Chapter 35: Make A Wish, Sammy

Sammy sat on the back of Aiden's motorcycle, peering through the visor of the helmet he'd given her to wear. Her arms may have been tight around his waist as they were parked on the side of the road, but her eyes were locked on the home that it'd become time to return to. The house she'd grown up in, laughed in, cried in, danced in, fought in, and yet she was conflicted about actually being in it. The thing was, she couldn't stay away anymore. Especially not after the voicemail she'd received from Stiles the night before.

"Hey, Sammy, it's me. I know you're tired of me calling, but this is the last time. I just...I just want you to come home. I'm not gonna fight you anymore, okay? It's been 2 weeks of you not here, and we go back to school in a few days. What's a guy supposed to do when his sister who's ridden with him to school forever isn't in the car? Just...please come home Sammy."

"You okay?" Aiden asked, looking back at her. They'd been sitting there, parked, for maybe the last five minutes, and she didn't move an inch. All she'd done was stare at the house like it was going to swallow her whole.

"I'm okay, it's just strange being back here," Sammy answered as she finally climbed off the back of the bike. She removed her helmet and handed it to Aiden. He strapped it to the back of his bike and watched her while she adjusted her backpack. It was full of clothes and items she needed that she'd stolen from her room well over a week ago.

"You sure about this?" He asked again. "I can always take you back to the house, and we can just ride to school together. Ethan and I start at Beacon as Juniors-"

"It's okay. I promise. If they get all high and mighty again, I will call my knight in shining armor to come rescue me," she smiled, giving Aiden a kiss on the cheek. Her affection put a smile on his face, as well as allowed him to relax. He'd been tense the whole ride over.

"Not that you need a knight in shining armor," he mused as she began to walk away.

"You're right," she laughed, walking backwards so as to still face him. "But you're such a cute knight, I can't pass that up." Sammy turned back around and approached her own front door. She hadn't touched it since the night she killed Thomas.

Her small hand reached for the handle, finding that it was already unlocked, meaning there was no need for her to pull out her house keys. It wasn't until she crossed the threshold into the house and closed the door behind her that Aiden started up his bike and rode away. She stood there, surrounded by the home that she'd run away from, and the details glared at her.

The first thing she noticed was that the house smelled fresh, like the lavender multipurpose cleaner that she often used. The second thing was that the floors were spotless, the faint smell of pine sol reaching past the scent of lavender. Sammy walked towards the kitchen and found that it was spotless. There were no dishes in the sink, and upon further investigation, she found that the dishwasher was empty as well. Everything had been put away, and the trashcan had been emptied. The next thing she checked was the laundry. To her surprise, there were no clothes still in either machine, no baskets, nothing thrown around. Sammy then began to make her way upstairs, spotting the lines in the carpet that suggest someone had vacuumed recently.

The house had been cleaned, and since she was gone, that meant Stiles probably did it, as their father worked too much to have had time. Particularly because there were two new murders, not that the second one is even in his jurisdiction. But it was likely that the other department communicated with the Beacon Hills Police Department.

When she made it into her own room, Sammy began to dump her backpack out, putting her dirty clothes in her laundry basket and returning her hygiene products to their rightful place in her bathroom and in her vanity. But once everything had been put away, Sammy just stood there, in the middle of her room, not sure what to do with herself. There was nothing for her to do at this point. She was home, and that's great and all, but now she felt like maybe she didn't belong. This had been her bedroom her entire life, and now it felt tainted by her abandonment, and her feeling of being displaced led her to hear his words that were still so prevalent in her mind.

"Aiden tells me that something has been happening each time you take a life," Deucalian said, leaning in the doorframe of Aiden's bedroom. Aiden had gone with Ethan to Gamestop, and she'd stayed behind.

"Do you know why they've been doing that? My eyes turning green?" she asked, shifting to face him with how she was sitting on the bed.

"The bite of an Alpha is never certain," he began to explain as he entered the bedroom. "May I?" he asked, gesturing to the desk chair. She nodded, and he pulled it over so he could sit down before her.

"The bite can turn ordinary people into werewolves, it can be rejected by the body, it can kill them, and sometimes it reveals someone's true nature."

"Like how Jackson became a Kanima."

"You'd be correct."

"I'm not gonna turn into a giant lizard, am I?"

Her words made Deucalian laugh. "No, you won't be a lizard. But there are other creatures out there, other kinds of shifters and supernatural beings of the like," he explained.

"How many of them have green eyes?"

"There are very few to be rumored to have green eyes, but there is one that I have truly encountered in my life. They are extremely dangerous, and far stronger than what you were when you originally received the bite. It is quite possible that the reason you'll never quite fit as a werewolf, because you aren't one at all."

"But I'm still just like Scott, just like how Derek was before he took the power from Peter," she reasoned.

"You may be a werewolf now, but the bite has likely awoken something deep within you that has long been dormant in your bloodline," he told her, his words ominous and hanging in the air. "But there's no need to worry. Until more characteristics make themselves known, there's not much to dig in on. I suggest you carry on with your identity as a werewolf. For all we know, the true beast within you is only awoken by death."

"That could explain why my eyes only turn green when I kill someone. Once I'd killed the third, they stayed green for longer than before."

"If you'd be willing to keep killing, we could find out-"

"No. I only killed those boys because of what they'd done. I couldn't just kill people for no reason."

"I can understand that, but you may never find your true self if you don't."

The moment was suspended in time as she heard gentle footsteps approach her room. She looked to the doorframe to see Stiles standing there, his eyes reaching for her, but his mouth remaining closed.

"Hi," she greeted him quietly, not moving from where she was standing. Her status of belonging hung in that moment, waiting for her brother's reaction to her return. She got her answer when Stiles rushed towards her and pulled her into a tight high.

"You came home," he said, his voice muffled by her shoulder.

"I couldn't run forever," Sammy replied as they separated.

"I meant it when I said I wouldn't fight you about anything," he reminded her, his eyes revealing his worry. He must've feared that she might bolt again.

"I...We can talk about it if you want?" Sammy asked, now kicking off her shoes and pushing them towards her closet with her feet.

"If you're not comfortable talking about it-"

"Stiles, I know you want to know," she said in a soft tone, her eyes no longer able to keep contact with his. She just looked at the floor. Stiles took that as a sign to put his hand on her shoulder in a reassuring manner.

"Only if you want to tell me," he reasserted.

"Only so you understand that I'm not just a killer now. I'm not gonna run around killing whoever," she told him. Stiles sighed.

"So it was just them?"

"Yeah."

"Damn, beat me to it then," Stiles said, catching her off guard. "I mean, I did beat him to a pulp in the middle of the school cafeteria."

Sammy laughed slightly before saying, "Yes, you did." She paused. "Remember when mom died?" Stiles nodded. "We spent a long time trying to blame something for what happened to her, but we just settled that it was out of our control and eventually moved on."

"You had something to blame," Stiles said, catching on.

"I had three somethings to blame. At first, I thought the trial would put them in jail, but they got off with minimal punishment. They got community service for what they did to me. For a while I had been wondering how different I would have felt if I let Derek take care of it like he offered to that night in the hospital. And eventually, I got to a point where I wanted them to hurt the way I did. One night, early in the summer, before Derek and I broke up, I saw Thomas at the diner. I've wanted to hurt them for a long time, but that night pushed it over the edge."

"Hence the killing."

"They took my sense of safety away. You may never understand this, being a guy in a world like this, but one night just destroyed every sense of safety I had. Not at school, not at home, not in my own clothes, not even in my own skin, and the justice system didn't even do anything about it," she said in a low tone, looking at the carpet again.

"So you went after them?"

"Not on purpose, not actively anyway. I went to a party with Aiden and it was so fun. He made the night really great even though I can't drink alcohol, but then I saw Cole. Something just kind of clicked inside of me. I went after him. And Thomas? I was at a party with Lydia, and he behaved like I'd forgotten about what he did to me. He kissed me, and I let him. I lured him upstairs to a bathroom, broke some of his bones, killed him and pushed him out the window…"

"What about Brandon?"

"Oh, god, Brandon," Sammy let out a strange laugh of relief as her eyes watered, "I didn't go in for the kill right away. I stood there, and I asked him. I asked him, 'if you could do it all over again, would you still do it?' , and he went off on some tangent about how he probably should've backed out, but the three of them were in too deep. He said it made him feel powerful, and that he had been so damn tired of being rejected by me. So, I showed him what real power was. I killed him, and instead of walking away to leave him to die, like he'd done to me, I stayed and watched the light leave his eyes."

Sammy was crying now, but it wasn't out of sadness. A sudden gasp escaped her lips as she was suddenly breathing out of relief. It had to have looked strange to her brother, seeing her cry and breathe like that with a smile on her face over killing three boys. Despite her conception of her brother, he pulled her into another hug.

"You have no idea how liberating it feels to know they got what they deserved," she gasped, looking up at the ceiling as she tried to catch her breath. It felt like her first true breath of freedom that she'd taken since she killed them.

"It's okay, Sammy," Stiles said, trying to comfort her.

"Stiles I haven't felt this open and free in so long," she cried, her smile still prevalent.

"Just don't kill anyone for no reason, okay?" Stiles said, pulling back so she'd look him in the eye. The two of them just laughed together.

"Okay," she smiled, now wiping her tears away on her sleeve.

"You know, I actually cleaned the house," Stiles told her, causing Sammy to laugh again,

"Yeah, I noticed. I half thought I'd come home and have to clean because you and dad don't do it often."

"Well, I know you like a clean house, so I thought if it was clean when you came home, you'd stay," he explained. Sammy's heart stung for a moment from his words, but then it was overshadowed by appreciation for her brother.

"I do like a clean house," She said quietly. "Are Scott and Derek going to-"

"No. They don't get to do anything. Not right now anyway. I just got you back, I'm not letting them drive you away again," Stiles assured her. Sammy felt her sense of surprise take over her facial expressions.

"But...but I killed people. I thought this was gonna be kind of a shit show when I came back," Sammy said, looking at her brother with surprise and confusion.

"Yes, and they're not exactly pleased, but I'll talk Scott down and no one has to tell Derek you're home," Stiles informed her. Sammy nodded and let out a sigh.

"You don't have to do that," She replied, looking at the carpet. Stiles reached for her and tilted his sister's chin up so she'd look at him.

"I do. I mean, tomorrow's your birthday after all. We can't just have Derek doing something stupid. Don't worry, I'll talk to Scott, and he'll understand-"

"What if he doesn't?"

"Then that's my problem. You've had enough things to deal with this year. Now come on," He started walking towards the hallway, "I bought your favorite ice cream a few days ago. It's in the freezer."

Full of relief, Sammy followed her brother downstairs. He'd already grabbed the ice cream out of the freezer, but he also grabbed hot fudge and chocolate chip cookies. She wiped her eyes one more time to make sure there weren't any tears left, and hopped up on the counter. She sat up there with her feet dangling above the floor while Stiles started heating up the hot fudge in the microwave and scooping out ice cream into two bowls. It reminded her of when they were little, and he was the only one who could reach anything, so he'd do everything while she waited like a kitchen-counter-shark with her nose resting over the edge of the counter.

"So, I gotta ask, who's shirt is that?" he said, referring to the oversized Blink-182 band t-shirt she was wearing.

"Aiden's."

"Is he officially your boyfriend now? Derek called him a neanderthal-"

"He's not a neanderthal, he's just a teenage werewolf. Just like me, just like Scott, just like Isaac," Sammy corrected him.

"As far as boyfriends go, how does he make you feel?"

"He makes me feel safe. Even his family has shown me kindness and they barely know me, which means that he tells them nice things about me."

"You know, he sounds a lot healthier for you than Derek. Neanderthal or not, you seem to really like him," Stiles shrugged as he pulled the hot fudge out of the microwave.

"There are no expectations, he will actually hold my hand in public, he takes me on real dates, and since he's a werewolf I don't have to worry about hiding that part of me from him. Plus, he actually went to my soccer games without me telling him to and I thought that was really sweet," she mused, wishing Aiden was there right now. The last two weeks were filled with cuddling and sleeping next to each other, and being home without him felt off. Though, she was glad to be home. She missed her father and brother.

"If he's as great as all that, maybe you should invite him over tomorrow. Since dad's gonna grill out for you birthday, I'm sure Aiden would like to come."

"Really?"

"Yeah, I know Scott and Lydia are coming, why not Aiden too?"

"I'll text him right now!" she exclaimed, but then she froze, holding her phone.

"What?" Stiles asked, watching her reaction. "He doesn't know it's your birthday tomorrow does he?"

"Nope."

Stiles laughed and said, "you should probably tell him that."

Music played throughout the house, along with the scent of food on the grill permeating from the backyard, invading through the windows. Sammy finally had a night of sleep in her own home, and it was refreshing to be back with her family. She woke up and made french toast for herself, Stiles, and her dad. Then they all played cards against humanity for a little bit, the news playing in the background. Eventually she got ready for her dinner, especially since she was slightly stressed that this would be the first time Aiden came over for dinner with her family and her best friend.

Sammy was all done up with a full face of makeup, eyeliner, thick mascara, and sheer pink lipgloss. Her hair hung freely in its natural princess curls, and she was dressed in a white halter tank top tucked into a pair of high waisted jean shorts. She just opted out of wearing shoes since they were staying at her house the whole night. She looked like a beautiful little birthday girl, and most of her anxiety vanished while she and Lydia hung out in the living room, talking about where they wanted to go shopping before school started in two days. That meant tomorrow was the last day of summer, and the last day they could do "back to school shopping" before they were already back at school. Sammy would've done it sooner, but she'd been spending the last two weeks hiding out with a dreamboat and his family because she killed a trio of boys at random points throughout the summer.

Scott and Stiles were in the kitchen, likely where Stiles was trying to work up the courage to talk to Lydia. He'd begun speaking to her, and did some sweet things for her, but he was still nervous to actually socialize with her. Talking to her about monsters or trying to make a good impression at her birthday was one thing, but actually trying to socialize and flirt with her in his home was another, and Sammy found it amusing. It was good that he didn't though, because Lydia had been spending the whole summer denying her sadness over Jackson leaving and flirting with guys that were hot, yes, but lacking any substance intellectually.

"So I'm thinking we make our normal rounds at the mall, and then I'll drop you back off at home before I have to get ready for this double date with Allison. She gets back tomorrow, and I invited her to a 'group thing' so she has no idea it's actually a double date-"

"Since I already have a date with Aiden planned-"

"Yes, you and your arm candy seemed like a solid choice to bring along, but the two of you are so in love that I couldn't deny the two of you alone time," Lydia laughed. "Speaking of your man, when is he coming?"

"Soon, he texted that he was about to get on his bike like 20 minutes ago. With the way he rides, it shouldn't be long."

"God, that is so attractive. And you're sure his twin brother is gay?"

Sammy laughed. "I'm positive. I've seen Ethan have a celebratory kiss with one of his dates while laser tagging. It was pretty clear."

"Damn, I'll just have to find someone else," Lydia shrugged. Sammy's head then whipped to face the front door at the sound of Aiden's bike pulling down the street.

"Speak of the devil, I'll be right back with my prince-charming," she said before hopping over the back of the couch and skipping outside to her front yard. Aiden pulled up and parked his bike in the usual spot on the street in front of the house. When he pulled off his helmet, she saw the look in his eyes. He always had that look when he saw her for the first time that day. Awestruck by her, or maybe he was dumbstruck? Either way, he got off his bike and she sprinted for her boyfriend.

It was the first time she was seeing him since he dropped her off the day before, and even though it had only been about 24 hours, she longed for him and the warmth of his touch on her skin. She jumped up on him, her legs wrapping around his waist and arms behind his neck. He caught her with one hand under her butt and the other tight around her waist. She crashed her lips into his, and immediately she felt the butterflies go at it in her stomach.

"What's up, Birthday girl!" he greeted her excitedly. "Happy birthday, princess," he said, murmuring the words against her lips. With a smile, Sammy pecked his lips one more time before pulling away.

"Thank you, baby. Now could you put me down before my dad sees us all intertwined like this?"

"Yes, it's probably best to keep the intertwining for after hours." Aiden teased. Sammy felt the heat rise in her cheeks, getting a triumphant look from her boyfriend upon finding his words had the desired effect.

"Whatever, lover-boy. Come on, you have people to officially meet," she said, taking him by the hand and leading him into her home. The first person they encountered was Lydia, still sitting in the spot she'd taken up on the couch.

"Well, hello there," Lydia greeted, standing up from the couch to stand before Sammy's boyfriend.

"Aiden, this is Lydia. Lydia, this is Aiden," Sammy introduced the two of them. Her ginger best friend gave her a look that said, he's even hotter in person.

"Nice to finally meet you, Lydia. Sammy's told me a lot about you," Aiden greeted.

"As she should, I am her best friend after all," Lydia grinned. "So you're starting school with us?"

"Yeah, my brother and I will be juniors," He answered.

"You might have some classes with me, plus Sammy's brother, so I'd be careful with that," Lydia advised, her smirk looking more mischievous than Sammy had expected.

"Yeah, she told me you guys were all juniors like me," Aiden shrugged. "Hopefully I don't get on Stiles's bad side."

"I heard my name?" Stiles said as he and Scott entered the living room. "Ah, you must be Aiden."

"Which means you're Stiles, and you're Scott," Aiden greeted. He was all smiles and on his best behavior, which provided Sammy with some relief. She was worried about everyone meeting him, but this was going over well so far.

"Yeah, my sister seems to like you, so I'm sure I will too," Stiles assured him. Aiden laughed.

"I hope so. That would suck if you hated me for the rest of my life."

"Anyway, you're right, this is Scott," Stiles introduced haphazardly, gesturing to his best friend. Sammy's smile wavered for a moment as she saw Scott's expression. He sniffed the air for a moment, and his eyes immediately turned gold. Before Aiden could react and before his eyes could turn red in front of everyone, Sammy side-stepped in between them with her eyes burning blue.

"You good, Scotty boy?"

"Uh...yeah, sorry. His smell threw me off guard-"

"Sorry, I get that a lot," Aiden shrugged. "So I take it you're one of Derek's?"

"No, I'm kind of an omega. I don't have an alpha," Scott answered, calming down.

"I know how that feels. My brother and I were omegas too, but not alpha-less. Just the bottom of the food chain in our old pack for being the youngest. Sucked, but you get through it," he shrugged again. Scott smiled.

"Yeah, so you're coming to school with us?" Scott asked.

"Yup, like I was telling Lydia, my brother and I will be juniors, so you'll probably see us around," he replied. The back door opened and Sammy saw her dad enter with his grilling apron still on.

"Aiden! It's good to see you again," her dad greeted with a smile. "Sammy says you're pretty handy in the kitchen. You mind coming out back and giving me a hand?"

Aiden looked to Sammy, and she gave him a reassuring nod. "Yes, sir. I'll be right out."

"Great! Those two knuckle heads would burn down the house if I asked them," her dad joked.

"Dad!" Stiles complained while the rest of them laughed.

Aiden gave Sammy a kiss on the forehead when her dad wasn't looking before heading out to help with the grilling. She knew this was a ploy to get Aiden alone so he could have the you're dating my daughter talk. Once he was gone, Scott gave Sammy a look.

"Sammy, can I talk to you for a second?"

"Yeah, sure," she answered, stepping aside with Scott, leaving Stiles with Lydia as he awkwardly tried to start a conversation with her.

"I could smell it. He's an-"

"I know what he is, Scott. That's why I didn't have to submit to Derek," she answered. She figured that was what he picked up on.

"Sammy, that's dangerous," Scott said.

"Not for me. Where do you think I've been the last two weeks? I met his pack, and I've had plenty of quality time with him all summer. If he was gonna be a bad Alpha and hurt me, he would've done it already, numb-nuts," she defended.

Scott shook his head. "Fine, but does Derek know?"

"Yes, Derek knows. But don't bring it up to him. Stiles said no one would say that I'm back, and as much as I miss hanging out with him, that means we're not saying anything to Isaac either."

"I'm not gonna tell him. The guy still wants me in his pack," Scott sighed.

Sammy laughed and said, "Yeah, same. Except he can't because he's not my alpha anymore."

"Funny how that happens," Scott smiled.

"Eh, Aiden trusts me and would never use his status to make me do anything I don't want to. Plus, I very much enjoy my more age appropriate boyfriend. You guys will too," she informed him.

"Honestly, as long as you and Derek aren't a thing anymore, it's ay-okay with me," Scott chuckled, giving her a thumbs up.

"You dork. Come on, let's save Lydia from Stiles's rambling attempt at flirting."

"Just stand here for one more second. The guy deserves every shot he can get," Scott reasoned. Sammy shrugged.

The night went on and the group of friends and her dad all sat down around the patio table in the backyard. They all laughed, listened to music, and enjoyed the food that her father and Aiden had prepared together. It seemed to her that her dad and her boyfriend really hit it off. The whole thing was an easy task regardless, her dad was just happy that she wasn't seeing Derek anymore. And at the end of the night once the sun went down? Lydia disappeared into the house, only to return holding a strawberry frosted birthday cake, set with sixteen candles.

They all began to sing Happy Birthday to her, and just before she blew out her candles, her dad had Aiden and Lydia lean in and take a picture together.

"Make a wish, Sammy," her dad smiled. She looked up at him for a moment, thought of her wish, and blew out her candles.

I wish everyday was like this.