage. She remembered that last time they fought at Beacon and how that had gone down. She had been given a talking to by the General after the fact and she didn't want to go through that again.

Taking a few calming breaths, she closed her eyes and then glared at the man. "Explain."

There was a pause as people in the restaurant were holding their breath at the situation. The staff weren't sure what to do just yet as the knew the military uniforms and didn't want any trouble for their establishment.

"Well, short version or long version?" Qrow asked and seeing the glare deepened. "Okay short version. I'm dating your mother."

Winter paused before turning to face her mother. "Is this true?"

Willow felt like wanting to hide under a rock, this wasn't something she wanted her children to know about. Granted she was sure they didn't care much for their father at this point, but this was still an affair. Looking up at them she felt Qrow's hand on hers giving a gentle squeeze.

With that silent encouragement she looked up at her daughter.

"Yes."

"How long?" Winter was trying to keep her cool but this whole affair was throwing her off.

"Since that party your father held," Willow explained.

Weiss suddenly gasped as a sudden realization hit her as she finally broke out of her stupor and looked at Qrow. "When Ruby called you after and you said that you were with someone…"

He scratched the back of his head. "Yeah, that was with Willow."

Weiss paled even further than her normally pale skin, she didn't want to think what had been happening on that other end of that phone call that night. She really didn't want to picture it.

"Uh, excuse me," the hostess finally decided to come up to them seeing that whatever was going on here was slowly starting to calm down. "But this is bothering the other customers so if there is a problem can you please take it outside?"

Weiss suddenly noticed everyone was looking at them and felt embarrassment, Winter took it better, but she too realized she was making a spectacle and hated it. Perhaps it was a lingering thing engraved into her growing up about trying not to make a scene that was still a part of her psyche.

"It's…fine," Winter stated. "It's a family affair that should have been kept private."

"If this is a family affair, will you all be sitting together or different tables?" she asked.

Now that was a question no one had an answer for. Weiss and Flynt were here on a date as were Willow and Qrow while Winter was having an outing with Marrow in a friendly setting. There was a lot of crossed circuits here and no one was sure what to do at first. Do they sit separately? If they did it's not like they could ignore everything going on, but did they even want to sit down together?

There was a lot to unpack here, and could they all just put it off?

Surprisingly it was Qrow that sighed sitting back looking annoyed. "Might as well sit with us and get this over with. Not like any of us will get a pleasant evening out of tonight after all this."

Qrow really was cursing his luck, his plan for a nice dinner with Willow and then maybe going for a walk and hoping to end it in a night hotel room was looking further and further away. At least they managed to eat half the meal before this started up.

"I…suppose he has a point," Weiss sighed not liking that her date was ruined. She looked apologetically at Flynt. "I'm sorry for the family drama."

"No need, we just picked the wrong night to do this," he said. He could see that Weiss was not liking any of this, but he knew how complicated her family life was thanks to getting to know her in their time together.

With a resigned sigh Weiss took the first step, she would like to talk to her mother, she hadn't had the change at the party. Now she knew why, which was something she was desperately trying not to think about what they had been up to while she was in attendance on the main floor.

A table from next over was pushed to make room. Qrow and Willow of course sat together in a corner, Weiss was seated next to her mother with Flynt next to her. Winter was at the far end by her own choice not wanting to sit close to Qrow, that was left for Marrow to be the border between them and the boy young man could feel the heat of the death glare aimed past him to the older man to his side.

Menus were given but there was a still a silence as no one knew what to say first. Winter was trying to keep tight control over herself and not launch herself at the cad not far from her. Of all the things that Qrow had done, this was by far the worse.

"So," Weiss stated after taking a breath and making her menu choice. "I take if father has no idea."

"If he did then…" Willow paused as her eyes got a bit of a haunted look at them. She stiffened feeling Qrow's hand on hers as she relaxed. "Well, he won't be happy, not like he should complain. Do you honestly thing he's never cheated on me over the years since our marriage failed?"

Weiss had to chew on that, honestly, she didn't know. Her parents' personal lives she never really took a deep look at. All she knew was that it was an extremely unhappy marriage and there was no love in that relationship. It was cold and distant.

"Even thought I can see that," Winter did not hold a heigh opinion of her father she looked at Qrow with scorn. "You ended up with this vagabond?"

"Hey, I kind of like the sound of that," Qrow grinned rubbing his chin.

"It was not a compliment," Winter hissed out.

Willow wasn't sure what had gone on between her eldest and Qrow, but she didn't like the way she treated him. He had been the first real breath of fresh air and light in her otherwise dismal so-called life. Her eyes hardened as she looked straight at her daughter.

"That is enough of that," Willow snapped surprising the two young women. Weiss could never remember her mother speaking like that and for Winter, it had been a very long time she had nearly forgotten how her mother had been before she started drinking. "I don't know what you have against him, but you will not behave in such a manner in my presence. Qrow has been wonderful to me, he's been the only thing in my life in years that's made me feel something other than loneliness and despair."

"He's a drunken fool of a man," Winter complained.

"Hey, I'm nearly three months sober thank you very much," Qrow told her holding up his drink at proof. "And that's not easy either."

"Which is true, I've never seen him take a drink even when offered," Willow wasn't sure she could quit her own drinking, it had started to be on her mind lately, but it just seemed too hard, like a huge weight pressing down on her. "He's treated me with more kindness and affection than I have in over a decade."

Weiss felt horrible for that, listening to her mother she sounded like a woman isolated from the world. "Mother I had no idea."

"You wouldn't…you left, you both left me alone," Willow stated her voice nearly cracking with emotion. "I know I wasn't the best mother but when you both left without a word do you know how that hurt me? And what's worse you left me along with him. Who did you think he took out his anger out on when neither of you were around?"

That felt a like a slap in the face to both girls, Weiss remembered how her own father has slapped her face when he had basically imprisoned her on her return from Beacon. She looked at her mother with concern. "Mother, he didn't hit you, did he?"

Qrow's jaw clenched waiting for the answer.

"No, although at times I wish he had," Willow stated, if he was physically abusive, she might have gone to the authorities with evidence, but he was too smart for that. "Mostly it was verbal or emotional harm he threw at me he has threatened to take everything I have and throw me out on the streets."

"But this is your family's company and money," Winter looked at her with confusion.

"But he's run the company for decades," Willow stated. "He's put his own people in place, I have no allies, and can you honestly think he wouldn't have a judge or two in his pocket?" She sipped her drink knowing full well that her husband had spent years slowly cutting her out of the company. If she tried to divorce him or leave him, he could and would make her pay dearly for it. She wouldn't even be surprised if he got full custody of her son as well.

It was another reason why she drank she was trapped in a cage, and she couldn't find a way out of it. Plus, her drunkenness was well known, an open secret as it where, and he would use that against her as well to paint her an unfit wife and mother.

'Maybe I am,' she depressingly thought. 'I let my girls go and I've nearly lost my son.'

Weiss reached over to grab her mother's other hand making the older women look at her. "Mother, I'm sorry, I didn't know. I wanted to talk to you at the party, when I got back but…I was afraid. All I remember was her always drunk and, and I hated seeing you like that. I hated how much pain you were in and I couldn't do anything about it. I didn't want to abandon you, but I just couldn't live under father anymore. I just couldn't take it."

Willow felt her eyes sting as she gripped Weiss' hand. "I supposed I can't blame you for wanting to get away from him, I know I would have if I could."

"Mother, I still remember the way you used to be, before the drinking. That's the woman I wanted to see again so every time I saw you drink, it just hurt to watch you." Weiss admitted. "You got worse every year and I thought that I had already lost you."

Willow felt a few tears as she heard her say that. She couldn't look her daughter in the eyes, she felt ashamed. She knew she was weak, that she let herself drown in alcohol and in a way, she lost more than just herself. "I'm sorry I wasn't a better mother."

Weiss felt her own eyes stinging, this was the first time she had ever had a real conversation with her mother, who wasn't completely drunk, who while beaten down by life, embers of the mother she fondly remembered were still there.

"We can work on that," Weiss stated. "I'm willing to repair our relationship if you are?"

Willow looked up in surprise but felt her heart bleed out in joy. "I would like that so very much."

"Good, I would like that too." Weiss smiled.

Winter's face fell a bit, but it was because she hadn't even attempted to contact their mother all this time. She was stationed here in Atlas she had been so close but so far away. All that time she could have spent helping her mother like Weiss was offering and what had she done? She had left home and never once looked back.

"Winter?" Willow asked looking at her daughter.

Truth was deep down Winter missed her mother especially the woman she remembered as a young girl. "I would like that too mother."

Willow smiled at her as a lot of the tension seemed to ease out of the room. Then the mother looked at her daughters and the two men who had been silent all this time. "So then Weiss who is this young man?"

"Oh," Weiss suddenly felt a little unsure, she hadn't expected to introduce him to her family any time soon after all. "This is Flynt Coal."

"It's nice to meet you ma'am," he nodded his head to her.

"I take it since you two are here together then," Willow trailed off.

"Yes mother, we are dating, this was supposed to be a nice time out but well…you know." Weiss lamented.

"It's so nice to meet you Mr. Coal, I hope you've been taking care of my youngest daughter." Willow said in a motherly warm way that put the young man a little bit more at ease.

"Yes ma'am, although I'm not sure just how much I can take care of, she's one hell of a lady." He said casting a smile to Weiss who smiled back.

Willow was glad to see that Weiss was at least seemingly in a good relationship. There was a softness and caring in their look that she felt she could trust in. At least she hoped so, she had been fooled once before and her heart carried the scars of that. Looking to the young Faunus man next she had to admit at least Winter had chosen a nice handsome boy who obviously was nervous about the whole thing.

"So how long have you an Winter been together?" Willow asked.

Both Winter and Marrow blushed as the man stammered Winter quickly jumped in. "It's not like that mother! He's a friend from work!"

"Oh? It's a shame, he's a handsome young man and you're not getting any younger Winter." Willow told her oldest.

"Mother~" Winter groaned out.

Qrow got a mischievous smile on his face. "So, since we're all getting to know one another, I got to know. What Ic-I mean Winter always such a prim and proper lady growing up?" He was going to say 'have a stick up her ass' but again, not the best way to talk about someone's kids in front of them.

"Well, now that I think about it." Willow thought back.

"Mother, no please," Winter begged. She couldn't believe that this was going to happen, her mother telling embarrassing stories about her where Qrow could listen to them, to where Weiss would learn about things, she had kept from her, and Marrow would learn. She wasn't sure which one was worst for her at the moment.

She only knew that at this moment, she was in hell. She had to have died and gone to hell and this was her eternal punishment.

"There was this time when she was five," Willow began.

TBC…

Hoped you enjoyed that, wasn't sure where to take it but I figured a big fight wouldn't work out but let's just say this revelation will still have reactions to everyone else.