AN: If I had named any of the chapters, this one would probably be called The Aftermath. There is a LOT of talking and not a lot of action, but it is needed! Plus, we get some sweet, sweet Royai out of it.

Enjoy!

Roy felt almost dead on his feet as he walked back to his cabin with Rebecca. The pair were exhausted, both physically and mentally. That patrol had been draining. The people they had worked with were good guys, who made them both feel welcome and bantered back and forth to try and get their mind of things. And it worked. It irked him slightly that everyone seemed to know their business. Any hope of privacy was gone now.

As well as this, they pushed the pair hard. Ever since Riza had returned to them, the security had been increased around the settlement. No one was allowed to come and go without Grumman's permission. The settlement, Roy had learned, was surprisingly large. Although the bulk of the cabins were situated near the centre, it extended ten miles to the north, two to the south, and five miles, give or take, to both the east and west. They had been led north through a valley and into a mountain range. However, no matter how interesting the conversation or how beautiful the scenery was, his thoughts were always elsewhere. He could tell Rebecca was in the same situation. She laughed and joked along, but it lacked her usual enthusiasm.

He had wanted nothing more than to speak to Riza, to get this mess straightened out, but another half of him didn't want to. He felt too scared to in case he fucked everything up again. Chicken.

Grumman ordered them out on a patrol to give them all space from the current situation. Roy was grateful, because he needed time to think. So did Rebecca. He needed to get his thoughts and words in order so that when the time came, he would say the right thing.

As they walked, he felt his wolf stir inside him. Dragging his gaze up from the ground below, his gaze focussed ahead. In the distance, through the trees, he spotted Jean and Riza walked towards the main square. They were side by side and dep in conversation. His heart jumped in his chest painfully as he stopped walking.

They seemed closer, somehow. Riza was smiling softly as Jean spoke to her. Terror spiked within him at the thought of facing her again. No matter how much of a front he put up, no matter how confident he seemed, he would always be nervous when it came to Riza Hawkeye, regarding situations like the one he was currently in. It was simply because he didn't want to screw it up.

She finally looked up and caught his gaze, as if sensing he was there. She stopped also, and the pair were left, locked in place by each other's gaze. Jean stopped too, looking confused. Following her gaze, he spied the pair. Determination set in his face. Instead of freezing, he walked towards Rebecca.

"Can I talk to you?" he asked the brunette.

Rebecca paused for a moment, watching him carefully. She finally nodded in agreement and the pair walked away without another word.

That left both Roy and Riza in a staring contest. Roy psyched himself up and approached her cautiously. She looked skittish, as if any wrong movement would send her running. She simply watched him approach nervously, looking slightly terrified. It killed him to see her looking at him like that, but he pushed forward. He needed to fix this. It didn't feel right, the pair of them tiptoeing around each other. No matter what happened between them, Roy knew he would forgive her. It may take time, but ultimately, he would.

"Hey," he ventured, his voice soft. He watched as she seemed to struggle internally with something. Briefly, she closed her eyes. Upon opening them, Roy watched as she put on a mask and a front for him. She smiled, but it didn't meet her eyes.

"Hey," was her reply. However, the tone held an air of formality to it. As if she was purposefully putting distance between them. "I didn't expect you to still be here." Riza had meant it to sound like a casual conversation, but her voice cracked.

Roy's face fell. "Riza, what are we doing?"

She didn't have an answer for him.

"I hate this. You told me to go but that is the complete opposite of what I want. Look," he grasped her hand gently. It gave her the opportunity to pull away if she wanted to. Riza remained in place, relishing in the action. She should pull away, push him away, to protect him. But it was too hard. Especially when he was looking at her like she was his whole world. "You made a call to protect us," he continued. "I understand that. I appreciate it, however, Rebecca and I can both hold our own. We are a pack. We should work together, not by ourselves."

Riza nodded, feeling the pressure build behind her eyes again. She blinked it away, having had enough crying for one day.

Roy moved, cupping her face in his hands. "I love you, Riza. I don't want to lose you. Not to the Hunters, not to some well-intentioned, but misplaced, need to protect me. I get you are the alpha, but you said you wanted us to all be equal. So let's do just that."

Tears fell down her face despite her fight. He wiped them away with his thumbs, smiling at her again. His own tears filled his eyes, but didn't fall. It made her heart lurch. God, she loved this man. He was still so loving and accepting of her, despite her monumental fuck ups.

"I love you too," she whispered. "But… everything is such a mess. I don't know what I am doing. I really don't." Although Riza was reaching the point of babbling, Roy could see the desperation in her voice, the fear, at not knowing what to do. She had grabbed his wrists now as if they were a life-saving aid which would keep her above the water that was her regret. "And it kills me to put you and Rebecca through what I did. I can't keep doing that to you and you know it."

Roy dropped his hands from his face and pulled her into an embrace. She continued to talk into his chest, letting everything out.

"I fell so goddamn guilty for what I did," she whispered. If he didn't have werewolf hearing, Roy would have had to strain to hear her words as they were muffled in his t-shirt. "I didn't want it to happen, but I panicked. And I know I would do it again if it meant keeping you guys safe."

"It's okay," he soothed her, rubbing her back. He placed his cheek on the top of her head, as if willing her to understand that simple statement.

"It is not okay," she replied, the level of her voice rising. "Stop saying it is because you know it isn't."

"Riza, listen." Roy pulled away, grasping her hands. "It can be whatever we want it to be. Yes, I wasn't happy with your decision. I felt… betrayed by being kept uninformed." Riza flinched. "But," he added quickly. "You were only trying to protect us. I get that. I really do. I would have probably done the same and not thought twice about it."

Riza was silent once more as she searched his eyes, looking for a lie. But there was none to be found. Satisfied, she visibly sagged.

"Come here," Roy ushered, opening his arms once more. He pulled her into his arms, closing his eyes briefly, simply enjoying the feeling of Riza being in them once more. The blonde buried her face in his chest as Roy rubbed her back soothingly.

"Everything is such a mess," she repeated, whispering into his chest.

"It's nothing we can't figure out together," he offered. He had sensed there was more bothering her, but didn't press the issue. Grumman had said her mental state was fragile at the moment after her time in captivity. The reminder made him hold her tighter. Roy didn't want to push Riza if she wasn't ready to discuss anything.

Another thought popped into his head, addressing the words that had been tearing him apart since she uttered them. "And don't ever think you are not worth it, Riza Hawkeye," he whispered. "You are worth everything to me."

Roy didn't expect a reply from her, and that was okay. But Roy was determined those words be said. He needed her to know how much she meant. Especially to him. "Have you ate?" he asked, steering the conversation in a new direction. Riza stiffened in response to his question, but nodded against him.

"Okay. Come on, let's go somewhere private to talk." Riza stiffened, and Roy was quick to amend his statement. "If you don't want to discuss anything that is fine. We can wait."

Riza shook her head. "It isn't that. I just… don't know where to begin."

"That's okay." He pulled away, taking her hand gingerly in his. He was thrilled to feel her grasp his tightly. "But let's go somewhere other than the middle of the forest. Although, I don't know why. It seems everyone and their mother knows who we are and what is going on with us."

Riza smiled tiredly at his remark.

He led her to his cabin. As Riza entered and looked around the place, he lit the fire and grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge. Silently, he asked Riza if she wanted one, who shook her head in the negative. Together, they both sat on one of the couches in front of the fire. Roy's tired muscles welcomed the comfortable position as he downed the bottle. Their six hour patrol had left him parched.

Riza stared ahead as they sat. Roy watched her frown slightly. He could see the cogs turning in her head, trying to think of where to begin.

"If you need time, it is all right."

Riza shook her head.

"Okay." Roy was silent again, but there was nothing from her. "What is going on with you, Riza?" he asked, prompting her. In his hands, he twirled the lid of the bottle around the top. "I mean really?"

"I…" Riza began, but didn't know how to continue. Yeah, so I was tortured then brought back here only to find out I have been lied to my entire life and I have family I didn't even know about? That's a good start.

"Start from the top," he urged softly.

Riza sighed. "Okay." She took a deep breath. She would start right from the top, before this whole mess began. "When... When I was out on patrol, that night at your house. I spotted the Hunters early on. The three we saw." Riza swallowed and forced down the bile that rose at the memory. "The reason I told Jean and not you was because I knew you wouldn't agree to it."

"Damn right I wouldn't have," he muttered without thinking, his twirling becoming more forced.

"But," Riza stressed. "I didn't know that would happen. I didn't expect them to shoot me like they did. I underestimated them. You will never know how truly sorry I am, subjecting you to watch that. I know it would have been hard as hell."

"Hard?" Roy echoed, disbelief lacing his tone. "It was awful. I thought you were dead." All thought of being reasonable and level headed leaving him at her understatement.

"I know." Riza closed her eyes, composing herself and swallowing away the lump in her throat. Roy felt guilty after his outburst. This was supposed to be about her, not about him getting angry at her. "Like I said, I am sorry. I don't expect you to forgive me for that."

"Why didn't you trust me enough to tell me?" Roy's tone was softer.

Riza didn't miss how he breezed past her last statement. She knew this wasn't going to be an easy road. She knew they wouldn't be able to go back to the relationship they once had, "soul mates" or not. But hearing Roy confirm that he wouldn't forgive her? But you have no right to feel hurt, her brain reminded her. After what you pulled I am surprised he is even talking to you at all.

Little did she know, Roy already had forgiven her. He couldn't help himself by asking that question instead, because it was the one that had been burned his mind for the last two weeks.

"It was never a case of trust," Riza stressed. Déjà vu flitted through her as she remembered her similar conversation with Rebecca. "Don't think that. Please. I knew he would get the job done. But, after what I know now, I am surprised he was able to."

"What you know now?" Roy echoed.

"We'll get to that in a minute. Also, don't blame your aunt, but I asked her to keep you quiet while I negotiated with the Hunters." Roy opened his mouth to protest. She could see the disapproval on his face. The bottle was now crushed in his grip, long forgotten. Riza held up a hand to stop him. "Don't blame her. Or Jean. This was all me, okay? My plan was to draw their fire and distract them while you lot got out of the way. That's what I told Jean and Christmas to do. Then, once you were safe, I would join you. I did not offer myself up to receive four gunshots to the chest. That is not my idea of fun."

Her tone became irritated and Roy couldn't blame her. Both he had Rebecca had felt hurt Riza had betrayed them, but didn't stop to think how it had affected her. No one would willingly offer themselves up to the Hunters. Riza had her reasons. They had just been too blinded by their grief and pain to think about it.

"I didn't think of that. I'm sorry." He took her hand in his, simply marvelling at the fact she was still here with them. After that day Roy was sure she was gone forever. Everything had been ripped out from underneath him, leaving him reeling.

"It seems we both didn't think about a lot."

"I don't… blame anyone for what happened, Riza. I just so caught up in grief that I didn't stop to think." He chuckled to himself, but it was humourless. "So we are both at fault there." He squeezed her hand tightly, offering her a smile. "What happened with the Hunters?"

Riza studied him, noting the clench in his jaw and the slight frown that graced his features.

"Are you sure –"

Roy nodded, cutting her off. "Tell me."

"They injected me with different poisons to see their affect." Roy free hand clenched into a fist. "Thirty minutes after each dose there was a vaccine that was administered. I was simply there for research." The hand which held Riza hand also tried to curl into a fist, but Riza held it, flattening his palm. She stroked his palm, willing him to calm down. They didn't need a repeat of the day outside the hospital. "The vampire who was testing me kept me weak and docile through the vaccine. It dulled my senses and instincts. The fight to escape left me because I was in too much pain and I was too weak."

"Vampire?" Roy spoke through gritted teeth. His gaze was fixated straight ahead, but Riza knew there was a fire burning in those eyes.

"Yes. She was helping them. I don't know why. Once they were done I was loaded into a car and driven somewhere. I remember being kicked out onto the grass and left in the snow to die." Despite Riza's soothing motions, Roy hand finally clenched into a fist, snatched from her grasp. "Roy," she commanded softly. "Look at me."

He finally did so. Riza noted the fire in his eyes, seeing the fury within. She could almost feel it herself. It rolled off of him in waves. She took his head in her hands, bringing it to her forehead. Resting it there, she stroked his cheeks.

"I know you are angry," she murmured. "I am too. But we need to be smart about this. Grumman can help us."

"He said…" Roy swallowed the lump in his throat. "He said he had seen a lot of his people come back here. They had been taken like you. Most didn't make it."

"But I did. Remember that."

"I didn't think you would."

Riza pulled away, looking into his eyes. The fire had died down, leaving only embers.

"He said…" Roy began, but trailed off. It wasn't his place to tell her the truth about her mother. He regretted opening his mouth as Riza looked at him expectantly. "He said they did the same to your mother."

Riza didn't reply. She returned to her previous position, facing forwards.

Roy cursed himself for screwing it up. Riza had retreated into herself, remaining silent. This was something she knew already, but the revelation was still knew. He could tell.

"They did."

Her voice was hollow.

"Riza, I am sorry." No reaction. "I didn't mean to bring it up."

"I accepted my mother's death years ago," Riza told him. "But the fact that years of my life were taken from me? That is the problem."

"What?" Roy was thoroughly confused.

"The day my mother died, Berthold took me to a witch here. He asked them to remove my memories of this place so that I would forget about being a werewolf. I originally thought she died when I was three. It turns out I was actually ten."

Roy frowned. He could understand Berthold's need to protect his daughter, but there was a better way to go about it.

"I found her body apparently. In the woods. That's why he had my memories removed."

Roy could imagine a young Riza finding her mother in that state. It made him feel slightly sick.

"Do you have a memory of it?" Roy was almost fearful of the answer. The sight of Riza shaking her head didn't distil his fear.

"I… am not looking forward to that one."

Roy took her hand in his. "Well, when it does, tell me. We will work through it together."

Riza's gaze snapped up to his, almost daring to believe what he said was true.

"I mean it, Riza," he stressed. "I understand why you did what you did. I forgive you," he told her. The words shouldn't have to have been said, but he knew Riza would need to hear them.

"Thank you," she whispered, laying her head on his shoulder. "You shouldn't though." Roy sighed at her persistence.

"Let me worry about that," he stated, but he smiled. "You know I always will."

"I wouldn't be so confident about that."

"Why? You got any dead bodies hidden away that I don't know about?"

Riza barked out a laugh. However, his joke didn't have the same effect as Riza was reminded of her time in Central Park. I need to get to the bottom of this. It was something that continued to haunt her.

"No, I don't." Her tone was amused, but it was the opposite of how she was feeling inside. Fear had returned once more. She knew Roy hadn't meant it that way. It was an attempt of lightening the mood, nothing more.

"So, Grumman is your Grandfather, huh?"

Riza nodded. "It appears so."

"Well, that's one good thing to take from this I suppose."

Riza hadn't stopped to think about it that way. She had found a member of her family when she had thought everyone was gone. Of course, Riza had made her own family with Rebecca, and then Roy, but it was nice to have a blood relative again. Especially someone who actually seemed to care for her, unlike her father.

"Also, Jean and I grew up together. I remember changing with him and playing as a wolf." She chuckled at the memory of her pinning him as a wolf, a grin on her face as he whined beneath her paws.

"You knew him as a kid?" Riza nodded. "And he still managed to do what he did. Wow."

Riza nodded again. "I agree. As if I didn't feel bad enough about the whole thing already."

Electing to ignore her comment, Roy steered the conversation in a different direction. "I respect him for that. I know I wouldn't have been able to."

Silence reigned once more as the pair thought about the gravity of that revelation. Roy was lost in thought for a while. By the time he returned to the present, he could hear Riza breathing deeply and evenly. Leaning forward, he saw her eyes were closed. She was asleep.

Smiling at her relaxed form, he eased her from his shoulder. Lifting her slowly, he carried her to his bedroom. Laying her gently on his bed, she stirred in her sleep and curled into herself. Roy smiled, simply amazed to watch her. Kicking off his shoes and changing into a pair of clean shorts, he climbed in beside her.

As he watched her sleep, he thought about everything they had gone through. It was a hell of a lot for a short period of time, but he was grateful for every minute he got to spend with Riza Hawkeye.

Riza couldn't count how many times she had felt truly lucky in her life. The feeling had come by so rarely, she wasn't sure she even knew what it felt like anymore. Her childhood had been harsh and unforgiving. There was no place for luck and happiness as she struggled to stay alive. Well, from what she had remembered anyway. Before living with Berthold, it had been so full of colour, life, and love.

After her Mother passed, there was nothing but shades of grey. Once Roy had come along, the shades had begun to change slightly. It started off softly and gradually built. It took her a while to realise it. The day she found out he had left, her world turned back to that grey mess. It matched her mood perfectly.

Then, Rebecca entered her life in a burst of bright colour. It changed everything she once knew and painted it new. The older girl had returned colour to her life in the best way and she was extremely grateful.

Now, lying in that bed with Roy sleeping by her side, she found herself gradually seeing colour again. Roy had done that for her. Once she had been captured, the world had dulled once more. She had been enveloped in too much pain to even notice it. The day in front of the hospital, her world felt like it was turning to black and white as she told Roy to leave her. Her heart clenched as she remembered it. She had truly brought him so much trouble and he didn't deserve that. He had brought colour into her life. He deserved all the happiness life could bring him, not someone who stole the colour away.

His love had returned the colour to her life. She would never forget that.

She rolled over to face him. His bangs fell over his eyes as he slept. One strand of hair was stuck on an eyelash and it twitched in irritation. Riza smiled, removing the offending piece of hair. His face relaxed once more as he continued to snore softly. Cupping his cheek, she kissed his forehead before extracting herself from his bed. Although Riza would have loved to have stay there and simply watch him sleep, she had been doing too much lying around this past week. She needed action.

Showering was a quick affair. Then came the dilemma that she didn't have any clothes. She spotted a duffel bag in the corner of his bedroom and sifted through it. Riza threw on his clothes, a pair of boxers, shorts, and a sweatshirt. She left the room with one last lingering glance towards the man asleep. She admired his muscular frame, her stomach fluttering at the sight. He had rolled over onto his back, exposing his bare chest and muscular abs. Riza smiled, finally tearing her gaze away.

The smell of cooking dragged Roy from his slumber. Immediately, he reached out beside him but found empty sheets instead of a warm body. Frowning, he propped himself up on his elbow and blearily looked around the room. He had woken up disorientated and it took him a moment to regain his bearings. The sound of quiet humming reached him, causing the man to grin like a fool.

Standing over the oven was Riza, cooking their breakfast. His smile never wavered as he spotted her in his clothes. A thrill went through him at the sight. He approached from behind, wrapping his arms around her waist. Riza jumped in surprise, the fat in the frying pan sizzling as she disturbed the bacon.

"Morning" Roy greeted.

"Morning," came her reply, finally relaxing.

"I could get used to waking up to this sight."

Riza smiled to herself, secretly thrilled. After their conversation last night it felt like a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. They weren't one hundred percent okay, there was still an underlying feeling of betrayal from Roy, and understandably so. But, it was a start.

Riza also had a lot to deal with herself. The after effects of her experimentation with the vampire still lingered. She woke up in the night tangled in the bedsheet, a wild panic flying through her as she thought she was back in the cave, restrained. It hadn't helped she was disorientated, the last thing she remembered was sitting on the couch with Roy. Once she spotted his sleeping form she calmed, telling herself she was okay. She was out of the cave.

The pair ate in a companionable silence. Riza listened to the sounds of activity around the settlement, hearing people talking and laughing as they went about their daily business. Birds sang in the trees around them, enjoying the crisp but bright morning. Sunlight streamed through the window in the living room, heating the carpet in front of the television.

Her thoughts then turned to her grandfather. She had so many questions to ask him about anything and everything. She wanted to know what her life was like in her short time living here. She had recalled some memories, but they were from over fifteen years ago. They were foggy at best and didn't paint a brilliant picture of her childhood.

A knock on the door disturbed her. Roy frowned and stood, taking his slice of toast with him.

"Hey," Maes greeted, grinning once he spotted Riza. She offered a small wave as she finished off her bacon roll. "I'm glad to see you in the land of the living, Riza."

"I am glad to be here," returning his smile.

"How are you?" he asked, stepping into the small house.

"I am all right," she answered honestly. She was okay. Not good, but okay. After her spell last night she knew she was suffering from PTSD after her captivity. The wounds in her chest still ached from time to time, but they had healed nicely. Her other senses, which had been dulled immensely by the vampire, had returned to normal, so that was one positive.

"If you need someone to talk to about anything, just let me know."

"Thank you Maes. I will."

He then turned his attention to Roy. He clapped him on the back. "Breda was looking for you. Patrol time."

Riza saw Roy's face fall. He glanced towards Riza briefly, not liking the idea of leaving her. There was still a small part of him that thought if he turned around for just a moment, she would disappear.

"Go," she ushered with a smile. "I'll be waiting for you when you come back."

Begrudgingly, Roy grabbed his last slice of toast off his plate and left to get changed. However, not before kissing Riza on the forehead.

Maes watched the exchange, beaming. He was so happy for the two of them. Having to watch Roy go through losing her was heart breaking. Not only that, the thought of losing Riza Hawkeye was one he didn't like to entertain. He had grown to like her a lot. She was a good friend and looked out for her pack. He had a lot of time for her.

"What do you plan to do today?" Maes asked, occupying Roy's recently vacated seat. He picked up his bacon roll and ate it happily.

"I don't know. I would like to see Grumman at some point."

Maes nodded.

"Did you eat my breakfast?" Roy asked frowning, his hand hovering in front of him as he reached towards his plate. Maes shrugged. His frown deepened but before he could retort, someone called him from outside.

"Roy! Let's go!"

With a sigh, he kissed Riza's cheek and bid them both farewell. He left the cabin in a rush. The sooner he left, the sooner he could return.

"How are Gracia and Elicia?" Riza asked, curious, as she tried to calm her rapidly beating heart. It had been left excited after Roy's show of affection. She didn't think she would ever be someone who enjoyed that kind of attention, but it was nice.

Maes paused in his eating.

"Do they know what this place is?" The vampire didn't reply. He returned the roll to the plate in front of him.

"They do."

Riza's stomach clenched at his tone. They knew the truth now.

"Did… she take it well?"

Maes sighed. "At first, no." Maes was silent once more. He removed his glasses and begun leaning the lenses. Something he did when he was tired, Riza noticed.

"At first?" she prompted.

"Gracia didn't believe me. I had to show her."

The look on his face made Riza's heart clench. That couldn't have been easy. Especially not for Maes. He only wanted to love and protect his family. By informing them, he had opened them both up to a whole new world where one of them was at the bottom of the food chain.

"And?"

"The fear was there. I saw it in her eyes, clear as day. That was the one thing that I didn't want to see. Ever." Maes returned his glasses to his face. "Then I told Elicia and it was as if she already knew." He chuckled to himself. "It was as if she dropped an act. My little girl isn't so little anymore."

Riza nodded in understanding. She had witnessed it first hand when she had discovered the young vampire alone in the forest. She knew she was something different. She knew the different scents of the different species. Just no one had named them for her.

"When did you tell them?"

"Shortly after we arrived. Two weeks ago."

"How are things now?"

Riza hadn't expected him to smile, but seeing Maes do so gave her some hope.

"They are going well. Grumman spoke with Gracia about everything they do here. The fear only lasted a short time. After that, she became curious. Elicia opened up and told us she knew she was different. Gracia wasn't entirely pleased that the truth had been kept from her, but she said she understood why I did what I did."

"I'm glad it all worked out for you Maes. If anyone deserved it, it would be you."

"Thanks Riza," he smiled. "Just remember though," he added after a moment's consideration. Riza's curiosity piqued. "We all do things we think is right for the ones we love." Riza's heart hammered in her chest. "If it doesn't work out as planned it doesn't make us bad people, okay? We've all got flaws and we can't predict the future. Well," he grinned. "Except maybe the witches." Maes winked.

Riza smiled and felt a laugh bubbling in her chest.

"Promise me you will remember that?"

Riza nodded. "I promise."

"Don't be too hard on yourself either. You know that boy is crazy about you. He is always going to forgive you, if he hasn't already."

Riza smiled to herself, finally feeling some peace after hearing Maes' words. He was right. She nodded and voiced her agreement, causing Maes to relax in return.

"Are you going to take things further with Gracia?" Maes frowned and Riza held her hands up in surrender. "I am simply curious."

Maes let out a puff of air. "I don't know. She hasn't expressed any interest in becoming a vampire. Perhaps she hasn't properly thought the whole situation through. There is still so much she has yet to learn about us. But I don't think I could do it to her." Maes visibly shuddered at the thought. "I wouldn't be strong enough to do that to her."

"Well, whatever you decide, I will be behind you one hundred percent. I'll help in any way I can."

"Thanks."

Okay, so just a little of Royai, but there is more on the way. Never fear ;D I will make it up to you guys after some of the angs chapters we just had