A/N: Here it is! The end, the - hopefully - grand finale!

I feel like such an asshole for making you all wait so long for this. But, that being said, reasons beyond my control dictated that my attention be directed elsewhere. Namely, the giant fucking hole in my wall, a demolished water line, and my laptop doing its best impression of that one guy from Scanners - the one whose head exploded.

In all seriousness, though, thank you all for reading this. When I started writing this fic, it was literally born out of me having just finished watching EruptionFang's videos on Qrow being Ruby's dad and getting Summer killed and thinking "Hey, that sounds like an interesting story." I didn't expect anyone to read, let alone like it. Yet here we are.

Also, I want to address the shift in POV from Qrow to Ruby in the last chapter and this one. I feel like you all already know how Qrow is feeling through all of this and there's not really anything new that I can give his mental state. Whereas with Ruby, there is such a dramatic hurricane of emotions and thoughts tearing through her head, it makes the story so much more interesting when told from her perspective. So that's why. If you don't like the switch, I'll give you the same answer my wife gives me when I disagree with her on something: "Eat me!"

Alright, rant over. Dammit, I need to stop indulging my weakness for long-ass author's notes.

P.S. (Son of a bitch! I'm not done yet.) Long chapter is long. This chapter really ought to have been split into two, but I felt like you deserved all of it at once. So, just so you know, when you see - CE -, that is where the chapter would normally end.

Ruby Rose broke.

The terrified shrieks of a young girl were swallowed by the roars of demons. Shattered boards and splintered wood peppered her skin, drawing pricks of blood all over her body.

Time seemed to stop as the claws and teeth of evil inched ever closer. Ruby felt a strange new sensation wash over her. It was weird and alien, yet so familiar and still she could not place it. Not that she could even think at the moment.

A sharp crack beneath her warned her of the floor collapsing in. However, she had not the time to move to avoid it and instead fell awkwardly through the floor, her bloodied legs hanging up above her head now. Good thing though, as the sudden drop prevented an incoming Ursa from taking her head off.

The next few seconds were a blur of muffled sounds and nigh untrackable motions. She clambered to free herself from the hole in the floor but a massive pile of fur and muscle slumped over on top of her. The thing she now recognized as the Ursa was now decapitated, spewing a geyser of hot, black blood from its neck. It should have relieved her to see the monster's corpse, except for the small fact that it was lying atop her, preventing her for moving at all with its crushing weight.

She had little time to ponder how the creature was killed. Within a single second, several other Grimm fell to wounds of a similar nature. The tears that Ruby was shedding blurred her vision, so she could make out little more than glints of morning sunlight off steel as monsters were brutally sliced to pieces around her.

The vicious chorus of a blade tearing through flesh had a brief intermission when the thundering crack of a gunshot sounded. Ruby, still held prisoner by the felled Ursa, was showered in a steaming torrent of gore from some nearby Grimm. The hail of acidic blood and chunks of something awful pulled yet another scream from her now-hoarse throat as it burned against her arms and face. Her sudden outburst apparently drew the attention of her invisible savior away from the fight and onto her, if the crackle of aura and raspy groan were any indication.

"Fuck!" the curse was barely even audible over the din of the Grimm, but it did cement her assumption that the unknown fighter was a man. After yet another gun blast and the distinctive sound of mecha-shift she normally loved so much, he ran up beside her.

"Ruby? Ruby, are you okay? Are you hurt?" His voice was oh so familiar, and yet, she could not recall it; fear and the surge of chaotic emotions having screwed up any and all of her capability for intelligent thought.

"M-my... leg," she sputtered, nodding toward her lacerated thigh.

"If I can get this thing off you, can you move?" he asked frantically.

"I think so."

The dead Grimm atop her had begun to dissolve, and she felt him lift the massive beast up. "Okay. Get out of there!" he strained. No doubt the Ursa was still heavy. The weight having been lifted from her, she managed to wiggle out of the hole and drag herself to her feet.

She winced and cried out sharply as she placed weight on her injured leg. Blades of fire and ice shot through her entire body. Just before she could fall to the floor yet again, her footing was swept out from beneath her. Strong arms cradled her as she was carried up and away from what was almost her grave.

Finally free from her decomposing prison, and not under threat from dozens of seething Grimm, Ruby got a chance to rub the warm blood and tears from her eyes. The clarity of the world around her came back and many terrifying details rushed to meet her. Chiefest among them being the sheer number of Grimm that she hadn't seen before. They seemed to have multiplied exponentially in the few minutes she spent in the shed.

Although, the number of monsters held so little impact on her compared to the shock that overcame her at finally seeing her savior's face. It was Qrow, her uncle - no, her father! He came for her, to save her. Any anger Ruby had previously felt for him dissolved instantaneously upon seeing his face. Never in her life had she been happier at someone's presence. But how had he found her, how had he known where to go? Nevermind, it didn't matter. He was here and that was all she cared about.

As he carried her through the streets of Kuroyuri, more and more Grimm made themselves known. Whether by howls or jumping out from around corners to attack them. Qrow was quick on his feet though; ducking and weaving through alleyways to avoid the horde. After running for a few more yards, he slid to a stop, kicking open a cellar door.

"Get inside!" he commanded, lowering her into the dark, musty room. Yet another wave of pain clawed through her leg as her weight settled on it, though she was able to stifle the cry that came to her throat. Darkness enveloped them as he pulled the door closed once more, the cacophony of howls up above muffled by the thick cobblestone walls. "We should be safe in here... for now," he huffed.

Harsh light from his scroll cut through the blackness and stung her eyes. However, the uncomfortable sensation faded as the silver orbs adjusted. Through the shadow and dust clouds, she got a better look at her father. One of his sleeves was badly ripped, a trophy from his mad dash through the swarm of Grimm, though his skin was unmarred, thanks to his aura. Sweat and black Grimm ichor stuck to his exhausted face, the LED light causing it to shine.

His breaths were heavy and labored, more so than her own she could only assume that he'd flown from the city to have reached her so fast. And despite having access to avian abilities, it was most likely taxing on his body. Such an assumption was evidenced by the way his legs suddenly gave out beneath him. His knees hit the cold stone floor with a muffled thud and he let out a loud groan.

"You know what, kiddo?" Qrow wheezed. "Sometimes I wish you weren't so damn fast. I'm gettin' too old to be chasing you around all the time."

Just like him to make a joke in such a dire situation. The dam on her emotions broke yet again. Although, in place of rage and confusion, she descended into a fit of hysterical laughter and tears. Ruby threw her arms and all her weight around his shoulders, sobbing and whimpering into the crook of his neck. "Oh my god, I'm so sorry! I never should have run away like that." He said nothing but wrapped her in his embrace, squeezing her small frame against him. "I was angry and confused and stupid! I didn't know what to do, so I just ran. I ran and ran until I got myself stuck here. And if you hadn't... I would've... The Grimm-" He pulled her even tighter against his chest, cutting off her rant.

"Shh, stop talking like that," his voice was soft and caring, like those in her earliest memories of lullabies and whispers of love. When he would lie with her in the night until she fell asleep, warding away any monsters that made her cry. "You're fine now. I'm here, and you're safe. Nothing's going to hurt you."

"But... the Grimm outside...?"

"Are staying outside. I won't let them get to you. I'll die first." he whispered sternly.

The words were meant to comfort her, and they did for the most part. However, his final statement was said with such conviction and force that it was undoubtedly true. A fact which jerked even more tears from her eyes. He shouldn't have to die. If she hadn't reacted the way she did, none of this would have happened and he wouldn't have had to say such things.

"This is all my fault," she sobbed. "We're trapped here 'cause of me."

"No. No, we aren't. If I had been honest with you and Yang from the beginning, this wouldn't've happened." She'd expected such a response. He wouldn't let her take any of the blame, not when he saw himself responsible for her well being. "Fuck, if I'd just been the one to die in that fucking bandit camp instead of Summer, you and Yang's lives would have been so much better. What've I ever done for you, except bring you trouble and pain."

Ruby winced. She'd have been lying if she said she hadn't thought the same in the last few hours. For as long as she could remember, she'd missed her mother terribly. Growing up without her had been hell, and finding out that Qrow was in no small way the cause of her demise made that pain all the worse.

"For one, you two wouldn't have gotten dragged into Oz's little secret war. If I hadn't told you where I was going you would have stayed home, with your dad, where it was safe."

That thought had crossed her mind as well. It had been him that gave her the information that led her to walk all the way across Anima.

Then again, it wasn't Qrow who decided to form Team RNJR. It wasn't Qrow that had kept her going for all those hellish months. It wasn't even Qrow whose sacrifice she was trying to honor by going on this quest.

All this time, he was just an onlooker, watching her life play out from the sidelines. He wasn't the main reason she was here, but one of many. The true catalysts for her journey were the people she'd lost; Penny, Pyrrah... her mother, and the ones she was fighting to protect. If not for them, she wouldn't have become the Ruby Rose that she was.

"No," she said, her voice hoarse and raspy from crying and the dust in the air. "I wouldn't have stayed. With or without you, I would have found my way here."

Qrow's head fell and he loosened his grip on her. She shifted over to sit at his side, leaning against his shoulder. "Be that as it may, it doesn't change the fact that things would have been different had it been me that died. Summer didn't need to be there, if she hadn't come along with me I wouldn't have had to watch the woman I love die, and you would still have your mom."

"Losing my mom hurt, yeah," she affirmed. She had no clue how this had turned to her consoling him, but it had and she felt that it was good for both of them. "even if I don't really remember her. But you're important to me too. I love you and if you died... I don't know what I would do without you."

"You'd have your dad."

She shook her head. "You're my dad," she held a finger to his lips before he could respond. "I know there's a difference between 'father' and 'dad,' but hear me out. Please?"

He looked like he wanted to argue, but decided against it and humored her.

"My entire life, who was it that helped raise me, taught me how to read, write, and ride a bike? Who gave me my first scythe and trained me to fight? Who followed me across Anima and protected me and my friends? Who has it been that nearly died for me on multiple occasions?"

"Me?"

"You, Qrow. It was you. And if all that doesn't give you the right to call yourself my dad, I don't know what does."

Qrow let a tiny smile tug at his lips. "What does that make Tai, then? He was more of a father to you than I ever was."

She nudged closer to him, laying her arm across his chest in an awkward parody of a hug. "Well, then I guess I have two dads."

The smirk grew in size and a pained chuckle escaped him. "Now just hold up there. There're implications to that statement that I don't think either me or Tai are comfortable with."

There was that signature sarcasm that he was infamous for. Little by little, she could feel the tension between them lessen, and the mood beginning to lighten. All she had to do was push a little more.

"I dunno, he is kinda lonely." She couldn't help but smirk and internally grimace at the thought of Qrow and Tai having a nice romantic dinner by candlelight. "He might be open to some romance~. Especially since he already knows you so well."

That did it. Qrow broke into full-blown laughter. It was hoarse and weak, but it was there. "Okay, now I know you're Summer's kid. She always joked about me and Tai." The thought pushed her over the edge as well. The idea that her mother had joked about her father and her dad being closet gay for each other was just too rich to ignore. "But I think that you are enough evidence that I don't swing for that team." He nudged her with his shoulder.

Once their laughter had subsided, the dark cellar fell silent, the only noise being the sounds of the Grimm the roamed the streets above, searching for them. The fact that monsters were crawling all over just above her head should have sent Ruby into a panic, same as it had not ten minutes before. However, at that moment, she could only feel safe and happy to be sat close to her father. Judging by the way his breathing had slowed and his muscles relaxed as she nuzzled even closer, he felt the same.

She closed her eyes and yawned meekly. She hadn't realized it before, but between being out all night looking for Qrow, the stress of the whole reveal, and her angry teenage flight, she was exhausted. With her head resting on his chest, she could hear and feel his heartbeat; it was calm, much like her own.

"I love you... dad," she whispered with a contented smile.

The last thing she heard before dosing off was his muffled hum. "I love you too, Ruby."

Ruby was pulled from the gentle embrace of sleep by a sudden loss of support and warmth at her side. With her eyes still closed, she felt Qrow lean her back against the wall as he stood up. He tried to remain quiet so as not to wake her, however, it ultimately proved to be folly. She groaned and she peeled her eyes open, rubbing the sleep from them. Her vision was no better, though, darkness still rendered the cold and musty cellar pitch black. The rapid tapping of rain of the hatch masked the wide yawn that she made.

Light, gray and dim, suddenly pierced through the darkness as Qrow peeked outside. His face, briefly illuminated, was tired and strained, as though the stress of the last twenty-four hours had him age by as many years. Gray stubble shadowed his cheeks and mouth, only serving to make him appear more ragged and worn.

His image was gone a second later when he pulled the door closed once more. Yet another groan escaped her as she stretched out, muscles and joints all over her lithe body popping as she did so. "Qrow?"

"Hmm? Oh, you're awake. Sorry if I woke you." he sounded worse than he looked. It occurred to her that he may very well have stayed awake, keeping watch, for as long as she had been asleep.

"S'okay. How long was I asleep for?"

He opened up his scroll and glance at the digital clock. The light once again making shadows play across the creases of his face. "About four hours. Honestly, I'm surprised you weren't out for longer with all that you've been through."

"Mmm. Well, I am a light sleeper." She pushed herself up off the floor, careful to keep weight off of her injured leg. A slight twinge of pain hit her, though, by the feel of it, her aura had done its job in her sleep, healing the gash. When she gained some semblance of balance she made her way over to where she'd seen him. Upon finding him, she placed a hand on Qrow's shoulder. "Have you been able to call for help?"

He sighed. "Nope, we're just outside of the CCT's range. So, unless they come to us, we're on our own."

Crap. There they were, her without her weapon, him running on fumes, trapped in a Grimm-infested town with no way to call for help. The situation could've been better. "So, what do we do? I may have healed a little, but I'm in no shape to run all the way back to Mistral. And, no offense, you look like you're about to drop dead."

"None taken. I feel it too. And honestly, I really don't like our options, specifically, the one that's in my head right now. But I can't think of any other way out of this shitshow."

Uh oh. Ruby had a feeling she already knew what he was going to suggest, but she had to ask. "What are you thinking?" Please don't say 'fight our way out.' Please don't say it.

He sighed. "We're gonna have to fight our way out."

Darn it.

"Not just that, but I think we have to clear out the town."

Damn it. "Why?! Didn't I just say we're in no shape to fight? I don't even have a weapon. Why would we not just fight, but stay to kill every single Grimm in Kuroyuri?" The idea was asinine, even by her extreme standards.

Qrow lowered himself down onto the floor and turned on his scroll, providing the two of them with some light. He then motioned for her to join him. Once she had, he took a deep breath and looked into her eyes. "I did some thinking while you were asleep, tried to figure out why so many Grimm are congregated in one place. There's nothing in this godsforsaken town, no people or animals in the area for them to hunt, so that's out. So, what kind of force would be strong enough to draw them all here?

"Then it came to me... Salem. There's no other possible explanation. She failed to destroy Haven using the White Fang before, so now she's taking a different approach. One that can't be affected by human - err, faunus - error. You remember, she did the same with Beacon and Vale; her first try was the breach, her second being the one that succeeded."

No, it wasn't possible. Was it? There had to be some other reason; a spike in negativity or maybe just plain old bad luck? Then again, this was Salem, so Ruby had no idea. All she or any of the others knew of her was what Ozpin had told them, which wasn't much. "If that's the case, the shouldn't we try to get help from Ozpin and my teams? There's just no way for the two of us to take on every single Grimm out there. We'd get ourselves killed."

"That's just it. With no way to contact them via scroll, our only option would be to make a run for it. But there's no guarantee that we'd make it. More than likely we would get overrun and swarmed by the Grimm chasing us. Even if we did manage to outrun them, we'd just be leading them straight to the city." He paused and pinched the bridge of his nose, groaning at their lack of options. "On the other hand, if we stay and fight, we'd just get surrounded, like you did earlier. So, we're damned if we do..."

"Fucked if we don't," she finished. The harsh word visibly caught him off guard, considering the fact that she never cursed. Though, she figured that the situation warranted it this one time. Ruby couldn't help but kick herself. Why had she been such a child? They would not have been in this situation if she'd been able to act her age.

"Y-yeah, exactly," he said. "If I'm being honest, I'd rather not risk all those civilians if we can help it."

Die, fleeing like scared animals, running for their lives or with weapons in their hands, taking as many Grimm with them as they could. Which one was the more preferable?

"So we fight," she stated solemnly. Such a simple phrase for so monumentally dangerous a task. But better to face death head-on than to cower and pray it was painless. Which, given that they were facing beings literally made of hatred for mankind, it would not be.

"So we fight," Qrow echoed.

The fear that had gripped her before started to creep back into her mind. However, she pushed back against it with all her mental force. Before she had been alone, confused, and angry, there hadn't been anyone to watch her back and she'd gotten careless. Now, she had her father, weary and battered though he may have been, he was still one of the best huntsmen on Remnant. With him at her side and her at his, they at the very least stood a chance against the horde above.

Ruby rose suddenly, the pain in her leg now little more than a dull ache, dusted herself off, and held out a hand to Qrow. "Let's go. One way or another, we're gonna have to go out there. I'd rather it be while a still have the energy to stand."

Qrow chuckled and took the hand she offered. "No hesitation, huh? Just gonna charge right on out there?"

"Well, it's like you said, we can't lead the Grimm back to the city, that would put too many people in danger. And we can't stay here, so we might as well get this over with."

She moved to the hatch. It squeaked as she pushed it open the tiniest bit. "Nothing's around, we're okay for now." She carefully climbed up and out of the cellar.

"Like mother like daughter, I guess," she heard Qrow grunt as he clambered up behind her.

The ruins of the small town were teeming with Grimm of all varieties, in numbers Ruby hadn't seen since the battle for Beacon. They roamed aimlessly around, occasionally stopping to investigate some sound or smell. Though none of them seemed to be focused on any one thing, and they certainly weren't mobbing together to attack Mistral. If Salem truly was in control of them, why was there so little aggression, so little drive to hunt down their prey? Unless... unless she did have them under her spell and was merely holding them in the area, keeping them docile until she massed a force large enough to eradicate the city and academy in one fell swoop.

The idea made her skin crawl. So many Grimm, the chaos they could wreak. The death and destruction they could bring. It chilled her to the core.

No. She couldn't think about that right now. There was too much at stake for her to get distracted and screw up.

Silver eyes scanned the streets relentlessly, searching through the mass of black figures for the crimson tool she needed. There! Some fifty yards away, across an open plaza flooded with beasts, lay Crescent Rose, cold and abandoned to the elements. Ruby's eyes stung a little at the thought of what all the rain that was pouring down had done to her baby. If - no, when - they got back, she would need to light a few candles and spend some precious alone time with the lovely death dealer, just to make up for how poorly she'd treated her.

"I've gotta get to my scythe," she whispered to Qrow, who'd knelt beside her. "I'm worthless without it."

He sighed. "You know what? The first thing we're gonna do when we get back to town is get Yang to start training you in hand-to-hand." The older man's knees creaked and popped as he stood. Harbinger sang as its blade extended outward, the shrill noise drawing the eyes and ears of more than a couple Grimm. "I'll clear you a path. Stick close to me and you'll be fine."

She looked up and smiled, nodding with a determined expression.

Qrow mirrored the gesture. "See you on the other side, kiddo."

- CE -

It didn't take more than about ten seconds to reach Crescent Rose, with Qrow cutting through the Grimm in their way like a hot knife through butter. If that knife had been wielding an even bigger knife and the butter was a mob of monsters, hellbent on ripping them limb from limb.

When Ruby finally got her hands on the familiar piece of weaponry, she couldn't help the sigh of comfort that slipped past her lips. In all honesty, she wanted nothing more than to sit down and caress the rifle/scythe, to coo and swoon over it for what seemed like the billionth time. However, such matters would have to wait, if the urgency in Qrow's voice as he called out for her to focus was any indicator.

Suddenly Ruby remembered where she was. Which is to say that she remembered that she was stood in the center of a town that was infested with beasts of all shapes and sizes. And every single one of them was foaming at the mouth, anxious to taste her blood.

The horrific squeal that Crescent Rose made when she activated its mecha shift was painful to hear. Disgusting Grimm blood had seeped into the mechanism, somehow bot drying and congealing at the same time. The probably didn't help the weapon's condition improve much, either. Nonetheless, it shifted and formed into its signature, deadly, scythe format.

Heads and various other appendages were torn from the bodies of several Beowolves and Creeps as Ruby spun the weapon around and above her in a beautiful yet terrifying flourish. Oily black blood exploded from the corpses as they dropped. Silver eyes flashed, even as another Beowolf lunged for her, though the geyser that erupted from one of its brethren. With carefully managed speed, she stepped to the right of the incoming claws, bringing her scythe back down across its arms, severing them at the elbow. She didn't bother to finish it off, it would succumb to its wounds soon enough.

Facing away from the carnage she'd made, Ruby turned her attention to a threat that was even bigger than just a few Beowolves, both literally and metaphorically. A Deathstalker, a little smaller than the one Team JNPR had fought during initiation, crashed through a group of small buildings at the other side of the street. Upon taking notice of her, it began scurrying - if a creature that huge even could scurry - toward her. Looking over at Qrow, she found that he was already occupied with a pair of Usra Majors, and as such, was unable to provide any aid to her.

"'Kay, guess I'm gonna have to play by myself for a while," she said.

As though it heard her over the roars of the other Grimm running rampant around her, the giant scorpion hissed in response. Breaking into a full sprint, Ruby charged straight towards the creature, shifting Crescent Rose into its rifle setting along the way. As she drew closer, the Deathstalker reared one of its massive pincers back to try, preparing to grab and crush the life out of her.

She wouldn't let it get the chance.

At the last possible second, right before the huge claw took hold of her, Ruby pushed up into the air with the use of her semblance, flying up and over the monster. Rose petals and dust rounds rained down as she unleashed a hail of gunfire. Some would have considered it folly to attack such a heavily armored beast from above and, for the most part, she would have agreed. That is if she were aiming at its body.

Her true target was the glowing, golden stinger at the end of its tail; the only spot on it that was truly exposed. A few shots missed their mark, skipping off the armored bone carapace that ran along the Deathstalker's back, yet they found different victims as they caught other Grimm nearby. The ones that did connect, however, certainly caused the behemoth a great deal of agony.

Its blood-curdling screech was like a knife in Ruby's ears as the extremely potent and highly acidic poison contained in the stinger poured out in a gloriously brutal torrent. Smoke rose from the spots on the bone plates where it ran down, no doubt weakening the armor and causing a lot of pain.

When she was once more earthbound, Ruby transformed Crescent Rose again, catching the golden stinger with the scythe and ripping it off in her descent. The Deathstalker writhed and howled in anger and agony beneath her feet. The giant pincers snapped and reached for her to no avail, trying desperately to catch and end her.

She almost felt sorry for it. It was merely following the instructions that nature - or whatever brought into being - gave it. Now she was pushing it into fight or flight mode, tapping into that most basic of all instincts.

Again, she almost felt sorry for it.

With a violent warcry that sounded more like something Jaune would have done, Ruby stomped on its head and swung Crescent Rose over her in a fatal arch. The blade embedded deep into the Deathstalkers face prompting yet another wild shriek, this one accented by a sickening gurgle. But she wasn't finished yet, it wasn't dead. She was propelled back into the air with a single pull of the trigger. The vicious blade pushed up through the beast's skull with the force of the gunshot, tore through the brain and smashed through bone. In a shower of gore, the Deathstalker's head exploded, drenching her in viscera.

Flicking some chunks of meat out of her hair, Ruby jumped down to the ground. An action which had disgusting consequences, as the blood and gore from the slain Grimm mixed with mud from the rain, sent even more vile substances splashing up at her.

"Ew, ew, ew!" she squealed, attempting in vain to wipe the stuff off her clothes but only serving to smear it in worse. "Ugh, great, now I'm gonna have to shower for a week and buy all new clothes." She grumbled. "Alright, now I'm mad. Who's next?" On cue, a small Nevermore swooped out of the air toward her, only to explode into nothing more than a cloud of feathers a second later. "Somebody who can actually give me a challenge?"

If only she'd kept her mouth shut. Right behind the Nevermore, flew in a Griffon. "Oh... crap." Griffons were difficult for even the most experienced huntsmen to deal with, due to their flight and maneuverability. That, combined with their tendency to literally swallow people whole.

The huge Grimm screeched down at her, huffing and scraping at the ground.

"Yeah... no thanks," Ruby said.

She wasn't facing this thing head on, not when she had seen Roman Torchwick get wolfed down by one in Vale. Rose petals flew through the air around her as she ran its side with inhuman speed. One after another, her slashes with Crescent Rose simply glanced off the Griffon's legs, serving to merely annoy it. Come on, she thought. Something's gotta wor-.

Wham!

The world around her darkened as one of its back feet slammed into her face. Stars danced in her left eye, as she flew through the air, and once again when her back impacted with a cobblestone wall. The other silver orb lost all sight entirely; it felt like someone had slammed an icepick into her eye socket. Blood ran down her face like a waterfall, oozing from her no doubt repulsive wound.

Ruby lost her grip on her precious scythe, mainly because she had also lost control of her body. It clattered to the ground next to her, her limbs were like jelly as she tried to reach for it.

The Griffon was not about to allow her the chance, however. With just as much force as before, it tossed Ruby out into the streets, rolling her back and forth. Its massive beak bit and tore at her skin and clothes, and the way it shoved her around rattled her bones within her. The Grimm was toying with her, she realized. It knew she was beaten and it was merely playing with its food.

How closely events repeated themselves. No more than a few hours ago had Ruby been in the same position; at the mercy of a monster, but with a wholly different mindset. Before she'd been terrified to die, she still was honestly, but she'd also been alone. Now, she had reconciled with her father and knew she wouldn't leave the world with animosity towards him in her heart.

Ruby Rose wouldn't die happy, but she would die at peace with herself.

She closed her eyes as the Griffon, having tormented its prey enough, reared back on its hind legs. It howled victoriously as it plunged its pointed beak down at her. She steeled herself for the rush of pain she knew was coming. Any second now... But it never came. There was nothing, all was quiet and she was fine.

Hot liquid dripped onto her face. At first, she mistook it for saliva. Maybe the Griffon had stopped to drool over her one last time before swallowing her entirely. That was until she opened her eye - for she could only open one.

Ruby immediately wished she hadn't.

Time slowed to a snail's pace. Allowing her to take in each detail of the horrific scene before her. She was still alive, that much was certain. The Griffon's mighty attack had never reached her, instead, it was caught and stopped. Stopped by Qrow's chest. Blood flowed from the sickeningly large spot in his gut where it had impacted. The beak poked through his once fashionable dress shirt, now soaking wet and stained deep maroon. More and more of the life-giving red poured from other small wounds all across his body. He even smelled like blood.

Harbinger hung limply from his hand before clattering to the ground. The beautiful steel was hardly recognizable now. Black Grimm ichor covered the blade and hilt, and chunks of meat and bone clung to the mechanism.

The dam holding back tears broke when her gaze reached his face. Always so proud and smug, he now wore an expression of pure regret and sorrow. His crimson eyes glistened as tears well up in them. He spoke so many words with that one glance, but above all the rest, rose one phrase.

"I'm... sorry," Qrow whispered with the saddest smile she'd ever seen.

Then, she watched in horror as her father closed his eyes for the very last time and the life drained from his body.

The cry that tore forth from Ruby's lips one that had not and likely never would be heard from her again. It was one of rage. One of grief. One of malice and agony. She screamed and screamed until her voice faded, as did the rest of the world, into nothing but an endless white void.

The cold autumn wind bit at the nape of her neck, even through the red hood she'd pulled up to shield herself from it. The chill shot through her body like a bullet, right down into her chest. It was always the same; every time she walked that lonely forest path, rain or shine, summer or winter, whether she dressed for the cold or not. That same icy pit always opened up in her heart, snuffing out any warmth that threatened to comfort her.

In all her years of visiting them, though, it never lasted long. She would sit, or stand, depending on how she felt, with them and talk about life. They always listened intently - it wasn't like they had anything better to do - to whatever she told them about; her latest contract, her husband's progress or lack thereof in schooling their son, anything that she could think of, really. After a while, the emptiness would fade and be replaced by the sense that she wasn't alone.

Although, this particular time, she truly wasn't. A tug on her skirt from a tiny hand drew her attention. Azure eyes met her single silver one as they peeked out from beneath a curly mop of golden hair. Suddenly, the lonely feeling dissipated as she gazed at the angel that was her son.

"Are you sad, Mommy?" he asked in that precious voice that never failed to make her smile.

Ruby laughed softly. "Not anymore, kiddo." She brushed her long bangs out of her face, revealing the black leather patch that served to remind her of that fateful day, eight years ago. "You always make me happy."

The child squealed with delight as she pinched his cheek.

"Come on now," she squatted down to be at his eye level. "I'll race you there."

Not responding or even waiting for her to say "go," the four-year-old took off running down the quiet dirt trail. She followed closely behind, though her gait was more a light jog than a full-on run. Knowing that the idea of beating her to their destination would occupy him, Ruby allowed herself a chance to breathe and take in her surroundings for the first time in a while.

It was just the beginning of fall, so the trees were a gorgeous mix of reds, golds, and the remnants of greens. The evening sunlight, already quite beautiful on its own, glinted through the leaves, giving the woods an even greater sense of warmth and color. On the ground squirrels and chipmunks chattered away as they scrounged for the last few nuts of the year to stash away. Peaceful was the only word that could describe Patch at this time of year. It was the kind of place that just made you want to lie back against a tree and sleep.

It was a good place for one to have their final rest.

After a few more minutes, she and the boy reached their goal; the treeline ended and they were bathed in warm golden sunlight as they stepped out onto the cliff edge. Near the very end, with roses of white and red sprouting up all around, were two stone slabs. The mere sight of them made her eye sting, even after all these years.

The first marker was much older, in memoriam of her mother.

Summer Rose.

"Thus kindly I scatter."

Close by, on its right, the other was a bit more recent.

Qrow Branwen.

"If he loves his family, a man will make the ultimate sacrifice."

To the average person that happened to stumble upon them, they were simple headstones. But to her, and any who knew them, these slabs represented not just two of the best hunters, but two of the best parents in the world. Both of them dedicated their lives to protecting innocents and those precious to them. And in the end, they gave their lives in that same pursuit as well.

Neither of them sat above anything, however. Summer was burnt to ashes and scattered to the wind soon after her death. And Qrow was laid to rest in a grave outside of Mistral by Ozpin and the rest of the company. Though, to Ruby and the rest, this was where they came to pay their respects.

Kneeling down between them, Ruby placed a hand on either of the cold markers. "Hey, mom. Hey, dad," she said, pulling back her hood. "I know it's been a while since I came to see you two. Sorry 'bout that, I... really don't have an excuse." She tried to come by every couple of weeks, though this time around it had been more than a month since her last visit. Maybe she'd been busy or just plain forgotten, she had no real idea why. "Not much has really happened lately. Jaune and I are still having to watch what we say, around the kid. Seeing as he repeats everything he hears."

She looked over her shoulder at the toddler behind her. He was sat playing with some grass. The image was so adorable and she hated to change it. "Rowan, honey, come here. Say hi to your grandma and grandpa."

The child's hand, dwarfed by her own, settled on Summer's headstone. The way he so curiously gazed at the rose symbol carved into it brought both a smile and a tear to her face. He was so sweet and innocent, so ignorant of the tragic events that brought them to this spot.

She had been like that once. She could recall days before Beacon, even before Signal, where she would spend all day long just frolicking through the woods, never once giving a thought to the horrible things that happened out in the world. Certainly not thinking that such things would happen to her.

"Grandma and grandpa?" Rowan looked up at her with confusion. Clearly, he didn't understand the concept of a gravestone.

"Mmhmm," Ruby nodded. She pointed to each name on the stones one after the other. "This is my mommy, and this is my daddy."

"The rocks are your mommy and daddy?"

She chuckled and pulled him in, sitting cross-legged with him in her lap. "No, silly. The rocks are just here to help us remember them."

Rowan looked down and began fiddling with the laces on his shoe, only really paying half attention. Like mother like son, she supposed. "Oh. Where are they now?"

She felt a lump rise up in her throat and her breath hitched. To prevent from all-out crying, she pulled her baby into her chest, squeezing him as she would a teddy bear. "They... They're somewhere far away. A place where they can be happy all the time... together."

"Can we go see them?"

Damn it, kid. I'm trying not to become a blubbering idiot and you're not helping. "No. No, we can't. But they can see us, and I'm sure they smile whenever they do." She kissed the crown of blonde hair that curled and twisted atop his head.

He shifted in her lap to look up at her. "I want to meet them."

Okay, that did it. Ruby couldn't help but shed tears and let out a quick sob at that. "You can't," she said with a shake of her head. "But, I can tell you all about them if you want?"

That seemed to be enough. "Okay."

She sighed, thankful that she didn't have to explain the intricacies of life and death to a four-year-old. "Okay," she repeated. "What do you want to know first?"

"Hmm." he put a hand on his chin, an absolutely adorable action that he'd seen Jaune do once. "Was grandpa cool?"

Of course, that'd be the first thing you ask, you little... "Oh yeah, he was the coolest. He wore cool clothes, had a really cool sword, and, don't tell anyone, but he could turn into a bird."

The tiny blue eyes in his head grew three sizes and his mouth dropped open. She knew that would get him. Rowan and Ruby sat for what felt like hours, while she regaled him with tales of the cool adventures of Qrow and Summer. Their evening finally came to an end when the boy drifted off to sleep in her arms just as the last vestiges of sunlight disappeared over the horizon.

As she stepped back onto the trail which led to their home, Ruby spared one final glance for her parents' resting places.

"I love you both."

A/N: There we go! IT IS FINISHED!

So... d'yo hate me yet? My wife read this and gave me a look as though I'd just told her that I enjoy kicking puppies and pissing on orphans. In all seriousness though, I hope I gave this a satisfying and fulfilling ending.

Qrow's death was planned from the start, so it wasn't just something I threw together. If you read between the lines a little you can kind of see where I drew parallels to Summer's death with his. If being impaled from behind didn't make it obvious enough.

For anyone confused about the transition from present to future there at the end, think of it as a sort of epilogue. I intentionally left the immediate results of Qrow's demise ambiguous for you to make your own assumptions as to how different characters would react. Similarly to how Volume three ended. Ruby used her eyes, and we have to put together the pieces ourselves.

That being said, I didn't want to leave it all bleak and grim. So I gave a look into Ruby's future where she's happily married - to Jaune. Lancaster for life! -, has a kid and generally gets the happy ending she always wanted.

So, yeah. I hope you enjoyed reading Scattered Petals. I've already got another story called A Stark Contrast in the works, so look out for that.

Terrence, out.