She knew it was her the second the girl left the butcher's shop.

Even without a picture of her granddaughter, Olivia would have known.

Although she was a bit shorter than expected (undoubtedly due to her mother's genes), there was no doubt that the girl was Roman Godfrey's child. Dark blonde hair, full lips, piercing eyes— even her posture and the way she walked.

All of it instantly reminded Olivia of her son.

The woman felt a pang of regret as she watched Nadia walk down the block and get into a gleaming gold Porche. She could not help but think about Roman when he had been that age… before he had despised her. Things had not been perfect then, but they had been good. Olivia had mothered him in the only way she knew how—doting on him like the little emperor he was. And, despite his snide remarks and rebellious behaviour, she knew that he had loved her.

All of that, of course, had turned to ash in the year following his change. Upon reflection, Olivia was willing to admit that some of her actions at the time had been…extreme. But she had been too excited by the thought of him embracing his destiny to think about the sort of grudge he might hold over the events involving Letha and the baby. Olivia had truly expected him to be thankful for his gifts. To stay at her side as she taught him what it meant to be upir.

She'd thought that it would bring them closer.

But he had rejected it all. He'd hated what he was and he wanted her out of his life.

Her actions at the White Tower had solidified the wedge between them. She had cured her physical ailments on that fateful night, but her heartache had multiplied tenfold.

"If I see you again, I will tear you to shreds." Roman's words still rung painfully in her head, even now.

But, despite it all, Olivia had never completely given up hope. She still dreamt of a reunion. Still dreamt of roaming the streets of Europe with her son and granddaughter, hunting for whores and vagabonds, grinning together as they drank their fill. That was what the upir matriarch had always wanted.

And she knew that Nadia was now the key.

Nadia was her second chance.

With a smile, Olivia watched the girl from afar. She was in her car now, but she had not driven away. She was hunched over, consuming something wrapped in a small piece of brown paper with the sort of ravenous hunger Olivia knew all too well.

"Yes," the woman muttered to herself, scarcely able to contain the joy welling inside of her.

The time for redemption was near.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"I forgot how peaceful it is out here in the morning."

Roman looked over at Peter and smiled.

The other man was right—the Godfrey's backyard which, unsurprisingly, was one of the biggest in the town, was a great place to unwind and relax. Roman knew that didn't come out there as often as he should. He had never been a morning person and, with his time-consuming job, he rarely had a spare moment during the week.

Peter, however, had always been good at helping him slow down and simply enjoy life.

That was one of the many reasons why Roman needed him.

Even though it was September and the leaves were beginning to turn, Peter had insisted on enjoying their breakfast outside. The servants had quickly obliged, bringing out a small table and a few lounge chairs from the shed to suit their needs. At first, Roman had thought that it was too much trouble for nothing but, now that they were gazing at the pristine gardens in the gentle autumn breeze, he knew it was worth it.

He hadn't slept well after their conversation the previous night and he needed time to gather his thoughts before starting the day. He had tossed and turned as he contemplated telling Nadia the truth…and Peter's loud snores had not made sleep any easier. He probably should have made Peter go to his own room but, after such a long time apart, Roman could not bring himself to do it.

Snoring aside, it was nice not to be alone and he had missed Peter's warmth.

Peter, as always, had slept like a log and was in much better spirits than the exhausted upir.

"So, what's on the agenda for today?" The shorter man asked as he took a cigarette out of his pocket and placed it between his lips.

"I have a few—"

"No work. It's Saturday." Peter cut him off before he could finish. He knew him too well, and he knew that Roman often had trouble taking a break.

The arrogance and naiveté that had marked his first few years as head of the Godfrey corporation had long-ago faded—Roman now took his duties very seriously and it wasn't unusual to find him at the office seven days a week. As he matured, he had realized that the town depended on the employment provided by the white tower, and he had become increasingly determined to uphold J.R.'s legacy. Even though the man had not been his biological father, he still felt a great sense of duty towards him—despite what Olivia had said, J.R. had been a great man, and aspiring to be more like him was one way that Roman managed to fight off the darkness within.

Work gave him a sense of purpose.

Work distracted him from what he was.

And, perhaps most importantly, work distracted him from his hunger…

Nadia and Peter were the only two things that he allowed to steer him away from his responsibilities. Although he had emails to respond to and documents to approve, Roman knew that Peter was right. That could wait a day or two. Some things were more important.

"Fine." He conceded before reaching across the table and taking Peter's cigarette from the ashtray. "What did you have in mind?"

Peter shrugged. "I dunno, something fun. You know, family bonding time and all the shit." He began with a smile. "We both know that there are probably hard times ahead, especially for Nadia. I think the three of us need to go out and have a good time." The dark haired man paused and took a swig of his coffee. "How about the arcade?"

Roman snorted and shot his companion a skeptical look. "The arcade? Isn't Nadia a bit old for that?" He paused. "And won't we look a little ridiculous?" Roman finished, gesturing between himself and Peter.

The Hemlock Grove Arcade was notoriously juvenile and geared towards the pre-teen crowd. Although it had a certain nostalgic appeal, the thought of spending the day playing overpriced games to win sparkly pencils and candy necklaces seemed rather silly.

It was not something that Roman Godfrey would usually be caught doing.

Unfortunately, Peter did not look the least bit deterred.

"Aw, come on Godfrey." The werewolf teased, a sparkle of youthful enthusiasm in his blue eyes. "Even you have to unwind sometimes. And besides, you could probably still pass for 18 in the right outfit. You'll look way less out of place then me."

Roman knew that Peter was trying to be lighthearted but he could not hold back a scowl as the other man spoke.

The fact that Peter aged while Roman didn't used to be something that the two of them would joke about. They'd always liked to tease each other, and that was one of their many chosen targets.

But recently, Roman had found it to be a much more sensitive subject. As an upir, he aged much slower than a human and a few of his colleagues had commented on his youthful appearance lately.

He and Peter were both approaching forty—and while Peter looked it, Roman certainly did not.

Unlike his friend, he had no grey hairs, no laugh lines, no signs of wear and tear. He liked to think that he looked a bit older than he had when he had turned, perhaps twenty or twenty five, but he knew he was still far from normal. He had always relied on his height and his position to obscure his appearance but, recently, he had begun to wonder how long he could make that last.

Fancy suits and an air of confidence could only do so much. There would probably come a time when he would have to leave Hemlock Grove and reinvent himself like his mother had done countless times before.

He hated to compare himself to her. Hated that they had anything in common.

But he knew that he could not run from the truth forever.

Before Roman could respond, the sound of the sliding door distracted both men from their conversation.

He turned abruptly to see Nadia emerge onto the back patio, her hair tousled from sleep.

"Remy said you guys were having breakfast out here." She said before letting out a small yawn. "Mind if I join?"

"Of course not, sweetheart!" Peter replied, jumping up to pull her out a chair.

Roman watched their interaction carefully, looking for any sign of agitation on Peter's part. His words about her upirsim were still flowing through the concerned father's mind.

But, on the surface at least, everything seemed normal. Peter placed a kiss on top of her head, as he often did, and was grinning widely as the two started discussing some silly superhero movie that they were both looking forward to seeing.

To any onlooker, it would be impossible to know that there was anything dark brewing beneath the surface.

Nadia seemed so normal. So perfect.

And as she let out a gleeful laugh, Roman could not help but think about her mother.

Even though Nadia was a lot like Roman in many ways, there were times when he could see glimpses of Letha too. She had never known her mother, but her joy and compassion reminded him so much of his beautiful cousin.

He wished, more than anything, that he could tell her that. Tell her that she had inherited so much of the goodness and warmth that both he and Peter had admired in her mother.

But, unfortunately, he had decided long ago that Nadia could never know the truth about her conception. Reluctantly, Peter had agreed to keep his silence as well. They never spoke about Letha when Nadia was present, and he had told her as little as possible about her birth. She knew that her mother had died, and that he had loved her very much. That was all.

When she had begun asking more questions, around the age of six, Roman had used his mind control on her for the first and only time.

"You will not ask me about your mother, and you will not seek answers on your own."

It sickened him to deny her that knowledge, and to suppress Letha's memory, but he did not see any other way. Incest, rape…there was no way to explain it without traumatic results. He never wanted Nadia to feel ashamed of her own existence.

He loved her too much to ever let that happen.

Despite his troubled musings, Roman could not hold back a small smile as Nadia let out another laugh.

He loved seeing his daughter like this. So happy and content, her blue eyes shining with glee. Peter's influence was inside of her too, and he always brought out the most carefree aspects of her nature.

Roman was grateful for that.

As she reached out to grab another serving of bacon (undercooked, as it always was in their household), Roman resolved to take a leaf out of Peter's book and simply embrace the day.

He could not suppress the feeling that there were trials on the horizon, but all of that could wait at least a little while longer.

"Peter thinks we should go to the arcade today," he blurted out, surprised by his own sudden rush of enthusiasm. Much to his delight, another smile quickly spread across Nadia's face. "What do you say, princess?"

"I say, hell yes!" The girl replied before leaning over to give her dad a kiss on the cheek.

Roman grinned back and, for a moment, everything seemed right.

They were just a regular family, enjoying each other's company and looking forward to a fun-filled weekend.

He could not have known, at the moment, how soon everything would come crashing down…

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

A/N- PLEASE REVIEW. It keeps me motivated.