AN: I know I said three or four but I have wrapped things up sooner than expected. After this one there will be an epilogue and then it will be complete!

Enjoy! :D

"Did you know my parents were werewolves?" Roy asked Christmas. Being back in the hotel was… odd. So much had happened here, and so much had happened since the last time he was here. The place had taken on a different light. It had still felt like coming home, but the house he had shared with his Aunt no longer felt as welcoming. Simply seeing the area where all the shit had kicked off with the Hunters made him visibly shudder.

"You are certainly becoming increasingly bold as of late," Christmas remarked, returning the clean glasses that sat atop her bar to their rightful places. "Confidence like that could get you killed Roy boy."

"I am well aware," he replied. "Believe me. I also notice that it is seven o'clock in the morning and there are no patrons in the room. Breakfast doesn't start for another hour and I can hear that there is no movement coming from the corridors beyond this room. Everyone is in the kitchen preparing food."

"All right smart ass," Christmas replied dryly. "I didn't ask for your life story."

Roy shrugged. "But did you know?"

"Of course I knew. How could I not know my brother was a werewolf?"

"Are you one?"

Christmas snorted. "No."

Roy narrowed his eyes at his Aunt. "But you aren't quite human. Are you?"

"Nope."

When she offered nothing further in terms of explanation, Roy finally sat on the barstool across from her. He watched her for a while as she worked. It was only as he watched Chris as she moved that he noticed something that had never been present before. Well, he had never noticed it.

Around her irises there was a thin golden ring. Her movements were fluid and graceful and distinctly not human. The only reason Roy was able to tell was because as of late he had spent a lot of his time around magic users.

"You are a witch," he stated in surprise. Her eyes were a dead giveaway. Why hadn't I noticed that before?

"Bingo Roy boy," she confirmed not once pausing in her movements.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"You had a lot on your mind when you first revealed to me you were a wolf. I didn't think it was fair to unload all of that on you too."

"It would have been nice to know," he replied, his tone frustrated. "That small piece of information would have been incredibly helpful."

Christmas shrugged. "You survived though, didn't you? You gotta fight your own battles Roy. Even when it comes to the Hunters."

"So that is why you took my announcement at being a werewolf in your stride. You didn't even miss a damn beat." Roy placed his hands on the bar, straightening his arms to brace himself against the polished wood. "Why didn't I even think of the possibility then?" he asked himself quietly. In short, it had irritated him that he hadn't done so. Roy had been too self-absorbed before his change and too caught up in his own drama to pay attention to his Aunt once moving in. His parents had moved around a lot while he was a kid and Roy had spent a lot of time with his Aunt to give him stability in regards to schooling. Thinking back he didn't notice too much out of the ordinary.

"You had a lot of shit to deal with," she shrugged. "And I have had over fifty years practice at hiding my abilities from the world. Since I was born. Don't feel too down you didn't notice it."

"I should have at least been able to smell the scent though," he frowned. He sniffed then reactively, taking in the smell of cigarette smoke and her perfume. Roy had always thought Christmas wore too much when he thought he had been human, but now with his wolf senses it made him slightly nauseous.

Christmas watched amused as Roy wrinkled his nose in response.

"Like I said Roy boy, I have fifty years on you. I know how to hide in plain sight. Don't feel too bad about it," she smirked. "So why did you decide to grace me with your presence then huh?" Christmas asked, raising one eyebrow. She leaned her side against the bar, crossing her arms over her chest.

"I found out what happened to my parents."

Christmas paused for a moment before nodding. "All right then."

"They were killed by a feral vampire."

"Riza didn't kill them."

"How did you know about that?" Oh right. Look who he was asking. The one raised eyebrow also told him how stupid that question was. "Right. Anyway, no, she didn't."

"I didn't think for a second she would. The girl doesn't have it in her."

Roy frowned at the use of "girl" to describe Riza, but he supposed from his Aunt's perspective it was appropriate. She was barely in her twenties. All the shit she had been through in those twenty one years though made her mature much faster than she should have. By the age of eleven she was going on thirty.

At least Christmas never doubted his mate for a second. Swallowing the guilt that he had doubted her, Roy continued.

"I… I thought she did. Briefly. She was so convinced she had and I didn't stop to think if she actually could do something like that."

Christmas shot him a disapproving look. "That girl doesn't have a bad bone in her body. How could you think something like that?" It was asked in disbelief, but the wave of guilt that washed through him was something else entirely. Christmas noticed and she lowered her infamous eyebrow and softened her tone. "Was that why you barged in here that night demanding answers?"

Roy nodded. "I needed to know for sure. I am sure you can understand why."

"I sure can," she replied. "You certainly didn't beat around the bush anyway."

This time it was Roy's turn to shoot Christmas an "are you kidding me?" look. "Look who practically raised me."

"I expected nothing less to be honest."

"Good. You are the queen of not beating around the bush."

"Damn straight."

The pair shared a grin.

"Hey Hawkeye!" Breda called from the opposite side of the main square. Her head lifted as she sought him out. "I've got something for you. Meet me at the training grounds when you're done."

"Go," Rebecca urged her with a smile. "I can finish these repairs off." After pausing for a moment the blonde nodded and jogged after Breda.

During the chaos of the Hunter attack three weeks ago there had been significant damage to some of the buildings in their settlement. While it hadn't been urgent, it was a task that still needed to be finished. Once the hospital was stocked and the funerals had been carried out for those who didn't make it, it was time to focus attention on the smaller jobs. Working on repairing the cabins took her mind of missing Roy too much while he visited his Aunt. It was pathetic, but she could almost hear the wolf inside her whining whenever she went to sleep in an empty bed. Telling it to shut up didn't help either.

Of course, the offer had been there to visit with him. However, after her most recent experience there, Riza declined. She wasn't sure if she was ready to face… that again. Not quite yet. The work she had Pinako had put in had helped, but she still wasn't one hundred percent.

What she needed was a break. A hell of a big one. Rebecca had wistfully spoken about spending a month on a beach somewhere, completely undisturbed and that was sounding incredibly tempting right now.

"What's up?" Riza asked as she entered his office.

"I was digging through some old crap to try and clear out space. Most of it is junk, but I found some things people might be interested in. One of them is for you."

"Me?"

Breda nodded, handing her a VHS tape. "I know this is old but don't worry. I already made a copy." She was then handed a DVD. There was no writing on the disk to indicate what was on it and the marker on the sticker of the VHS was so worn from age that it was impossible to determine what it had once said. The only thing that was legible was her own name.

"What is it?"

The ginger man shrugged. "I have an inkling of what it could be, because I had it in storage, but I don't know for sure. I was going to chuck it then I saw your name. Feel free to keep it."

"Thanks."

As Riza returned to her cabin – her work with Rebecca completely forgotten – she turned the tape over trying to see if there was anything to indicate what might be on it. Nothing. Squinting once more at the writing on the sticker ended in vain because there were only black smudges next to her name.

Somewhat nervously, Riza placed the disc into the player below the television in the entertainment centre. An image popped up on the screen and froze for a second before playing again.

It was her.

The image was grainy and the sound distorted for a few seconds, but it was her. It was her voice that was speaking to someone just off frame. She must have been eight. Her hair was tied up in a ponytail while her bangs swept across her face. It was like looking in a mirror. She hadn't changed a bit.

The camera bobbed as someone moved it, followed by the sound of it being handled fairly roughly. "You need to concentrate Riza, all right? Don't be distracted."

Riza's mouth fell open. That was her mother.

That was her mother.

"Okay," the child replied uncertainly.

"Don't be afraid," her mother reassured her, crouching down to her daughter's level. The older woman smiled at young Riza as she brushed her fringe off her face. "There is nothing to worry about. It is just a bit of practice."

The child nodded. Riza watched as the uncertainty left her and was replaced by determination.

Amelia Hawkeye grinned at the camera. "Ready when you are Berthold."

"Right," her father replied from suddenly very close. He must have been holding the camera. The picture moved to a view of the grass as Berthold called out to – "We're ready Grumman!"

Her grandfather shouted a reply and there was a crack. The camera lifted to find young Riza once more. The child looked on in awe as a large grey wolf approached her. Height wise, Riza only reached halfway up his front legs. Grumman lowered his head and sniffed at her head, ruffling Riza's hair with his breath. She giggled, swatting away his muzzle.

"What do we do first, Riza?" Amelia asked.

Her laughter died down and she answered her mother. "Sniff out the wolfs bane."

"Why do we do that?"

"Because it is bad. It can kill us."

Amelia nodded. "Then what?"

"Make sure the humans are safe."

"And who else?"

"The old, the young, and the weak."

"Correct, but I think we should use the term "those who cannot fend for themselves" instead of the word "weak". It doesn't sound very nice calling someone weak."

"Okay. Got it!"

Amelia smiled proudly at her daughter. "Good. You are ready to go. Just remember what I told you."

"I will!"

"Change, Riza," Amelia urged kindly. "Your grandfather will take you through everything."

There was a jump cut and there was a small, golden haired wolf on the screen next to the grey one. Her back came up to his belly, her head reaching the older wolf's shoulder. Grumman bumped her own shoulder with his muzzle, bounding away when the girl snapped with her jaws playfully. Riza followed afterwards, jumping up onto his back with ease. Even with the height of Grumman's wolf, it was not effort for the young wolf. Riza watched as her grandfather whined loudly and "fell" onto his side. He feebly waved his legs in the air as he tried to swat Riza off of his belly. Riza yipped in response with her jaws snapping at his legs, trying to catch a paw.

"That's enough you two," Amelia admonished with an amused grin. "You did it Riza! I knew you would."

The child hopped down off her grandfather, who rolled over so he was upright. Instead of changing back into his human form, he watched the exchange between the two. With his hind legs splayed out to his right and his front legs stretched out before him, he watched every move. Even as a wolf, she could tell from his eyes that he was proud.

Riza changed back into her human form with a schwift. "I did it! I actually did it! Did you see me?"

Her mother scooped her up into her outstretched arms. The two twirled around on the spot. "Of course I saw darling! You were incredible."

"I can't believe it," Riza whispered in awe, a proud smile on her face.

"You better believe it sweetie because that was amazing. I think we should have extra ice cream tonight. Don't you, Berthold?"

"That definitely sounds like a plan," her father replied, his voice louder as he was still handling the camera. "I am so proud of you sweetie!"

The film paused. Riza grinned to her father behind the camera while Amelia looked lovingly upon her daughter. Then the screen turned blue, signalling that was the end.

Riza blinked at the sudden change in colour.

That… That…

Riza hit play again.

After the second time she felt the tears well in her eyes at the ending.

After the third she was openly crying, but it was silent. By the end of the fourth viewing the tears were gone and she was left with an ache, but also a peace inside her.

They had all been happy once. It had all gone to shit, but Riza had been loved as a child. Her father had always loved her. Circumstances had changed for him, but he had always loved her. That was why he did what he did., out of love and the need to protect his child. That's why despite everything he had been through in this place, he was still in the settlement. It was all for her.

Seeing her mother again made her heart constrict painfully. True, she had come to terms with her death years ago. However growing up there had only been brief flashes in her mind of her mother's face once her memories had been taken from her. Once they had returned Riza had tried to recall her face, but she had struggled. Everything had been such a jumble in her head and she had been through so much it had been difficult to find the time to sift through it all. Riza couldn't put into words how grateful she was to put a face to her mother's name.

"So this is where you have been," Rebecca announced her presence. "Shirking responsibilities Riza? That isn't like you," she added with an amused tone. However the brunette took one look at her face and the smirk on her face dropped. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, just… Look."

Riza played it one more time for Rebecca. A warmth spread over her as she studied her mother's face one more time. The joy and pride she saw there meant more to Riza than anything in that moment.

"That's… Wow."

"I know, right?"

"That's your Mom."

"I know."

"This is… Who gave you this?"

"Breda. He found it in the training room storage. I don't know why but I am glad. I need to show this to Berthold."

Riza didn't even wait for Rebecca to reply as she retrieved the disc. While jogging over to her father's temporary home the smile never left her face. Facing him didn't seem so daunting anymore.