The day that Emma had left Beacon Hills with Cora, the hope of one day returning had been present. And yet, now being back years later, her mind would not stop thinking. She was afraid, mostly. What would she find? Would her family want her back? What had become of her mother and Lydia?

She and Cora had spent the years starting over in various places till they were run out by residing packs, but most had let them stick around for them to be comfortable and stable. And then one day Cora had up and left, leaving only a note behind stating that she wanted to check something out and would be back soon. Emma spent most of her time worrying about her as any older sister would. They weren't biological siblings but their bond stated otherwise. When Cora finally returned, visibly exhausted and yet sporting a new shade of eyes, Emma bombarded her with questions.

But nothing could have prepared her for the news that Cora brought with her.

Derek, Laura and Peter had survived the fire.

A fire started by Kate Argent, who was now dead.

Laura was also dead.

And Lydia was a banshee.

That's how Emma found herself walking back into Beacon Hills. She needed to see for herself, right the wrongs, and bring closure and the sort. She was hesitant to leave Cora alone but the teenager was an alpha now and she had taught her everything she knew.

There had been many times when she regretted the decision of ever moving away and almost came back only to stop herself each time. The only thing that got her going was the sound her mother and Lydia's voice every time they picked up the phone. She never talked to them but would habitually call them on their respective birthdays, still.

Now walking into her motel room, she dumped her bag near the door and fell on the bed. How was she going to approach her family? It was much too early tonight but she knew come tomorrow she needed to make the journey to her house.

Her house.

Was it still hers, even if she hadn't lived there in a while and turned her back on the people that loved her the most?

Maybe she needed a run. Yeah, she could do with one.

Putting on a pair of sweatpants, not bothering to change out of her top, and tying up her hair in a bun atop her head, she made a run for it. On her walk into town everything had looked different and if it hadn't been for the scent of Beacon Hills, she would have mistake this place for another. The forest however looked just about the same, quiet, vast and densely populated with trees. There were so many memories attached with that forest. Almost all of them somehow connected with the Hales.

The familiar scent of the Hales no longer lingered in the air. That haven was no longer present. When she had first transitioned it was Talia that had taken her in and taught her everything along with her children. Emma was born with the werewolf gene, something that was passed down by her father. A father she didn't know and had spent a considerable time trying to find. Her mother was not a werewolf, a human unaware of her husband or daughter's abilities.

Derek had been her best friend. They had bonded over the fact that they were both born with the werewolf gene and everything slowly fell into place. Laura Hale was the older sister she never had and a confidant that she could always turn to, whether it be werewolf problems or just boy problems in general. If she wasn't with Derek, or training with Talia and the rest of the Hales, she was with Laura. She was always there, through every up and down.

Emma slowly withdrew from her family, only eating a single meal and sleeping in her room. It almost became like a bed and breakfast. Her mother termed it 'teenage years' and a young Lydia could never understand why the older sister she so desperately looked up to no longer wanted to spend time with her.

Cora Hale had become a substitution to Lydia. Albeit a small one but Emma always saw Lydia in Cora and this is why the two of them grew so close. It was just easy for Emma this way. Being distant from her mother and sister meant keeping them safe when she found it hard to control her wolf and the Hales she could connect with because she they had more in common.

The air was chilly around her and at the speed she was going it was only getting colder. But the cold never bothered her, it couldn't exactly bother her. Perks of the werewolf gene, among the many perks she thought. And now she was blurring past familiar trees, some with small slash marks that went unnoticed but untrained eyes. Those were their marks for when they all played games.

Sometimes she wondered if she hadn't left with her family for a long overdue trip, according to her mother, would she have perished in that fire as well. Or could she have saved them, somehow?

She almost ran past it – the house. But at the speed she was going she could only stumble to a stop. She landed on her knees, the leaves crunching beneath her feet. The memories of that day rushed back to her, the smell of the fire had been strong that day, and as soon as they had returned she could smell it, even from miles away. And then death - the smell of burnt flesh and death. Heck, she could still smell death as she pushed up from the ground to stand before the house.

She had run away that night, taking Cora along with her.

"This is private property." A voice said from behind her causing her to whirl around.

She had been so entranced in her memories that this guy had got the jump on her. Upon closer inspection she realised just who was standing before her. Cora had brought pictures with her, telling her who each and every person was. But even without the picture she would have recognized those eyes anywhere.

"Derek…" She whispered which he obviously heard and took the tiniest step towards her.

"You need to leave." He only stated, regaining his composure, set jaw and rigid stature. This Derek before her was not the one she remembered from all those years ago.

So many times she had imagined a reunion between him and her, all that she would say to him, what she imagined he would say to her but standing before him now she couldn't bring herself to say anything.

"Yeah, sorry I mustn't have seen the sign." Emma said quietly before she started to walk away from the house.

"What are you doing here, Emma?"

Emma stopped in her tracks, eyes wide as she turned to look at Derek. The tiniest of smiles graced her lips as she took a step towards him.

"You survived…I thought you were dead and then Cora…" She launched herself at him and hugged him.

"You shouldn't have come back."

"What?" She questioned, stepping away from him to look at his face.

"Why do you think I sent Cora back? It isn't safe here anymore."

She searched his eyes, "Okay," And started walking away. "But I'm not leaving." She threw back at him.

And then Derek was standing before her. "Why have you come back?"

"Is that all you have to say to me after all these years?" She whispered to him.

"Whatever you're here for, just let it be. Go back; it's safer away from here."

"Don't worry; I'm not here for you." She said patting his cheek, before letting her hand trail down to his shoulder and walking away.

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