'The hardest part about leaving is knowing what you're leaving behind.'
- Drake.
A few weeks later they have the funerals. Eleven separate funerals for eleven different family members. They also buried three empty coffins for their sisters Jessica and Cora and their cousin Heather, who's bodies hadn't been found. Everyone believed it was because there was nothing left of them to be found. A lot of people gathered to say their goodbyes and to offer their condolences. Alex paid them no attention, clinging on to her brother and staring blankly as her mom, dad, brothers and sisters and human cousins and uncles and aunts were lowered into the ground, making it all the more real; their family was gone, dead and nothing would bring them back.
Alex and her siblings had been relieved to hear that their Uncle Peter had survived, they were also horrified to learn that he had severe burns and was comatose, unable to talk, eat by himself or even blink. He didn't make it the funeral, but people still dropped by his hospital room, leaving flowers and get well soon cards and giving him their sympathies.
One of the hardest parts was seeing Peter, lying in a hospital bed, attached to a handful of wires and almost completely covered by bandages. He was so still, Alex would've thought him to be dead if she hadn't heard the unsteady beating of his heart beneath the blankets and layers of bandages.
Laura tried her best to remain strong for both Alex and Derek, but the moment she was out of sight, she would allow herself to cry, to mourn. She did this when she thought they wouldn't hear her sobs, but they did, they heard her every time.
Alex was stubborn, pushing everyone away when they tried to get close. She didn't speak much, seeming to prefer the idea of suffering in silence to talking about it and getting emotional when she knew it wouldn't help. Nothing would bring them back.
Derek wasn't much better, he followed Alex's example and shut himself off from the world, speaking to people outside the family only when he had to and sticking close to his sisters, always making sure they were within seeing or hearing distance from him.
"What do we do now?" Alex whispered, running her fingers over the triskele necklace that her mom had given her as she stared at the freshly covered grave that held her parents.
"I have some business to take care of," Laura began, intertwining their hands. She squeezed Alex's fingers and took Derek's wrist in her free hand. "Then we're leaving."
"Where will we go?" Derek asked, looking up to his new alpha as her eyes flashed red.
"There... there's a pack in Brooklyn, New York that mom was close with, they called and said we're welcome to stay in their guest house for a while... at least until we get somewhere of our own."
"What are they like?"
"Madison's the alpha female, she's strong and strict, but she's a good leader and she's kind," Laura answered, remembering the few times she'd met the pack when they stopped by for a visit. "Then there's David, her second in command. He used to be an omega before she rescued him, and now he's her most trusted wolf. Madison's husband, James is the alpha male, he's more gentle than her, surprisingly, but he can be temperamental at times. The youngest two are Hayley and Rosalie, they're twins and are surprisingly mischievous. They're Madison and James' daughters."
Alex and Derek nodded, both turning away from Laura as footsteps met their eyes. Alex spun around, her eyes turning golden yellow as Chris Argent and his wife, Victoria walked towards them, a group of other hunters a few steps behind. She was glad that everyone else had left as her teeth elongated into fangs and she growled at them. Laura kept a secure grip on Alex's hand as her eyes turned red in response to her sister and she growled as well, a deep sense of authority washing over her siblings and they had no choice but to listen to their alpha and stand down, their teeth and eyes returning to normal.
"We just came to offer our sympathies," Chris explained, always the semi-peaceful one as he raised his hands in a placating manner.
Alex glanced up at Laura, seriously wondering if her sister was actually buying what the Argent hunter was telling them, and by the look on Laura's face, she clearly believed him. Alex's chest rumbled as a growl threatened to escape and she directed it at Chris, something he noticed as he looked down at her.
"Thank you," Laura said smoothly, pinching Alex.
"We also heard you were leaving town," Victoria spoke up, hardly even attempting to hide the satisfaction she felt and it showed on her face.
"For a time," Laura offered as a response, her brown eyes narrowing at the red haired hunter. "No promises that we won't come back."
Alex hid a smirk, that sounded more like her quick witted, sarcastic older sister. Said sister noticed Alex's attempt to hide her amusement and pinched her roughly on the back of her neck.
"Farewell, Laura, Derek, Alex." Chris nodded at each of them before escorting his wife back across the grass and disappearing with the other hunters.
"I hate them," Alex snarled, glaring daggers at where they had previously stood, and neither of her siblings argued.
Two weeks later
Alex stared up at the remains of her old home with wide, sad eyes, her heart beating loudly as sobs worked their way up her throat and threatened to suffocate her. She could hear her brother's footsteps as he ran through the forest, desperation and worry drifting from him in waves.
"Alex?" he called frantically. She tilted her head back and let out a short howl to signal her location to him. He burst through the trees a moment later, storming towards her and drawing her into a tight hug. "Why did you run off again?"
"I couldn't sleep," she answered quietly, hands fisted in the back of his blue t-shirt. "I wanted to see it again... when it wasn't on fire."
"You're lucky it was me that noticed you were gone," he told her with a sigh, resting his forehead against hers and staring into her tear filled brown eyes. "Laura would've been furious if she was awake."
"I know, I-I couldn't help it," she said and nipped at his jaw before heading towards the house. Derek followed as she walked hesitantly up the porch and entered the once mighty Hale house.
Alex's breath caught in her throat, all around her was burnt objects, blackened by the fire and ashy as she ran her fingers over them. As she walked into the living room, glass crunched under her foot and she crouched down, picking up a slightly singed photo, the edges curling inwards. Her family members' happy faces stared back at her, their lips pulled back into wide grins, completely unaware of the disaster that would occur only days later.
"Here." She handed the photo to Derek, who ran his finger over it slowly before sticking it in his pocket and walking after her as she carefully walked up the unstable staircase.
Alex went to her room and Derek headed towards their parents' room, hesitating in the doorway. She watched her brother sadly, offering him a small smile and stepping into her bedroom.
The few posters she had had on her walls were a pile of ash now, resting on the singed, royal purple carpet and the dresser that was missing the top of it and most of her clothes were too damaged to wear, only a few t-shirts and a couple pairs of jeans had made it, along with the jacket she'd taken from her mom as a security blanket of sorts and hidden in her bottom drawer. She was slightly grateful that her room was at the back of the house, that it wasn't as damaged as downstairs but then she felt guilty as her family sprung to mind. Her bed was wrecked, along with her deep grey comforter and her favourite stuffed owl teddy. The medium sized box she kept in her closet had survived, the wooden top the only part with burn marks as she pulled it out and sat on the floor with it.
"What's that?" Derek asked as he came in and sat next to her.
"Photos, my diary and a couple of mementos." She shrugged and opened it, showing him the contents. Derek carefully lifted a handful of pictures out, each one of their family, and the occasional one of her and her friends Scott and Stiles. Her favourite photo was of her, Derek and their uncle Peter when he was younger and Alex was about five and Derek was eleven. She had crawled onto Derek's back, arms around his neck as he and Peter played a game of chess, only looking away from the board when their alpha had called their names.
"I remember that," Derek smiled. "Peter won, as per usual."
"Peter always wins," she chuckled lightly. "He's a chess master."
"That he is," came the familiar voice of their new alpha. They both winced and looked up sheepishly, knowing that they had gone against their alpha's orders. "He's a sneaky wolf, just like you two."
"Sorry, Laura."
Laura's lips twitched in amusement as they spoke in unison before she knelt in front of them and took their hands, linking their fingers together.
"Never do that again," she ordered, looking between them. "I was really worried about you."
"We won't do it again, alpha." Alex tilted her head to the side, baring her neck in submission, her brother following suit.
"That's good to hear," she sighed in relief, ruffling their hair. Laura nipped their necks gently before she carefully lifted a small wolf key chain from the box and smirked slightly. "I remember when dad made this for you, you loved it so much that you refused to part with it, carrying it with you wherever you went."
"Uncle Peter offered me a box of toffee, but only if I would let go of the wolf," Alex recalled. "I wouldn't, and he gave me the toffee anyway. Mom was so mad at him for giving me sweets before dinner."
"He had to steer clear of her for days afterwards," Derek added, and just for a moment, happiness surrounded them, and they momentarily forgot about what had happened. "Aunt Kristen wasn't much better, she thought what Peter did was stupid and that he shouldn't have gone against mom's commands. She always did love following by the rules."
"Uncle Peter always loved pushing mom's buttons, especially when it involved you two. Kris would try and get him to behave, but even she couldn't make it happen." Laura's lips twitched at the side as she fought a smile.
"I miss them," Alex whimpered. She had never been separated from her parents or uncle for so long before and it was clearly taking its toll on her, her hair was tangled and held back in a limp ponytail, lacking its usual shine, her eyes were dull and almost lifeless and her skin was a ghostly white.
"I know honey." Laura sat Indian-style on the floor and held her arms out, encouraging them to come to her. Derek went to her first, curling in against her side and slipping his arms around her waist. Alex followed moments later and sat in Laura's lap, huddling into her new alpha's warmth as Laura wrapped her arms around them both, holding them tightly.
"I miss them too."
"C-can you wait here?" Alex asked hesitantly, looking up at Laura and Derek. "I wanna say goodbye on my own."
"We'll be right here, Lex," Derek reassured her before Laura could get a word in. "Take your time."
"Thank you," she whispered gratefully, squeezing his large hand. She stepped away from them onto the path and headed towards the house, up the porch steps and knocked lightly on the door.
This was it. Her and her family were leaving Beacon Hills and she now had to say goodbye to the only two people who had willingly been her friends, who had been there and listened when she complained about how suffocated, how controlled she felt by her family. Now she would give anything to go back to those days, to have the rest of her relatives back and to not have to say goodbye to her Scott and her Stiles, because that's what they were, they were her friends and werewolves tended to by surprisingly possessive about what they deemed as theirs. Scott and Stiles just happened to fit into the category of what Alex thought of as hers.
"Oh, hello Alex," Sheriff Stilinski smiled politely at her before waving at her siblings when he noticed them.
"Hi Sheriff," she greeted as she readjusted her long sleeved, blue t-shirt. "Is Scott and Stiles here?"
"Yeah, they're in the living room. Come on in." He stepped back and let her into the house. He glanced at Laura and Derek before jerking his head at the open door and watching as they smiled and hurried into the house as well.
"Scottie?" Alex called as she slowly stepped into the living room only to find it empty. "Stiles?"
"Boo!" a sudden voice said in her ear and she let out a yelp, having not heard either of them approach. "Hah, got you!" Stiles cackled, giving Scott a high five.
"I have something to tell you," Alex said after a few minutes of laughing with them. She dragged them out to the backyard away from any eavesdroppers.
"What is it?" Scott asked nervously, sharing a concerned glance with a usually hyper Stiles.
"Me, Derek and Laura are leaving Beacon Hills," she blurted out quickly and Scott stared at her dumbly for a few minutes, while Stiles began shaking his head frantically. "We're going to New York."
"You... you can't leave!" Stiles protested loudly even as his other best friend remained silent, glancing between him and Alex in surprise. "We were gonna build a tree house and have no girls allowed... except you, obviously. And we were going to go on an adventure and make everyone look for us because it's fun."
"I don't wanna go, Stiles," Alex told him immediately, staring at her best friends. "I don't have a choice, I have to do what Derek and Laura say," she frowned as he huffed, looking away. "I'll come back, and then we can hang out again and it'll be like no time has passed at all. I'll still be the same old Alex. I promise."
"Pinky promise?" Scott asked, breaking his silence finally.
"Double pinky promise." She linked both of her pinkies with his, grinning at him. She released him and turned to Stiles, eyeing him wearily. He eventually linked their fingers together tightly before beaming widely at her, causing her to step backwards. "Puppy pile!" he yelled, tackling Alex and sending them crashing to the ground, Scott jumped on them moments later, knocking the air from their lungs.
"Ah! You're crushing me!" Alex cried and got knocked in the face by Scott's elbow. "Help!"
"Alex?"
"Derek! Help, I'm being crushed by two idiots!" Derek smirked in amusement at his sister's words before he lifted Scott and Stiles to their feet by the backs of their t-shirts and tugging his sister up, picking the grass from her hair.
"Oi, mister," Stiles said suddenly, poking Derek roughly in the shoulder. "You better take good care of our Alex, you hear?"
Derek gave Alex a look as if to say 'is this scrawny little kid for real?' and gained a shrug and a roll of her eyes in response. "I hear you loud and clear, Stilinski," Derek replied with a slightly feral grin.
"Der, Lex," Laura called loudly from the kitchen, her voice travelling to the back yard. "It's time to go."
Alex's lip trembled as she turned to her friends. "I'm gonna miss you two the most."
"You'll come back," Scott reminded her, his features morphing into a look of sadness, one similar to her own. "You promised."
"And I'll be same old Alex," she added, though she was already beginning to doubt her promise. "I would say I love you guys, but that's just lame."
"Totally lame," Scott agreed.
"Such a girl thing to say." Stiles nodded, and the two of them drew her into a final hug.
"Come on, Alex," Derek said softly. He gently pried her from the hug and led her back through the house by her hand, Stiles and Scott rushing after them.
"Bye Sheriff Stilinski." Alex hugged him around the waist, feeling him pat her on the head.
"Call me John," he told her in a mock-stern tone.
"Yes... John."
"Thank you for helping us out the past few weeks, we really appreciate it," Laura told the Sheriff as they walked out onto the porch. She shook his hand gratefully. "We really do."
"It's not a problem. You and your family were here for Stiles when his mom died, I figured it was time I repaid the favour," John answered, his voice dimming slightly at the mention of his deceased wife.
"Thank you."
Laura looked at Derek, jerking her head towards the car, and he nodded, picking Alex up and carrying her struggling form to the back of the car, he set her in the back seat and did her seat belt up before climbing in beside her and locking the door to stop her from climbing out and running back to Scott and Stiles.
Laura rejoined them after saying a final farewell to the Stilinski's and Scott. She started the car quickly and began to drive away when Stiles suddenly ran towards the car, waving something in his hands. The eldest Hale sighed and stopped as Alex unbuckled her seatbelt and leaned out of the open window.
"I wanted to give you this, something to remember us by," Stiles explained, handing her a picture frame with seashells stuck to it. "Scott helped me with the shells because we know you love them."
"I love it," Alex responded, staring at the picture of her and her friends. She met his wide eyes after a long pause. "Bye, Batman."
"Bye Superwoman."
Author's note - Woop! Here's chapter one for you all.
I'm going with what Derek said in one of the episodes about Eleven people being in the house when it was set on fire.
I hope you like this chapter and please, let me know what you think! :D
Fire and Ash.
