Chapter 73

Zwei proved to be the focus of the party, even when Qrow served his trademark chili a little after lunchtime. The puppy was just too cute and enthusiastic to ignore. Only Blake shied away, though the others encouraged her to join in the fun. All the excitement was too much for Nora, who quickly wore herself out and fell asleep with the help of her new neck pillow. So she could sleep more comfortably, and to spare everyone her snoring, Ren and Jaune decided to take her home early. They loaded their gifts into their car and departed.

Glynda got increasingly drunk, as was her Solstice tradition. It was an opportunity to cut loose, surrounded by trusted family and friends. She had been tipsy when Qrow arrived, but after a few more hours and much more alcohol, she was barely hanging on. Still, she seemed to be having fun, occasionally swaying to the music or commenting on whatever television program happened to occupy the screen. She felt no need to leave and sober up, and Raven saw no reason to leave either, even if the situation with Qrow had been tense. Qrow mostly chatted with the girls, while Summer and Raven looked on in annoyance. Winter encouraged them to give Qrow a chance, but seeing it was a losing battle, she joined the others in playing with Zwei.

As children, Weiss, and Winter in particular, had wanted a puppy. Their parents had refused, not considering such a pet appropriate for individuals of their station. That desire had receded to the backs of their minds, and even when their parents passed, they never seriously considered getting a pet. Winter was too busy trying to take care of Weiss, and later Blake, while Weiss did not want to add more confusion to an already chaotic situation. But now they could enjoy Zwei, without having to go through the difficulties of pet ownership.

The mood turned decidedly tense when Qrow approached Summer. It was clear that an argument was in the offing, though the others did their best to ignore it, hoping it would blow over with minimal unpleasantness. Though Zwei remained an energetic distraction, Ruby and Yang could not help but turn their attention to the gathering storm. It started with small talk, Qrow asking how Summer had been, receiving some unsatisfactory answers. Still, he persisted, praising Summer on how she had overcome the difficulties of recent months. One question caused the bottom to drop out.

"When do you guys get up in the morning?" Qrow asked.

"Why do you want to know?" Summer shot back.

"I thought I'd set an alarm, make everyone breakfast tomorrow." Qrow explained. "It's the least I can do."

"The least you can do is leave." Summer growled.

"There's no way you're spending the night here." Raven joined, backing up Summer.

"I came here all the way from Atlas." Qrow protested. "At least let me spend the day with the girls."

"No." Summer refused coldly. "You're leaving after dinner, and I don't want to see you again."

"They're my family too." Qrow insisted. "And they seem pretty damn happy to see me."

"Haven't you caused enough trouble?" Raven hissed.

"You're one to talk." Qrow countered.

Even from across the room, Ruby and Yang could tell it was bad. "That's going nowhere fun." Yang sighed. She started to get up but Ruby pulled her back to the floor.

"I've got this." Ruby suggested.

"Are you sure?" Yang asked.

"I'm gonna' pull this family back together if I have to drag them kicking and screaming." Ruby nodded. She got up and strode over to the arguing trio with an assertive determination that caught them off guard. She grabbed Qrow by the wrist with one arm and Summer's arm with the other. "Let's talk this over."

"There's nothing to talk about." Summer grumbled.

"Please, for me." Ruby gave her best puppy dog eyes.

Summer tried her best but could not resist, just heaving a heavy sigh. "If we're gonna' talk this out, we should do it privately at least."

"Alright." Qrow agreed.

Raven still held out, but not for long. "Fine, whatever."

Ruby guided the trio into the kitchen, closing the double doors to the lounge. She gestured toward the table and the three sat, Raven and Summer forming a unified front against Qrow. Though she hated leaving him at a two to one disadvantage, Ruby took a neutral position between the opposing sides. "Come on guys, can't we all just get along?" Ruby suggested.

"No." Raven replied coldly.

"Not after what he did." Summer added.

"He didn't make dad start drinking." Ruby noted. "He didn't make him violent. Those were his choices. And Qrow's sober, he has a good job, he's turned his life around. Don't you think it's time to give him a chance."

"I can't trust him, never again." Summer resisted.

"You shouldn't either Ruby." Raven said.

"It's not like you're without fault in all this." Qrow protested. "I'm tired of taking all the blame."

"Guys, please." Ruby tried to cut in, her voice faltering.

"You destroyed my marriage!" Summer charged. "Do you have any idea how hard it was?!"

"It wasn't enough for you to just be a fuck up." Raven charged. "You had to drag everyone else down with you. Why can't you just leave us alone?"

"Leave the past in the past!" Qrow shouted.

"Go to hell!" Raven yelled.

"Hell's too good for you." Summer added.

"Please." Ruby insisted, tears welling in her eyes. "Please stop fighting. Please...I just want us to be a family again. I want dad to come back. I want us all to be happy, like the way things were."

Qrow took a deep breath. "Things can't be the way they used to be Ruby, too much happened, too many damn lies."

"Qrow-" Summer tried to interrupt..

"I'm tired of it, tired of you!" Qrow pointed an accusing finger at Summer. "I'm tired of being the scapegoat, tired of Tai tearing himself apart with guilt, and I'm tired of being kept from the ones I care about. I'm done Summer. I am done!"

"Qrow, please." Summer beseeched.

"Qrow I swear to-" Raven started.

"Tai isn't your real father Ruby." Qrow declared. Summer and Raven froze, Raven mid glare, Summer with a look of terror.

"W-what?" Ruby gasped.

"I am." Qrow continued.

"Uh...I...wha...m-mum?" Ruby stammered.

"I…" Summer trailed off.

"Raven?" Ruby asked.

"Qrow." Raven growled.

"I'm sorry Ruby." Qrow sighed.

Ruby gaped at Summer, then Raven, then Qrow, heart hammering in her chest. "B-but...how?" Ruby stuttered.

"After Yang was born, Summer started raising her with Tai." Qrow explained. "She wanted them to be a family, but Tai wouldn't commit. She got frustrated and came to me, because I promised I'd be there for her, and I was!" Qrow spat, glaring at the woman. "I was there, I listened, I held her when she cried her eyes out, because I loved her, and she knew that when she spent the night with me." Qrow was barely suppressing his voice anymore. "A few weeks later she's pregnant, and fuck if we panic, we knew it was a mistake. I wasn't ready to be a father, I could barely take care of myself! And Summer didn't want to leave Tai. So she lied to him, told him the kid was his, and it worked, he bought it, everything went back to normal for me, because it was all my fault!"

"Oh come on." Raven scoffed. "We all know it was your idea, you two-faced…" She looked to Summer, and fell silent. "Summer...tell me he's lying. He has to be lying." Summer buried her face in her hands but said nothing. "Summer, this...what the fuck?!"

"I never said anything, I was sick of fucking up, so I figured I'd leave, joined the army, stuck myself in any other country I could so I didn't have to watch my daughter grow up living a lie." Qrow ranted. "But no, nah, that would be easy. No, Tai had to push the wrong buttons while I was drunk, and suddenly I'm telling the truth for the first time in twelve years, and everything comes crashing down, and your mother just went right on playing the victim, as if the entire thing wasn't her fault to begin with!" Qrow finished his story, slumping back in his chair, a mixture of anger and weariness on his features.

Ruby was at a loss. She gaped between Qrow, and Raven - who looked shellshocked - and Summer, who hid behind her hands like a shameful child. "M-mum?" Ruby croaked, tears blurring her vision.

Summer shook her head, barely meeting Ruby's gaze. "I'm sorry Ruby."

It hit Ruby like a bullet. It was true, all of it. Every last word. "I...you...I…" Ruby stammered, shakily leaving her seat. "I need to go." She whispered, stumbling as she hastily left the kitchen.

"Ruby..." Raven called weakly, only to be ignored. After a moment a door opened and closed. "Summer, this...why?" Raven struggled. "You, fucking...rgh." She left her seat more violently, shoulders hunched and fists clenched as she headed for the lounge to grab Glynda.

Summer whimpered into her hands as Qrow stood. "Happy fucking Solstice." Qrow grunted, taking his leave.

Alone, Summer collapsed, sobbing into the tablecloth, as her world crumbled around her.

Raven burst into the lounge and stomped over to Glynda. "We're leaving." She declared, grabbing Glynda by the arm and pulling her to her feet.

"But I'm having fun." Glynda whined, swaying in an advanced state of inebriation. Raven grumbled something inaudible, dragging her along anyway.

"Mom, what happened?" Yang asked. She knew the discussion with Qrow must have gone bad, but it seemed far worse than could have been anticipated.

"Ask Summer." Raven growled, finally pulling Glynda out of the room. A few seconds later, the slam of the front door shook the house.

"Well fuck." Yang sighed. She got up, followed by Winter, and headed for the kitchen. The others were content to play with Zwei, trying to pretend nothing bad was happening. Yang entered the kitchen to find Summer sobbing into the table. "Mom...what happened?"

"I'm so sorry…" Summer managed.

"Summer, it'll be alright." Winter rushed to her side, attempting to soothe her. "Just calm down, tell me what happened."

"Where's Ruby?" Yang asked. Summer glanced toward the door but said nothing. Yang headed to Ruby's room, expecting to find her there, but it was empty. "Ruby?" Yang called into the hallway, receiving no answer. A muffled techno tune drew her attention. She followed the sound into the entryway. Lifting a jacket that had fallen off its hook, Yang discovered Ruby's phone. Qrow was calling. "Hello?" Yang answered it.

"Ah shit." Qrow groaned.

"What's going on?" Yang asked. "Where are you? Where's Ruby?"

"I'm out front...you'd better come out here." Qrow replied.

Yang slipped on her shoes and threw on a coat before heading out. It was snowing. Between the darkness and the party, no one had noticed. Qrow was leaning against his rental car, looking defeated. "What happened?"

"I...told the truth." Qrow sighed.

"What truth?" Yang demanded.

"I'm...Ruby's father." Qrow answered.

Yang froze, shocked. "W-what?"

"Summer and I had an affair before she and Tai got married." Qrow explained. "She fell pregnant, she decided to lie, and I went along with it, because fuck, I loved her. Then I got drunk and blabbed to Tai, and that's where that shitstorm came from, and of course, she decided to keep up the lie because things were fucked enough. But I'm done, I'm sick of lying, and now Ruby rode off-"

"She what?!" Yang shouted. "We have to go find her!"

"I'll go searching." Qrow volunteered. "You wait here in case she calls."

"But I-" Yang protested.

"Stay here." Qrow commanded. He jumped in the car and drove off.

"Damnit!" Yang raged. She charged back into the house. By the time she reached the kitchen, everyone had gathered around the inconsolable Summer. "Qrow told me what you did."

Summer just kept on sobbing. "What happened?" Winter asked.

"Qrow is Ruby's father." Yang answered. "Summer decided to lie to dad...to everyone, and now Ruby's gone!"

"What do you mean gone?" Blake asked.

"She rode off on her scooter." Yang replied. "It's snowing, and she's just wearing her pajamas, and she's not an experienced rider, and she left her scroll and...if she has an accident…" Yang strode up to Summer, glowering. "This is your fault."

"Yang!" Winter admonished.

"Stay out of this." Yang snapped. "You...you...no, there's no time. We need to go find Ruby before...before something happens."

"Yang, there's no way we'll find her." Pyrrha advised. "It's dark out, she could have gone anywhere, we should wait here in case she calls."

"But what if something happens?" Yang pressed. "What if she can't call? I won't just sit here while she's out there-"

"Yang, I know it's hard, but we just have to wait." Pyrrha insisted. She put a hand on Yang's shoulder.

"But…" Yang slumped. Hard as it was to accept, Pyrrha was right. There were numerous routes Ruby could have taken. Without knowing which way she went or where she was going, there was no way to track her down. Once she got somewhere, she would surely call, and it would be best if Yang was home to answer. Yang turned back to Summer, rage burning in her eyes. "You did this!" Yang shifted to an aggressive stance, looming over Summer. "Do you have anything to say? Any excuse for what you've done?" Summer gave no reply. "I swear, if anything happens to her…I'll...I'll…" Yang cocked her fist.

"Yang!" Winter shouted.

Yang brought her prosthetic fist crashing down on the table. With a terrific crack, the blow collapsed it. "Damnit!" Yang stomped out of the kitchen. She paused at the door and punched it off its hinges.

Summer just sat there, sobbing.

Ren relaxed on his couch, nursing a cup of tea. Today had been a good day, apart from the early start, but that was nothing new. Nora was always excited on Solstice, waking up early to bounce around giggling, waiting impatiently for Ren and Jaune to make breakfast, and then to sit down to open presents. Despite the lethargy of pregnancy, Nora had been up well before first light, eager to get the holiday started.

Nora had received a heart shaped waffle iron from Jaune, which Nora had insisted on putting to the test as soon as possible. Ren gifted her several stuffed toys, to bolster her already sizable collection, which had an entire room solely dedicated to her obsession. Nora gave Jaune a game for his PC, something obscure and Mistrali, lewd in nature. Ren gifted Jaune a foam rubber sword replica, inspired by a game series he followed, yet altered just enough to avoid copyright infringement. Jaune gave Ren a book on martial arts philosophy from Mistral, a rare edition that Ren would likely begin reading later in the night. Nora gave Ren a new apron, as his old one was getting quite rough with age and use.

Overall, it had been a small but meaningful gift exchange, a nice prelude to Yang's splurging on them. The knives were a fantastic gift. Good knives were very expensive, but so very worth their price. They would endure many years of frequent use. Jaune's doll had already found its way into Nora's toy collection, though Nora was sure to find other uses for it. Jaune had disappeared into his room shortly after they had arrived home, excited to install the new part in his PC, giddy even. Nora retired to the bedroom with her breast implant, curling up and snoring loudly, loudly enough to be heard in the lounge. She would be bouncing off the walls about the sloth retreat soon enough, Nora always woke up with a burst of energy after her sporadic naps.

For the time being, Ren enjoyed the relative peace, until a knock at the door roused him. "One moment." Ren called, setting down his tea with a sigh and walking over. A visitor at this hour was very strange indeed.

Even stranger was who greeted Ren when he opened the door. "H-hey Ren." Ruby stood there, shaking and shivering, flakes of snow stuck to her coat and pyjama bottoms.

"Ruby?" Ren's eyes widened. "What happened? Why are...did you ride here?"

"Y-yeah." Ruby stammered.

"Come in, take off your coat." Ren instructed. "We need to get you warm. Jaune!" He called as Ruby shuffled inside, kicking off her casual boots.

It did not take long for Jaune to emerge from his room, freezing upon sighting Ruby sitting on the couch. Ren draped a blanket over her shoulders and tossed her coat aside. "Ruby?" Jaune's reaction was much the same as Ren's.

"H-hey Jaune." Ruby shivered, clutching the blanket around her shoulders.

"What's going on?" Jaune asked.

"What happened Ruby?" Ren questioned again.

Ruby sunk into the blanket, shaking. "Mum, Raven and Qrow started arguing, so I tried to get them to talk, to sort everything out." She warbled. "They wanted Qrow to leave, and they just kept fighting. I just wanted them to stop. I wanted us to be a family again, and Qrow...T-Tai isn't my real dad...Qrow is...m-mum lied, Qrow lied, Tai lied, even Raven lied to me! They all lied and I didn't know what to do so I ran, and it was cold, and I forgot my scroll so I came here and Yang is probably really worried about me a-and…" Ruby choked a sob, pulling the blanket over her head.

Ren and Jaune were shellshocked to say the least, exchanging a look. Ren wrapped an arm around Ruby's quivering form. "Do you want me to call Yang, let her know you're here?" He asked. Ruby leaned into Ren's warmth, her head nodding beneath the blanket. "Okay, Jaune, can you run the shower?" Jaune nodded, running off. "Ruby, take a shower. It'll warm you up and calm you down, okay?"

"M'kay." Ruby agreed.

"Alright." Ren stood. Ruby emerged from her blanket, wearing it like a hood as she slowly followed Jaune down the hall to the bathroom. Sighing, Ren retrieved his scroll and pulled up his contacts, tapping Yang's name and waiting for her to answer the phone. "Yang, yes, Ruby's here...she's as fine as she can be...she's having a shower...yes, of course, see you soon."