AN: A special thanks to my beta Sunshineditty for reading two different versions of this chapter and editing them both. Awesome beta! Sorry this chapter took so long to come out. I hope everyone enjoys it.
Breaking Point
Scott spent the day following his ill-conceived betrayal of the pack and the Argents' departure waiting for Wolfageddon, which never came. "Maybe they think we've gone as well," he said over his shoulder as he peeked through the curtains for the fifth time that evening.
Stiles responded with a disbelieving huff, clearly doubting the pack was unaware of their presence in town. A fact that became abundantly clear when the jeep appeared in the driveway with all their belongings stuffed into garbage bags in the back. The pack's meaning was clear: they were throwing out the trash.
"We should go." Scott stood next to the couch that Stiles had slept on since that awful night. "He's giving us a chance. For whatever reason, he is letting us leave. I don't think he will give us another."
Stiles remained curled against the cushions with a light blanket pulled almost over his head. "I'm not running any more Scott. Never again. I've been on the road for too long. This is my home now and I'm not leaving."
"Stiles, they will kill us. Kill you." Scott tugged on his friend's arm but Stiles only pulled away and shrugged, pulling the blanket back over his face. "Do you even care?"
"No, not anymore. Sorry, I just can't. I can't run anymore. I'm tired. I'm done."
Scott stumbled back a step in shock. Stiles never gave up, never quit. "Stiles, staying here is suicide
"Then leave, Scott. I'm not asking you to stay. I'm not asking you for anything. Take the jeep, take anything you want. Go make your own decisions now. I'm done trying to look out for you."
Scott was suddenly faced with the evidence of his betrayal. It wasn't just the wolves he had turned his back on, but his friend as well. After all, it was Stiles' unending support and belief that kept him alive and sane for the past year, and Scott had repaid him with a knife in the back.
He was a bloody turn coat for a girl he barely knew. A girl, who, he knew now, had used his own insecurities against him, twisting his thoughts and feelings until he believed in her more than he trusted his best friend. A friend who had given up everything for him.
The sheer magnitude of his actions hit Scott and he dropped to his knees next to the couch, tucking his head into Stiles' blanket covered chest. "I guess it's my turn." A weary eye peeked over the blanket edge. "Maybe it's my turn to look after you. If you are staying here than so am I."
Two days passed without Stiles speaking to Scott once; it had to be a record. Scott felt invisible, a phantom haunting the friendship they once had. Bringing the pizza he had made into the living room and sat next to Stiles, close enough that their knees and shoulders brushed. He could feel his friend tense, getting ready to pull away again.
"I screw up. I screwed up everything. Your life, my life, everything. I know it doesn't change anything, but I wanted you to know how sorry I am." Head down, shoulders hunching in on themselves, Scott waited for Stiles' reply.
"What do you want from me? Absolution? Forgiveness? A fucking doggy bone and a pat on the back? I left everything behind for you, to keep you safe and sane and alive. It's not just the pack you betrayed, hell it's not even just me. You betrayed yourself. Hunters? Scott, did you even think for one second?"
Stiles rose to his feet and paced angrily around the room, a snarl that would make any wolf proud marring his face. "If our family, the people who loved and raised us, would kill you without a second thought, why would you think that complete strangers would offer you shelter?"
"I thought she loved me." It was an anguished whisper, the last broken piece of his shattered heart. Stiles stilled, watching the tears run down his friend's face.
"You're lucky I love you, otherwise I would shoot you myself for the shit you put me through." Scott's head shot up, eyes filling with the hope of forgiveness. "Don't give me those puppy eyes. You are a long way from finding your way back to my good graces."
Picking up one slice of pizza Stiles flopped into a chair across from Scott, purposely putting as much space as possible between them.
"I hated myself. I felt I was a coward for running away from our family and my duty. Stiles, I never looked beyond my own pain until now. I wish I had listened to you. I wish I had never met Allison. I wish I could take this all back."
Looking up at his friend, taking in the tear streaked remorseful face Stiles replied, "It's too late. We've lost everything, family and pack. We have nothing left."
Pushing out of his seat, Scott grabbed his friend and pulled him to his feet, hugging him tightly as if he could squeeze the vibrancy back into him. "We still have each other."
Stiles hugged him back weakly. "I wish that was enough but it's not."
***************
Just enough time passed that Scott was beginning to believe that the pack would just pretend they were no longer in town. He stopped looking constantly over his shoulder and slinking around town. But his luck held - his bad luck.
If it had been the Camero or Boyd's black truck he would have run before the vehicle even turned the corner, but the van was new and he didn't smell the pack until it was too late.
"You should have left when Derek gave you the chance, Omega." Jackson snarled into his face as Erica and Isaac dragged him into the back of the van and pinned him to the hard metal floor. Scott struggle but was overpowered by more than the sheer numbers. He had lost that extra reserve of strength that being a part of a pack had given him.
He could smell the green of the forest long before the van pulled onto the gravel road. "So Derek's decided to finish me off now? Why'd he wait so long?" Erica's eyes darted briefly to Isaac's as she bit her lip.
"Shut up, Omega." Erica slammed him against the van's floorboard, her nails breaking the fabric and skin at his shoulders. The pack had the door open, tossing Scott to the forest floor before the van finished sliding to a halt.
Seconds after hitting the ground Scott was in beta form and running, putting as much space between himself and his ex-pack mates as possible. A memory of Stiles running from Boyd bringing a slightly hysterical smile to his lips. Muted howls closed in from his flank. He knew that he could not outrun all of them but he was not going to give up without a fight, well more like a flight
Jackson tackled him, his strong arms wrapping themselves around his lower body and knocking him to the forest floor. Isaac was quickly at his side and the two of them effectively blocked Scott's path as the rest of the betas cornered him from the rear.
"Traitor! Hunter filth! Derek should have killed you as soon as he found you on our territory." Jackson's eyes were neon blue though he remained in human form. "I think we need to remind you that not all the Hale pack is as merciful as our Alpha."
With the last word leaving his mouth as an enraged growl, Jackson leaped forward to sink his claws into the tender flesh of Scott's abdomen. Twisting away Scott found himself running straight into the left hook thrown by Erica.
Scott stumbled, Boyd's fist driving him to the forest floor, head spinning like a lopsided top. Scott curled, wrapping his arms and tucking his knees to protect his vulnerable stomach as he waited for the beating to come.
Moments ticked by until he slowly raised his head to look at the wolves surrounding him. "What are you waiting for? Did you think I would beg for my life? Just get it over with!"
Erica started for Scott only to be stopped by Isaac's hand and a single word, "Stiles."
" Scott doesn't deserve Stiles." Amber eyes bore into his. "You don't! He's loyal and strong and you are nothing but a worthless, lowly omega" With a final angry snarl that ended up as a howl to the afternoon sky, Erica turned and walked back to the van followed closely by the rest of the betas.
"It would be best if you leave. Leave soon." Boyd leaned over Scott. "Before we reclaim what you stole." With a quick stride, Boyd joined the rest and the van peeled off leaving Scott stranded in the woods as dusk fell.
***************
The Argent house was dark by the time Scott hobbled back from his impromptu trip to the forest. Looked like Stiles wasn't waiting up for him these days. Or speaking to him or looking at him. Hell, it was like living with a ghost.
Part of Scott was glad that Stiles was human and unable to smell the blood and pain on him when he opened the door, but another part of him was in desperate need of his friend's attention if only to soothe his wounds
"What happened to you?" Stiles might not have a wolf's nose but his eyes were pretty sharp.
"The pack threw me a going away party. I guess you weren't invited." Stiles marched across the room and pulled Scott over to a chair. Flicking on the nearest lamp he set about checking for damages.
"You used to heal faster than this." Stiles gently brushed the edges of the scratches on his abdomen. "I'll clean that up. Stay here." Closing his eyes, Scott relaxed into the chair. It wasn't their old banter but at least Stiles was talking to him again. A little blood and pain was worth that.
Stiles quickly returned with a bowl of warm water and a wash cloth, making short work tending to the few bloody wounds that remained. "Why are you still hurt?"
"I think it's because I'm back to being an Omega. No pack, no extra strength to pull on. I never realized how much just being there with a pack meant to me." Stiles' face went smooth, almost mask-like, as his eyes filled with pain and anger.
"I guess you didn't know how much it meant to both of us." He said softly, a calm that wounded Scott more than yelling or cussing ever could. "Looks like our time here is up. We should leave first thing tomorrow." Leaving the bowl by Scott's side he turned and walked to the room he had taken as his own the last few nights.
"I thought we weren't leaving? That this was home. Why are we leaving now?" Scott's voice echoed up the stairs after his retreating friend. If it had not been for his enhanced hearing he would have never heard the response.
"Because they'll kill you, and you're all I have left."
**********
The sun was peeking over the horizon as Scott drove the battered jeep past the Now Leaving Beacon Hills sign. Being back on the road felt like putting on a favorite pair of old jeans, except they just didn't fit the same perfect way. Scott's life had expanded beyond the cramped space of the jeep and the endless road ahead of him. He had unknowingly found a home and in his ignorance destroyed it.
Shifting his head slightly he looked over at Stiles who had not spoken except for a brief "Yes" or "No" to direct questions. Sighing, Scott had to own up to the fact that he was again responsible for destroying Stiles' life. The pack was right, he didn't deserve Stiles.
The hours passed in silence broken only by the occasional request for a rest stop and food. Scott felt as if he was traveling with a stranger instead of the person he considered his real family. Sighing, he turned off at an exit leading to a small town and multiple fast food choices lining the frontage road. "What do you feel like eating? Faux-Mexican? Chicken? Burgers?"
"I don't care, Scott. Whatever you want." I want forgiveness with a side of turning back time so I can fix my mistakes, Scott thought as he pulled into a family run diner. Somehow he would fix this.
Entering the cheery restaurant the young men were seated by a young woman who smiled brightly at the two. Her bubbling chatter about specials came to a brief halt as she noticed the brand marring Stiles arm. Her smile was back in place as she took their drink orders but seemed strained to Scott. I guess they don't see many hunters anymore, even ex-hunters.
"You should probably get used to covering that up again. I doubt that other packs will be as open to ex-hunters as…" The taste of copper filled his mouth as he snapped his mouth closed on his tongue.
A stiffening of shoulders was the only sign that his statement affected Stiles. "You're right. I hadn't even thought about that. We need more of the scent blocking herbs too. We are both going to have to get back in the habit of being careful. I can't see us being lucky enough to find another pack that would welcome an ex-hunter and his ex-hunter turned Omega wolf into their pack with open arms and hearts."
Wow, that wasn't bitter at all. Scott ducked his head, unable to meet Stiles gaze. "Stiles, I'm sorry."
"I know you are, but that changes nothing. I just don't understand why. Why did you hate the Hale pack so much that you would betray them like that?"
"I didn't hate them. I hated myself."
Stiles sighed and leaned his hard against the back of the booth. "I just wish you had said something before. We could have helped you work through it, Derek would have done so something if you had just spoken up."
Scott felt the jealousy rear its ugly head, the sickening curl of anger and hurt made his stomach churn. "Maybe Derek was part of the problem. I didn't have the same relationship with him as you did. Maybe if he made doe eyes at me all the time, went sniffing around me wherever I went, I wouldn't have had so much trouble fitting in."
Stiles look of shock would have been priceless if it hadn't been laced with such pain and loss. "He never made doe eyes at me."
It was the anger, the jealously that pushed Scott to continue, to twist the knife just a little deeper into his best friend's heart. Deep down he knew he was a true bastard but that didn't stop the words from making their last cut. "Please, you two were like some bad romance story, stumbling around each other all in love and denial. Add some cheesy violin music to the background and you would have had the perfect romantic comedy."
Oh, God! He was such an ass. He knew that even before the tears started to form, glistening at the corner of Stiles' eye. "I think you mean romantic tragedy." Rising from his seat he walked calmly to the bathroom.
Scott dug his nails into his thighs until he could smell his own blood. He couldn't even fathom his own inner workings. Why would he so deliberately hurt his best friend? Was he trying to punish him for loving Derek, getting along better with the pack, or just trying to push him away?
Maybe he needed to push him away. Derek would surely forgive Stiles; take him back into the pack once Scott was out of the picture. But Stiles was too loyal, a friend to the end and all that shit. Damn, he really didn't deserve him.
Engrossed in his own dark thoughts he didn't notice the unnatural quiet until Stiles returned. "Our drinks aren't here? What happen to our waitress?" Scott turned just as a group of men entered the restaurant the last one turning the open sign around and locking the door behind him.
"Wolves. Stiles go, get out the back. They're werewolves." Spreading out the pack moved toward the two friends their eyes flashing from human tints to bright amber and neon blue as they came closer.
"I'm not going out the back." Chancing a quick look over his shoulder, Scott saw an older lady and two more wolves come in from behind them. They were trapped.
Grabbing a chair Scott threw it against the window with all his strength hoping that he could get Stiles out before the wolves took them both down. The window shattered with a satisfying downpour of glass shards. Scrambling over the table, Scott pulled Stiles alone behind him toward the opening, disregarding the cuts to his hands and knees as he clambered over the sharp glass.
"Not so fast hunter." Scott felt Stiles clutch briefly at him before he was dragged backwards and tossed deeper into the restaurant. Launching himself at the nearest wolf, Scott rode him down to the floor, claws buried deep in his throat and his teeth snapping inches from the beta's face.
Rolling under a table Stiles tried to put some space between himself and the approaching wolves. They had left all their weapons in the jeep, an oversight that Scott regretted as he watched Stiles face off against a towering beta with nothing but a diner knife and fork.
"Gonna cut me with a butter knife, Little Hunter?" The laughter sounded like distance thunder coming from the broad chest of the wolf. His smile was cruel as he backed Stiles into a corner.
"What good would that do? This dull thing won't do any damage." Stiles slammed the fork deep into the wolf's chest, twisting it with all his might. "But this might sting a little." He bared his teeth in a feral grin before the wolf's backhand sent him flying.
Using every trick he had learned from his time in Beacon Hills, Scott raged against the pack, frantically trying to get to Stiles. I can't be the death of him. Overpowered, outnumbered, Scott found himself quickly pinned to a table by three of the wolves. From the corner of his eye he could see Stiles hanging limply in the grip of another wolf.
"Enough. Let's not get any more blood on my floor. Take them both down to the storeroom. We don't want witnesses." The alpha pushed open the door she had entered through and the pack immediately drug Scott and Stiles through it.
Stiles made an attempt to break free as he passed the emergency exit but was subdued with another blow to his head. The wolf carrying Stiles kicked open a door at the back of the kitchen and threw Stiles into the darkness.
The crunch was sickening, even more so to Scott's own ears. The half flight of stairs didn't look like much as he was pushed down them, but being thrown by an enraged werewolf made the impact bone shattering. Literally in Stiles' case.
Stiles' arm wouldn't support his weight as he tried to pull himself to his feet. Scott winced as he watched, thinking, Arms should not bend that way. Stiles wouldn't give up so he tried again, rolling to his other side so he could use his unbroken arm to leverage himself upright.
Scott stood between the advancing pack and his downed friend, grasping at anything that would save Stiles. "Hale Pack. We're part of Hale's Pack." The desperation rang sour in the dark storeroom.
"You smell like Omega. Why would Hale take on ex-hunter scum? "The alpha tilted her head in a dog like motion and Scott was surprised Stiles didn't comment on it with his usual mockery. "I guess it wouldn't hurt to give him a call. Let him decide what to do with the two of you."
Pulling an older model flip phone out of her back packet, the alpha quickly flipped through her contacts and connected the call. A giggle bubbled its way out of Stiles. Scott shot a worried glance over his shoulder. "Do you think all the alphas have each other's numbers? I wonder what they gossip about."
Scott dropped to his knees next to Stiles' side keeping him from tilting over as he leaned against the brick wall. "Tell Derek I said 'hi'". Stiles was a mess, his head was bloody, his eyes didn't seem to track and his arm hung at a stomach churning angle by his side.
"Your head is bleeding" Stiles rolled his eyes at that comment, turning slightly green as the movement made him queasy.
"A werewolf hit me, slammed me into a brick wall, and threw me down a flight of stairs. I'm surprised it's not cracked open like an egg."
Vaguely he could make out the alpha talking on the phone, her voice rising in a teasing lilt as she inquired about lost omegas and little hunters that strayed into her town and would he mind too much if she impaled them on a pike.
"You know, all you did was give them more time to think about fun and exciting ways to kill us." Stiles tried to cradle his broken arm to his chest but the pain was too much. He let it dangle, useless at his side, as he closed his eyes.
"You'll think of something. I just gave you some extra time to figure out your latest, brilliant plan."
"God, I hope you are just trying to cheer me up with my impending doom and all. Because if you think I can pull our asses out of this mess then you must have hit your head harder than I did."
The banter felt good. It was something he had missed during the last week. "I don't know if you need to hear it or if it really even matters anymore but I'm sorry. I'm so very sorry. I didn't just turn my back on them, I betrayed you as well." Stiles tried to focus his bleary eyes on his friend but his lids kept drooping closed.
"Hey, idiot. I forgive you. It's what pack does." Stiles slid sideways into Scott's protective grasp, eyes flickering closed, body going completely limp. Pulling him closer, careful of his broken and bruised body, Scott waited for the alphas to decide their fate.