"Er, was it left from here?"

"You don't remember?!"

"O-of course I do! It's just... been a while, and everything looks so different now..." Maeter muttered into her scarf. Her older brother, Maurice, sighed, his dark eyes fixing her with an accusatory look.

"That's fine, it's not like we lived here for over a decade," he said drily. Maeter huffed; she hated it when Maurice gave her that condescending look.

Just because he's the eldest doesn't mean he has to be insufferable, she thought, irked.

The wind suddenly picked up, and Maeter shivered. Though she was wearing two layers and an overcoat, Bellforest was a lot colder than she remembered, and her mittens and earmuffs hardly seemed to be doing their jobs. Her hair whipped across her face, getting into her eyes and leaving stinging welts on her cheeks, though there was nothing to be done to keep the unruly golden strands in place; she'd recently gotten a haircut, making it simultaneously too short to tie up and too long to keep out of her face.

"Was it always this cold in the winter?" she complained as they made their way down the street, Maurice looking perfectly at ease in his jacket.

"Of course. You're just not used to it anymore. You live in the tropics now, don't you?"

"Brazil," she corrected, rubbing her hands together for warmth.

"Hmph, I can never get used to all those old names..." he said. "I mean, why bother? It's not like the Federation acknowledges the ancient countries or continents. As far as they're concerned, we're still part of the Predgio Towers."

"Just because the government doesn't accept it doesn't make it less true."

"Fair enough, but it does make using maps and navigation a pain."

"I can't argue with that," she nodded as they walked. She turned to look at the buildings as they passed, vaguely recognizing a few of the shops. "Oh, hey, Julia's is still in business. And... oh wow, I can't believe that restaurant is still here..."

Maurice snorted. "Weren't you the one nagging us to come back? By the look of it, you haven't been home in ages either, you hypocrite."

"Hey! At least I've been trying! When was the last time you called Dad, huh?!"

"It's not like I keep track," he said defensively. "Things have just been really busy, and Mom and Dad are just as guilty too, you know. So are you, for that matter."

"Well it's not like I've been sitting on a beach drinking piña coladas all day for the past three years," she scoffed. "Do you know what an absolute jungle Brazil is?! I'm talking way worse than that island we were stranded on as kids; it's huge, and even with our technology, it's nearly impossible to navigate on foot."

"So use LFOs."

"They're expensive! And an LFO can't handle the delicate work we're doing! We have to gather specimens, we have to observe animals in their natural habitat, we have to study the Scub-"

"Okay, okay, I get it," he cut her off, gesturing mildly at her. "Biologists have it rough."

"You bet we do," Maeter sniffed. "But even then, I've been trying to get everyone together for years, and each and every one of you always has some work-related excuse..."

"Well, at least in my defense, work has been hellish," he said. "We may not be trekking into the wilderness, but the fluctuating trapar levels over the past few years have been making engineering efficient engines and models a constant headache. The government is getting on our asses about it," he grimaced.

"Hmph, no one asked you to go work for the government, Maurice."

"Hey hey, don't get me wrong, I'm still a rebel at heart," he said, a hint of pride in his words. "But we're not living in the pre-Second Summer of Love world anymore, you know? We have to work together with all sorts of people. Isn't that what Mom and Dad would want?"

"Yeesh, don't make it sound like they're dead," Maeter shivered. "I guess you're right though. Seems they take on research for the Federation from time to time themselves."

"See?"

"Still, I can't stand the government acting like it's got everything under control. Don't they realize they almost killed us all? I mean, I know the old regime is technically gone now, but they're still spouting nonsense about the Scub whenever it suits them, and they're still putting down movements they consider a threat."

"As long as there are people, there's always going to be conflict," Maurice sighed. "All you can really do is try to reach out and change what you can on your own though. 'Don't ask for things, do it yourself-"

"Or else you won't get anything,'" she finished automatically.

"Right. Which is why we're doing what we can as scientists. Mom and Dad included. And Linck too, of course." They turned down the road, heading up the hill and away from town. Maeter thought she recognized the road and the surrounding area, though seeing it covered in snow made it difficult to be sure.

"This really does bring back memories, doesn't it?" she said, looking back over the city. The sun was already setting, reflecting off the ice and snow on the roofs and illuminating the haphazard roads, twisting and turning in a jumbled urban mess. Bellforest was still located on Scub, which made it hillier and at a higher elevation than normal, though the Scub itself had actually subsided back onto the Earth's surface. Maeter had no idea how it had done so without damaging the city itself, but then again, no one did. She doubted that even her mother had the answers.

"Reminds you of being a kid, running to get to school on time," Maurice said, a small smile on his face. "Remember? We used to run down this hill at breakneck speed because we always woke up late."

"Oh, that's right!" She giggled, images of her brothers hurrying down the slope going through her mind. "Dad was terrible at getting us to wake up on time... he was always late for everything."

"I know. After Gramps died, I don't think we ever got to school on time ever again. I mean, with Dad being the way he is, and Mom... well, Mom is always kind of in her own world... I'm surprised we didn't have to repeat years with all those cumulative hours we missed."

"I think being from the Thurston family counted for something," she said, lost in her memories.

"Oh definitely. We wouldn't have gotten away with half the crap we pulled if we weren't Thurstons."

"Oh man, you and Linck were terrible."

"What are you talking about?! You were the worst of us all!"

"Was not!"

"Was so! Whose idea was it to tie a sled to a truck in our sixth year?! You broke like five bones and Linck had to get stitches! And then there was that time you wanted to sneak into the school at night to light fireworks on the roof..."

"Oh, that was fun!"

"Yeah, until the military showed up, thinking we were terrorists or something! Mom was furious, I've never seen her so angry."

"I guess we were all a bit stupid as kids," Maeter conceded grudgingly. "I feel kind of bad about it now; I mean, we didn't get it when we were young but Mom was kind of in a complicated situation... we didn't make that easier for her..."

"I know what you mean... it can't be easy, being Mom."

"Yeah... makes you appreciate her all the more now, huh..."

"Mm..."

They fell into a thoughtful silence, their boots crunching through the frost in a steady rhythm as night began to set in. There was something burning in Maeter's chest, a feeling she recognized all too well from all the years spent longing for home and for her parents' warmth. Her heart seemed to thump loudly in her ears as they climbed over the crest of the hill, until finally, in the dim light, they could see the house set against the canyon, the familiar sign greeting them with the same words they'd memorized as children.

"The Thurston Garage," Maurice read aloud. Maeter nodded, but a moment later she saw another sign tacked onto it.

"Hold on, there's something under it..." She squinted to read it. "'Scub-Human Relations Department, United Federation of Predgio Towers?!' Oh you have got to be kidding me!" she cried, outraged. "What 'department'?! They make it sound like it was all some idea of the Federation to commune with the Scub!" Maurice eyed the sign with distaste.

"Leave it to the government to take whatever credit they can," he scoffed. "Though that's just tasteless; 'department?' Seriously? Is that what we're calling marriage nowadays?"

"I can't imagine Dad leaving this sign up of his own will... unless he thinks it's funny..."

They stared at the sign for a moment, then at each other.

"He... totally thinks it's funny, doesn't he?" Maeter groaned.

"He definitely does..."

"Ugh, if my coworkers in Brazil could see this, they'd never scold me for calling Dad a dork again."

"Pfft, they scold you?"

"Yeah, something about 'you shouldn't disrespect your father, he's a hero!' But they didn't grow up with all his crappy jokes and lame puns."

"If only that was the worst of it," Maurice chuckled. "But enough about that, we should probably ring the doorbell before we freeze out here."

"Good idea."

They trudged up the driveway; it looked much the same as it always had, littered with bits and pieces of machines that Renton had probably pulled apart for parts and never bothered to clean up. There were a few new trees, however, and the garage next to the two-story house looked much more industrial now than Maeter remembered. Through the living room window, she could see the twinkling lights on the holiday tree; no one was quite sure what the old festival was about, or why it featured a tree with electric lights, but traditions continued without context, it seemed. Renton had always celebrated the holidays (though the names of the holidays in question were long lost) because his family had always celebrated, and that was enough for his kids as well. Maeter had always loved the cozy atmosphere and the gifts exchanged at midnight, and a warm feeling spread through her fingertips as she pressed the doorbell.

It took a moment or two, but the door was finally pulled open by an unusual young woman with short, cropped hair the color of the ocean. Her unnaturally pale skin and striking red eyes would have been strange enough, had two odd, glossy wings not been protruding from her back. Though it had been years since Maeter had seen her, Eureka looked no older than ever; in fact, she looked like she may have been in her early twenties, though she was certainly at least in her late thirties. Then again, no one knew her true age, least of all Eureka herself.

"Maeter! Maurice! Welcome home!" she said, a wide smile lighting up her lovely face. She pulled them both into a tight hug, and Maeter was engulfed by the warm, sweet scent she'd loved so much as a child. Behind her, in the hall, she could hear her father's voice mingled with Linck's laughter echoing throughout the house.

Mom. Dad. I'm sorry for taking so long to come back...

When she pulled away and saw Maurice's face, she knew he was thinking the same thing.

"Hey, Mom... we're home."

Notes:

This is my present to Kimixiii on tumblr, whose Secret Santa I was this year. I meant to write something with a bit more EuRenton in it but somehow I ended up focusing on Maeter and Maurice... No idea how that happened. Still, I hope you enjoy it, Happy Holidays!

It's been far too long since I indulged in E7... I'm actually surprised I haven't written anything else for it yet.