Nadia didn't stop to take a breath until she had reached the end of the manor's long driveway.

She had no idea where she was going, or what she was supposed to do now, but simply getting away from the living room and her so-called family had calmed her nerves somewhat.

She was, of course, still overwhelmed. Still shocked and appalled by what had just happened. But something about the cold evening air gave her comfort. It felt good to revel in the fall breeze, and she was happy to let it wash over her and bring her back down to reality. Everything out here seemed so tranquil.

So normal.

It could not have been a starker contrast to what was going on indoors.

"Nadia?"

All too soon, her peaceful moment was interrupted. For a second, Nadia feared that her father had followed her outside after all. But, as she turned around, she was relieved to see that Peter was approaching.

In all of the chaos he had fled the room, and she had nearly forgotten that he had arrived with her dad in the first place.

Relived to see a familiar face that could, perhaps, help her get away from the madness, Nadia took a step forward and burrowed her face in his chest. She felt him wrap his arms around her and place a gentle kiss on top of her head, as had had so many times throughout her childhood. But, unfortunately, even Peter's comforting embrace was not enough to offer her relief on a night like this.

She was pretty sure that nothing could change how she felt right now.

Not after that…

For the first time since everything had started, Nadia allowed a sob to escape.

She had been too shocked to let her emotions overwhelm her before, but she could no longer keep it bottled up. It felt like the world had gone to shit, and she knew that the happiness and safety of her youth was now gone forever.

She had seen the truth, and the truth was a nightmare.

"Did you see what happened?" Nadia choked, finally looking up to meet Peter's gaze.

He looked worried, and anxious, and she could already tell that he had seen enough to understand her distress.

She couldn't remember exactly when Peter had left the room—but she could vaguely recall her father shouting at him to run just as he had begun to transform.

"Did you know that he's a…" she trailed off, unable to say the cursed word. "Did you know what he is?"

Peter nodded slowly.

"Yes. I knew."

Nadia felt a small rush of anger flow through her as Peter gave his pseudo-daughter a sympathetic look. She had suspected that he knew—he had known her father since they had been in high school and, now that she thought about it in light of the new revelations, she could recall many times when they had halted their whispered conversations as she entered a room.

In the back of her mind, she had always known that he was hiding something.

But, as much as it bothered her to find out that both of the people she loved most in the world had been keeping a huge secret from her, she knew that it wasn't Peter's secret to tell and she could not stand the thought of pushing him away right now.

She needed this.

She needed someone.

"You should have told me." Nadia said, attempting to keep her anger in check. She took a small step back and Peter let his arms fall back to his sides.

"I know," He agreed, running a hand through his shaggy dark hair. "We discussed it long and hard, I promise you. I worried that if you didn't know, then something like this might happen—something explosive and traumatic. In my experience, these sorts of things never stay buried forever. But ultimately, it was up to your dad. It was his secret, and you are his daughter. He thought that it would be safer to protect you from the truth."

Nadia let out a loud sigh before wiping a few stray tears from her cheeks. It was somewhat reassuring to know that the decision to shield her had not been taken lightly, but it did not change the cruel sting of betrayal that she now felt.

Perhaps they both had good intentions, but burying something this major seemed deceitful and wrong.

"There are people out there who want to eradicate your kind." Peter continued, his eyes pleading for understanding.

Nadia could not help but flinch at his choice of words.

Your kind.

He seemed too think that she was one of them too. That she was like her father. The thought of becoming…that…made her feel sick, but Peter's words snapped her away from that heart wrenching thought before it could progress too far.

"We encountered some of those people when you were young. They…" He hesitated and the girl could see his fingers twitching nervously in his pockets. "They targeted you when you were a baby and, after that ordeal, I could see that Roman had a point. If you didn't know, and if we could hide the truth, then maybe you could go undetected. And maybe we could keep you from ever really becoming part of that messed-up world."

"I'm not part of it." Nadia cut in, her words rushing out of her before she had a chance to think over her response.

"I'm not a…whatever they called it." She continued, not as convinced by her own statement as she would have liked. "I don't have fangs or drink blood. I'm not like them. And if I don't get bitten or something, then I never will be…right?"

Peter gave her a sad smile before reaching out to place a comforting hand on her shoulder.

Her heart rate increased as she watched him search for the right thing to say. She didn't want him to tell her that she was wrong, but she was pretty certain that they both knew that she was.

Peter had all but said it already. And her father and grandmother had said it in the heat of their argument.

Your kind.

Like us.

"It's complicated, Nadia." Peter began with a soft sigh. "I know a lot of lore says that vampires are created when bitten by another. But it's not really like that."

Nadia felt her stomach do an uncomfortable flip. It took all of her willpower and self-control not to pull away.

"Upirism is something that a person is born with." He continued. "Not all children born to an upir parent inherit that trait, but some do. Like your father, you were born with a caul, so we always knew that you had the gene."

Nadia gave a shaky nod. He was basically just affirming much of what she had already pieced together. But hearing someone say it out loud provided both clarity and apprehension.

It wasn't the answer she had wanted, but at least he was willing to level with her. That was refreshing.

"When will I…change?" Nadia managed to squeak. Her throat had suddenly run dry and the words did not come easily. "I've been craving raw meat recently, and I think I did some sort of mind-control thing earlier tonight. Does that mean something is going to happen soon?"

It felt as if everything was falling into place. The weird cravings, the strange feelings, what she had done to make those men leave her alone—it all seemed to make sense now.

Maybe this was how it was supposed to start.

It was probably only a matter of time before she passed the point of no return.

Peter looked towards her, attempting to give a small reassuring smile. "Changing isn't inevitable." He began. Nadia felt a wave of relief wash over her.

This was the first thing that had given her a glimmer of hope in an otherwise terrible ordeal.

Maybe she wasn't so doomed after all.

"Even if some of your powers manifest, you won't necessarily become a full upir. For that to happen you have to…" He paused, as if contemplating whether or not to continue. "You have to die, a victim of your own hand."

Silence fell as Nadia attempted to contemplate what he had said.

If she understood him correctly, if she didn't harm herself, she could stay human. And since she had no intention of taking her own life, this seemed like a solution to her worries.

The girl let out a deep breath, feeling better than she had since the drama had begun.

"I would never do that." She said firmly, looking up to meet Peter's eyes. "I'm going to be okay."

The relief flooded through her body, and she allowed herself to revel in it for a moment.

This didn't change what had just happened, or the betrayal she felt, but it was as if a huge weight had been lifted.

Her family may have been supremely fucked up, but she did not have to be fully part of the madness.

"You'll never be able to get rid of the powers you already have." Peter began again. "But if you stay safe, your cravings won't get much worse and you'll never actually transform. You can live a fairly normal life. That's part of the reason why your dad didn't want you to know. It doesn't have to be your fate, and I know he'd do anything to prevent you from turning."

"So does that mean that dad—"Nadia began a sudden (and rather disturbing) thought popping into her head.

"Took his own life?" Peter finished grimly, completing her sentence. "Yes. Olivia tricked him into it, and he didn't know what he was at the time."

She shuddered involuntarily. She suspected that there was more of a story there, but it was disturbing enough to think that her grandmother had pushed her own son into that sort of situation.

And that her father was technically dead.

"If he had known what would happen to him, he never would have done it." Peter said softly, glancing back towards the imposing house. "He has always hated being upir, and he tried everything he could to become human again. He even underwent extremely painful gene therapy with Doctor Pryce. Three times. But it didn't work. The treatments made him human for two or three days, but he always changed back. Once you become upir, it is permanent. But we will do everything in our power to make sure it never happens to you."

Nadia nodded. It was nice to hear Peter's conviction, and she knew that he was right—neither he nor her father would ever stop protecting her.

She also felt a pang of sympathy for her father as Peter spoke. She could tell from Roman's interactions with his mother that he was not proud of what he was, and Peter had just confirmed that. As mad as she still was, she hated the thought of her dad suffering like that.

"I know you're angry with him." Peter stated, as if reading her thoughts. "But you have to know that he only ever wanted to protect you. He's always felt guilty for passing down his curse and I'm sure he is just as upset as you are that things have played out this way."

Nadia opened her mouth to respond but, as if on cue, the sound of another voice broke the two away from their conversation.

"Nadia."

She turned to see her father in the dimly lit doorway of the manor. He was far away, and she could not see his face clearly, but even the sight of his silhouette made her stomach twist uncomfortably.

As he stood there calling out to her—tall, elegant, imposing— she could not help but be struck by his otherworldliness. On the one hand, she clearly recognized him as her father but, on the other, it felt as if she was seeing him for the first time.

This wasn't Roman Godfrey—the dad, the businessman, the bad chef, the man who loved rollercoasters and days at the seaside.

Instead, Nadia was overwhelmed by the sight of a superhuman being. An upir. A deadly hunter, frozen in time, just as striking and dangerous as he had been since the day he had died.

"I can't be here right now." Nadia breathed, turning to Peter frantically.

She had heard Peter's words, knew that he believed her father meant well, but even if it was true she could not handle seeing him tonight.

Maybe forgiveness would come one day, but now was too soon.

Unfortunately, Peter was not as understanding as she had hoped. "Don't go, Nadia." He pleaded, gently taking her hand. "Your father loves you, so much. And we should all talk. There is still more you need to know."

"I can't," Nadia repeated, her panic rising as she saw her father coming closer.

He would be there in less than a minute, she had to get away.

Desperate, she turned back towards Peter and looked him straight in the eyes.

"Give me your keys." She said, her gaze unwavering.

She could see him attempt to resist but, thankfully, he was not strong enough to combat her powers.

"Don't do this."

Despite his plea, Peter reached his hand into his pocket and handed her the desired item.

"I'll be safe, I promise. I'll text you tomorrow morning."

Without a moment to spare, Nadia took off down the street towards the parked car. She could feel the wave of pain in her head, and she wiped a fresh stream of blood from beneath her nose, but she refused to pause.

The girl could hear Peter and her father pleading with her as she jumped into the vehicle, but their words barely registered.

She wanted more answers, but she wasn't ready to face him. Thankfully, there was still one more place she could go.

Nadia hoped that her Aunt Shelly would understand.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"What the hell, Peter? Why would you let her take your keys?"

Roman had reached the end of the driveway just as Nadia took off down the road in Peter's beat-up old Ford. Although he wasn't sure exactly what Peter and his daughter had talked about in his absence, he assumed that Peter would be on his side. Sure, they hadn't always agreed on how to handle the 'big secret,' but Peter would never tell Nadia to run away from him. He knew how much he loved her, and he knew how important it was that they all make amends.

"I didn't want to give them to her. I told her to stay." Peter replied, running his hand through his hair nervously. "She did the upir mind trick. I couldn't say no."

Roman felt a pang in the pit of his stomach as he realized what had happened. Apparently, Nadia was getting better at controlling her powers—a fact he found both reassuring and heart wrenching.

He hated the thought of her having powers at all. But, if she did, it was better that she understood what was happening.

"God damnit." He said softly, steadying himself against the tall gate which protected the historic Godfrey property.

He had no idea what to do next. She could be heading anywhere and the thought filled him with panic.

"I don't think she's going far." Peter said reassuringly, taking a step towards his best friend. "Look, I know this is hard on you. It's hard on me too. But she just said that she needs a bit more time to let things sink in. She said she'll text me tomorrow morning. I think we should give her some time alone, as much as we may not want to."

That came as some relief, and Roman finally let out a breath. He absolutely hated not knowing where she was, not being able to keep her safe. But knowing that they would hear from her in a few hours was a much-needed comfort.

He knew he wouldn't get a wink of sleep that night, but it hardly seemed important in the circumstances.

"Don't beat yourself up about this." Peter began again, looping a reassuring arm around Roman's back. "I know you're going to blame yourself no matter what I say, but you shouldn't. Olivia is the one who forced things to come out this way."

The upir nodded, knowing that Peter was right but still unable to quash the crippling feelings of guilt, fear and anger that were swirling inside of him.

He took a deep breath, trying to maintain his cool, before looking down to meet his companion's eyes.

Was she afraid of him, now that she knew what he was?

Would she ever be able to face him again?

"Does she hate me?" He asked, his voice suddenly softer than it had been before. Seeing his daughter run from him had been extremely difficult to bear and, while he could understand needing some time alone, he wondered if things could ever really be okay again.

"I can't blame her if she does." He said bitterly, glancing down at the flecks of blood which had now stained his shirt. "I fucking hate myself most of the time. I never—"

Much to his surprise, Peter leaned forward before he could finish his dark thought, cutting him off with a forceful kiss.

Despite it all, he felt himself flush and he gave a small smile as Peter drew back.

"You might be a stubborn prat sometimes, but I, for one, do not hate you." Peter said, giving Roman his best 'I don't want to hear another word of that nonsense' look.

"Nadia is pretty freaked out right now, but she doesn't hate you. She knows that you love her, and want to keep her safe—and she loves you too. It's just a lot to take in and she's going to need to come to terms with everything. That will take time."

"Okay." Roman whispered, intertwining his hand with Peter's. "Thanks."

Even though this had quickly become the night from hell, he was happy to have Peter at his side. Sure, the other man could be hotheaded and unpredictable at times, but he was always there when it mattered most.

He was, and always would be, unbelievably grateful for that.

"We'll get through this. Together." Peter said, determination in his blue eyes.

"Together." Roman repeated softly.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

In a hotel room across town, thirty-seven year old Maria Coretti sat alone, starring at the dimmed screen of her laptop.

She had never been in such a drab and depressing setting before and she was quite unimpressed by this taste of American hospitality. The room was poorly maintained, and reeked of bleach and old cigarettes. She suspected that the place hadn't been properly cleaned or redecorated since the 1970s but, while she usually would have complained about such things, she told herself that it was not worth drawing attention to herself.

This was the only hotel on the outskirts of Hemlock Grove, and this was where she needed to be until she completed her mission.

Her work mattered too much and she had already come so far.

Maria wrinkled her nose as she took another bite of the terrible American snack she had purchased from the vending machine down the hall. As much as she hated it here, she was determined not leave until Olivia Godfrey was dead.

After years of following her across Europe Maria had travelled across the Atlantic tracking the elusive upir.

Despite the tiring journey and the unfortunate living conditions, and she knew that she was finally close. She had pinned the woman down to her old hometown and her sensors told her that the woman had taken up residence in the old Godfrey manor.

But, while the mission had seemed straightforward at first, things had now begun to develop in slightly unanticipated ways. Maria had spent the evening collecting data from her tracking devices and she had been surprised to see that they had picked up the aura of more than one upir.

One was clearly Olivia—she had been following her long enough to recognize her imprint on the tracing program. But the other was nearly as powerful. A full grown upir, probably male.

There was a third upir as well, though this one's signal was far fainter. And the device had also indicated the presence of someone else who was not quite human.

Maria's research suggested that the other upir were probably members of Oliva's family. Perhaps her son and daughter who had stayed behind. She had known that their presence would be a possibility, and she had heard rumours that Roman Godfrey had taken after his mother, but she had hoped to tackle one problem at a time.

Unfortunately, it did not seem like that would be a possibility. But she was not, however, easily intimidated.

With a determined smile, Maria pulled her cell phone out of her pocket and dialed.

"Ciao, Ferdinand. I think I am going to need some backup..."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

A/N- Reviews warmly appreciated! Thanks for reading!