G is for Guilt

ATTENTION READER. THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS MAJOR 3B SPOILERS. IF YOU HAVE NOT GOTTEN THERE, TURN BACK NOW.

XXX

Scott stared at the literature book he was supposed to be reading, disappointed to see that in the last twenty minutes, he hadn't gotten past the first dry paragraph. Everything felt different now. Everything was different. The whole school felt it. It certainly wasn't the first time they'd faced loss. But this was Alison. Happy, bright, mysterious, gorgeous Alison who was kind to those who needed it-whether they knew it or not- and didn't take shit from anybody. Everyone felt it when that light went out, and a gloom had settled over the community like a suffocating fog.

"Scott!"

His mom's shout shook him from his thoughts. "Huh?"

"Will you please get the door, baby? I'm on the phone!"

"Oh! Yeah! Sorry, Mom!" He sprung from the couch, thankful to put some distance between himself and that horribly boring lit book. He opened the door and stiffened. .

"Mister Argent. Did you want to-"

His words were cut off as a fist smashed into his face, and he staggered back. Argent followed him, his face stony and cold and angry and hurt, all rolled into one.

"Fight me," he growled, his voice low and dangerous. Scott shook his head, his hands in front of him as a sign of non-aggression.

"I'm not going to fight you," Scott said calmly. "Why don't we just talk this out?"

"I'm not here to talk!" Chris cried, shoving Scott in the chest. "Fight back!"

Scott just shook his head. "No."

With an angry bellow, Alison's father pushed Scott harder, making the teen land flat on his back. Chris was on him in an instant, hitting him in the face, the stomach, the chest, anywhere he could find that was exposed and liable to hurt.

"It's your fault!" he shouted. "You pulled her into your world, and she died because of it! My wife, my sister, my father, my daughter-I've lost them all because of you! If you had just left her out of this, I wouldn't be alone!"

"Chris! Stop it! Now!"

Argent stopped, looking up, his bloodied fist freezing mid-punch. Melissa McCall was standing before him, a taser aimed at his chest, a dangerous look in her eyes-that of a mother protecting her child. "Get off of him, Chris. I will use this," she threatened.

Chris stared at her for a moment, before sitting on the ground and burying his head in his hands and breaking down into tears. Scott stayed lying flat on his back, catching his breath, wincing as his broken ribs and bloodied face healed themselves. Melissa put a hand on his shoulder.

"You okay?"

"Yeah, Mom. I'm fine, I'm healing," Scott answered with a nod. Melissa nodded back and moved to the side of the man who was currently a crying mess in the middle of her foyer.

She bent down slowly and looped her arm around Chris's shoulders. "You wanna tell me what this was all about?" she asked quietly.

"I'm-I'm so sorry. Scott, I'm sorry. It's just-She was my baby girl. She was all I had left and I should have watched her, should have taken care of her the way I was supposed to. It's not Scott's fault she's dead. It's mine. I put the bow in her hands all those months ago. I never should have gotten her involved in that world…Holy shit, Melissa, I'm all alone. I'm all alone." His face and eyes were red, and his shoulders shook with sobs.

Scott was sitting up now, fully healed, dried blood the only sign of what had transpired. "It's not your fault, Mister Argent. You did the right thing, telling Alison the truth about what's in the world-and how to fight back. She saved my ass on more than one occasion-and the lives of a lot of innocent people. It's not your fault she's dead. It's the Nogitsune's fault. You didn't kill her. A pissed of ancient demon did."

Argent didn't say anything, just gently moved from under Melissa's arm and wiped the tears from his face and took a deep, shuddering breath to regain his composure.

"Scott, Melissa. You have my sincerest apologies. I-I don't know what came over me. I'll go." He turned to the door.

"Wait," Scott said, grabbing Chris's elbow. "You're not alone, either. My mom, Isaac, Stiles, Kira, Lydia, the Sheriff…We're all here for you. All of us. You're Pack."

The corner of Chris's mouth quirked up, just a little, at the term 'Pack'. "Thank you, Scott," he said quietly.

"He's right, Chris. If you need anything-anything at all-you give me a call. 'Kay?"

"Thank you. Again, I'm sorry about this I-"

"Don't be," Scott interrupted. "Have a good night, Mister Argent."

Chris nodded and walked out the door, pulling it shut behind him. Scott waited until he heard the car pull out before he let the tears spill over.

"Hey, Scott. What's this?" Melissa asked, eyebrows knit in concern as she wrapped her son in a hug.

"He was right, Mom," Scott said into her shoulder. "It's my fault."

"No, no. What you told Chris, that was the truth. Okay? You can't blame yourself for this. Alison made a choice that night. She wanted to help save her friend, and she ended up helping save everyone. She figured out how to kill the oni and weaken the Nogitsune. Her death was the Nogitsune's fault," Melissa said, running her fingers through Scott's hair. "Now you should go get some sleep. You've had a tough night, and you've got school tomorrow."

Scott nodded and trudged toward his room. Halfway there, he stopped and turned back to his mom. "Thanks. I love you."

"I love you too, baby."

"One more thing: where did you get that taser?"

Melissa flushed. "I bought it for myself once I learned that electricity could stop a werewolf, you know, in case of emergencies."

Scott smiled a little. "Good night, Ma."

XXX

Ugh, sorry such a short (and admittedly sort of lame) chapter took such a long time to upload. Hopefully now that it's summer break, I'll be cranking this thing out at a reasonable rate. Also: Please, please tell me your ideas for S and M! Thanks, guys!