A/N: Welcome to my first major project for the RWBY universe! I'm so excited! I've had this idea floating around my mind since Qrow's character was first introduced and have only just now decided to act on it, partially due to the "MontyOumProject" movement happening on Tumblr and within the RT Community. ( -I highly encourage everyone to take part!)

Just a bit of house keeping: This will be a multi-chap fic. I have enough time on my hands as of late that I feel I can actually commit to a longer, in-depth story. It is going to be in a slight AU, one that follows the core RWBY storyline, but with a few tweaks here and there. You'll see more of that in the future. As stated in the character details, it will focus mostly on Qrow (for now) and his relationship with Yang, once she is introduced later on. Currently, I have this rated M. You'll find mostly strong language use in this chapter, but expect some darker themes in future chapters. I'll be sure to post warnings of potential triggers beforehand, though!

I do my best triple-checking for typos, but hey, I'm human.

Thanks for checking in and without further ado, enjoy!

The pregnancy had never been easy, not from the start.

Slouched over in a plastic-upholstered chair in the maternity wing of a stuffy hospital, Qrow could only scowl in frustration; at the doctors, for refusing him entry to see his twin sister, to ease her worries; at the father of the soon-to-be-born baby, who had yet to arrive on the scene, being away on a last minute mission with the remaining female member of Team STRQ; and at the universe as a whole, for allowing such a fucked up turn of events at his family's expense.

Seven months ago, if he had known this was going to be the result...his tough as nails, pain in the ass twin sister, locked away from him, screaming in agony while giving birth to a child that he knew deep down neither of its parents had truly wished for, he might have offered her some different advice...

Several months before...

It was a rare occasion for his sister to visit him in his home, so when his raven haired twin did show up on his doorstep at some ungodly hour one October night, he knew something serious had to be off.

"Sister dearest, what brings you to my humble abode?" Qrow started teasingly, stepping aside to offer her entrance to his spacious apartment. Being one of the top ranking hunters in Vale afforded him a comfortable lifestyle, as was also the case with his teammates. Brushing past him, Raven fixed him with a side glance.

"Who's to say I didn't come over just to catch up with my beloved brother?" she offered.

At that, Qrow let loose an unflattering snort. "'Cause I know you better than anyone else, lil' sis. Nothing gets between you and your beauty sleep, not even me," he shot, closing the front door. "Not that beauty sleep has ever seemed to do much to help, in your case," he added, turning towards her, a mirthful smirk in place. That one earned him a not-so-harmless smack to the arm.

"Shut it. Twenty-three minutes hardly makes you older than me, Qrow. You still act like you're twelve."

"Ah, but what a wonderful twenty-three minutes it was," Qrow sighed dramatically, as if reminiscing on a tale of glorious victory. He made his way into the kitchen to start a pot of tea for the two of them. He wasn't much of a fan, but he kept it in the cabinet for the female members of his team, should they drop in much like tonight. He couldn't explain it, but between the sag in his sister's demeanor and a general feeling of dread, he just knew Raven was about to unload some serious shit on him. Twins were funny like that, sensing the other's emotional distress and whatnot.

The younger Branwen sibling took a seat at the small kitchen table. Looking at the wooden fixture that could seat only four comfortably, Raven marveled at what a miracle it was for her brother to own one at all. No doubt, it had been a forced purchase, thanks to their small cape-wearing teammate. 'Do you expect us to sit and eat on the tile when we're over here?' Summer had probably demanded, seeing as she always was the one insisting on regular team get togethers. Typically, Raven would just shake her head, smiling at her tiny friend's ferocious demands, but given the circumstances as of late, she couldn't help but scowl bitterly at the damned piece of furniture.

A few minutes of silence passed before the tea had been brewed. It wasn't exactly the awkward silence that made everyone in the room feel uncomfortable, but the kind that carried a negative energy, like the calm before the storm. Every so often, from the corner of his eye, Qrow would study his twin's expressions. That inexplicable feeling of concern hung heavier with each glance. Pouring the hot liquid into two separate containers, he finally offered Raven her portion, taking a seat adjacent to her with his own beverage.

"Alright, the suspense is killing me. Spill it, sister," Qrow demanded casually, leaning back in his seat.

Raven stared blankly down at her cup, up to her sibling, then back down, before taking a small sip and closing her eyes. With her cup placed firmly on the tabletop again, she opened her eyes back up, staring intensely into a mirroring pair of ruby reds.

"I'm six and half weeks pregnant."

If Qrow had been unfortunate enough to be drinking in that moment, no doubt he would've done a cartoon-style spit take. Instead, he merely deadpanned,"Please, tell me this is your horrific attempt at a prank."

Raven's eyes narrowed dangerously. Right. She definitely wasn't the funny twin. As much as he willed it to be, this was no joke.

"I'll kill him."

An annoyed look flitted across Raven's pointed features. "And why, may I ask, would you feel the need to do something so pig-headed?"

Qrow frowned. "He may be my best friend, Raven, but he's an idiot if he thinks he can just knock my baby sister up and expect me not to kick his ass. I know you two have been off and on for months, but it doesn't excuse anything."

True enough, his burly teammate, Taiyang Xiao Long, and his sister had somewhat of a hectic romantic history. He could tell from the moment their team had been assembled in that god forsaken Emerald forest, Taiyang had eyes for his twin. Initially, this knowledge led to discord between the two hunters. Even back then, Raven was less than pleased with her brother's efforts in protecting her, and even less impressed with the blonde brawler's feeble attempts at winning her affections. Finally deciding he had nothing to worry about, that Raven could handle herself, Qrow came to accept Tai as his brother in arms and closest friend over time.

It wasn't until recently, probably a little over a year ago, that his worries rose up yet again. To the outside world, his sister was an enigma, ironically part of what won her the unwanted attention of half the population at Beacon. But to him, she was almost an open book...almost. Qrow began to pick up on the indicators: prolonged eye contact, taking up partner missions together, unprecedented concern over one another's well-being in the heat of battle. Somewhere down the wonky line his team had traveled over the years, Raven had fallen for Taiyang. Eventually, he backed the two of them into a corner, forcing each other to admit to him what he had suspected for quite a while; they were a thing. Neither would call it dating, Raven had vehemently opposed the term, in fact. She insisted it was nothing serious, disregarding the look of hurt that Tai sported. That had only been the beginning of the downward spiral for the two.

"I don't need you meddling with my affairs, Qrow," she continued. "I'm not telling you this so you can go 'defend my virtue' or whatever else idea your testosterone filled brain is jumping at. A decision has to be made and I need your advice."

It was Qrow's turn to narrow his eyes at his sister. "Decision?" He inquired. "Raven, don't tell me y'all are considering giving up this baby." At the mention of the word "y'all", Raven cast him an unreadable look. Never a good sign from her. "Tai doesn't know yet...does he?" The worry began to set in. Surely, Raven wasn't so callous she would...

"No, and depending on the outcome of this conversation, he may never have to."

Of fucking course she would. Qrow sat forward, resting his forearms on the table, fully intent on duking it out verbally with his headache of a sister. When he spoke, his voice was low but firm, "Raven, tell him. Before you do anything, goddammit. Tell. Him."

Raven's eyes flashed daringly. "And what if he decides he doesn't want to get rid of it? What then? I'm just stuck having the baby of a man who doesn't love me? I have more pride than that!"

And suddenly, it all made sense; the reason for her and Tai's recent falling out, her embittered treatment of their remaining female team member these past few weeks, her refusal to follow through with this new predicament. Raven knew...

"Surely, you've figured it out, too, big brother. Tai's in love with Summer...and I've always known she feels the same. She has since our first year at the academy. They think they're doing me a favor by hiding it but...I...It's only a matter of..."

Qrow gave the young woman credit for her effort, trying so desperately to maintain her iron exterior, but she couldn't hide the hurt creeping up in her words from him. Like a proud bird suffering from a injured wing, Taiyang had wounded his sister, whether she would admit it or not. Qrow felt it all, the pain, the anger, and the betrayal. Yes, he was fully aware of the sparks flying between Summer and Tai these days. His heart went out to her, but that feeling was currently overshadowed by anger. She was being petty, acting like a jealous school girl by keeping something as monumental as a baby from her ex-lover, and he intended on telling her so. However, as if sensing the lecture she was about to receive, Raven spoke up again, successfully derailing her brother's train of thought.

"It's not just about Taiyang and Summer..."

I would hope not, he thought. You're better than that, sis.

"Go on," Qrow urged.

Raven stared at her brother's face, her expression unreadable once again. "I won't allow the cycle to continue...Having this baby would only jeopardize my mission."

Now that had been an dimwitted oversight on Qrow's part. Of course, he understood what 'cycle' his sister was referring to. He was one of the handful of people in the world who did, excluding both Taiyang and Summer. Qrow's knowledge of the truth had only spawned from his relation to the person involved, but he was grateful for it, nonetheless. Raven had been dealt a loaded hand in the game of life, inheriting the powers of one of the four fabled maidens, specifically the Summer maiden. Upon this discovery just a few months before her final year at Beacon, she had been taken aside and force fed her new duties, gargantuan expectations of greatness now placed upon her young shoulders. Physically, she was more than capable, being arguably the most naturally gifted fighter of her team. However, the burden weighed heavy on her mental state, and over the years, she had grown bitter, reluctant to carry on for a cause she no longer believed in. The way she saw it, she was being used; a pawn on their chessboard.

Qrow hated to admit it, but he knew she was right to feel the way she did. Her position as a maiden had slowly evolved from 'guardian' for humanity to 'lackey' for those who wished to control her. It enraged him to know his sister was suffering from what should have been a gift, but from that also spawned concern. She had confided in him not long ago that she would have no more of it, that she was not an object they could posses for their own selfish needs. Raven had an agenda, he could tell, but that was all he could pry from her. He didn't agree with the poor treatment of his family member, but he hoped she wouldn't act out in any way that would only result in more harm than good.

But what role did all of that play in her current mess?

"You know, you haven't exactly told me what your 'mission' is. What threat could a baby possibly pose to you?" Qrow fixed his eyes on his sister's, determined to catch any sort of reaction his words might evoke.

Raven drew her brows together tight, a frown set on her lips. "The powers of a maiden transfer to those we hold in the thoughts of our final moments. I can't have the kind of attachment that comes with motherhood in my life," she explained, glancing downward at her hands, palms open and facing her. "Not if I don't want to damn any of my loved ones with this wretched curse."

The way she had yet again dodged his mention of her mission did not go unnoticed by Qrow, but neither did the pure venom with which she spoke the word 'curse'.

He thought that might have been the end of it, that she had plead her case, so he immediately went to the offensive. "Raven, you can't-"

Her chair scraped loudly against the tile flooring as Raven stood up in her defense. "I'm scared, okay! I'm scared Tai will reject our child. I'm afraid I'll ruin his chance at happiness with Summer. I'm terrified that I'll wind up alone, with a baby neither of us ever planned on having. I'm terrified that I'll love it, that I'll doom it to a life of slavery after I'm dead!"

Qrow rose to his feet when he saw the tears well up in the corners of her eyes. There were very few times in their entire lives that he had seen his twin lose her composure. She hadn't even shed a tear when their mother died shortly after their eighteenth birthday. Maybe it was just the hormones, he didn't know how soon those things kicked in during a pregnancy, but to say she was experiencing an emotional breakdown was a vast understatement.

"Ray-Ray..." he called to her, using his childhood nickname for his younger and only remaining family member. The tears had begun to flow. He side stepped the corner of the table, and enveloped his sister in a tight hug, wrapping his arms around her smaller frame, much like the way she used to hold him after he would have reoccurring nightmares during their earliest years.

She clutched onto him, returning his gesture with her own use of his childhood nickname. "I'm so...scared, Caw..."

The Branwen twins stood there for a few moments in perfect silence, save for the occasional sniffle from the younger of the two. They simply embraced one another, trading feelings of comfort, support, and understanding.

"Ray," Qrow eventually spoke at low volume. Despite her face being buried in his shirt, he knew she would hear him just fine. " I know how much you've been through. I know you want out of this gig more than anything in the world, and if I could do that for you, I would in a heartbeat. But you've spent so long focused on your hatred...don't you think it's time you let yourself be happy? This baby, having a family, a sense of normalcy, it could be your chance. Are you sure you want to just throw it all away because you're scared?" He hadn't meant that last bit to come off as harshly as it sounded, but if his sister took any offense, she didn't let on to it.

"But Tai..." her voice was small, muffled by Qrow's chest.

"...will be over the moon when you tell him, sis," Qrow finished for her, having had enough of her excuses. He wasn't about to let his sister throw away her first shot at happiness since this entire maiden ordeal began. He continued, "Summer's gonna have your back, too. She always has. Your friendship is more important to her than a fling with a dumbass like Tai."

Raven finally lifted her head, crimson eyes still wet with tears, but no longer laced with resentment, only fatigue. Qrow made a mental note to make sure he kept tabs on her health from here on out, both physical and mental. It would probably annoy her to no end, not that he had ever cared much about that in the past.

"You're not going to be alone in this, Raven. I swear on my life, even if it all goes to shit, even if Tai wanted nothing to do with this baby, and Summer hated your existence for all eternity, your big brother's got you. And this kid is gonna be so loved, he or she will be the one wishing they'd never been born."

For the first time since she had arrived at his front door, Raven relinquished a small, albeit brief smile. Qrow couldn't help but smile back, pleased with his little speech's success.

"I'm going to hold you to that promise, brother."

If he had known then the full meaning behind her words...

A/N: Leave a quick review, if you would! It helps me immensely in the writing process!

Also..."Caw" and "Ray-Ray"...sorry I had to. It's an adorable headcanon of mine. (づ｡◕‿‿◕｡)づ

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