AN: Sorry for the delay in chapters! For some reason the site wouldn't let me upload at all last week. But we are here now!
Hope you enjoy it!
"So you are okay with it?" Rebecca asked accusingly. Hughes had left an hour ago and Rebecca had only now returned. "I can't believe the bastard is deciding her future for her. He's not even giving her a chance."
"Look, Rebecca, Hughes gave his reasons and we are not here to judge him for it. It is none of our business and we shouldn't interfere."
Rebecca scoffed in her face, getting ready to storm into her room.
"Look, I get it," Riza began. Her voice was soft, a change from the sharp tone she had previously used. It caught Rebecca's attention. "It's about your parents, isn't it?" Rebecca's shoulder's tensed, but she said nothing. "I feel the same way about my mother. If I could bring her back, or could have prolonged her life, I would have. But the change is much worse for vampires than werewolves."
"That's no excuse," Rebecca started.
"It is," Riza stressed, standing to join Rebecca. "It has a chance of killing them. Why would Hughes jeopardise her life just so he can spend more time with her."
"You are seriously asking me that?" Rebecca snarled. She rounded on the blonde, her face furious.
"Rebecca, it may seem like an injustice, but we have no idea about vampire life and what the change entails. It may be a mercy to leave her a human."
"Bullshit. She should know and get to decide for herself."
"I agree," Riza stressed again, trying to calm Rebecca down, but also get through to her. "However, it isn't up to us to decide. We shouldn't judge."
"So that is how you feel, is it?" Rebecca asked. She was angry and Riza was doing nothing to calm her down. Everything she said seemed to anger the brunette further. "You don't know what it is like to lose a loved one Riza, truly."
"Excuse me?"
"You lost your mother when you were a child. You barely knew her. Your bastard father is still alive. Stop acting like you know how I feel about my parents. You don't know a damn thing."
Riza was too stunned and hurt to respond to Rebecca's sharp words.
The door slammed loudly behind her again and Riza was alone in the small house.
With that slam, there was a sharp pain in her chest. Rebecca's words had cut deep. Riza truly hadn't expected her to say such things. They were supposed to be friends.
A small part of Riza knew it was partly the wolf talking. When they got angry it was harder to control than when they were human. On some occasions it was an irrational anger. Once Rebecca had become angry at the vacuum because the cable kept getting tangled up and she tossed the thing out the front door.
However, this didn't soften the blow. Tears began to fall before she could stop them and Riza slumped onto the couch silently. The pain in her chest blossomed, causing her to cry harder. She hadn't even noticed someone quietly entering through the front door.
Roy strode quickly through the snow. In the distance he had heard a door slam loudly, followed by a loud tell-tale crack. It could have only come from Riza's house. He slowed slightly, thinking about the implication of the force behind it. Had something happened between the two of them? Would he even be wanted? Had something bad happened?
Roy cautiously approached the house but heard no activity. He knocked lightly, but all he heard in response was the sound of someone crying. That pushed him into action. He knocked again, louder, while trying the door handle at the same time. It was still open.
"Hello?" he called out softly. There was no answer, only sobbing.
He crept into the room slowly, keeping a look out for anyone who may be lurking in the room. There were no other sounds, apart from Riza crying on the couch in front of the fire.
The sight of her broke his heart. This woman had always been so strong, even in the brief time he had known her as a child. She never complained, simply got on with it. In the short time he had known her as an adult she had seemed happy. Roy knew Rebecca was a strong factor within that. There was an underlying sense of guilt there, relating to the responsibility she felt over Rebecca and Roy, but she always smiled and looked on the bright side. Especially when it came to him. She had put him before herself in an effort to help him adjust to his new circumstances.
To see her so broken like this, it hurt to see. The poor woman hadn't even heard him enter. That told him instantly something was up. Riza was always alert and ready for action.
"Riza?" he called softly. His voice wavered as he spoke. She was curled up in the foetal position, still sobbing loudly. Her back was to him, but she twitched at the sound of his voice.
Roy gently placed a hand on her back and began to move it in circles in an effort to calm her down.
Riza still hand turned around, but she had quietened down. He continued to soothe her as best as he could, talking to her softly about nothing in particular. When he broached the subject of their time together in childhood, she stiffened. Roy quickly moved away from the subject, telling her about his tennis match against Maes this afternoon.
"That man has some endurance," he chuckled softly to himself. "He barely broke a sweat the whole game and –"
"Roy?" Riza whispered quietly. He quickly ended his rambling and shifted to look at her. He smiled softly down at her, despite feeling like flinching at the lost and sad look in her eyes.
"Yeah?"
"Why are you here?"
Roy knew why he was here. The more he had mulled his earlier thoughts over he found himself not wanting to be apart from Riza. He didn't know if it was some stupid wolf thing or not, but he was tired of fighting it. He had struggled to even rest for five minutes when he had been in his own home. In an attempt to burn of energy he had entered his home gym – it was really just a treadmill and a weights bench – and tried to run it off. An hour later, there had still been no relief to his restlessness.
Plus, he felt stupid for leaving so suddenly earlier and wanted to apologise.
"I felt this pull to be with the two of you," he answered. He did, he found himself wanting to be with his pack, however he declined to mention that, more importantly, he wanted to spend time with Riza. "Is that some pack thing?"
Riza gave him a small nod.
"Well, that explains a lot then," he replied in relief. It didn't explain the strong pull he felt towards the woman in front of him, but it did help. "What happened, Riza?" he asked softly. He felt her stiffen again underneath his hand and she curled in on herself slightly. "Come on, you can tell me."
Riza took a couple of deep breaths. "Rebecca and I had an argument," she began, her voice wavering. "She said some things and –" Roy felt a surge of anger towards the brunette. What could she had possibly have said to upset Riza so much? The sound of Riza beginning to cry again brought him back down to Earth again though.
"Come here," he beckoned, opening up his arms to her. Riza was up in a shot and wrapped her arms tightly around his torso. She clung on as her tears wet his t-shirt.
Roy continued to soothe her as he had done before, alternating between stroking her hair and rubbing her back. As he held her he realised a few things.
One, he found himself wanting to protect this woman at all costs. Two, he didn't want to part from her again.
The second one hit him like a shot. It was entirely unexpected, but when the thought came into his head it was as if he already knew this was the case. He barely knew the woman who was clinging onto him, as if for dear life, but he knew he cared for her. He could feel it swell within him. The sight of her so upset like this hurt him and he found himself wanting to do everything within his power to stop it and prevent it from happening again.
Riza eventually quietened down and Roy felt her grip on him slacken. She had fallen asleep in her exhaustion. He laid her down on the couch gently, careful not to jostle her too much that it would wake her up.
Looking down at her now he noticed how beautiful she was. Some of her golden hair had come loose from its ponytail and was static against the material of the couch beneath her. Her eyes were puffy and red from crying, but Roy barely noticed. Roy had always thought she was pretty when he was a child, but now Riza was a woman he found her very attractive. She was a strong woman and he respected and admired that.
Lifting her gently, he carried her through to her bedroom. Once settled, Roy debated what to do with himself. He didn't want to leave her alone in this state but it was already late. It was past midnight, Roy noticed in surprise. He had been there for over an hour. After the brief description he had gotten about the events leading up to Riza's current state, he knew Rebecca wouldn't be back anytime soon. She would need time to cool off.
Roy doubted the brunette had meant any of the words she said to Riza. He could tell the two were very close and the words exchanged were likely said in the heat of the moment. Roy knew all too well how the anger could overtake him easily nowadays and make him do or say things he hadn't particularly meant. It didn't excuse his behaviour, but he knew Rebecca would need some time to calm down.
He lay back on the couch he had just recently vacated and closed his eyes. Thoughts and new revelations swirled around his head and he made an attempt to try and decipher what these new feelings meant, but sleep overtook him before he had the chance.
Rebecca pushed herself to run faster and faster. She was already exhausted and had been running for over three hours. Whether she was running from her true feelings or the guilt she felt towards what she had said to Riza, she wasn't sure. About an hour after she had set out she had eventually calmed down and was no longer angry. The feeling dissipated and left a bad aftertaste behind it.
She felt like a fool.
How could she have said those things to Riza? The woman had done everything for her, sacrificed everything to help her. Riza had left university to seek her out and warn her for crying out loud.
Rebecca felt her paw go from beneath her and she went tumbling down into the snow. She landed in a snowdrift with a yelp. The wind had been knocked from her lungs.
Struggling for breath, Rebecca tried to fight against the snow and get out, but it was to no avail. Instead, everything caught up with her in that moment and a surge of sadness and deep regret overtook her. Subconsciously, she changed back into her human form and tears filled her eyes. Rebecca's chest ached with both exertion and pain.
She knew her words had hurt Riza, and that was something she had sworn she would never do. Her Father had done enough of that. Not physically, but emotionally. She hadn't meant the words she had said. She had been so angry about Riza's seemingly careless attitude towards Hughes' situation with his wife. That had been based on her own past.
Her parents had both passed in a car accident while she had been in her second year at university. It had destroyed her and every day she had prayed they had gotten more time together. It had reached the point she wished she had never left for university, just so she could have gotten another year with them.
What had made her so angry was that Hughes was denying his wife the knowledge and the chance that she could get more time with him. In her anger, Rebecca had found it unfair because the opportunity was there, but he wasn't taking it. She would have given anything to have that opportunity with her parents.
Now, Rebecca realised Riza had been right. They had no idea what happens when vampires change. If it had the possibility to kill the recipient, was it worth the process? If they were dying, then sure, the chance was worth it. However, Hughes' wife was perfectly healthy as far as she was aware. Why would he risk his happiness just to satisfy his own desires?
Not only that, she had no idea what Hughes truly was. Rebecca had witnessed first-hand the fear one felt when revealing their true self to someone else. Riza had felt the same way in regards to Roy. Rebecca had watched Riza work herself up and become so worried about what he would think, based on the guilt she felt about not noticing what her father was up to. She had felt the same way in regards to her parents. How could she explain to them that she was now something from stories that were designed to frighten young children? One small grace was that they never found out what Rebecca had turned into. The brunette wasn't sure what their reaction would have been.
Pulling herself out of the snow, Rebecca tried to calm herself down. The tears had fallen freely and unchecked. Gasps left her in a desperate attempt to get more air into her tired lungs. The sound that left her was awful due to her continued sobbing.
Pulling herself to her feet, Rebecca gathered her surroundings as she tried to compose herself. She had tumbled quite a distance down the slope. The thought of climbing back up the steep incline didn't appeal to the brunette as the fatigue from her escape efforts caught up with her. With shaking legs, she pulled herself out of the snow drift and onto more stable ground.
She needed to get home. She needed to see Riza.
"Roy?" a confused and tired sounding voiced asked from behind him. Roy currently stood over the oven as he cooked eggs and bacon for their breakfast.
He turned and smiled at the woman across the room. Her hair was ruffled and a mess after sleeping with it in a ponytail and her eyes still looked puffy and slightly red. She looked tired, and there was still a hint of sadness that lingered within her. He could tell by the look on her face. Riza briefly met his gaze then averted it. It stung a little that she would try and hide her true feelings from him, especially after what they had shared last night, but Roy brushed it off. Riza was his main focus at the moment.
"Morning," he replied cheerily. "Are you hungry? I was hoping to have it ready before you woke up." He returned his attention to the frying pan as the bacon started to spit up and the hot oil hit his bare forearms.
"What… Why are you making breakfast?" Riza hadn't moved further into the room, she remained leaning on the doorframe to her bedroom.
Roy shrugged. "I was hungry. I thought it was the least I could do after all the help you had given me these past few weeks."
He neglected to mention the fact that he wanted to see the surprised look on Riza's face when she awoke. So far it was not going according to plan.
"Okay. Thanks," she added quietly after a brief pause.
"Don't mention it," he grinned. Turning off the hob, he dished up their food. He presented it to her with an exaggerated flourish. It drew a small smile from her, and Roy took that as a victory.
The pair ate in silence. Riza felt ashamed for her behaviour last night. She hadn't intended anyone seeing her so vulnerable like that, least of all Roy, but it seemed she didn't have a choice. He didn't need someone who was so vulnerable, he needed someone who was a steady presence and could help him with his transition. She needed to be there for him.
Roy on the other hand didn't want to try and push Riza or possibly upset her further by bringing up the previous night. He could tell she was ashamed by it, but she shouldn't be. So instead, he remained quiet and would let her make the first move towards conversation. If nothing happened, then he would be a comforting presence for her and nothing more. Roy wanted her to know he was there for her, no matter what. She was part of his pack now and he wouldn't turn her back on her.
"I'm going to take a shower," Riza announced quietly as she stood from the breakfast bar. She had turned and walked away before Roy could finish his mouthful and reply.
Sighing softly, he lifted their empty plates and begin to clean them in the sink. He wanted to know what she was truly thinking and if she was going to be all right. It worried him to see her so small and withdrawn. It was a stark change from the woman he had met a few weeks ago. In fact, she held a strong resemblance to the young girl he had met as a child.
Riza returned to the living room looking refreshed and more like her old self. The redness was gone from her eyes, but they were still slightly puffy looking. She held herself higher now, looking less withdrawn than she had half an hour ago. She took a seat on the armchair across from Roy, who had sat on the couch in front of the fire. Bringing her knees up to her chest, she wrapped her arms around them loosely and sat staring at the coffee table.
"How are you doing?" Roy asked softly after a couple of moments of silence.
"I'm okay," she mumbled, lying.
Roy sighed. "Look, I can't help you if you aren't truthful with me." That caught her attention and Riza raised her head slowly, turning to look at him. She looked irritated. Uh oh. But Roy didn't back down. "How are you? Really?"
Riza continued to stare at him, her gaze unwavering, and Roy stared right back. She sighed heavily, before lowering her chin to her knees again.
"Pretty shitty."
Well, it was the truth at least. "Is there anything I can do to help?" he asked hopefully.
"No." Her reply was blunt and she didn't meet his gaze again.
Struggling to find something to say, they pair ended up sitting in silence again. Then an idea struck him.
"Look, six months ago I lost my parents," he began. The feelings were still raw within him, but he thought that if he shared something personal with Riza, she would return in kind. It was a long shot, one he wasn't entirely comfortable with. He hadn't opened up to anyone about the loss of his parents. Not even Hughes. His aunt knew, because she had also lost a sibling. "I didn't properly mourn them, because it was around the time the wolf woke up within me and turned me into an asshole. Instead, I turned everyone away and focussed on my work. I kept it bottled up inside and it was the most damaging thing I have ever done." Riza's head had lifted for a second time and there was sympathy in her eyes this time.
"I'm sorry," she whispered.
"Thanks. I wanted more than anything to speak to someone about it, but I couldn't get the words out. Even to this day I struggle to form the words describing how I truly feel about it. I was angry, and I still am. More so than anyone could ever know. They were…" Roy trailed off as his throat closed with the rising emotions within him. "They were murdered," he eventually said. His voice cracked but he clenched his fists, fighting the rising anger and sorrow. "The bastard left them for dead in Central Park."
Riza visibly shuddered at the mention of the famous park within New York, but Roy hadn't noticed. That was where she had experienced her first change six months ago… Riza froze as things started to process in her mind. Six months ago. Central Park. Her blood ran cold. Shit.
Roy took a deep breath, closing his eyes as he composed himself. "I never fully found out what had happened to them. I know I need to, but the thought of it… I was too much of a coward to do it."
Roy jumped as the front door banged open. His gaze snapped up and found Riza was no longer in her chair. Jumping to his feet, he was on high alert. He ran to the door, expecting to face some kind of threat, but there was nothing. Instead, Riza was on her hands and knees in the snow, vomiting up her breakfast.