AN: All the angst! I love it so. Don't worry, we will be back to happier times soon...

Enjoy!

Jean pulled off the highway into a wooded area. The road was so well hidden, Rebecca was sure she would miss it had she been driving herself. It took them onto a dirt road, through a thick wooded area. Instead of the wolf stirring within her like it normally did at the sight of the forest, it was silent. Without a doubt, Rebecca knew it could sense her current mental and emotional state and knew to remain quiet.

The brunette looked worriedly across to Roy. He had been sat in the same position the whole journey. Knees folded with his arms resting atop them. He looked at nothing in particular, simply stared at his forearms. After their brief conversation four hours ago, he had remained silent, unmoving.

Not that Rebecca blamed him. Holding a conversation was the last thing on her mind too.

As pressure built behind her eyes once more – Rebecca had lost count of the number of times this point – she turned her thoughts outwards. She scanned the forest. Confusion built within her as she began to spot cabins throughout the trees, about three miles off the highway. As they travelled further up the road the houses became more frequent, each built in a similar way.

After another mile, the truck finally stopped. They were in the centre of what looked like a small settlement. The buildings surrounding them were all wooden, giving the place a very rustic feel. It looked like something straight out of a history book.

A market had been set up in between the gaps in the buildings. People milled about as they perused the produce on offer. Rebecca studied them as they moved, watching as they laughed and joked with one another. It was as if they didn't have a care in the world.

Rebecca envied them.

Looking ahead of the truck, there was a group of people waiting for them on the raised steps of a larger wooded building. Rebecca guessed this was the main building, judging by the scale of it compared to the others. One in particular, an older man complete with white hair and a matching moustache, watched them expectantly, a large grin on his face.

Jean hopped out of the cab and greeted him sombrely.

"Thank you, friend," he replied, clapping him on the shoulder.

"We lost one," Jean told him quietly. "To the Hunters."

The older man's eyes snapped to the truck, scanning it with narrowed eyes behind his glasses. As he looked at each of the occupant's faces, his face fell. His smile retuned, but it didn't meet his eyes this time. "Thank you."

Jean nodded and turned back to the truck, motioning them to leave it.

Rebecca hopped over the gate effortlessly. She remained on alert as she approached their welcoming committee. Behind her, she heard Maes usher Gracia and Elicia out of the truck. The latter was currently sleeping. To be perfectly honest, Rebecca had even forgotten they were there.

"Welcome. I only wish it was under better circumstances." Rebecca snorted quietly to herself. That was an understatement. The man frowned slightly at her, but continued nevertheless. "My name is Walter Grumman and this is my pack. Breda here will show you to your cabins. I… Will let you all get settled in before we go through a debrief."

"Maes? What is happening?" Rebecca heard Gracia whisper. Her husband hushed her quietly, telling her he would explain everything once they were settled.

A portly man with ginger hair and beard stepped forward with a nod and motioned them to follow him.

Ten minutes later, Rebecca found herself alone inside a cabin. It was lovely. The decoration was cosy, giving it a warm feeling that should have transferred over to her, but there was nothing but cold, absolute and unforgiving.

Opposite the front door, stood a fireplace. It was already burning, filling the room with warmth. The fire cast long shadows up the walls, giving the room a soft glow. To the left, stood a television which was modest in size. There was a small open plan kitchen, but Rebecca breezed past it to sit on one of the couches. Behind her, on the right wall, there were two doorways. One, she guessed, led to a bathroom. The other door was ajar, showing a large double bed.

If it wasn't for her current situation, she would have admired it more.

Suddenly, the silence closed in on her. It felt oppressive, suffocating her.

Instead of getting herself "comfortable", as Grumman had suggested, she turned and left the cabin, hopping off the deck and heading straight across the gravel walkway to the cabin across from her. Knocking sharply three times, Rebecca waited impatiently for an answer.

Slowly, Roy opened the door. His expression remained the same as it had in the truck, blank and lost. Moving as if in slow motion, Roy stepped aside to let her enter.

"I'm sorry," she apologised, although Rebecca wasn't sure why. "I just didn't want to be alone."

"I understand." His monotonous tone twisted her stomach.

"Look, Roy, you can't give up. That's not what Riza would have wanted."

His blank expression broke, giving her a hard stare. "How would you know?" The volume was barely above a whisper, but the tone told Rebecca everything.

"Because I know her. Look, she gave her life to protect us, to get us away from the danger. The least you could do for her is to continue living that life to the fullest."

Roy's stare turned to a glare. Rebecca watched his anger build, but before he could let it loose there was a sharp knock at the door.

Turning, Rebecca found Jean on the opposite side. "Time to go," he told them, meeting Rebecca's eyes sadly.

The sight of him made her angry. He had willingly helped Riza put herself in that situation. She was dead because of that.

It wasn't fair.

The feeling of loneliness enveloped her once more as they walked. Now, all she had left was Roy. Riza was gone. She felt Jean had betrayed her by withholding information about this damn plan that Riza had cooked up by herself.

But that was the biggest betrayal of all.

Rebecca thought they had been friends. They were almost like sisters, goddammit. But her old friend hadn't deemed her worthy enough to help her. Instead, Riza had sought out help from a stranger. In the blonde's defence, Rebecca reasoned, she wasn't one who was used to looking out for or working with other people. Her isolated childhood took care of that. While they had been travelling, Riza had often wandered off without telling Rebecca, leaving the brunette to catch up. Riza had always seemed surprised Rebecca was still around, never mind following behind. Rebecca knew it had been difficult for her to adjust. She had always been on her own. For almost twenty years she had been fending for herself. It would have been a hard habit to break.

However, the brunette would be lying if she said that the whole situation didn't sting.

She knew Roy felt the same way.

Glancing over to him, her stomach twisted at the blank, emotionless look on his face. He was with them physically, but mentally, he was a million miles away.

Roy had been so lost in his mind and his thoughts that when Grumman's voice reached his ears, he found himself not in that generic cabin. Blinking, he looked around the room. Maes and Rebecca sat next to him in two plastic chairs. Grumman, and his entourage, sat across from them. The old man was talking, but the words didn't reach Roy's mind, only the sound. Instead of focussing on his words, Roy studied the old man, hard. There was something he was hiding, Roy could see it in his eyes. Despite his droning about family and trust, he wasn't telling them the whole story.

Apparently they were welcome here and if they needed anything they shouldn't hesitate to ask. The people here would protect them and help them in any way they needed.

Too little, too late, you bastard.

"Where was this help when we were left to face the Hunters?" Roy barked, removing himself from his trance like state. Rebecca jumped at the volume of his voice, not expecting him to even utter a word. Maes shot him a warning glance, but Roy ignored it. Jean at least had the decency to look away from his piercing gaze. "One member of our pack is dead, no thanks to you."

"Roy," Maes warned, glancing over to Grumman. Instead of an unimpressed look, the old man studied Roy. He observed his body language and listened to his words as if Roy was a book he was trying to read.

"Could I have a moment alone with our guests, please?"

Chairs rumbled across the wooden floor as people rose from them. They filed out the room without a word. Maes and Rebecca watched them leave whereas Roy only had eyes for Grumman.

"I understand your frustration –"

Roy barked a humourless laugh, interrupting him. "No you don't. Not even close."

If Grumman was surprised by the venom in his voice, he didn't show it.

"Fine. I tasked Jean Havoc to tail your pack and offer protection where necessary. That was after the first attack in that area. We had received word from out scouts that the Hunters had practically vanished over-night and we wanted to know why. They were tracked to a mountain range nearby, but we didn't have the manpower to storm their castle, so to speak."

"Where is this mountain range?"

Grumman regarded him with a scrutinizing gaze. No doubt he could guess what Roy was thinking.

"I will not tell you. I do not need you running off to get revenge for Riza's death."

Bingo.

"If you don't tell me I will simply find out myself." Roy stood abruptly, the chair flying backwards with the force.

"Nobody gets in or out of this settlement without my go ahead."

"So we are prisoners here?"

Grumman snorted. "Of course not. But it is not safe right now, especially for you three and your families. I want nothing more than to protect you."

"Why?" Roy's gaze narrowed. There was more to this than the old man was letting on. Roy could feel it and he wasn't in the mood for cryptic messages and vague explanations. He wanted answers. He wanted revenge. He wanted someone who could be held accountable for Riza's death.

"Because you are werewolves in need of help. There are over one hundred werewolves living here, alongside humans, vampires, and witches. They have all come here because they have been either targeted by the Hunters or they want to fight them. I will not have you ruin years of work with a reckless mission for revenge.

"And, also…." Grumman took a deep breath. "Riza Hawkeye is my granddaughter." Stunned silence filled the room. What? She didn't have any family left. "If she truly is gone then I want to honour her by protecting her pack."

Something didn't sit right with Grumman. He paced in his living room, running the conversation he had with their new guests that morning. Everything he had said was true. He wanted to protect them, even just for Riza's sake.

The thought of her death sent a rush of sadness, regret, and guilt through him. He had been too late. Their pack didn't have the numbers to face the Hunters head on the night before she was killed, so Grumman had brought them back home. Stupid. Jean had remained, and he had instructed the young man to protect them at all costs. What he didn't anticipate was his granddaughter putting herself in the line of fire to save the people she loved. He found a deep respect for her due to that motive, but he would have preferred her to be alive and with them.

Once the Hunters had begun their march to the Mustang estate, it was too late. His team had arrived just after Jean had left with her pack. Riza was nowhere to be found, but from the smell of the wolfs bane and blood, it was clear what had happened.

Something stopped him pacing. If Riza's body had been taken, was she really dead?

Grumman opened the front door and stepped out into the warm afternoon air. His house stood at the end of the main market square. In front of it, about ten metres away, stood a fountain surrounded by a gravel path. It was large in size, standing five metres high with water pouring from the top. Parked in front of his house, facing down the main road into his settlement, were three Jeeps. The truck Riza's pack arrived in was parked in the garage, behind Grumman's house.

Situated around the water feature was a general store, a pharmacy, and a communal kitchen and dining area. The hospital sat behind the main square. It was small but it had everything they needed. There weren't many injuries that needed to be dealt with in the settlement. The majority of the residents were werewolves and their injuries heal themselves. Same with the vampires, but there were only a handful here. The witches could cast their own spells, but found it useful every now and then. The humans were the ones who used it most frequently.

"Havoc." Grumman called to the blonde as he walked by the fountain. He looked up at the sound of his name, noticing Grumman watching him.

"Yeah?" he asked, climbing the stairs to his porch.

Grumman motioned him inside.

"How did Riza die?"

The question threw him. He hadn't been expecting that. "She was shot. Four to the chest."

"From a gun or crossbow?"

"Gun."

"Were the bullets covered in wolfs bane?"

"I… I don't know. I didn't stop to smell her dead body."

Grumman frowned at his sarcastic tone. "You and I have both watched countless of our people die at the hands of these monsters. You know when they die."

Jean thought back. In the moment, he was so lost in the panic of the others that he didn't stop to think. His only thought was to get Roy out of there. That is what Riza had asked him to do and by God he would. If she was going to face off with them then the least he could do was honour her wish.

"I don't know. I was too focussed on getting the rest of them out of there. I didn't stop to think."

Grumman nodded, pondering his words. "Did Riza ask you to get them out of there?"

Jean nodded. "Yes. She was out on a patrol with Rebecca. Well, supposed to be. She sought me out after overhearing them talking. Recently, Roy had discovered that the hunters knew his name and where he lived. They were planning an attack. Riza discovered their scouts and heard their plan. She never told me what it was."

"So she never reported this discovery to anyone but you?"

"Not that I'm aware of. She simply asked that, if all hell broke loose and something happened to her, I would get her pack out of there and get them to safety. Now, they all think I betrayed them." His voice took on an incredible sadness. Grumman gave him a sympathetic smile. "They think I let Riza get killed."

"I can understand why they would, but you know the truth, don't you?" Jean nodded. "They won't listen to reason right now. They will find someone to blame in their grief and, unfortunately, that person with be you. Only because it is easy."

"I don't think she is dead," Jean stated.

"Neither do I. Something doesn't add up. They are intent on killing us, but if someone offered themselves up to the Hunters, they would incapacitate them and take the individual prisoner. They are very primitive in their knowledge of us. If there was any chance of taking one of us alive to study, they would." The thought was grim and they both knew it.

"I agree," Jean nodded. "Should we tell them?"

Grumman sighed, closing his eyes briefly. "I don't think so. Not out of malicious intent, but to stop getting people's hopes us. We have both seen our fair share of what happens when they experiment on werewolves."

Jean nodded, his eyes briefly glancing to the photo of Grumman and his daughter hanging on the wall. Yes, the old man knew very well what happened when the Hunters were through with their experiments.

"But we need to act quickly." Jean returned his gaze to the older man's upon hearing the urgency of his tone. "I will send out a small retrieval mission. I want you to head it. Get to that mountain range and find my granddaughter. Bring her home."

Jean nodded. "Yes, sir."

"I don't know if I trust these people," Rebecca muttered to the silent room. Roy offered no reply, but that was no surprise. He had been mute since their chat with Grumman.

"I don't know either. But we do have each other. We need to stick together. Right Roy?" Maes' question fell on deaf ears. There wasn't even a twitch from the dark haired man.

"Roy," Rebecca tried again to get through to him. Her voice was firm, filled with irritation and frustration. She stood from the bed and strode over to the chair he was occupying. Looking down at his broken frame, she could completely understand the hopelessness he felt, the sense of loss. But Riza had gave her life to protect his. To protect theirs. Rebecca wasn't going to squander it. And she sure as hell wasn't going to let Roy do it either. "Get up."

He raised his head slowly. His gaze was uncaring, lost, devastated.

"No."

"Get. Up."

"No."

Instead of asking again, Rebecca hauled him to his feet by the front of his t-shirt. Instead of the fierce reaction she had predicted, Roy let her move him. He hung from her grasp, limp. But his gaze never wavered.

That was what scared her most of all.

"You will not squander this gift she has given us. You will not. I won't let you."

No reply.

"So get your act together. Yes, this is shitty. Believe me." Rebecca paused, her emotions threatening to overwhelm her. "You weren't the only person to lose someone, all right? But do her memory a favour and get a grip."

Rebecca watched as his blank stare wavered. She watched as tears filled his eyes, but they never fell.

"It's so hard," he whispered.

Rebecca felt her own tears surfacing. "I know," she choked out. She let go of his t-shirt and felt her resolve crumble. She leaned forward, hugging him tightly. It was a spur of the moment hug, but one she so sorely needed. Jean had withheld the truth about his identity from her. He had hidden Riza's true intentions from them, allowing her to get killed. She had known she loved him. But she didn't know if she could trust him anymore.

Roy was the only person she had left.

One comfort, was the feeling of Roy putting his arms around her in return.

Roy placed his chin on top of Rebecca's head. Maes watched as they clung to each other desperately. He didn't know Riza well. Not like these two did. But he could feel the loss and pain rolling off of them in waves. Showing himself out, he gave the two werewolves a moment of privacy. He had the sudden urge to see Gracia and Elicia and tell them how much he loved them.

Midorikawaii: Aww I'm glad you think so! I hope you are enjoy reading it! :D

Tasia: He really does [insert heart eyes]. Aw, thank you! Uploading weekly is the only thing ensuring I keep writing :'D I really want to get this finished, not only for me, but for you guys! So if I stop, feel free to kick my ass xD