Author's Note: Behold, a new story… and a commissioned one at that! There will be some notes at the bottom about it but for now, all you need to know is that this story will update on a monthly basis for the time being.

I hope you enjoy…

Taiyang was fully aware he was shoving his sleeping bag with more aggression than needed. While packing a sleeping bag into its package was generally frustrating and difficult, his bad mood made it all the more so. He had always hated packing for missions, due in no small part to the fact that everything could go wrong in a second. Combined with the fact there was no real way to prepare for everything and he just ended up stressed over what he might have forgotten and how not having it could end badly.

If there was anything worse than packing for himself, however, it was packing for Summer. Not only did it mean that he had to double-check everything that he put into her baggage with her, but knowing that she would be going on a mission, inevitably into danger, alone, made the existing pre-mission anxiety so much worse.

There was also a more personal, less rational reason that he didn't want Summer to leave. Raven had used the excuse of a mission to disappear and never come back, and it was a fear that always crept into his mind. He wasn't an idiot, and he trusted Summer to never run out on him and the girls, but that didn't do anything to assuage the fear. She could just as easily die out there and he would never know what truly happened.

"I'm just saying, there isn't any reason you have to go alone." Taiyang said for what was surely the millionth time.

Summer sighed in frustration. "Tai… can we not have this argument? Please."

Hearing the desperation in her voice, he was almost willing to budge. Like so many times before he was tempted to let it go, but there was something different about this time. Something that assured him that if she left, the worst would surely happen.

"Qrow's only a day or two away, he'll be back before you even make it out of Vale." Tai tried his best to reason with her. "I'm asking you to wait a day, that's all."

"That's too much!" Summer snapped back at him. "If I don't go now people might die, I can't let that happen. Not while I have the ability to stop it!"

"And what if you die?" Taiyang bit back, it was a familiar argument; one they had had on several occasions. For all the reasons he loved Summer, there were some things he wished she could let go of. Her selflessness was admirable and one of the many things he loved about her, but it was also the cause of his greatest fear. He knew without a doubt that if she was forced to choose between saving someone else or herself she would save the other person without any hesitation. Just as a Hero should… she'd leave them all behind in an instant. "Please, Summer… for me."

Summer sighed, her anger dissipating. "Why are you being so difficult about this? We've had this conversation before and I always come back-"

"This is different." Tai shook his head. "I don't know how I know, but I can feel it. If you go out there alone you… you aren't coming back."

Summer looked back at him for a long moment, her silver eyes piercing into his own. He did his best to stare them down.

"Come with me then." Summer whispered. "I can't wait for Qrow, but you're here right now."

Usually he would have said no. He'd given up on going out on most hunts, only taking the occasional simple work for the easy lien, but this was more serious. He hadn't been lying when he said she wouldn't come back if she went alone; not that he knew why he felt so certain. There were many things he didn't understand about the world, Ozpin had shown him that. Raven had shown him just how little he truly understood people, and now Summer was going to leave as well.

He wasn't going to let that happen.

"I'll drop the girls off with Professor Pine." Tai said. "She and Yang get along well enough. She'll keep them safe until we get back."

Summer smiled, the sheer happiness radiating off of her might have been infectious were he not so worried about what he had just agreed to. As she continued packing her things, he went about preparing the girls. It didn't take long to gather what they'd need to stay over for a few days.

"We won't be gone long." Tai took the shirt Yang handed him, unrolling it and folding it properly. "I expect you to watch after Ruby while we're gone."

"M'kay, I will daddy." Yang smiled as she handed him another balled up shirt, this one dark black. He folded it and pushed it into the bag.

"And I expect you to be nice to Professor Pine." He zipped up the small backpack, handing it over to Yang for her to carry. "She's a nice woman, but that doesn't mean you get to take advantage of her."

"I won't trick her into making cookies." Yang stomped her foot.

Tai narrowed his eyes on his daughter. "Who said anything about cookies?"

Yang paused. "It was Ruby's idea!"

"Ruby barely talks to people she doesn't know, I doubt she's the mastermind here." Tai smiled, bending down to one knee as he placed a hand atop his daughter's head. Staring into her face, he did his best to smile for her. "Promise me you'll take care of your sister."

Yang nodded quickly. "I promise."

"That's my girl!" Tai ruffled her hair for a second, before Yang practically launched herself back from him. He chuckled warmly. "Some things never change I guess."

"Tai!" Summer called from the other room. "Are you finished packing yet?"

"Yes honey." He'd been done from the start. Unlike Summer and Qrow, he believed in being prepared, and as such had a bag packed for just such an emergency. He'd just wanted to enjoy a few minutes with his daughter. Turning back towards Yang he felt his smile dip somewhat as he looked at her. He didn't like the idea of leaving them, even if it was only for a couple days, but if it meant Summer would still be around for them then he was willing to deal with the discomfort. "Go grab your sister."

Yang smiled, running off to wake up her sister and, while that may have seemed like a bad idea for most, Yang was nothing if not a doting older sister. Despite her young age and temper, she was always gentle with Ruby. These days she spent more time with Ruby than even Summer. Shaking his head, Tai reached down to pick up Ruby in one arm while offering his free hand for Yang to hold.

The drive over was quiet, Ruby and Yang having both fallen asleep in the back while they drove. "Maybe we should still wait for Qrow. Three is bett-"

"We've been over this Tai…" Summer shook her head softly. "We'll be fine. I've got my Silver Eyes and more than enough experience. Plus," She smirked slightly. "You aren't too bad yourself."

Tai rolled his eyes but couldn't fight the smile that spread across his lips. Simple compliments were always nice, but when they came from someone you loved they meant so much more; even when they were given in a teasing manner.

"Ok, ok… maybe I'm being overly cautious."

"Don't worry, I'm used to it." Summer's smile remained.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Tai crossed his arms over his chest, looking at his wife expectantly.

"You bought everything for Ruby twice."

"She could have been a boy!" Tai defended himself.

"We would have known for sure if you'd let me get a-"

"That would have ruined the surprise!" Tai replied, looking out the window while pretending to be offended.

Summer laughed lightly, an airy tone that reminded him why he loved her. The drive was far too short and they arrived at their destination in less than half an hour.

Pulling up to the house woke Yang, but Ruby didn't seem willing to budge. As Yang helped Summer with their bags he unbuckled his youngest seatbelt and hefted her up against his chest. She wrapped her arms around him and hugged him tightly, all without waking up. He hugged her back as best he could, before handing her over to Professor Pine at the door.

Summer knelt down for Yang, hugging her tightly and whispering something in her ear. Yang laughed as she hugged her back; bringing a smile back to Tai's face for a moment as he turned towards the Professor.

"We shouldn't be gone long." The words left him with an airy tone as he tried to force back the fear of leaving them.

"They'll be here when you get back." Pine smiled brightly for him, likely understanding the difficulty he was having. She'd been a Huntress since before Summer and he had been training to be one, and she had a few kids of her own. All grown up now, all living lives of their own, but the woman had once expressed how much she missed taking care of kids. She would keep them safe.

With a smile he hardly felt, Tai nodded once and turned; forcing himself away lest he never leave. Summer was already back in the truck by the time he managed to carry himself there, his feet heavy as he resisted the urge to stay with his daughters. Taking his seat at the driver's side, he looked back to the door one more time.

Patch had been many things for them, a safe haven from the war with Salem, the place of his first marriage and all the pain that had come with it. Now it played host to the family he loved more than anything in the world. Summer had saved him from the darkest part of his life and created a home for him and Yang. She'd been the mother to his second daughter and tried to be the perfect mother to both of them and, even if Yang wasn't her own, she never let that show. Their little cabin in the forest was peaceful, but it wasn't home.

Home was in his rearview mirror as he drove down Professor Pine's driveway. Home was the two little girls he loved with all his heart, and the woman sat beside him with a hand on his knee. She knew how difficult this was for him, and while Summer refused to stay back when people might be in danger, she knew it wasn't easy to leave them. It was something she had been forced to do more than just once.

Home would be waiting for them to return, and he would do everything he could to make sure they came back.

"What does it mean to be a Hero?" Ozpin posed the question with a somber tone. "It's one of those questions that have stood the test of time. One that lacks any definitive answer. Huntsmen are considered Heroes by most, and this is not without merit. It is due to their work that our Kingdoms are kept safe, and they are the force that bravely holds the Grimm at bay. But what is it that truly sets them apart? Some say that being a hero is simply an ideal to aspire to, but impossible to achieve. Others believe it is somehow inherent in blood or some kind of noble line."

That last notion was something Ozpin had put much thought into over his unnaturally long life. He'd spent lifetimes thinking of what it meant and whether or not a hero could be made. In the end, he had come to one conclusion.

"It is my belief that it is not so simple to define; that there is no one quality that defines a Hero. Through their actions, character, and very existence, they simply are." Ozpin gestured to the two stones set overlooking the cliff. "Taiyang and Summer were Heroes in every sense of the word. They fought bravely in the face of an overwhelming foe, refusing to go quietly in the face of the Grimm. They were Huntsmen of the highest caliber, but never once did such power corrupt them. They were loving parents, friends, and family. They were truly spirits unlike any other, and the world is lesser for their loss."

The small group gathered on the cliff side remained silent as Ozpin stepped away from the tombstones of two people taken from this world before their time. None stepped up to replace him, their words already having been said. Still, they waited in the hope that Qrow would have something – anything – to add. He didn't, instead standing still as stone.

The weather was for once a perfect reflection of their mood, though Ozpin knew that to be pure chance. Cloudy and raining for the past week, the island of Patch had seen the storm season come early this year; despite logic, he couldn't help but think of what it symbolized. Shoving such melancholy aside, he moved to stand next to Qrow as the small crowd broke to go back to the cabin and seek shelter. Qrow didn't move, nor did he acknowledge him as he approached.

It was clear that the usually perceptive man wasn't all there. He had hardly spoken since being told, only saying whatever was needed to make arrangements before going silent once more; lost in a world entirely his own. Ozpin recognized the look in his eyes all too well, having seen it countless times before in the eyes of men and women who had felt that they lost everything. More than once he had seen it in the mirror, and he knew just how tempting it would be to lose one's self to fantasy. It was difficult at times to remember that life would go on, whether one knew how to live it or not.

"They will need your help." Ozpin didn't move to step in front of the man; knowing that, despite his focus being entirely on long passed memory, he could still hear him. "They've already lost so much… don't take yourself from them as well."

Those he spoke of were still clutched to Qrow's legs, as they had been for the entirety of the funeral in a desperate attempt to find comfort. His assistant had tried to take them back to the cabin as the rain increased, but they had refused to let go of the only family they had left. Yang and Ruby were both soaked already, shaking slightly as they clung to their Uncle and cried.

Qrow, usually caring and shockingly gentle with the girls, didn't seem to notice. Or maybe he couldn't, still too shocked from his own loss. While that was understandable, Ozpin couldn't stand by while they suffered. Stepping in front of him, he placed a hand firmly on Qrow's shoulders, drawing the man's attention to him by disrupting whatever it was he had been seeing.

"Qrow." Ozpin stated firmly, doing everything he could to force the man to focus. "Summer and Tai would want you to take care of Ruby and Yang."

The names seemed enough to finally draw him back, having the man realize where they were and causing him to look down to the girls beside him. When he looked back up, his face was wet with more than simply rain, Ozpin pretended he didn't see it.

Qrow was never a very complicated person, his values and dreams were always well within the realm of reason and understanding. More than anything else in the world he wanted family, people he could trust and love. Tai and Summer had been just that, and now that they were gone. His question was obvious, though the look on his face was no less painful, and it was whispered so softly he would have missed it were he not standing so close. "Why?"

He likely meant it rhetorically, no doubt asking the universe why it had been so cruel as to tear a family apart not once, but twice. It was a question Ozpin couldn't answer.

"Because they love you." Instead, he focused on the girls. "Summer and Tai knew they could trust you, and they would want you to take care of their daughters."

"It's not fair." Qrow was not by any means a naïve person. His upbringing had been cruel and he was the very definition of cynical, so there was perhaps a joke in that statement. If so, Ozpin couldn't find any humor in it.

"No, it isn't." Ozpin answered simply. "Life rarely is, but the choice of how to handle that is ours to make. How we react, what we do next, is just as important as what happened before. What will you do now?"

Qrow looked back at him, though it quickly turned to him looking through him. That same glossy look overtaking his eyes as he struggled to think. It was the first time he'd ever seen him so indecisive, and it was worrying. After several minutes of silence, Qrow finally came back to them, but it was clear he still wasn't fully there.

"They left me the cabin, I…" Qrow looked down to the girls at his side, his words catching in his throat as he refused to continue. "I should have been there Oz… I-"

"Would have died with them." Ozpin stated it as a matter of fact, even if they both knew it wasn't. Summer and Tai were both skilled, but Qrow had always been the best of them when it came to this kind of clandestine work. Despite that, it would do nobody any good to think about what could have been. "Ruby and Yang need you. Here, now. Not thinking of how things could have been different."

Qrow listened silently but it was clear he didn't believe him. Ozpin would have to take steps to keep them safe, to watch over all three of them. It was the least he could do for the two people he had utterly failed. Two more names to the ever growing list of the loyal, courageous people who had died because of him.

"Qrow!" Glynda pushed the cabin door open with her foot, shifting to better carry the bags of food Professor Ozpin had told her they would need. Yang and Ruby followed closely behind her, each clutching a small brown bag to their chests as they struggled to carry the contents within. She'd tried to tell them it was unnecessary and that she would handle it, but they had been oddly insistent for children so young.

Qrow didn't respond as they entered the house, nor did she hear any sounds coming from other rooms. Sighing in frustration, she set the bags down and began tidying up the kitchen where she could. Officially, she was there to babysit the girls while Qrow went out and worked, either going on hunts or simply his job at Signal. Ozpin had stressed how much more she would be responsible for, however, a long list of things that meant she was practically babysitting three children.

Despite how much she had initially complained, it was easy to see that it was necessary. Qrow was hurting in a way that she hadn't ever personally experienced but could easily understand. The fact he was managing to hold himself together at all was a miracle, and she didn't doubt for a second they had the two young girls currently helping her to thank for that.

Stepping into the living room, she got a glimpse of the man she was supposed to be helping.

"Qrow…" Glynda sighed in disappointment. "It's not even two yet."

Sprawled out on the couch and smelling like a bar, Qrow didn't stir at her words. There were several empty bottles on the table nearby, a few having fallen onto the carpet. Withdrawing her crop, Glynda flicked her wrists and drew the drunken Huntsmen into the air. He didn't wake as she did, grumbling something intelligible and smacking his lips as he went back to sleep.

How he managed that, she didn't know. While she had never herself been moved by her Semblance, several people had described the sensation to her as being far from comfortable; an odd mix between falling and being held up by every part of your body. It wasn't painful, just odd and impossible to ignore. Despite that, Qrow slept away, even as she moved him into his room and dropped him on his bed.

When the three foot drop didn't wake him, she didn't bother trying to do so herself and closed the door behind her, stepping out into the rest of the house just as Ruby brought in the last of the bags.

"Thank you." Glynda took it with a smile, setting it on the counter as she began to withdraw the items within and sort them.

"Where's Qwow?" The innocent question made Glynda pause.

"He's… Sleeping." Glynda reached into the bag and pulled out a small package of cookies and set it on the counter. She saw Ruby's eyes lock onto it; thankful for the distraction, she even let the girl grab one when she thought she wasn't looking. "Why don't you and your sister get cleaned up, I'll see if I can make something to eat since you missed lunch."

Ruby rushed off in a blur, yelling for her sister with a fist - and mouth - full of cookies. Glynda chuckled softly, turning her attention to the task of making them some food. While she had offered, her skills were fairly lacking in the cooking department. Sandwiches would do for lunch, they were simple and easy to make. Qrow could handle dinner, so long as he was sober enough, that was.

An hour later he finally skulked out of his room. The girls had already eaten by then of course, as had she, but she had made sure to leave something for him as well. Now, the girls were playing out back; Ruby having spent half an hour trying to coax Yang out enough to play some kind of game.

It was heartwarming to see, especially considering how fresh the loss was for them. There were times she thought that the younger girl had been too young to process it, not truly understanding what had happened to her parents, but as she watched them play it was clear that Ruby wasn't as in the dark as Glynda and Ozpin had hoped her to be. She knew full well what had happened, as did Yang, but rather than feel loss, she did everything she could to make her older sister smile again, a rare sight to see these days.

Yang had coped in her own way of course, though Glynda didn't know how to feel about that either. She had taken to helping around the house, taking care of Ruby, and generally filling in for the work that should have been done by their caretakers or parents. That Qrow was in no place to do so went without saying, yet Yang and Ruby both seemed to realize that. It was an oddly mature thing to see from two children, and it hurt to know just how necessary it was.

Qrow sat down on a chair across from her, looking out over the back yard of what had once been the Rose-Xiao Long household.

"Thanks for the food." Qrow's voice was quiet, though shockingly not the slightest bit slurred.

"You were drunk again." Glynda kept her eyes on the girls. "You told Ozpin you wouldn't let it impede anything."

"He gave me time off." Qrow stated, shrugging his shoulders and taking a drink from a flask she hadn't seen until now. "Just enjoying my free time, I'll be ready for whatever mission he has for me next."

"That's not what he was referring to." Glynda glared at him from the corner of her eye. She had never had an issue with patience before, that often being described as one of her virtues, but she was certainly being put to the test these days. She could put up with people not understanding something immediately, some students needed more help than others and it was her job to help them, but Qrow wasn't a child, despite how he might act like one, and her patience with him had started to run thin. "You can't take care of them if you're drunk all the time."

He didn't respond to that, simply staring out at the two of them. It wasn't the first time she had mentioned it, and she wasn't the first to have brought it up either. Ozpin had spent the first couple weeks trying to convince the man to come live in Vale. Once that had failed he asked that he get some help taking care of the girls, to which Qrow had been very reluctant at first; only accepting when Ozpin offered her to do so.

While the Professor didn't technically have the authority to do that, the Headmaster had agreed with surprisingly little argument. She wasn't against the idea herself now, even if it was vastly different to what she had expected to be doing working for one of Vale's top Huntsmen Professors. Despite some initial reluctance, seeing just how much Qrow needed the help had convinced her, and the two girls had grown on her after only a few visits.

That had been four months ago, however, and sadly the man showed little sign of getting back to normal any time soon; that was, if he ever did at all. He'd gotten better, managing to go back to work and even taking some small Huntsmen jobs, but it was nothing like what Ozpin assured her he once was. As things were, she was the only reason Qrow still had custody of the girls; something Ozpin had begrudgingly told her when it became clear she was going to be there longer than expected.

The Academy had covered her living expenses for the most part, paying for a nearby house that she stayed at overnight most nights; though increasingly she'd been coaxed into staying over by Yang or Ruby. How was she supposed to say no to a seven year old girl begging her not to leave? Yang had fallen asleep on her shoulder that night, tears staining Glynda's blouse as she tried to be quiet lest she wake her sister.

Glynda hadn't known what to do at that point, simply trying to hold and comfort her where possible. Sadly with practice came proficiency, and she was starting to get the hang of comforting crying girls. Neither ever did so in front of the other however, always in private and always silently. And while she was grateful to not have them both in tears at the same time, that made it feel so much worse somehow.

"I'm heading out." Qrow stood suddenly, taking out some lien and handing it to her. "Order pizza, the girls will love it."

"You told them yo-" He was gone before she could finish, disappearing into the house. "Damn it Qrow. You promised them."

"Where's Uncle Qrow going?" Yang was the first to notice.

"Emergency at Signal." Glynda lied easily, forcing a bright smile as the girl's shoulders slumped. "He said we could order some pizza for dinner and to leave him some."

"He was supposed to teach me how to make mom's cookies." Yang's voice wavered for a moment, and Glynda panicked.

"I'll teach you."

The joy in Yang's face was overwhelming. "You will?"

"Grab your sister, if we start now they can cool while we eat dinner." Glynda stood from her seat, watching Yang run off excitedly. The moment the younger girl's back was turned the Assistant Professor pulled up her scroll, searching for instructions on how to make them from scratch.

Author's Note: This is a story I have been working on for a long time actually, one that I started well before Destiny No More was even close to being finished. While I am not yet done with it, I am at a point where I am finally willing to start uploading the chapters. As I said in the starting notes, this story will be monthly. The main reason for that is to give both myself the time to write, and the commissioner time to pay. Both fairly reasonable things, all things considered.

I hope you enjoyed the chapter and, as always, be sure to let me know what you think in the reviews. This story should be a good one.

Sincerely, SardonicEffigy