Title: Awake and Alive
Author: d0ntbleenk
Fandom(s): Teen Wolf/The Vampire Diaries
Ships(s): Allison/Scott, Allison/Caroline, Lydia/Stiles, and More
Chapter One
Her gaze was as cold, unwavering, and unforgiving as the marble headstone at her feet, a faint and familiar wetness rising to her caramel-colored eyes. She was beyond tired of burying family members - this was the second in a month. She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath, willing herself not to cry. Allison Argent did not cry, but this was just overwhelming, even for her. No, Alaric Saltzman - her mother's brother - had not been nearly as close to her as her aunt Kate, but knowing her family was so prone to dying at the hands of supernatural beings made her heart clench painfully.
The buzzing of her cell phone cut sharply through her reverie, tearing her eyes away from her late uncle's headstone and pulling the phone from her jacket pocket in one swift motion. Allison braced herself, half-dreading that it was her dad checking up on her again, but managed a small smile - of relief? - when she saw it was only Lydia.
"Where the hell are you?"
Allison's eyes widened briefly. "Shit," she breathed, having completely forgotten that she was supposed to pick her up on the way to school.
"You forgot again -"
"No! Of course I didn't," Allison lied hurriedly, heading back to her car at almost a run. "I'm just running a little late. Be there in ten." She hung up before Lydia could really give her a piece of her mind.
"... why you won't just let mom and dad buy you a new car."
"There's nothing wrong with my car!"
"Well, yeah... except everything -"
Lydia Martin-Lockwood rolled her eyes as the sound of Caroline and Stiles's banter reached her ears across the Mystic Falls High School parking lot, but Allison broke into a huge grin as she made her way over to where they were arguing by his Jeep. "Caroline! You're back!" She called, throwing her arms around the blonde's neck the second she turned around. "How are you?"
Caroline, completely caught of guard, stumbled back a few steps before wrapping her arms around her friend and hugging her back with a laugh. "Pretty good, considering I was stuck in the hospital for nearly a week," she replied as the brunette finally pulled away.
"At least you didn't pull a Lydia and make a break for it sans clothes -"
"Hey!" Lydia snapped, hitting Stiles over the head with her purse and glowering at them all in turn as they tried to hide their collective laughter. "That was a dark, confusing part of my life that I'd like to never revisit."
"Scott! Wait up!"
All the breath was knocked out of her at the sound of his name as Stiles brushed past them and headed across the lot to his friend. Allison tentatively followed his path, biting her lower lip as her eyes met those of the dark haired boy standing a few feet away. Out of the corner of her eyes, Allison saw Caroline roll her eyes. "Talk about dark and confusing," the blonde muttered, but she barely heard her.
Behind Allison, Lydia threw Caroline a look, before tugging her friend along the sidewalk. "You should really forget about him already," Lydia quipped wisely, but Allison's eyes were locked with Scott's, her heart breaking all over again. "Allison!"
"What?" She blinked, finally looking at Lydia. The redhead didn't try to hide her annoyance and impatience.
"You with me?"
"Yeah -"
"Then what was I saying?" Lydia rose a perfectly plucked eyebrow, pressing her lips together expectantly. Allison's brows furrowed, trying to recall something just to get her out of the dog house. With a glance in Scott's direction, she frowned.
"I..."
Just as Lydia was about to respond, Caroline promptly stepped in. "Alright, Lydia, don't you think that's enough persecution for one morning? We haven't even gotten through first period yet," the blonde pointed out, before taking Allison by the elbow and pulling her towards the school. "Come on, we're going to be late."
Once they were inside, Caroline released her arm.
"Thanks," Allison said finally, adjusting the strap of her bag on her shoulder as they walked. "I have no idea what's up with her today."
"Who ever does?" Caroline replied with a snort, smiling warmly and shaking her head. A minute later they stopped at her locker, and Allison's eyes drifted once again, falling on Scott at his own locker with Stiles. This time, however, he didn't notice her. Caroline followed her gaze. "I know we've already addressed me, but how are you holding up, Allison?"
Once again shaken from the depths of her own mind, Allison gave a start. "What?" she said all too quickly. "I'm fine." But the lip-biting and the look in her eyes gave her away.
"No, you're not," Caroline told her matter-of-factly. "Go talk to him."
"But -"
The blonde took her by the shoulders and forcefully turned her around. "The only thing stopping you is you. Now go." And with an impromptu push, Allison knew there would be no room for argument. Throwing Caroline an annoyed look - only met by a wink - she took a deep breath and headed over to Scott's locker.
The distance between his locker and Caroline's wasn't that far, even with all of the students in the hallway, milling aimlessly about, but Allison took her time. She drank him in, dark hair a little shorter than when she'd last seen him, althetic build, slightly uneven jaw and all - he was still as irresistable as he'd been when they'd been together, as when they had broken up. Both anger at her father and longing for Scott invaded her mind, making her bite down on her lip harder.
Stiles saw her first, but even as he tapped his best friend's shoulder, Allison could see the look of concentration on Scott's face - the tension in his body as she grew nearer. She pressed her lips together, trying to suppress a smile.
"You shouldn't listen in on other people's conversations, you know," Allison said finally, quietly.
Scott turned to face her then, and as if on cue, Stiles scurried off down the hall and completely out of sight. "I can't really... help it. Sorry," he replied hastily, a sheepish smile forming on his face. It was only then that she allowed a small laugh to escape her lips, shaking her head. He'd been a werewolf for months now and he was telling her he still couldn't control that tiny part of himself? "Are you sure it's safe for you to be talking to me now?" He added, and she couldn't tell if he was joking or not, his smile having faded suddenly, replaced with an impassive look.
This look was new. She frowned slightly. "I'm sure, Scott," Allison told him, trying to keep her voice even. "It's not like he follows me around everywhere, keeping tabs on my every move."
"Doesn't he? Or was that not the whole reason behind you breaking up with me for good?" He shot back icily.
Allison shut her eyes, rubbing the bridge of her nose. "Scott... this isn't you." She said, shaking her head, not sure if it was more to reassure him or herself. "The full moon is coming up... you're irritable... maybe trying to talk to you was a bad idea -"
"Allison, wait," Scott protested, the softness in his voice returning in an instant. He caught her by the arm before she could turn away. "I do want to talk to you, but I can't imagine what it would be about. You broke up with me, remember? All I've ever done was -"
"To protect me," Allison finished with a sigh. "I know." She took a deep breath, shaking her head again to clear it. "Can we talk about something else? Like... the move. How's that going?"
"Almost finished, actually. A little weird, since I barely know my cousins, but Elena and Jeremy have been really great, considering..."
"Oh don't tell me you two are getting back together already."
Allison's cheeks burned at the outburst; Scott glared at Tyler, even as he draped an arm around his shoulders. "Lydia's not going to be happy when she finds out you've been listening in on her phone calls again, Tyler," Allison seethed, swallowing and looking down. "Besides, we're... um, not."
Scott looked at Allison, eyes wide, but she didn't meet his gaze. Tyler looked from one to the other, before rolling his eyes and dropping his arm. "Freaks,"
"I'm gonna go," Allison decided, growing less and less tolerant of Lydia's brother's presence by the second. "Goodbye, Tyler. Scott." She nodded at the latter as she turned to leave once more, his distressed look not going unnoticed.
"You're still coming to the match tonight, right?" Tyler shouted, but she didn't respond. Whether it was because she hadn't decided or because he didn't exactly deserve one, Allison didn't know.
It was the first lacrosse match of the season and appropriately enough, more than half the school had decided to turn up for the occasion. Allison pulled her jacket tighter around herself, folding her arms across her chest as she and her two best friends - Lydia, a little grudgingly - made their way to the stands for the spectators. She leaned down to Lydia as they made their way to an open spot on the bleachers. "And you were telling me to get over my ex already."
"Yeah, well you didn't get dumped by the captain of the lacrosse team," Lydia shot back, clearly irritated by Allison's teasing.
"Co-captain," the brunette corrected with an amused look on her face, though it was temporary, considering the fact that she hadn't exactly been willing to go to the game in the first place.
"What? You have to go! No - you're going. End of discussion."
Allison pursed her lips, tilting her head to the side, not giving up that easily. "And all this coming from the girl that was dumped by the co-captain of the team. Why, may I ask, the change of heart?"
Lydia glared at her friend across the table. "Do you not understand the meaning of 'end of discussion' or -"
"Ladies!" Caroline interrupted. "You're both being ridiculous. There's no reason either of you can't go to the match tonight, so can we please put our broken hearts aside and have a little fun for one night? Just us three."
"And the rest of the school," Lydia muttered, poking idly at her lunch with a fork. "But I suppose it wouldn't hurt to show a little school spirit. Maybe I'll even find a replacement."
Allison laughed as Caroline rolled her eyes. At least Lydia's spirits had lifted a bit. "Okay, if she's in, then so am I."
It was all Allison could do not to look for Scott on the field immediately. She glanced up at the scoreboard - they were a little late - only ten minutes - but they hadn't missed much. The match had just started. Jackson was crouched down in front of one of the people from the other team, the whistle sounded, and they were off. Allison glanced over at Lydia, who remained impassive throughout the entire match, cheering when appropriate and keeping her eyes anywhere but on Jackson.
Allison, however, had a harder time keeping her eyes off of her own ex. But then again, almost everyone's eyes were on him. He was one of the best players on the team and with his own, incredibly outrageous flair that blew everyone else on the field out of the water by far.
The match seemed to fly by faster than usual, and before anyone knew it the final whistle had been blown and the boys of the Mystic Falls High School lacrosse team were celebrating in the middle of the field. Everyone in the bleachers were clapping and cheering, and many were on their feet, running towards their team to join in their celebration, including Allison and her friends. The second she was on the field, Allison was swallowed up by the crowd, completely separated from Lydia and Caroline in a matter of moments.
"Allison!"
The brunette spun around, finding her blonde counterpart heading towards her, Stiles in tow. "I keep telling him he needs to take more initiative and get his butt on the field. How do you think it makes me look if my brother warms the bench in every single match?" Caroline was ranting and, as usual, Stiles looked unbothered by it.
In fact, he seemed... distracted. "Hey, have either of you seen Lydia?"
"Do you ever think of anything else, Stiles?" Caroline rolled her eyes, but Allison could tell he was seriously worried about her. It was no secret that he had a crush on Lydia, but he'd been so concerned about her since she'd gotten out of the hospital.
"Well, yeah, I do actually -"
"No, Stiles is right." Allison said finally, furrowing her brows as she looked around. There were so many people, and the lights overhead did almost nothing to aid in their search. "We need to find her."
Caroline looked at her best friend skeptically for a second, before sighing. She looked around, shaking her head. "I haven't seen her since we left the ble-"
Suddenly a blood curdling scream split through the night, making several people jump and every person on the field look around. Stiles was on his toes, trying to see over the people, trying to catch a glimpse of her distinctive hair but it was turning out to be impossible, like trying to find a needle in a haystack. The scream went on and on, and all of a sudden, Allison started pushing her way through the crowd in the direction of it and Stiles and Caroline quickly followed suit. It was a few minutes before they finally broke out into the open again - a small clearing had been formed between the edge of the crowd and the tree line of the woods, and Lydia was on her hands and knees in the middle of it, shaking terribly. Her face and neck were covered in sweat.
"Lydia, oh my God." Caroline's hand flew to her mouth, completely oblivious to her brother pushing past her and dropping to his knees next to Lydia, putting his arms around her. Allison found herself at her side as well, helping her to her feet. Nothing was wrong with her physically - except, maybe, the fact that she had dirt all over her hands and knees - but the look in Lydia's eyes confirmed that something dark was eating at her mind.
"I told you, I'm fine. You don't have to babysit me -"
"We're not babysitting, Lydia." Allison sighed, frowning slightly as she sat down next to Lydia on her bed, tucking her foot underneath her. "You're our best friend. We couldn't just leave you alone after... what happened."
"What the hell was that, by the way?" They both looked up as Caroline walked into the room, a brow raised questioningly as she dried her hair with a fluffy pink towel.
Lydia's eyes took on a far away look suddenly, clouding over slightly as she remembered just exactly what had scared her so badly. Her face paled almost instantly and, with a brief glance at Caroline, Allison placed a hand over Lydia's, bringing her back from wherever her mind had drifted off to. "Lydia?"
"What?" She asked softly, blinking away the dark memory before swallowing. "I just... I thought I saw..."
Before she could finish her sentence, the door to her bedroom opened again, and Tyler strolled in without invitation or even the slightest knock. Lydia sat up straighter in her bed, her whole demeanor changing in an instant. She narrowed her eyes at her brother. "What do you want?"
"Stiles is sitting in his Jeep out front and refuses to leave until he knows for sure that you're okay," Tyler replied, looking exasperated.
"I thought you were going to be out with the team tonight -"
"I just said that Stiles is sitting in his Jeep out front and refuses to leave until he knows for sure that you're okay. Which means I can't go anywhere until he knows you're okay." Now he just sounded irritated. Allison rolled her eyes at his dramatics, knowing he was just testy because of the oncoming full moon as well. Honestly, they could be worse than girls at times. "So are you okay?"
"I'm fine!" Lydia shouted, chucking a pillow at his head. "Just get out!"
Tyler ducked the pillow before it could hit him, making Caroline squeal as she had to dodge it as well. She narrowed her eyes at him, silently wishing it had hit him after all. But he made no other complaints towards his sister, holding up his hands in front of him in defense and retreating almost immediately. Caroline shut the door behind him, before turning her eyes toward Lydia.
"Um... what the hell -"
"I'm tired. I think I'm just going to go to sleep," Lydia said, the finality in her voice evident as she sank down on her pillows, lying on her side with her back to both Allison and Caroline.
They exchanged a look. "But you said you saw something -"
"Allison, please." Lydia demanded, throwing her friend a look that seemed almost pleading, like she'd all of a sudden had a change of heart. Allison sighed and nodded, deciding not to pry any further, before going and getting ready for bed.
Allison didn't know how long she'd been asleep before was being shaken away again, but it didn't feel like very long. She groaned into her borrowed pillow, squeezing her eyes shut tighter, trying to fight getting up from her spot on the floor. But the shaking didn't stop, and it was soon followed by someone's voice.
"Allison," they hissed. "Allison wake up."
The brunette frowned, pushing herself up and brushing her hair out of her face, squinting up at Caroline groggily. "What is it?" She muttered, rubbing her eyes as she sat up.
As her vision began to clear and adjust to the darkness in the room, Allison could just make out the fearful look on her best friend's face. It was just the look that made her more alert, crossing her legs Indian style and giving her her full attention. Caroline's brow furrowed deeper as she shook her head. "She's gone, Allison. Lydia's gone."