~~~~

The room was cold, as usual. There was nothing that Airis could do about it though, since she wasn't given much of a choice as to stay in there. The only thing she could use to keep warm was a thin blanket that was basically motheaten and barely holding itself together.

She gripped the blanket and wrapped it around her body to keep warm.

"This is simply horrible for you, child." The voice said to her.

"I know, but what can I do? I'm not strong enough to escape, you said so yourself."

"I understand my words, Airis. But I simply cannot stand to see you suffering so terribly. I wish I could have prevented this from happening."

"What's done is done." Airis replied and lay down to fall asleep for the night. But before she could close her eyes, a new voice echoed from behind the metal door.

"Hey there, sweetie. Are you awake?" It was a man's voice in a hushed tone so that no one would be able to hear him.

Airis recognized the voice barely. This man, this stranger, only spoke to her a couple of times before, at the most three or four times, while she was locked away in this prison. He spoke to her softly and kindly, and once he even gave her a piece of candy during dinner.

She sat up and crawled over to the door, leaning her back against it.

"You came back." She said.

"Yes, I am glad to hear that you are all right." The man said, "I heard that the experiments today were pretty bad this time."

"Then... you watched me go through all that?" Airis asked.

"I did."

"And yet you didn't do anything to help."

"You know I can't do anything against him."

"You can't, or you won't?" Airis asked. That question always ended the conversation, as the man's footsteps echoed behind the door. She was about to go back to sleep when a small red candy rolled under the door.

But Airis didn't take the candy. It was a bribe. That's all it was. She took the candy and crushed it in her hands, letting the flaky remains fall to the stone floor.

"Trust no one here. They'll hurt you more." Airis whispered to herself.

"There's a door for a reason!"

~~~~

Airis was jolted from her nap at the sound of her father's screaming.

"Papa!" She shouted and jumped from the bed, frantically looking around while tugging at the blankets wrapped around her.

"Airis!" A voice shouted. She looked over and saw that Katelyn and Travis where in the room as well as her parents, the latter being red in the face.

"Auntie Katelyn? Uncle Travis?" Airis asked yawning, "What are you doing here?"

"Sorry about the door." Travis said, "It was open so we... didn't think about privacy."

"And sorry for waking you up, Airis. We didn't think you would be napping." Katelyn added.

"Mm-hmm, well, next time please knock louder. I was enjoying that." Aaron muttered that last part.

"Oh, well, um anyway, Katelyn and I are here to--"

Travis was cut off by a loud smashing sound behind them. Everyone turned towards the door and saw Garroth standing on the splintered remains of what used to be the door to the room.

"Take that door!" Garroth shouted.

"Our door!" Aaron exclaimed.

"Whoops."

"If you're gonna break anything, break a window!"

"Wait, you break windows?" Aphmau asked.

"I mean, sometimes, yeah."

"Papa needs a little more self control." Airis said.

"Airis!"

"Oh, hey Aphmau, Aaron." Garroth greeted and then saw Katelyn and Travis off to the side, "Travis? Katelyn?"

"Wait, you're here, too?" Katelyn asked in shock, "I thought you said that you were going on a camping trip for the summer."

"Is it bad to say that Uncle Zane's here, too?" Airis added.

"Zane, too? What's going on here?!"

Garroth stammered and ran out of the room, but then came back to the room to destroy the last door before finally leaving.

It was a little confusing and yet not at all surprising for Garroth's behavior. So they chose to ignore it.

"Yeah, you better run or I'll break your door!" Katelyn shouted at the fleeing Garroth.

"O....kay then. We'll talk to Garroth later." Travis said to quickly shift the subject, "Right now, we want to talk to you guys?"

"About?" Aphmau asked.

"We wanted to take the three of you our somewhere on the island, to just, you know, have dinner and hang out."

"Yeah..." Katelyn said hesitantly.

"That way we can do some catching up. You know, something to break the awkwardness we had the other day. Kind of like a... double date.... with a kid."

Aphmau's confused expression turned to a teasing grin, "Double date...? So, does that mean you guys...?"

"H-Hey!" Katelyn stuttered, "Why don't we get going, huh? I'm starving."

"Mama? Is it really okay if I go, too?" Airis asked getting out of bed.

"Of course it is. If Katelyn and Travis don't mind us bringing you along." Aphmau said.

"Of course we don't mind." Travis smiled, "I would love to catch up with my favorite niece."

Airis smiled and gripped her mother's hand before smoothing down her bedhead. Just then, her stomach grumbled loudly and Aaron laughed at the sound.

"Sounds like Airis' stomach is thinking the same thing we are." He said.

"Not true!" Aphmau claimed, but her growling stomach said otherwise.

"Like mother like daughter, I guess." Travis laughed, "All righty then, let's get going. I've got the perfect place in mind."

Katelyn gasped, "Tropical Jungle Cafe?"

"Ha! Even better!"

"I really hope it's not tacos again." Aaron groaned.

"Tropical Jungle Cafe!" Travis corrected himself.

"Ah, ooh~" Aphmau said in wonder.

"Yes!" Aaron exclaimed happily.

The group then went downstairs to head out to the restaurant. But as Aaron and Airis stepped down to the bottom of the stairs, Aaron spotted the window.

"Papa... Control yourself." Airis warned him, but it was already too late. Aaron raced across the dining room table and smashed through the window until nothing but shattered glass was left behind.

"Aaron! Seriously?!"

"Papa!"

"Well, we mentioned windows and it's been a while since...." Aaron didn't finish, but instead raced away from the crime scene.

"Ugh! I forgot that was a thing." Aphmau grumbled, "Airis, be careful of the broken glass!"

"Yes, Mama."

~~~~~

The group got settled in their seats at the Tropical Jungle Cafe. It was decorated just as it was named, looking like you stepped into a tropical paradise.

They quickly placed their orders and waited for a minute before talking. Airis, however, was more intrigued by Travis and Katelyn's souls matching up with each other, just like with Aphmau and Aaron's souls. She couldn't help but smile and how they were trying to fit together, but pushed each other away for reasons unknown to her.

"So, you guys are dating now?" Aaron asked to break the silence.

The two turned bright red, "Oh, well, you see..."

"We are!" Katelyn finished for Travis, "We're... dating."

"What?! Wow!" Aphmau exclaimed.

"Excuse us for one second." Travis said and turned around with Katelyn, "What? We're not going to tell them?"

"The more people know, the more chance to blow our cover."

"Right, right. Good idea." They turned back around, "We're totally dating."

"Wow, um.."

"Well, I wasn't expecting that." Aaron said, "But congrats."

"Yeah, congratulations." Aphmau cheered, "Wow, so how did it happen?"

"We wanna keep that a secret for now." Katelyn answered.

"Is it long?" Airis asked.

"Exactly, Airis. It's a really long story to tell."

"Fair enough." Aphmau said, "Though, I'm so happy for your guys. After everything you both have been through, I'm so happy it worked out."

"Yeah, you guys deserve the best." Aaron added.

"I think it's great! You two look really happy together." Airis beamed.

"Aw, thanks." Travis said while Katelyn glanced away for a second.

"Man, I remember back in high school when Travis told his dad that you guys were dating. Though, I don't think Katelyn knew about that back then."

"What?!" Katelyn exclaimed and turned back with Travis, "How long does your dad think we've been dating?"

"Umm... since high school. But I might have told him that you were in a coma for, like, a few years so..."

"What?!"

Aaron's cheeks blushed a soft red as he looked over at Aphmau, "Looking back on it, I would have loved to have been with you since back then."

Aphmau giggled and gave Aaron a quick peck on the cheek.

"Mama! Papa! Don't get all mushy." Airis smiled, but then laughed when Aaron grabbed her and put her on his lap before kissing her on the cheek.

"What, is my little girl jealous?" He teased and tickled her into a laughing fit. Aphmau couldn't help but join in the laughter while Travis and Katelyn watched with smiles at the sweet family.

No matter how awkward the situation was, they couldn't say that this sight was adorably pure. Just then, they heard someone shouting from the across the cafe. The group looked and saw Zane and Garroth running away from a chocolate volcano. A little surprise the group set up for them.

"Oh my gosh!" Aphmau laughed.

"That'll teach then to spy on us." Aaron said.

"Serves Garroth and Zane right."

Airis laughed at the whole situation, and hoped that more times like this would come in the future.

~~~~~

A couple days after the double date, Aphmau stood over Aaron with her hands pressed against each other. Once again, she was trying to heal Aaron's scars with healing magic. Airis watched from the sidelines with a worried expression in her eyes.

"Should I help her?" She wondered.

"It would help ease the strain on her body. You know as well as I do that healing magic is quite difficult to master." The voice said.

Airis nodded and carefully sat up on the bed, hovering her hands over Aphmau's and pouring her magic to mingle with Aphmau's. The magic worked as a small burst of light flashed over one of Aaron's many scars, and when the light faded, it was no longer visible.

Aphmau opened her eyes and saw that the scar had faded, but with it her strength faded away, too.

"It... it worked." She said softly, her body falling back onto the bed.

"Aph!"

"Mama!"

Aphmau smiled and sat back up on the bed, "Don't worry. I'm fine."

"Aph, you didn't have to." Aaron said.

"No..."

"Why are you doing this?" Aaron asked, "It's only gonna hurt you."

"Papa's right, Mama." Airis said, "Healing magic is tough. You're still new to it, let me heal Papa."

"Airis, that's sweet of you to offer, but I don't want you straining yourself. You're still healing yourself." Aphmau sighed, "And the reason I'm doing this... is because I've wanted to be with you, Aaron. I always have. Please, let me try--"

Aphmau tried to get off the bed, but lost her strength at the last second. Thankfully, Aaron was able to catch her before she hit the floor.

"I'm fine." Aphmau said tiredly, "Really, I'm fine. I'm just...  really tired. My energy is completely drained."

"Of course it is. This happened last time, too." Aaron said.

"I wanted to heal you, before you went to your session."

"You dummy. That's what the sessions are for. Healing."

"I know but.. I wanted to heal a deeper wound."

Airis took Aphmau by the hand and pulled her back towards the bed.

"Come on, Mama. Get some rest." She said. Aaron nodded and put Aphmau back on the bed next to Airis.

"Aaron..." Aphmau groaned, "You need to go to your session."

"What? But you.."

"I'll be fine. Your wounds are more important." Aphmau cut him off, "I want yo to recover."

"I can hold off. Honestly, I just wanna make sure you're okay."

"Papa." Airis said sternly, "You can't miss a session. If you don't get better, how else are we gonna play together?"

"Airis is right, Aaron. Please, go." Aphmau added.

Aaron knew he had lost the argument, "All right, fine."

"Heh... good." Aphmau chuckled.

"I'm still worried, though. So, I'm gonna have Melissa check up on you while I'm gone."

"That's fine. As long as you go."

"And don't worry, Papa. I'll stay with Mama." Airis proudly proclaimed. Aaron chuckled and rubbed her head in between her werewolf ears.

"I'm counting on it." He said, "And the best part of this session is that this is the last one. So after this, we can go to the parks."

"Really?" Aphmau asked.

"Yes, really." Aaron leaned over and kissed Aphmau on the forehead, "Get some rest, babe. I'll be back soon."

It was too late, Aphmau was already snoring away.

"Heh, fast asleep." Aaron laughed and turned to Airis, "Look after your mother while I'm gone, okay? I won't be long."

"Got it, Papa." Airis jumped onto Aaron and gave him a tight hug before he kissed on her head and left for his session. 

As soon as he was gone, Airis sighed and turned back to her mother, lying down next to her and holding her hand.

"Mama's pushing herself too hard." She whispered.

"She is, but that is her choice, Airis. There is nothing more that we can do but help her recover as she sleeps." The voice said.

Airis smiled and slowly relaxed before falling asleep yet again by her mother's side.

A couple of hours later, Airis woke up and felt not as tired as before, but the soft white glow was still around her and Aphmau's hands. She let go of her mother and exited the room so that Aphmau wouldn't wake up with her.

"Airis?" Derek said seeing his granddaughter leave the room. Airis turned and smiled at him.

"Hi, Grandpa Derek." She greeted.

"I would have thought you would still be with Aphmau." He said.

"I took a nap and now I'm just walking around. Are you going somewhere?" Airis asked.

Derek nodded, "Actually, I was just about to go thank Aaron's physical therapist for all his work with Aaron. Would you like to go with me? I'm sure Aaron would like the surprise visit from his little girl."

"Of course! Let's go!" Airis grabbed Derek by the hand and began dragging him out of the house.

Derek couldn't help but smile at seeing his granddaughter so happy and running around like a normal little girl. After what she and her parents went through, she deserved all the happiness in the world.

They walked down the stone paved roads, talking about small things they were excited about, such as going to the rest of the parks and what rides Airis would go on first.

"I think I'll go on a rollercoaster first! I've never been on one before, so I wanna try it out." Airis exclaimed exictedly.

"Ha! I remember that Aaron used to love rollercoasters when he was your age. Melissa would drag him onto rollercoasters any time there was one nearby. He would scream the entire time, but he was always all smiles afterwards."

"Really? Papa likes rollercoasters?"

"Yes, well, it has been some time since we went to an amusement park together. But from what I remember, he used to love riding them with Melissa."

"Yeah! I can't wait to go now. Papa says that this is the last session, right? We can go to the parks after this one, right?"

Derek smiled and nodded, "That's right. And I know that you'll have a great time, Airis."

They continued walking and talking for a little while longer until they came to the physical therapy office with a big pool in front of it.

Just as they walking up to the office, Aaron ran down the path.

"Hey Aaron."

"Hi Papa!" 

"Hi Dad! Airis, what are you doing here?" Aaron asked.

"I came with Grandpa Derek to thank your physical therapist." She smiled, "But you're in a hurry to get back to Mama, right? Get going."

Aaron nodded and gave her a quick hug, "I'll see you back at the house, okay? Stay with my dad, all right?"

"I promise, Papa!" Airis promised and waved her father goodbye.

"Well, it looks like we'll have to introduce ourselves, Airis." Derek said.

Airis didn't know why, but she gripped his hand tighter. There was a chill going down her spine despite the heat in the air. When they walked into the office, no one was around.

"Hello, is anyone here?" Derek called out, "Aaron Lycan is my son and I wanted to--"

Derek was cut off when another opened and reveal a man that was all too familiar to him. His skin was tanned and his hair was black. He wore a plum colored polo shirt with a pair of brown slack and nice clean dark brown shoes.

The man stared down at Derek with his dark amber colored eyes with a sense of amusement behind them.

"Hi, Derek." He said, greeting Derek as if they were old friends. Derek instinctively pushed Airis behind him to keep her out of sight.

"You..." Derek gasped and the man chuckled.

"I bet you'd never thought you'd see me again.

"How did you--"

"Get out? A lot of time, pain and effort. So much time lost, because of what you and Garte did."

"That was--"

"And accident? Oh please, don't try to save your tail now. What was done was no accident. Besides, you should be thanking me. After everything you've done, I still put my pride aside to help Aaron recover. Of course, I didn't want such a precious little girl to lose her father now. That would just be wrong, even for me."

He looked down at Airis, still hiding behind Derek.

"You must be the famous Airis I've been hearing so much about. Aaron's talked a lot about you while we were working together. My name's Zack. It's nice to finally meet you."

Zack was about to reach out his hand to shake Airis', but Derek quickly slapped away his hand and picked up Airis in his arms.

"Stay away from everyone, especially Airis, or so help me I'll make sure everyone knows your--"

"No, you won't." Zack cut Derek off, "You're going to stay quiet like a good boy. Unless you want your son to get involved."

Derek could only stand in shock as Zack began to walk away.

"Oh, and Derek." Zack added, "I cannot wait until the wedding. We're all going to be one big, happy family together."

Now it was time for Airis to be shocked. That laughter, that voice. 

"Airis, remain calm." The voice said.

"But it's him. It's that man from... How is he here? How does he know Grandpa Derek and Papa? What does mean by what he said? We're going to be family? I don't want him as family." She thought in a panic.

"Airis." Derek snapped her out of her thoughts, "No matter what happens, I want you to stay away from that man, do you understand me?"

Airis didn't hesitate to nod her head rapidly and wrap her arms around Derek's neck. He could feel it, her entire little body shaking in fear.

And she was afraid. 

Afraid of the man who did nothing help her in that horrible place, despite all the positions he was given to help her.

That was the voice of a weak man.

A weak man who worked under the one who hurt her so much.

The man who did nothing to stop the pain.