Truth, Lies, and Silver Eyes (A Sequel to STRQ) [Book 2]

Chapter 4: Qrow

I awoke to the sound of thrashing. I glanced over and saw that Summer was tossing and turning violently beside me. She whimpered until they became screams.
I gently pinned her arms and tried to wake her.

"Summer... you're okay. You're having a nightmare right now."

She thrashed a little while longer until her eyes flew open.

"STOP!" she screamed.

I instantly let go of her arms and she sat upwards. She was breathing quickly and was covered in sweat.

"Summer... are you okay?" I asked.

Her silver eyes became filled with tears and she covered her face.

"I... I'm sorry," she sobbed.

I wrapped my arms around her and kissed her head. "You have nothing to be sorry for. You're okay now."

She leaned her head against my chest. "I'm sorry I woke you up. You probably don't want to hear about my stupid nightmares..."

"I'll be more than willing to listen. I'll always be there for you, Summer. I'll stay awake all night if you need me to."

Summer kissed my lips gently.
"Just you being near me is a great help, Qrow. I... I've been having nightmares for a few months now... I just feel so guilty not being able to save Gretchen. I'll never forget the way she looked when she died. Those... empty faraway eyes."

She started to cry again and I held her close.
"You can't save everyone, Summer. I'm sorry she died, but it's not like you can change that. Besides, I don't think Gretchen would want you brooding over her death. She'd want you to continue fighting to save others. That's what you signed up for, isn't it?"

She stopped sobbing and wiped away her tears. "Yeah... I guess so."

I smiled. "Since it's nearly sunrise, how about I make us some tea? I can cook you something too if you're feeling hungry."

She smiled back. "That sounds wonderful. Thank you."

Summer followed me into the kitchen and began making some tea.

"I could've made that for you," I said.

"It's okay. I'll leave breakfast to you."

"How does pancakes sound?"

She grinned. "Delicious. I should have the ingredients you need in the cabinets."

Summer started boiling the water while I gathered the ingredients. Things were silent until Summer spoke up.

"Hey Qrow... Do you have any nightmares?"

"If I do, I don't remember them," I replied, cracking some eggs into a bowl.

"Lucky. I wish I could forget. What's your secret?"

"I wouldn't necessarily call it a secret, but I drink whenever I'm feeling uneasy. I know it's not the best method, but it works for me."

Summer wrinkled her nose as she poured the hot water into a teapot. "I can't stand alcohol. I don't know how you keep that stuff down."

I laughed. "Well, I don't drink too much anymore. I don't see a reason to now that I have you."

Summer looked touched. "Aww..."

I stopped stirring the ingredients and walked over to her. She wrapped her arms around me and smiled.

"Summer... you've been more help to me than you'll ever know. I've never been happier than I am right now. Meeting you was the best thing that has ever happened to me," I said, kissing her gently.

After several seconds, we broke away.
"I love you," she whispered in my ear.

I smiled. "I love you too."

The moment was interrupted by the sound of her stomach rumbling.

She blushed a little, looking embarrassed. "Um... sorry."

I laughed. "It's okay. I better finish that breakfast for you."

Summer began setting the table and tea set while I began cooking the pancakes. After they were done, I put three on her plate and three on mine.

"Wow... these look so good!" Summer exclaimed.

"Good to know my food doesn't look disgusting."

Summer grabbed the syrup and poured some over her pancakes before taking a bite. Her eyes widened.

"Oh no... did I not cook them well enough?" I asked, feeling panicked.

Summer shook her head. "No! Not at all! They're actually really good!"

I smiled and sighed in relief. "I thought I had mixed up the sugar with salt or something."

I reached over to grab the syrup, but my fingers somehow knocked it over. The syrup ran off the table and into Summer's lap.

"Dammit. Me and my damn luck... I'm so sorry, Summer. I'll clean it up," I said standing to my feet.

Summer just smiled and picked up the syrup bottle, which was now half full due to me spilling it.

"Eat first. We'll worry about cleaning later."

"You're... not angry at me?"

"No. Why would I be? It was just syrup, Qrow."

"But it could've been a lot worse! What if you get injured because of my semblance?! I couldn't bare having something happen to you! I... I would—"

She reached across the table and took my hand. "Qrow... it's going to be okay. You can't help it. I understand that. And if anything ever happens, I know you'll be there for me."

Her touch instantly relaxed me and I smiled as I looked into her bright silver eyes.
"I will be there for you. I promise," I vowed.

Breakfast went by quickly. After I had put away the plates, Summer went to work on cleaning the table.

"I thought I was going to clean it," I said.

"I can clean it. I need to get in the shower anyway."

"I'll do the dishes while you're doing that. Then I'm thinking we could look at missions together?"

"Yeah. Sure. I'll be right out."

She made her way to the bathroom as I walked over to the sink to start the dishes. After I was done, I sat on the couch and started to flip through the list of missions Ozpin sent to me. Summer came out in her bathrobe and joined me.

"Have you found anything interesting?" she asked.

I smelled the scent of fresh roses. It must've been her shampoo or something.

"Yeah. I found a search and rescue mission we can do. There's a couple that went missing a while back and Ozpin wants to be sure they're okay."

Summer leaned over and studied the couple.
"They look like Faunus... except they have more animal traits. How strange..."

I looked at the photo closer. Sure enough the couple we were looking for had thick black fur that covered most of their bodies, huge horns similar to an Ox, as well as hooves.
"I've never seen anything like this before..."

"I think we should pay a visit to Ozpin. We need more information about this couple," Summer said.

I nodded. "Yeah. We'll go later tonight."

She smiled and leaned against me. "Sounds good to me."