Shout out to:
*Serena Sterling: Yes and yes! Thanks, I'm glad you did!
* : Here it is!
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"Hey." Scott says as he, Jade, Jessie and Stiles all walk into the loft. Ash looks up from where she's sitting on the sofa, watching whatever was playing on television absent-mindedly, her focus on her own thoughts, barely the television.
"Hey, Ash." Jessie greets.
"Hey, guys." Ash says with a weak smile.
"What's up?" Scott asks, seeing she looks to have been in deep-thought.
"Can I just have a minute with Scott?" She asks, looking at the other two teenagers.
"Yeah, of course." Stiles says. "I should get my stuff from across the hall anyway and head home." Stiles says.
"Yeah, I should get back too before Derek sends out a search party." Jessie jokes as she and Stiles slipped out once Derek had stormed away from Peter. Ash nods in farewell as they both say goodbye, leaving the loft with only the three McCall siblings inside.
"What's going on, Ash?" Scott asks, taking his eyes away from where Jade is now playing with her stuffed giraffe on the ground, and looking at his older sister.
"I spoke to Derek earlier." She starts. "It's bad news, Scott, I'm sorry."
"What are you talking about?" Scott asks her, his brow furrowing. Ash moves over to where he's sitting and takes the seat beside him. She takes his hands with her's and that's how Scott knows it's bad bad. "Ash?"
"It's Mom." Ash says. She exhales shakily before going on. "Derek read her report. Something canine attacked her, teared her up, just like with Roosevelt." She tell him sadly.
"Something canine? A wolf?" Scott asks, his eyes shimmering with tears.
"We-we don't yet." Ash says.
"I dragged her into this life, I-" Scott starts to blame himself.
"No. No, no, no, no." Ash stops him, shaking her head. "Please, please don't blame yourself." She pleads, her own eyes filling with tears. "Please don't." This is the hard part, knowing what Scott is, what they're both apart of, is what killed got their mother killed.
"Shit!" Scott barks out, kicking the coffee table away from him. Jade jolts, her eyes snapping to the table and then to her older brother and sister. Scott rests his head in his hands, exhaling shakily, trying to calm down.
"Scott.." Ash says, touching his shoulder. Scott's eyes snap up to meet her's, shining a deep golden. "Scott-" But he takes off, running out the door because he can't keep his wolf inside anymore and he doesn't want to hurt her or Jade, not like he almost did with Jessie. Scott's just glad Derek was there to stop him, and stop him he definitely did. It's been a while since Scott's seen Derek get that mad, but it was Jessie, Jessie, of course he flipped out.
Ash sighs, looking into her lap as a tear trails down her face, because she believes she's as much to blame about all this as Scott thinks he is.
As if perfectly unperfect timing, there's a knock on the door. It's already open from where Scott just took off.
"Ash?" Rafael calls out, seeing her. She ignores him. Until he decides to walk inside.
"Get out." She says, standing up. Ash is glad Danielle's not with him, because she'd probably hurt that woman.
"I wanted to apologise for hurting you." He says.
"I don't want your apology, just get out."
"You really should hear me out." Rafael says. He needs to know she's not going to report him or anything. He could lose his job over something like that. He could lose this trial to take custody of Jade because of that. And besides, it's not like he hit her, he barely left anything but a bruise or two.
"Don't make me tell you again." Ash says. But when he doesn't move, she just snaps. "Get out!" She yells at him angerily, storming up to him and shoving him out the door. She slides it shut, blocking him out and locking it. She leans againist the door, sliding down and sitting on the floor, trying to hold her tears back.
When Jessie and Stiles hear the yelling and slamming, they rush out of the Hale loft.
"What did you do?" Stiles asks, going over to Rafael. "Huh? What did you do to her?!" He asks angerily. Rafael stares at him but doesn't say anything, turning and walking away.
"Ash? Hey, open the door." Jessie says, knocking on the door gently. Derek hears the commotion too, coming out.
"What's going on?" He asks, walking over to his sister and Stiles.
"I don't know, her Dad did something." Jessie says.
"Ash, can you let me in?" Stiles asks, knocking on the door. From the other side of the door, Ash runs her hands through her hair anxiously, pulling at it. Her family can't catch a break, it's tearing her apart from the inside out, Scott too.
"Ashy?" Jade asks, walking over to her. She sits in front of her sister, confused by all the loud noise and raised voices.
"Jesus Christ, I'm fine! Piss off!" Ash says loudly, unable to handle all the people around her. It falls quiet and Ash is actually relieved. Until she isn't. Until Jade's crying, thinking her sister was yelling at her. "No, Jade. Baby, I'm sorry." Ash reaches for Jade but the young girl scrambles away from her, running over to sofa, jumping up and hiding her face in cushions. And Ash feels so horrible, and so disgusting. She feels her stomach twisting up until she actually has to run in bathroom and be sick.
When she's done, she sits down on the bathroom floor.
"What the hell's happening to us?" Ash asks herself in a breathed whisper. Her hands are shaking as they come up to hold the locket around her neck in her hands. She sniffs and rubs her thumb over the gold heart softly.
"I'm so sorry, Mom." She whispers painfully, squeezing her eyes shut and more tears leak down her face silently.
..
When Scott does return home that night, he finds Derek, Jessie and Stiles waiting outside.
"What's all this?" He asks them, having calmed down alot after running through the woods in his wolf state. He's now as human as the day he was born, his wolf tucked back inside of him.
"I don't know, Ash is really upset. She won't let us in." Stiles says. Scott frowns. He fishes into his pocket for his keys to the loft.
"Your Dad was here, Scott." Derek says. That makes the wolf pause. No wonder she's so upset.
"Go, I can handle this." Scott says without turning to them. He puts the key in the door and waits until he hears them clear out, because that wasn't a suggestion. He unlocks the door and goes inside. He shuts the door and turns back around. He sees Jade asleep on the couch, the only light in the whole place is from a dim floor lamp in the corner. Ash sits on the ground, leant againist the sofa Jade's sleeping on. Her eyelids are heavy, she looks exhausted.
"I made her cry." Ash says, looking at the ground. Scott goes over to her, sitting down beside her. "I yelled and she ran away from me like she was scared I was going to hurt her." Ash says, still looking at the ground with red-brimmed eyes.
"It's okay, Ash." Scott says, rubbing her leg. Ash shakes her head, because it's not.
"It's not okay." Ash says, sniffing as a tear manages to escape, rolling down her cheek. She turns to face Scott. "I'm trying, I'm trying my hardest to keep this family together, Scott. I am, I swear to God." She says, looking him in the eye.
"I know that, Ash." Scott assures her.
"I would never do anything to hurt you or Jade on purpose." She says. "I just.." She squeezes her eyes shut, more tears falling down her cheeks. She opens her eyes again, looking at Scott. "This is killing me, Scott. All this shit with Mom and..with our Dad.."
"What can I do to help you, Ash?" Scott asks her.
"Don't leave me." Ash says. "I don't do well without my family." She says.
"We're not going anywhere, Ash." Scott says, using his sleeve to wipe away her tears. "I don't care what those papers said, I don't care what our father wants..we're not splitting up. I promise you, Ash." He assures her, looking the girl in the eye, brushing her hair out of her face. "It's all gonna work out, it will." He says. "Alright?"
"Alright." Ash nods, sniffing back the rest of her tears.
"Derek said Rafael came here?" Scott asks.
"He did." Ash nods. "I hate him, Scott. I hate him so much." She says, her voice cracking, and then she starts to cry again. She tries not too, but she has so many sad and hurt emotions spinning around inside of her that she can't help it. Scott becomes glassey-eyed too, pulling her into a hug. He rubs her back as she cries because he understands why she feels that way about the man.
Ash was young and she was playing 'Dad' when he'd chose a bottle at the bar over his family. She was 'Dad' when he took off for months at a time. She was 'Dad' when it came to helping pay bills and raise Jade. And now she's 'Dad' and 'Mom' to him and their baby sister, it's hard on her. Scott didn't exactly understand just how hard until now, until the weight of it all, of having their Dad around, of having their Mom gone, crushed her.
"He's not gonna twist up our family." Scott tells her, whispering againist her hair.
"Yes, he will, he-he always does." Ash sobs in his shoulder.
"No, not this time. I don't care if he wants Jade, I won't let him damage this family anymore. He's not splitting us up." Scott promises her, hugging her closer. Ash grips his shirt tighter as she nods, praying to whoever's out there that his words are true.
..
The next morning
Scott was up early, Stiles needed to speak with him. About another murder. Scott immediantly called Derek. Now, all three men, and Jessie since she tagged along, sit in the McCall living room.
"They're definitely connected, all three have almost identical injuiries." Stiles says, looking down at the two files open in front of them. Stiles has almost no info about the woman that was murdered this morning, so he can't get hold of the file. He just knows the pattern from Melissa's and Kennedy's cause of death matches up, it was done the same way.
"Well, what does your Dad have on the newest murder? About the woman?" Jessie asks him.
"Not much, the FBI have been called in, and they're trying to keep it to themselves." Stiles says, sharing a look with Scott because they both know that includes Rafael. "Anything he does have, he's not sharing with me, not even a name this time." Stiles says. "I'll keep looking. When I get the name, I'll give it to Ash, get her onto the database again." Stiles says.
"How does she even know how to do all that?" Derek asks, his curiousity getting the best of him. Jessie looks at Scott for that answer as she's curious too. Scott chuckles a little.
"You've still got alot to learn about my sister." Scott tells them both. Stiles looks at them both, amused, because he knows all those secret talents and little things Ash has hidden up her sleeve. She's a different girl when you get to know her, still a hot-head and extremely protective of her family, but she has a different side too, a softer one, one she rarely shows.
"Are you sure she's gonna be up for that?" Jessie asks Scott. Scott pauses for a second before nodding.
"Yeah. She's okay, really, she is." He tells them. "There's just alot of responsibility that has fallen on her shoulders since..Mom. I mean, I can mostly take care of myself, but Jade? She's 18 months old, she needs a mother." Scott sighs, because Jade can't have her mother now or ever again. And that's painful for the whole McCall family.
"She's doing good so far, she'll handle it, like she always does." Derek says, backing the absent girl up. Scott nods because he knows that's true, Ash will push everything aside to look after her family, she always has. Jessie glances at her brother subtly, surprised to hear that come out of his mouth but she's happy he has faith in her. Jessie doesn't see Ash as being weak, she sees her being the exact opposite, and she doesn't even know the girl like the others do.
"As for my father.." Scott says, his frown deepening. he doesn't finish that sentence because he isn't sure what to say.
"Okay, Scott?" Stiles says, deciding to just be honest. Scott looks over at him. "I know he's your Dad and everything, but..I don't want him around our girls. I don't want him getting close to Jade." Stiles says with possessiveness that Derek, or Jessie, doesn't miss. Derek isn't blind, he knows how close the two families are. Rafael McCall definitely isn't winning any fatherly awards from the Stilinskis either.
"No, I know. Trust me, I know." Scott sighs, rubbing a hand down his face. Jessie and Derek stay quiet, letting the two friends, brothers, sort it out themselves.
"I don't even think my Dad knows it's him that's stepping onto this case." Stiles says.
"You should tell him." Scott says and Stiles nods. Scott notices the two Hales are keeping quiet. He looks up at them, knowing they're going to know eventually, he may as well clue them in now. It's not like any of them are going anywhere, they're all pack. They should know the whole story. Besides, he knows they've heard parts of it during fights, arguements and other dramas. "Listen,-" He starts, getting Derek's and Jessie's attention. "-our father, he walked out on us about 2 years ago. Our Mom was only 2, maybe 3, months pregnant with Jade. And he just left, and he never showed up again until now. Even when he was with us, he was either drunk or just not around. Ash has been a fill-in parent for a long time, and she doesn't want him around. She even dropped out of college to come look after us. She worked night and day every day to keep us afloat. She's had it hard for a long time. And she doesn't like talking about it, so whatever she said to you two yesturday, just let it go. It wasn't personal." He tells them, his own despise and malice for the man clear in his voice.
Both Hales nod in understanding, especially Jessie because she's having similiar problems with Peter. Ones she is yet to discuss with Derek. Ones she isn't sure she wants to discuss with Derek anymore.
"Mom was talking to him, she let him meet Jade and then we all thought he'd take off like he always does. But..he's with the FBI, so he's gonna be sticking around for awhile, working on this case. And now he and his partner want to take Jade on as their child, once they get a court date..they can make that a reality." Scott says, rubbing his forehead like the very thought gives him a headache.
"What can I do?" Derek asks before he can stop himself. He protects his pack, not just from monsters and danger, from things that hurt them on the inside too. Just like he did with Isaac and his Dad. And, even if she isn't a wolf, Ash is apart of this pack, just like Stiles is, just like Jessie now is too.
"Nothing really." Scott sighs, wishing there was something they could do. "He's FBI, he's untouchable." He says. "Just..watch out for Ash, that's all you can do. Please. Just..check in when you can, if I can't be here." Scott says to him. Derek nods. "She's going to appeal in the same court, againist our father to take Jade herself, like you said." Scott tells him.
"She'll win." Stiles says. Scott turns to look at him with a small smile. "She's too good a person to lose to him."
When they hear footsteps, all four of them turn towards the stairs. They see a very awake Jade coming down the stairs, holding the hand of a very sleepy-looking Ash who wears an over-sized tee and some sleep shorts and black slippers. Jade sees Scott and rushes over to him, hugging his legs. Scott hugs her back, scruffing her hair. Ash hesitates, not sure she wants to face the three she yelled at yesturday. She's just glad Jade's gotten over it, seeing that frightened look on her face..that hurt Ash, alot. But she knows it's too late to not face them now, she might as well just do it.
"Is everything okay?" Ash asks, walking over to them. Scott moves over as a gesture for her to sit down. So she does, trying not to sigh because she can see this isn't going to be good news.
"There was another, early hours this morning." Scott tells her. Ash nods, trying not to show the disappointment she feels because it isn't Scott's fault.
"I'm gonna get a name and anything else I can get on it from my Dad. Can I bring that to you?" Stiles asks her.
"Yeah." Ash nods. Even if it hurts her to even think about all this, she wants, she needs, this thing that's killing people to be stopped. "Yeah, tell me as soon as you know." She says. She covers her mouth when she yawns. Scott frowns, seeing the bags under her eyes.
"Did you sleep?" Scott asks her, noticing how tried she looks and sounds.
"Sorta, I mean, I tried." She says with a weak chuckle.
"Was it the-" Scott stops himself from finishing that question when Ash sends him a hard look. They're not having that conversation right now in front of their guests.
"No, it wasn't." Ash says because she didn't have any nightmares, just a restless sleep after a hard day and even longer night. When they all look at her, she stands up and goes into the kitchen for coffee, mostly so she doesn't have to meet any of their eyes. Jade looks away from Scott and over at Derek.
"De'ick." Jade says as she looks at him with those almost turquiose blue eyes like Ash's. Derek can feel the smile tugging at his lips as Jade can say his name now..almost. Jessie notices this too, a dorky smile coming to her own face, glad Derek's letting that big wall of his down sometimes, if only a little.
"Yeah." Derek nods. Jade smiles at him before pulling away from Scott, following after Ash. Derek's eyes follow the girl and he ends up watching as Ash lifts Jade up and balances the toddler on her hip. She takes a sippy cup from the fridge and gives it to Jade. With a free hand, she pours coffee into a mug for herself. Jade giggles and smiles at her sister and Ash can't help but smile back, instantly perking up when she sees Jade's no longer upset with her. Scott put them both to bed last night, in Ash's bed. Jade curled up close to her sister, forgiving the yelling from before, not that it was even intended for her in the first place.
Ash feels eyes on her and looks up, spotting Derek. She gives him a small smile which he returns a little, glad to see she's not as upset as she was last night.
"Derek?" Scott says, realising he's not listening to him. Derek looks back at Scott, surprised he zoned out like that. Scott raises his eyebrows at the man. Jessie saw all of that but she's keeping any thoughts about what that could have been to herself.
"What?" Derek asks, acting like he didn't just get caught staring by all three of them. Scott brushes it off but Stiles narrows his eyes in the slightest.
"So, Stiles is going to get a name, give it to Ash then she pulls the file so we can hopefully find some sort of pattern or something, anything." Scott recaps briefly.
"Okay." They all nod in agreement. Stiles checks the time on his phone. "I should go, Dad will be home soon." He says, standing up.
"Okay, I'll see you tomorrow at school." Scott says.
"Okay." Stiles nods. "I'll see you tomorrow as well, Jess." He says, throwing her a smile. Jessie nods, smiling back. Stiles smile falls when he sees the look on Derek's face, similiar to the one Stiles was giving him moments ago. Derek certainly doesn't like that Stiles has gotten comfortable enough to call her 'Jess', that's what Derek calls her. "Bye, Derek." He says, avoiding looking the man in the eye. Stiles leaves the loft, leaving Derek, Scott and Jessie in the living room as Ash proceeds to bounce Jade as she drinks her coffee to help wake her up some. Having Jade around is definitely helping Ash feel better, and helping her mind not slip to the bad things..like her Mom.
Ash brings Jade back out to the living room and sets her down on the floor. Jade walks over to where her blocks are, starting to make a tower with them. Ash can't help but watch with a soft smile. If anything is going to help her get through all of this, it's her family. Ash catches Jessie paying more attention to Jade than what both of their brothers are saying. Jessie sees Ash watching her. Ash nods over to Jade, giving Jessie permission to go over to her. Jessie smiles more and slips past both males, going and sitting down with Jade.
As Scott and Derek continue to speak, Derek does glance at his sister. And when he does, he sees a spitting image of a young Laura playing with a much younger Jessie. He smiles a little at the memory before turning back to Scott.
While Jade's busy playing with Jessie, Ash slips upstairs. She changes out of what she slept in, putting on grey denim shorts and a white singlet. She's always got her boot knife, but she second guesses it, taking out a larger knife. Just in case. If she's taking out Jade, and she doesn't have claws and fangs, she's going armed. Noone's hurting her family anymore. She shoves her feet into her combat boots and walks back downstairs. She swipes her keys off the counter and lifts Jade up off the ground.
"Where are you going?" Scott asks, seeing Ash's dressed and ready to leave.
"I'm gonna take Jade to the park. It's a nice day." Ash shrugs. She wants to sit in the sun as well, but she knows how much Jade loves the park in town, that's why Scott takes her there.
"Um.." Scott says, not sure if after 3 murders he wants his sisters going out there.
"We'll be fine." Ash assures him. Scott still looks doubtful. "I'm armed, we'll be fine." She stresses. Scott sighs and nods, knowing she probably wouldn't listen to him anyway. "Jessie, you wanna come?" She asks the younger girl.
"Yeah." She nods with a smile. She can feel Derek looking at her so she turns around. "Can I?" She asks him because he's technically her guardian, her very protective guardian. Derek looks at Ash before nodding. He knows Ash can get dangerous if she needs too, point A-skateboard to Danielle's face, she trusts Jessie will be safe with her. Besides, Jessie can protect herself anyway.
"Wait, are you carrying?" He asks her. Jessie lifts up her shirt a little, showing him where the knife he gave her is tucked into her jeans. Ash smirks, impressed. "Okay, go on." He says.
"Thank you, your majesty." She says cheekily with a small bow before following Ash out. The two males share a look once they're gone, both wondering what sort of trouble their sisters could get into together.
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I like Ash and Jessie's friendship! Especially since there's probably not going to be any Allison or Lydia. But aw :3 Everyone's looking at everyone, staring for a little too long ;) But, bodies are piling up :O And, Rafael's going to get worse, badder. Favourite, follow and review!