AN: Another Sunday, another chapter! This one is a good one, IMO ;) That's because we get a glimpse of Riza's past!

Hope you enjoy it!

Riza's eye flew open when consciousness returned to her. She shot upright, having found herself lying down. Her movement was restricted by something which was warm. Panic rose within her. It had a weight to it, pressing down on her lower body. In her panic, she didn't fully register what she was seeing. All she knew was darkness. You are in the cave again.

"Hey," a soft voice greeted her.

Riza froze upon hearing her voice, her heart hammering in her chest. A hand grabbed hers and Riza latched onto it for dear life. It was a lifeline in the pitch black, stopping her from drowning in her panic.

"Shh," it soothed. "You're okay." That phrase was repeated over and over again. Arms wrapped around her body tightly.

Overwhelmed by almost everything, Riza began to cry. It wasn't quiet either. Loud, gut wrenching sobs filled the room. Like a wounded animal, Riza wailed as she was cradled tightly against Roy's chest.

"I can't do this anymore Roy," she choked out. "It is too much. I need it to stop."

Fear surged through him at her words. Riza could hear it due to the way his breath caught in his throat. She hadn't wanted to say those words. She didn't want to admit it to herself. But it was just too damn hard now. This whole experience was wearing her thin. If she wasn't careful, she would crack and Riza was afraid that this time, she wouldn't be able to put herself back together.

Not only that, it was affecting everyone else. She could see the bags under Roy's eyes. The interrupted sleep as he helped her calm down from a nightmare and the constant worry was wearing him out. When he thought she wasn't watching, Riza truly saw how tired he was.

It was becoming too much for the both of them.

"This was their plan all along Riza," Roy said firmly, his arms tightening around her. "You can't let them beat you."

"I can't do it," she sobbed.

"You can." His voice was firm. "I believe you can. So does Rebecca, so does everyone else here. You are the strongest person I know. If anyone can, it would be you."

Riza was silent and Roy didn't know if it was because she didn't believe him, she didn't believe in herself, or simply had no answer.

"It will be hard," Roy continued. "I know it will. I don't expect you to be at one hundred percent every day. Not after what they did." His grip tightened on her. "And I don't want you to feel like a failure because you can't hold it together all the time. You went through something very traumatic, Riza. You are only human. Well, you know what I mean." There was a slight tone of amusement in his words as he tried to make her feel better. "You are allowed to break down. You can't keep it bottled up. But we will beat this and we will beat them. I swear on my life."

Her words terrified him to his core. Roy needed to do something. And fast.

Riza was silent as they drove along the highway. Roy stole glances at her as he drove but she remained unmoving. For the past three hours she had her head leaning against the cool glass and watched the rain make its way down the window.

He didn't know what to do. Roy was lost. In truth, he wanted to whisk her far away from here to somewhere where they wouldn't be found by the Hunters. But this was reality and that wasn't plausible. The threat would follow them no matter where they went and to leave themselves outnumbered was not a smart idea.

But… If he couldn't run away with Riza… He could do the next best thing.

Whipping out his phone he hit the button to call Hughes.

"Hey Roy," his old friend greeted.

"Hughes. We won't be making it back tonight."

The man sighed on the other side of the line. That seemed to pique Riza's interest. She shifted for the first time since entering the car.

"Okay."

"We are heading east. I don't know where. I'll let you know when we get there."

"Anything you need me to do?"

"No. Just let Grumman know."

"Will do man. Take care."

Roy ended the call and tossed his phone into the cup holder to his left.

"Where are we going?"

Her small voice pierced his heart. She was a shell of her former self and it scared him. After they had such a good couple of weeks, Roy thought they were past the worst of it. It turns out he was wrong.

"Away from everything." Roy's grip tightened on the steering wheel.

"What do you mean?"

"In order for you to recover you need to get away from all of this. Remove yourself from the situation completely. So were are not going back to the settlement. There is too much there to remind you about what happened."

His tone left no room for argument. On a normal day the thought of running off with Roy alone, so they could be away from all the drama currently unfolding around them would have thrilled her. But this was not a normal day. Riza Hawkeye hadn't had a normal day since she was gunned down in front of Roy's house. She didn't have the energy to argue with him even if she wanted to so she returned to staring out of the window.

After nine hours of driving, they reached their destination. Riza didn't know where they were, nor did she care.

The hotel Roy had chosen was relatively fancy. It wasn't overly expensive, but it was something she would have never paid for herself. Riza wanted to ask him why he had chosen this hotel but the words never left her mouth. She obediently followed his direction to take a seat on the bed.

"I'll be right back." Riza barely felt the kiss on the top of her head. Roy was out the door before she could process his reassurance.

Her throat tightened at the thought of being left alone. No, Riza, she scolded herself. You can do this. You can deal with this. Stop relying on him for everything. You need to get a grip. It took a great amount of willpower, but Riza stilled the rising panic. She simply thought about the time before. Before even the first incident with the Hunters. When she and Rebecca had tried to teach Roy how to change into a werewolf. Her lips twitched upwards at the memory, but a smile never formed.

While they had been travelling, Riza had had a lot to think about. Her thoughts didn't stray towards what had happened earlier that day. It was dark outside when they had arrived at the hotel, so she focussed on that. She made sure to stare right into the night as they entered the city limits. She had told Roy herself she couldn't hide from her past anymore. So she would face the threatening dark head on.

Slowly, for the duration of the drive, she had felt herself returning. She was no longer the shell she had felt like that morning. The more she thought about everything that had happened to her, the easier it became. So, Riza had blocked out the outside world and turned into her mind, facing her demons as best she could.

Vaguely, the remembered Roy making a few calls as they drove, but she didn't pay attention to them. She was too focussed on her task now.

Time might have passed before Roy came back to her, Riza really wasn't sure. What she did notice, however, was that everything was becoming dull around her again, like it had before when she was a child. She wasn't sure if it was due to the time of day, or if it was a reflection of her mental state. The orange curtains seemed greyer than they should have been and the too bright light above her cast a greyish glow, rather than the bright white one Riza knew it should.

"Riza? There is someone here to talk to you. Is it okay to bring them in?"

She met his gaze, watching as Roy bit his lip at her lack of response. This was worrying him, she realised. So she nodded. Air left his lungs in a rush and he smiled. Leaving Riza once more, he opened the door and a short, older woman walked in. As soon as the woman's eyes set on her patient, she froze. Hesitating, she turned to Roy. "Riza Hawkeye?" she asked. Roy nodded. "Very well. You may leave now. We will be at work for some time."

"No."

That simple syllable caused the other two occupants in the room to hesitate. The woman's expression was impassive. She shrugged and moved the arm chair by the desk to rest in front of her subject. Hope filled Roy's expression at Riza's final vocal response.

"Very well. Take a seat Mustang. Can you lie down for me Riza?" The blonde questioned the old woman with her gaze. "I see what you mean," she muttered.

"Can you help her?" Roy's voice was desperate.

"I will certainly try. Lie down." Her command was stronger this time and Riza found herself obeying. Roy sat on the bed next to her. She didn't know what was going on, nor did she care to find out. She was too tired. But she trusted Roy. "Close your eyes."

As the darkness enveloped her, Riza clamped onto Roy's hand, anchoring herself to him. Hands were pressed to Riza's temples. For a few seconds nothing happened. Then she went limp. Roy's gaze flicked to the old woman's in alarm.

"She is all right. She is in an unconscious state. While in this, I can help her through her experience. I need time and lots of it. And peace to work. There is no telling how much damage it has done."

Roy bit his lip once more and prayed for his love as the woman muttered under breath about how "stupid" Berthold was.

"Come on, Riza," he whispered, kissing the back of her hand. "You can do this."

Slowly Riza's eyes opened. She was in front of Roy's house once more. She could hear voices. Looking towards the house she saw her and Rebecca's backs through the glass doors. She was talking and Hughes answered.

No… Not this again.

"Please, remain calm Riza."

She jumped. Turning around fearfully she was surprised to see the old woman once more. But… How could they both be here when she had been in a hotel room only moments ago? Was this a dream?

"Yes, it is a dream." At Riza's almost fearful look, the old woman continued. "If you are determined to remain silent then I need to be able to communicate with you. So I can read your mind in this instance."

"Why are you doing this?"

"I am not. This is your most frequent dream, is it not? Or, I suppose nightmare would be the more appropriate term. I simply put you in REM sleep. This is when we dream and this is what your brain came up with. This is all you."

"Make it stop," Riza pleaded. "Please. I can't see it again."

"Only you can do that."

"How?"

"By overcoming your fear of it."

Gunshots rang out, causing Riza to jump in fright. She covered her ears with her hands, closing her eyes tightly, doing anything to block out the sound.

The scene played out as it had, making Riza feel sick hearing it. The blonde didn't need to see it to know how bad it was. The worst part was actually realising how the whole catastrophe had affected others who had watched on. The cocktail of emotions that coated Roy's voice tore at her insides. Fear, horror, fury, they were all blended together. Rebecca was screeching in a rage and terror.

"Stop," Riza whispered, closing her eyes.

"Riza. Open your eyes." She shook her head violently. "Open them."

The command was difficult to ignore. It felt as though she was opening her eyes against her will. Instead of seeing her bleeding form on the forest floor, the scene had been almost rewound back in time a couple of seconds. It was currently poised on the precipice of completely going to shit. She saw herself talking to Fuery, determination and acceptance in her expression. It was the moment she decided to offer herself up.

"Do you want to know why I have frozen it here?"

"Not particularly."

"To explore the other options. Now, let's say it was Roy who offered himself up the Hunters. Let's watch what happens."

The scene was a knee jerk reaction for Riza. That was not what she had been expecting. It rewound before her eyes, as if it was an old VHS tape. She watched in horror as Roy ran out the house, begging them to stop shooting. He was gunned down on the spot, mid-sentence.

"No!" Riza shrieked. There was an echo because it was the same reaction the other version of her had. Both ran to the man they loved. But he was dead. His face was frozen in terror. She didn't know what was different this time. How had he died when she had lived? That wasn't fair! Tears fell down Riza's face.

"Now," the woman's voice was sombre. "Let's see what happens when you all try to escape."

The scene rewound again. Riza jumped away from Roy's lifeless body, the cold, lifeless eyes disappearing as his body did. But Riza knew they wouldn't disappear from her dreams. They never did.

Whipping around, she watched as they all fled the house and took cover behind the trees. Riza ushered Fuery forward, directing him to run to where Mustang and Christmas were waiting. But the gunfire didn't stop. Christmas had stood a little too tall for the sign as she ran and a bullet entered her skull. As Roy turned in horror, abandoning his cover in favour of his aunt, a bullet his shoulder then another entered his skull. Both there dead. Fuery lay unmoving on the grass, blood pooling under his stomach.

"Stop this," Riza whispered, true terror gripping every fibre of her being. "Stop this!" It rewound once more, back to the scene of them back safely in the house. "Why are you doing this to me? Haven't I suffered enough?"

"Have you?" The woman's question infuriated her.

Riza glared at her through her tears. "Of course I have! I relive these moments every day and you are making me do it again. Why?!"

"In this state I can help you see why what you did was the right thing to do, even though it cost you this trauma."

Riza's mouth fell open. That… was cold.

"You believe you did what you did because of panic. You are consumed by guilt because of the toll it took on everyone else. But look at those other options. What happened?"

Riza couldn't even say the words.

"What happened Riza?"

"They died," she choked out.

"That was the other outcome of this situation. Yes, it was risky what you did. Some might even call it dumb. But you knew what you were doing, didn't you?" Riza was too stunned for words. "You knew the one on the left had wolfs bane bullets. You could smell them." Riza found herself thinking back.

"That was just luck, I didn't –"

"You did know. Do you want to know why I know that? Because I watched you grow up and I know your mother instilled that training into you as a child."

"What?" Riza's voice was barely above a whisper.

"As soon as you spied them you took the weakest member of the team under your wing. First thing is first, get them to safety." That sentence rung with familiarity, but Riza didn't know where from. "Next, your wolf sniffed out the poisonous bullets. She pinpointed which Hunter had them loaded into their pistol, the one positioned and firing at Mustang's location. So, you drew their fire and ceased it. It threw the Hunters off. You had the element of surprise. This all makes sense to you doesn't it?"

Riza felt lost. Some of the woman's words did ring true, Riza knew that deep down, but she was too confused to think it all through. Her mind simply wouldn't put two and two together. The old woman had spoken of training with her mother as well. Images came to her head, fleetingly, but again, Riza was too overwhelmed and overstimulated to make sense of them.

"Maybe not sense," she continued, watching her patient's expressions. "But you know there is truth to them." Riza nodded slowly, bewildered. The woman smiled for the first time in this dream world. "That is because your mother prepared you well. You are a survivor, Riza Hawkeye. You have been since you left the settlement. Maybe not consciously, but you fought to ensure your pack's survival. You preyed on the Hunters weakness, their knowledge of us, and their surprise. If those actions don't reek of Amelia Hawkeye, then I don't know what does."

"How are you doing all this?" Riza asked finally. It was the first and only question in her mind. Others were burning to be answered, but, for the life of her, Riza couldn't formulate them into sentences.

"I am a witch. I cannot fabricate fairy tales, nor can I influence the past. I am merely helping you face your fears head on, like you requested." Riza frowned. How did she know that? "What has happened has happened," the woman continued. "I can only show you the other outcomes of the same scenario. Now, which one is more preferable?" She motioned to the forgotten scene in front of her.

"The – The one that really happened," she stuttered.

"Correct. Because of you, Riza Hawkeye, those people are still alive. Remember that."

"Why did Roy…" The word was too hard to say.

"Die?" Pain blossomed in her chest. "They knew who, and what, he was so there was one who was assigned to target him killed him. Like I said, that Hunter's bullets were coated in wolf's bane." She pointed to the woman on the left of Riza's shooter. "For all they knew, you were a human. Bullets would kill you. A stupid strategy, but one that saved your life. The one who shot you took a chance. From what I understand, they wanted one of you alive, but definitely wanted Roy dead. Some deal they had struck with someone."

"Kimblee?"

The woman looked at her sideways. "You know that name?"

Riza nodded. "Roy tailed him. He was being paid by the Hunters to find out information on us."

A hand rose to her chin. "Perhaps that's why… They knew you were all werewolves, but were being paid to kill him." The news sent cold fury through Riza.

"Paid?" Riza echoed. "By Kimblee?"

The woman shrugged. "Possibly." What had Roy ever done to Kimblee? "But they are primitive and always looking for new ways to gain knowledge. They didn't kill you because of it. Not so dumb after all." Her last comment caused anger to spike within Riza. The woman noticed. "Don't get me wrong, I hate them as much as you. But, when you have been facing them for as long as I have, you cannot help but be intrigued by their behaviour."

The woman waved her hands in an intricate pattern and the forest wavered before disappearing, transporting them both to a dimly lit cabin. Burning candles were situated on every surface available. Spotting a blanket and a sleeping form in the middle of it, Riza was shocked to see herself.

She was younger. Much younger. Her father sat on the floor next to her unconscious form, holding her hand tightly. Riza was stunned to see him stroking the back of her hand with his thumb, silently muttering to himself, asking her to return to him. His face was contorted in pain.

"Can you do it Pinako?" he asked somebody behind her. A head popped up and Riza realised with a start it was the same old woman who was speaking to her now. She was slightly taller, but apart from that, she was the same woman.

"I can. Do you really doubt my abilities that much, Berthold?" It was meant as a jest, something to lighten the mood, but her father had no time for games. Not today.

The woman grasped his hand, giving it a squeeze. "Are you ready?" Berthold nodded. He turned his gaze to his daughter. He watched her as if he was simply amazed she even existed. Riza watched a look of love pass over his face. He moved the bangs off her face, causing Riza's stomach to clench.

"Will she feel any pain?"

"No. The state she is in, Riza will think it was all only a dream."

"Good."

Pinako paused. "There are other ways to deal with this Berthold –"

He shook his head. "If I take them then I can spare her. She can live a happy life."

"You might lose yourself," the witch warned. "I have never performed this spell from child to adult before. Their over active imaginations make things so much worse."

Berthold smiled, tired. "As long as Riza is better, that is all right with me."

"Are you one hundred percent sure? You will relive this memory every day –"

"Do it." The command didn't hold any force to it. It was spoken quietly, in a broken voice. It reflected greatly on the man who had uttered it.

Riza felt sorrow flow through her heart at the sight. It hurt to see. Riza had never known him like this, to actually care for her. The only Berthold Riza had known was paranoid and fearful of everything. In a way, deep down, she was somewhat happy to see him like this. It told her that at least once he had been happy and loved his daughter. They had been a happy family at one point.

"The spell will last over a decade. Fifteen years tops. But you need to keep coming back for follow up appointments." Pinako readied tools and instruments on the table in front of her. "Once it begins to wear off, both parties will regain their memories bit by bit. She will never lose her werewolf abilities, but I can repress them."

"Do it."

"Don't let go of her hand," Pinako warned.

Berthold's eyes were no longer on the witch. Instead he was gazing at young Riza with so much love that it made Riza's heart ache. Tears fell down her face as she took a deep breath.

"Never."

"Why… Why did he do this?"

"To protect you," Pinako said simply.

"Is this another fabrication?"

The witch's gaze was hard. "Do you honestly think I would do something like that? Especially to you in this state?"

"I don't know, I don't know you."

Pinako sniffed in disdain. "That's fair I suppose. This is one hundred percent real. I swear my life on it. When you awaken I have a letter for you. It was from Berthold. He asked me to pass it on to you once you remembered, if you ever made it back to us."

"What did he take from me?"

Pinako looked her straight in the eye, seemingly still irked by Riza's previous comment. "He shouldered the memories of you finding your mother's body. He relived them every day so he could spare you from the horror of it. Of course, the whole experience was tied in with your childhood at the settlement. I had to pull them out too and place them in Berthold's mind. You had already stopped functioning because of the traumatic experience. It had happened three weeks prior to this moment. You barely ate, you didn't sleep because you were too afraid, and you hadn't spoken a word. At best, you were catatonic. Berthold took all that to protect you."

This explained… everything. Why her father was so absent as she grew up. Why her memories had been taken. The trauma had almost killed her and her father saved her from that. It was… unbelievable.

"The letter explains everything, or so I was told." Pinako's voice was soft now. The scene was frozen before Riza. She noticed the tense set of Berthold's shoulders, the pained expression, the way he was holding onto her hand so tightly. Pinako's own expression was grim. To do this to an old friend was obviously painful. "When you are ready we will return. There is so much more to this Riza, but I figure you will need time to process this revelation before we progress."

"I'm ready," she whispered, taking one last longing look at her father.

Phew! So, I wanted to change Berthold's character for this fic, so it fit in better with the plot. I mean, the basis is still there, he was still a terrible parent, but there was a whole different reason why. Do you like it? Are you intrigued? Let me know! :D