The song for this chapter is RY X - Love Like This (SleepMusic on YouTube)
LYDIA'S POV:
By some miracle, I made it out of the woods and to the main road. My nerves were wrecked. I looked around sporadically.
With a shaky hand, I tried to dial Stiles but my phone was dead too.
A familiar navy blue Toyota drove up the road. The driver and I locked eyes.
I let go a breath of dread to have it replaced by reprieve.
The truck stopped a little after it passed me.
Stiles jumped out.
I rushed to him with a crushed composure. I didn't care that he magically appeared just that he was there.
"What happened?" He caught me.
My head shook. I tried to catch my bearings but all I could do was cry.
"Lydia, what happened?" He demanded.
I looked up at him with wet eyes. "They're trying to kill us."
His honey eyes wildened. "Who?"
"The Hunters. They shot at us."
He looked around. "Where were you? Where's Scott and Malia?"
"The woods by the reserve. We split up,"
He looked down at me now with calm, calculated eyes. "I'll take care of it." He grabbed my hand to pull me along. "Get in,"
I followed willingly, actually feeling safe for the first time since the attack. Not that I couldn't take care of myself, but what could I do against skilled gunmen with a vendetta against us? And no matter who you were or what you were capable of nothing felt better than being with your other half in a time of crisis.
As soon as I buckled up he pulled off.
"I'm dropping you off at Deaton's," He held his phone to his ear. "Be there in five." He hung up. "I come back for the weekend to spend time with my girlfriend and we have to deal with this,"
"You didn't tell me you were coming home," Now wasn't the time to worry about that, but I asked anyway.
He glanced at me, then back at the road. "It was supposed to be a surprise."
For a moment, I imagined what our weekend would've been like if there hadn't been an attack. The joy I now knew I wouldn't ever have felt unfair. We'd done so much for this town and after everything, it still was going to turn its back on us.
"We have to find them,"
Moments later Scott's growl ripped through the air.
We looked at each other.
"Did that sound different to you?" Stiles asked.
I nodded.
Finding the Hunters wasn't a problem. It was the way we found them that was the problem.
"Don't touch anything," He instructed. "Stay over there." He went to further inspect them. He crouched down, with a gloved hand picked through their pockets, but couldn't find any identification. His eyes met mine. "I'm going to have to call it in,"
I nodded. "What about our DNA all over the scene? Scott's DNA has to be on all of them."
He came to my side. "Not if he wasn't himself when he attacked them. By the looks of it, he wasn't. That DNA is a little different."
My hand went to my forehead, then slid back into my hair. "We're going to jail."
"Do you think I'd ever let that happen?" He hugged me then pulled his phone out.
"Who are you calling?"
He held it to his ear. "Someone who can help,"
On the road again it wasn't long before we came across a foregone Scott with Malia in his arms.
We shot out of the truck.
"What happened?" I demanded, my heart in my throat. "Is she...?"
He wouldn't look at us. He was lucky no one else had traveled this road tonight because he was covered in blood, leaves, and dirt.
"She has a pulse." Was all he said before he carried her to the truck.
We joined him inside with worried looks but started for Deaton.
MALIA'S POV:
In the background I heard voices that spoke in concern around me, they tried to pull me from the deep sleep I was in between and consciousness, but I knew the moment I fully woke up I'd be in more pain.
"Clear the room," A voice kept going in and out. "Leave."
A hand came to mine, it drew the hurt away.
"I need you to wake, Lia." The husky voice laced with doubt and longing belonged to Scott. Only he could make me feel safer with him than by myself.
If possible my lips still tingled from our kiss. He kissed me. He kissed me at the worst possible time or maybe it was the best possible time because we didn't know we were going to get the chance ever again.
His other hand encased mine in his. "I did something bad and I need you come back to me because I can't do this alone."
My body prepared itself to wake up with my mind. My hand twitched in his. A cough wracked my body as I gained function in my limbs. I groaned at the pain in my back and chest, but I couldn't remember getting injured.
"Malia," He took some of my pain. "Look at me,"
My eyes fluttered open until they were focused on a pair of sensitive chocolate brown eyes that made my heart flutter too.
He leaned over me with a thankful sigh, his forehead rested on my stomach. "Don't do that to me ever again, I thought you were dead." His breath warmed me up.
I raised my right hand to his head, my fingers ran through his hair. I tried to speak but my throat was too dry. If I could I would tell him I wasn't giving up that easily, at least, not until everyone was safe.
We were in the clinic, I was along the slab of metal table. It felt like we'd been here too many times for this sort of thing than one person should. There was a good amount of gauze that went under my arm to cover my back and chest, the sleeve of my shirt was cut away to apply it easier.
"You're awake," Stiles stepped into view, then rushed over.
Lydia and Deaton followed behind with Liam and Theo.
Scott sat up.
Stiles did his best not to hug me in the wrong places, but it still stung.
I think we were all a little surprised when Scott let out a cautionary growl at him.
Stiles arched an eyebrow at him, then looked at me with an abstained grin.
I felt my face blush under everyone suspicion, especially Lydia's.
When I tried to talk I had a coughing fit.
Scott went to get me a cup of water.
Lydia gave me a look of fascination, her eyes drifted to Scott when he approached us again, then back to me.
I gave her a look to mind her own smarty pants business. At least for now.
Scott helped me sit up.
My arm clutched to my chest, I let out a strained grunt. I took the water and gulped it down in necessity. After I caught my breath I asked, "What happened?" I looked around at them.
"You were shot very close to the heart," Deaton explained. "It's a miracle that you're alive." His cell phone rang.
Lydia rested a hand on my ankle. "Do you remember the Hunters coming after us?"
A sigh left me. "Now I do, but I don't remember much else after."
"They were the ones that shot you," Scott clarified. "As soon as we crossed the break."
Now it was starting to come together.
Deaton hung up his phone. "Scott, a word?" He motioned to the other room.
He followed.
Lydia rushed to my other side for a careful hug. "We're so going to talk about this," She promised.
I hugged her back. "I love you too, Lydia. Thank you for asking, I'm doing just fine." My sarcasm wasn't lost on her.
"You know I'm happy you're okay, even after you almost jumped me."
My eyes settled on the other room when I picked part of the conversation they had.
"...mom in the hospital. It's not good." Deaton said.
I looked around at the others. "Did you guys know?"
"Know what?" Stiles asked.
Theo shared at sad look with Liam. "That Scott's mom is in the hospital."
Liam met my eyes. "We're going to head over there, keep watch." He placed a hand on Theo's chest.
Theo looked down at him, then to me, his brow raised. He wanted to know if I thought this was an attack on Melissa.
I did. So I nodded.
He raised a hand to his chin, then a contemplative finger to his mouth. When he looked at me again he held revenge in his eyes as he gave a curt nod.
I gave a small one back, then moved to stand.
"Woah," Lydia held her hands out cautiously. "You just underwent minor surgery. Maybe you should take it easy." She looked to Stiles for back up.
He came around on our side. "She can handle it."
She shot him a look of betrayal. "Thanks for being on my side."
"It's not about sides, we just need all hands on deck. And Malia has very capable hands. If what we saw earlier was who we think it was then it's going to be a hell of a long weekend."
My forehead creased. "What did you see earlier?"
They hesitated.
Scott came back in with Deaton.
My eyes softened.
He nodded. "I'm guessing you guys heard," He glanced back at Deaton. "I'm going to head over there. You guys stay here if you want." He moved for the door.
We followed.
He looked at the three of us in question.
We stood our ground.
Sure, it would be safer here, but screw that. We stayed together, that was the only way this would work.
"Lead the way," Stiles said light heartedly.
His eyes shined with tears, he looked down to compose himself.
I reached my hand for his.
His grip tightened around mine until he was ready to move forward.
I looked back to find Lydia and Stiles grinning amongst themselves. Fucking weirdos.
We left Deaton to close up shop, but not before I thanked him with a hug.
Stiles had an extra shirt in his chair he lent me. I tried to hold in my amusement from Scott's obvious jealous grunt, but a small laugh came out.
The hospital was steady as usual.
We rushed toward the front desk.
A few employees stilled once they saw Scott.
"What happened?" He asked them.
An older black Nurse came up to us and pulled Scott away down the hall.
I tucked my hair behind my ear to listen in.
"I'm sorry to tell you that she was shot a few times in the stomach. We know that they hit her intestines. She's still in surgery for another hour or so. Do you know anyone that held a grudge towards her?"
He let out a breathy sigh. "No, she's nice to everyone."
I looked at them.
"Then she might've been at the wrong place at the wrong time. The Sheriff has already been by, but he'll want to talk to you and your friends."
She gestured toward Stiles. "You might want to get Mr. Stilinski to lend a hand on this one."
Scott nodded, at a loss for words.
She sighed, then gave him a motherly hug he no doubt needed at the moment.
He didn't hug her back, not to be rude, but because I don't think he could.
"Go join your friends. I'll let you know as soon as she's in a room."
He did as instructed only he walked past us and headed straight for the waiting room.
Stiles and I sat on either side of him while Lydia sat next to Stiles.
"She was shot the intestines. That can cause stomach acid or intestinal bacteria to harm the peritoneum."
I didn't understand what this meant.
"That can cause peritonitis, it's a sever infection that's dangerous if it's not treated inside of two days." He supplied.
"She's being treated." Lydia put out there. "She's going to pull through."
"She shouldn't have to pull through!" His fist slammed down on the chair handle. His anger cut through the entire room as if they could all sense his power. He took a deep breath, then said much calmer, "She shouldn't have to pull through."
Stiles leaned forward on his knees. "This was a hit, wasn't it? Retaliation for what happened earlier?"
Scott stilled.
Lydia rubbed Stiles' back.
"What happened earlier?"
No one had told me yet.
The two of them remained silent as if it wasn't their news to tell.
Scott's rage bubbled beside me, his foot bounced incessantly until he shot up and stormed down the hall.
I ran after him, but he was already a good distance down the hall.
His fist punched into the wall, leaving a sizable dent there. His hands rested against the wall. "Malia, I don't need you to be here right now," He said with his head hung low.
"Too bad I'm not going anywhere." My hand slid to the middle of his back.
He remained silent.
"If this is about us, then we don't have to talk about that right now. I'm still here for you."
He gave a sardonic grin as he turned to look at me. "There is no us. The kiss was a mistake."
My eyes searched his. "You don't mean that."
He stood up to face me. "Listen to my heart, tell me if I'm lying."
I listened and when I couldn't find the telltale dip of a liar I knew he was telling his truth. My gaze fell to the linoleum. He still hadn't told me what had happened earlier, but now I wasn't sure if I could stick around to find out.
"I'm going to get some air," I headed for nearest door. My hand shoved it open.
I let the night breeze ruffle my hair as I crossed my arms over my chest. This out of everything we experienced today I wasn't prepared for. Scott kissing me...Well, I'd be lying if I said I didn't want him to or hadn't thought about it before.
When Stiles was gone we had gotten closer. Closer than I would've thought. From what I understood, dating internally amongst a group of friends was a big no no. I didn't understand why necessarily. If we were all friends then why not find happiness where we could? I understood people's feelings were sensitive about the subject but if Stiles could date Lydia who was like a sister to me then why couldn't I date Scott who was like a brother to him?
Now it didn't matter. He said it had been a mistake. So he didn't care about me in the way I came to care about him.
I tilted my head back only to spot Liam on the roof of the building across the street.
He nodded my way.
I coughed into my hand and gave a nod myself.
After enough time to calm down and reevaluate things I headed back inside.
I passed Scott on the way back to the waiting room.
"Malia,"
"I'm going to be in the lobby with the others."
His hand wrapped around my bicep and pulled me back to him. "Wait a minute,"
I yanked my arm away. "What?"
"About earlier,"
My eyes met his. "Oh you mean when you kissed me and I kissed you back because I thought I could trust you in that way, but I was wrong." I started for the door.
He pulled me back by the hand. "About earlier," He stressed. His eyes penetrated mine. "What Stiles and Lydia didn't want to tell you was what happened after you were shot." He hesitated, then sighed. He leaned closer to whisper. "I killed them,"
I stilled. He actually killed someone?
"The Hunters?"
He nodded.
"How many?"
"All of them."
I stared into his eyes as I understood. "Because of me, you thought I was dead." My mind worked through what had happened since and I felt like an idiot to believe him a few minutes ago. "When you said we were a mistake you meant because of them,"
His gaze lowered again. "I don't regret what happened between us, I only regret what losing you made me do."
I tipped his chin up with my free hand. "Hey, we don't have to talk about that right now. Not if you don't want to."
"Malia, they tried to kill my mom because of it. She's in surgery because of me."
My head shook. "That is not your fault."
"I disagree," He looked me dead in the eyes. "How is it not my fault?"
My hand spread across his cheek. "Because they came after us first and you were doing what you were supposed to do," I glanced around us. "Protecting the town, protecting us."
His chin trembled, his eyes watered as his guilt weighed down on him. "I-I wasn't in control. My wolf tore them apart for hurting you, he had control, but I liked it."
"I know you want to be noble and just, but it doesn't always work out that way." My eyes burned into his. "You became a True Alpha because of who you are and despite of what you've done you're still one because of what you're feeling right now." I pointed to his heart. "That can't be faked."
A few tears ran down his face.
I'd never seen him cry before. I'd seen him battered and bruised but never this.
My hands slid up his back and hooked on his shoulders.
He squeezed me to him like I could take away his pain, but this pain was emotional and I couldn't take that away. He was the only one that could heal himself.
My back ached, but I didn't care enough to pull away. Not when he needed me.
When he gathered himself we went back to the others.
It wasn't long before the Nurse came back to tell him she was assigned to a room.
We moved to the new floor. We hesitated in the hall.
Scott held out a hand for me.
I took it.
The Nurse looked between us. "Are you family?" She asked.
"Yes," Scott answered.
My heart gripped.
She gave him a knowing look. "I'm sorry, Scott. Only family right now, you know that."
He looked back at me with unsure eyes.
I stayed with the others. "Go, I'll be here when you get back." I assured.
He nodded then left with her.
We went to another lobby at the end of the hall.
Stiles' phone rang. "Stilinski." He nodded. "On my way," He rose to his feet once he hung up. "I've got to go back to the scene of the crime."
Lydia and I stood.
He looked at her. "I'll be back when I can."
She reached out for a hug. "Be careful,"
He hugged her tight. "Always am," He hugged me on his way out, "Glad you're okay. Now make sure he's okay,"
I slapped his back. "I've got it covered."
He pulled away with a smirk. "I know,"
"Would you get out of here?" I gestured toward the door with a slight grin.
He laughed. "Yeah, okay." He headed for the exit with a kiss on Lydia's cheek. "See you in a bit."
"See you," She watched him go with worried eyes. She turned back to me, her finger raised in the air.
My hand wrapped around her finger. "Not now,"
Her brow arched. "Then when? You two got together right under my nose and I didn't even realize it. I mean, I suspected it, but I didn't think it would actually happen."
I let her finger go. "Why didn't you say anything?"
"Because it wasn't my place to tell you how to feel. I figured you'd come to me about it when you felt comfortable." She sighed. "But you didn't."
I gave a sheepish grin. "To be fair, it only just happened tonight, after you ran."
Her eyes widened. "How?"
We sat down beside each other. "He kissed me." I couldn't help the grin. My hand drifted to my mouth to trace the lines. "And I kissed him back."
"Of course you did," She smiled. "It's Scott we're talking about. I noticed something between you from the day you became a part of the pack. I never mentioned it because of Kira and Stiles."
My head tilted. "I don't know if this will work, Lydia. We're so different. He's so light and good while I'm tainted and bad a lot of the time."
Her hands grabbed mine. "That's the best part," She said excitedly in a way I'd never seen on her before. "You balance each other out. He was good with Allison and Kira, but he was different then. Now he needs someone like you to help him see that there's darkness out there and sometimes you have to get into it to keep the people you love safe."
My lip tugged downward. "I'm not so sure that's a good thing."
"The world isn't black and white, Malia. If it were I'd blame Stiles for Allison's death. Or Derek for Boyd's." She lowered her voice. "What Scott did, any one of us if given the means and chance might've done the same thing." She nodded.
It was hard not to feel guilty by default when Scott felt guilty for killing the Hunters to avenge me. But I knew where she was coming from.
Theo walked through the doors. He motioned for me to follow him down the hall.
"I'll be back," I told her.
We stopped at the windows by the elevators.
He pulled out a list of names, his knuckles bruised a purple-blue. Most were crossed out already. All but one.
I met his eyes. "Is that what I think it is?"
He tapped the name on the paper. "He delivered the would be kill shot if there hadn't been anyone around to bring her here."
"I'll take care of it." I took the list and shoved it into my pocket. "Thanks." I held my fist out for his.
His fist bumped mine. "No problem." He looked over his shoulder at Liam on the roof. "I'm going to go join him."
I gave a teasing grin. "You do that."
He laughed. "Shut up." He pushed out the door.
I watched him go with genuine pride. He'd come a long way to someone we all trusted with our lives. I think Liam was a big part of that.
I headed back to the lobby to tell Lydia, "I've got to run an errand. I'll be back."
Confusion crossed her face. "Where are you going?"
"To run an errand," I said again.
Her eyes narrowed. "You're going after the shooter?" She angrily whispered.
I brought her outside so we'd have more privacy. "Someone has to. This was a hit, Lydia. Melissa could've died."
She huffed. "Fine, just don't get caught. If the FBI are in town they'll be running surveillance everywhere with the amount of bodies at that crime scene."
I nodded. "Don't let Scott know I left."
"And what am I supposed to tell him if he comes looking for you?"
My shoulders shrugged. "That I started my period or something he won't ask questions about."
Her head shook. "Just go. I'll cover for you."
I walked through the hospital doors thirty minutes later in a daze. My hands still shook from when I bashed the guy's head in. At the time it felt like justice. Now it just felt like cold blooded murder.
Lydia stood at my arrival. "You did it," She observed.
I looked at her and I crumbled.
"Shh," She hugged me. "You're okay."
My head shook. "No, I'm not."
"What's going on?" Scott walked up.
I wiped my eyes before I turned to him. "Nothing," I put on a brave face. "How's she doing?"
His eyes said he didn't believe my lie. "About as expected. Do you want to keep me company outside of the room?"
"Yeah, sure."
We walked side by side until we reached the chairs outside her room, then sat. We stared straight ahead with a mountain of unspoken words between us.
"You took care of it," He stated, his eyes on me.
I couldn't look at him, so I just nodded. "How'd you know?"
He leaned closer. "You haven't stopped shaking since I've seen you. You reek of remorse, a smell I know all too well." His thumb traced the skin of my neck. "And there's blood on your neck."
My hand went to rub it off. "I-I," I panicked. "It's not coming off." Tears stung my eyes. "I can't get it off. I'm sorry." I looked to him with lost eyes.
He hugged me to him. "You're okay."
I rested my head on his shoulder. "This isn't okay. I don't want to be this person."
His lips moved against my throat. "You're a good person." He assured. "One of the best I know."
"I wish that were true."
"It is." He got me to look at. "You matter,"
My eyes scanned his.
"You matter to me," He tilted my head up to press his mouth to mine. Unlike last time we didn't have to rush it. We didn't have to stop because men with guns were coming for us.
If I hadn't been sitting down and he hadn't been holding me I might've slid onto the floor into a pile of goo. Dramatic, definitely. But a kiss from Scott was so different than anything else I've ever experienced. It felt like we could get through this together like we always did, just in a slightly different definition of 'together'.
A/N: So I guess I'm doing a third part. I thought this would be wrapped up in two chapters at the most, but...Well it's not haha. PLEASE LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK OF IT SO FAR BELOW :D
