Fem! Netherlands/Holland= Riley

Fem! Iceland= Emily

Fem! Prussia= Julchen

Spain= Antonio

France= Francis

England= Arthur (Artie)

4

Julchen tilts her head in a way that reminds me of an eagle watching its prey. She observes me closely, but without moving and the room is filled with an intimidating aura. The others in the room are cowed by it but I just look at the girl I thought had vanished from my life forever. It's hard for me to see someone that I knew so well, unable to even recognize my name. Finally she speaks and a feeling of loss hits me, hard.

"Lovino, you said?"

"Si, you used to call me Lovi… that is, when I was eight, at least."

"Eight? How long ago would that be?" A look of confusion crosses her face and it's hard not to smile.

"That would be twelve years ago. Do you not keep up with the years anymore, Principessa?"

"Of course I do, it just means that I am too awesome to know the age of some random human, that's all." This time the smile really does break through, and Riley gasps from her position, kneeling on the floor. She looked up when I spoke to Julchen, but it must have been strange to see me smiling, even after I've worked here for a month.

"What are you smiling at?" Julchen asks, both curious and cautious.

"You always did use 'awesome' to describe yourself. Francis always tried to get you to use a more elegant word, and then then I'd say that if you ever became elegant, I'd let you cut out my tongue and feed it to your familiar, Julchick…" Recognition lights her eyes now.

"And Toni would say that no matter how much he loved me, if I cut out your tongue, he'd have to kill me and that he knew I'd never risk a war between the species….."

My smile drops a little from my face and Julchen gives me a small, sad smirk. Slowly she walks closer and grabs my face in her hands, looking me in the eyes. She starts to tear up and so I pull her head to my shoulder where she clings to me like a lifeline. I gently rub her back and sway from side to side.

"I miss them Lovi, I-I really do…. I thought you were gone too, Lovi. May the Divine curse me but I searched for you for years. I passed up so many marriage proposals so I could keep looking for you and Franny, Father- Father passed the throne on to Gil last year, and I didn't even care that he's taking it from me…I-I missed you so much, Lovi. So much it hurts."

I hush her and lift her head slightly, wiping away her tears. Her eyes sparkle with them. I look over her head to Riley. My spikey haired boss gives me a shooing motion and I thank her silently as she hands me my jacket. I slip it on quickly, taking Julchen's hand and leading her to the exit. She clings to my back as I check the alleyway, then out onto the street. We walk all the way to my house like that and I can't help but think of what Antonio would say. Probably something along the lines of 'Sooooo Cuuuteee!'

When we reach my house, I unlock the door and lead Julchen inside. I call for Dad and take out my cell.

Dad walks down the stairs and stops suddenly when he sees Julchen. I call Riley and tell her to get some very strong wards and protection spells for the bar and the employees. Dad takes the hint and gets to work renewing and reinforcing the ones on our house. Just as I hang up Feli walks out of the kitchen.

"Fratello…. Who is that?"

"You never knew her Feli, but Julchen here was one of my best friends when I was little. She gave me that guitar in my room."

"Oh…. Okay Fratello, good thing I made lots for breakfast then! ~Ve" I can tell it's forced, but I'm grateful that Feli doesn't push it. I go to talk to my Dad but a tug on my sleeve stops me.

"You still have it?" Julchen asks quietly, hope lighting her eyes. I nod slightly and she sighs in relief.

"I can get it out later, after we eat and get some rest, okay Julchen?"

"Yes, please Lovi… Hey, Lovi?"

"Yes…?"

"Could you use that nickname you used to call me?"

"Si, mio anima. Always, for you, mio anima..." In the kitchen, a glass shatters and dad has once again frozen, staring at us. I sigh and walk into the kitchen. The damned glass had better not have cut my Feli. I walk into the kitchen, leaving Julchen in the living room. Feli is trying to clean up a shattered glass but I push her away and begin to clean it myself. Feli goes back to making dinner as I dump the glass into the can. Just as I am about to leave Feli grabs my arm and looks at me concerned.

"Fratello, who is that woman? She gives me a weird feeling. How do you know her and why haven't I ever heard of her before? Lovi, what is going on?"

Feli looks worried and slightly scared. She was always more in tune with the supernatural world than I was, even if she did not realize it. And right now she was tuning in to Julchen's emotions as well as her fairy blood. With a sigh I turn to answer her but before I can Julchen does. She must have come looking for me.

"Feli right?" Julchen's voice is slightly raspy, as if all the years of yelling has worn on her vocal chords, though it still has that partially high quality to it that he remembers. Feli nods her head at the albino woman.

"Okay. So this is how it is. About sixteen years ago, I was good friends with an Incubus; Lord Francis of the Bonnefoy Assembly in France, and Pack Alpha Antonio Carriedo Fernandez of the Southern Sun Wolf Pack in Spain. We were the best of friends, nothing could ever split us up. We were known as the Bad Touch Trio and well, we were rebellious, irresponsible troublemakers.

One day we went out to Italy to see if they really had a more romantic culture than France. We agreed to meet up in a secluded meadow about a mile out of town. When we, Francis and I, got there we found Antonio in his wolf form taking a nap with a small child curled up at his side.

Now Antonio always loved children, that much everyone knew, but he had a particular dislike towards the humans, since they killed his parents. But there he was taking a nap of all things. Any ways, when we showed up Antonio got all defensive of the child and refused to let us near him. When Francis tried to get closer Toni attacked him.

Just as I was about to tear them off each other, I felt a tug on my skirt and looked down to see that little boy holding a stargazer lily out to me. To this day I've no idea how he got it but he had it and he gave it to me and said that I had to do whatever it took to get where I was going, so long as I don't lose myself getting there.

Wise words for such a small kid, so naturally I picked him up and we went to town, where I bought us some drinks and fruit. Toni and Francis found us about an hour later laughing at all the clichés in the town. We walked Little Lovi home and promised to meet again soon. Eventually we would meet up at least once a month as a group and more individually.

Francis and Toni were like big brothers to Lovi. I honestly don't know how Lovi saw me through the years but was considering taking the child to live with me in Germany with my family. But three days before I was going to ask his father about it, an attack came on to the fairy lands… an attack that killed over half my people.

I could not make it to Lovi's home so I sent my friend Lili to give him the guitar I had bought him as a gift for his birthday. Toni had taught him to play one a year before and he loved it. Lili never came back though so I thought she had never been able to get it to him.

Antonio died saving my life from his brother and Francis disappeared after his mate, Joan, was found dead, burned at the stake, in their home town. Lovi disappeared too so I focused on rebuilding my people and their lands. Four years later I felt a pull, a tugging to travel west. I've been looking for Lovi and Francis since then… so now you know what happened…."

Julchen is a strong woman, she always has been, but I could see that right now, she was going to cry. So I walk over to her and wrap her in my arms. Somehow she manages to bury her head in my chest again without losing any pride. I hold her tight as I sway her back and forth. After about two minutes of this she calms down enough to speak. She looks at Feli and asks:

"Is there anything else you'd like to know?" Feli looks Julchen in the eyes and speaks very carefully.

"You have told me your story but not who you are…"

"Grand Princess Julchen Beilschmidt of the Fairy Kingdom of Central Europe, High General of the Eternal Guard, Heir to the Throne after the Grand King Grey-Wolf. Traitor, murderess, thief; a half fairy- half angel monstrosity that deserves nothing more than death herself…" The British voice is unfamiliar to me and the man in the door leans back, keeping his face in shadows.

I don't remember hearing him come in but all I do is glare at him with Julchen in my arms. She sniffs and rubs her eyes before responding.

"Well, hello there Artie. I see you just couldn't get enough of my awesomeness, could you. So… did you come here to arrest me?"

"Actually no, I am here to help you escape your father and his loyals…"

"Is that so? What do you get from helping me…."

"You really do not want to know , love."