Beacon Hills was finally quiet. No whispers, no bodies, no threat. It was so blissfully quiet, but the aftermath weighed heavy.
The first thing that happened was Aiden's funeral. Ethan hadn't wanted to drag it out, he didn't want people coming for Aiden's body as compensation. So as per his request, the entire pack took a road trip further up California to the place where Ethan said his parents were buried.
Apparently, their parents had died long before Deucalion had ever come around, and it seemed to be what sparked his and Aiden's morality to blurry.
They had taken three cars. Stiles' jeep with Lydia in the front. Scott, Kira, Bianca, and Isaac in another. Followed by Derek, Argent, and Ethan, who'd take Aiden's body with them. They had driven somewhere far up the coast, and it had taken a couple hours to get there, but no one really minded. Aiden had made the right choices in the end, and he deserved a proper burial.
Upon driving up to the sight, it wasn't actually a graveyard. It was simply a large open ground, followed by a deep forest. They all piled out of the cars and trekked a little further into the woods, finally stopping at a small clearing with only one large tree in the middle.
The pack all saw the other two makeshift headstones, but no one said a word about it. Ethan, Scott, Derek, Isaac, Stiles, and Argent helped dig the grave, while Bianca, Lydia, and Kira decided to make the head stone and gather flowers for Aiden's grave.
About an hour later, the grave had been dug. The girls had arranged a small pile of rocks with a wooden cross in the middle. It wasn't perfect, but it was distinctly Aiden. He probably wouldn't have wanted to make a spectacle of his death either.
Ethan, Derek, Scott, and Isaac carried out Aiden's coffin, Ethan and Scott at the front while Derek and Isaac were in the back. Argent had stood a little ways away from all of them, choosing to blend in the background. He didn't particularly know Aiden, but he knew and cared enough to be there. He also knew that in the end these were just kids and they shouldn't solely be responsible for something like this.
Kira, who'd still been semi new to the group, was standing by herself. She was only a foot away from Bianca, but still, it just seemed like she didn't understand the inner workings of their group yet. So, she had her hands clasped in front of her, a somber look on her face, and stayed silent as they lowered Aiden's body into the earth.
The other three, Stiles, Lydia, and Bianca were all standing together, only a few feet away from the grave, staring blankly into the ground. Lydia was in the middle, Stiles' arm wrapped around her waist while she leaned against his shoulder. Bianca was on her other side, holding her hand.
They all had mixed feelings about being there, or about Aiden in general. Stiles, no matter what Lydia said, would always feel that he was semi responsible for Aiden's death, the fact that Ethan no longer had a brother. He felt like he owed them to be there, to show he cared. He knew he didn't have to prove himself, but he did anyway, in any way he could.
Bianca had spoken to Aiden last, because that was both her gift and curse as a siren. He had been right, when he'd said they'd come a long way. She wasn't always the nicest to him, nor was he to her, but that was alright. It was just how the relationship of a former kidnapper and former victim could be. But in his last moments, he was a part of the pack, he had understood that fighting for a cause was sometimes more important than the people he chose to follow.
Lydia was probably the most conflicted. She knew Aiden had fallen for her. What started off as just a fling, turned into something more for him. Maybe she could have loved him too, in another life. When the night was over and Bianca and her were sitting on the steps of the high school, Bianca had told her what Aiden said, what he did, and Lydia had cried. Somewhere along the way, she had come to care for him too, maybe not in the way he wanted her too, but she did. Lydia was never the best with feelings, especially not when it came to boys. Because she only knew how to toy with them to her advantage. But it seemed to not matter anymore, because she was standing at his funeral, part of her filled with doubt, remorse, regret. The only thought crossing her mind was, maybe in another life.
"Aiden and I." Ethan began, staring darkly into the grave of her twin brother. "We didn't always make the best choices or do the right thing. My brother didn't deserve to die, not for this," Ethan choked out, and Scott reached a hand out to clasp his shoulder comfortingly, "Aiden wasn't a martyr, and all I can say to justify my brother," Ethan choked, breaking up in his speech just long enough to take a shuddering breath and close his eyes for a moment, "is that he was a survivor."
Then Ethan picked up one of the discarded shovels, throwing a pile of dirt into the ground, followed by the others one by one, Lydia was last. Soon Scott and Derek took the responsibility of filling the rest of the grave and they all stood there one last time, like what they did for Boyd. Saying silent goodbyes.
It wasn't till well into the evening by the time they'd left, Derek and Argent first, then Scott, Kira, and Isaac. Bianca had planned to leave with them, but Lydia had held on a little tighter to her hand and kept her in place. Eventually she loosened her grip and Bianca kissed Lydia's cheek before heading off back to the car where Isaac was waiting for her. Stiles had left soon after Bianca did, giving Lydia a private moment, because it was something she needed but wouldn't ask for, only proven when Lydia had willingly let him leave.
It was just Lydia and Ethan now, standing side by side, looking at the freshly dug ground.
"He really liked you." Ethan whispered.
Lydia laughed lightly. "I really liked him too."
"I don't know what to do without him." Ethan said evenly.
"You'll be alright, Ethan." Lydia promised him, slowly falling to her knees and gathering flowers from around the edge of the tree. "We're all here for you."
"I guess they call you the genius for a reason." Ethan laughed, but it came out as a strangled noise. Lydia didn't respond, instead arranged the flowers prettily in her hands, and placed them in the center of Aiden's grave.
"Goodbye, Aiden." Lydia whispered, kissing her palm and touching the dirt. Ethan offered her a hand, and she accepted it as he helped her up. Together they walked hand in hand back to where the others were waiting for them and returned back to Beacon Hills.
Exactly two days later was when Allison's death was accidentally leaked to the public. No one was really sure who had actually leaked the news. It could've been someone being held at the station, who'd overheard something they shouldn't have, or a deputy who told a spouse. All in all, the news had traveled fast and a story was quickly concocted through the gossip grapevine of Beacon Hills.
The official report on the police document said it was an attack from random assailants who potentially stabbed Allison and ran off after they'd killed her. Another story that was floating around town was that the attack on the McCall house, Stiles repeatedly going missing, Lydia going missing, and Allison's death were a series of attacks on the pack by the same person and the police was just keeping the story quiet. There were a lot of rumors going around as well that stretched the truth, like Scott and Allison were still together, or that Lydia had gone off the deep again and kidnapped Allison herself. But it didn't matter what the people thought because it wasn't the truth.
With the recent spread of the news, it brought out dozens of people who wanted to offer unsolicited advice and too many news outlets to count. It had started off slow, just a stray car here and there tailing Lydia or Scott. Then people started showing up to the school, the vet clinic, even their houses.
They were using Allison for some story like they could turn her into some kind of conspiracy.
Honestly the press wasn't so bad at first. In the beginning of the week, the pack were all staying at the McCall house, no explanation was needed. Around one in the afternoon, Lydia and Kira had left the house to pick up food for dinner, and it wasn't until they got out of the neighborhood did they notice a black SUV following them. When Lydia and Kira arrived at the diner they were ordering their food at, the person in the car following them parked as well, but didn't get out.
As the two girls left is when they saw a distinctive flash and then it was gone. They didn't think too much about it after that.
The next day, Bianca and Isaac were on their way to drop off food for Melissa at the hospital when they were stopped by a random woman in the lobby.
She wasn't someone they knew, but definitely someone that lived in the town. "Excuse me?" She had said, stopping in front of them. "You were friends with the Argent girl, weren't you?"
"Umm, yes?" Isaac said hesitantly, exchanging a look with Bianca. "Can we help you?"
"I just wanted to offer my condolences." She said, but it didn't seem sincere. She sounded like Allison's death was more a relief than a loss.
"Thank you." Bianca said shortly and tried to maneuver around the woman, but she had blocked their path.
"What a shame she died, it seemed like she was finally getting her life together after that aunt of hers. Then again, maybe it ran in the family after her mother died." The woman had said.
Bianca hadn't known much about Allison's aunt Kate, or her mother, just that their deaths were messy. Isaac on the other hand, although not having personally known about the details, knew enough.
"You should be ashamed of yourself." Isaac had snapped blankly and grabbed Bianca's hand, pulling her out of the hospital. As soon as they got inside the car, Isaac had slammed the dashboard hard. Not enough to break the car, but if he hadn't been a werewolf, his hand probably would've been broken.
The next day was when all the news outlets and reporters started filing in. They were all aware of what Beacon Hills was like, the mysterious deaths, disappearances. Even though the official report didn't say anything out of the ordinary, the people kept coming.
They were all different kinds. Some were legit and wanted to share Allison's story, but even those seemed to make a mockery of her, because then she was just another victim. There were people who believed there was something more behind it all, that she was another one to fall into the Beacon Hills' rabbit hole of death.
It was shameful and disrespectful, because they didn't know her.
"You know, Bianca, you really don't have to come here and check up on me." Argent said as soon as he opened his door and came face to face with the small brunette siren. She was holding bags of takeout in her hands and smiled innocently.
"I brought lunch." Bianca replied, pushing her way into the apartment anyway. She moved to the dining table and started taking out the boxes and taking out napkins.
Argent sighed at her determined form and followed her anyway, sitting down across from her at the table. "No Isaac today?"
"He and Scott went to the school to pick up all our homework." Bianca shrugged. They hadn't been to school since Allison and Aiden died, mostly spending all their time at their houses all for varying reasons. Scott was cooped up in his room regretting that he couldn't save everyone, Allison dying in his arms really messed with his mind. At night they could hear him mumbling her name sometimes, like he could've saved her. Stiles and Lydia had been staying at his house most nights, but would come over every morning and leave late at night, everyone knew something had shifted between them but they all pretended not to notice. And not that Stiles would admit it, but his body was still healing from the effects of the nogitsune. Isaac and Bianca didn't go to school either, but they would drop in and visit Argent to make sure he was taking care of himself, or they'd go to the practice room and train just to ease the tension. It was mostly Bianca begging Argent to let her play with all the weapons he had while Isaac sat off to the side and worked on homework. Kira had taken the next day off, but she would drop in every now and then to check up on everyone, but they all knew she felt lost in their dynamic. Surprisingly, Ethan would also come over every now and then, and he was always welcomed. They weren't exactly coping well, but it was the best they could do.
"Bianca?" Argent called tentatively. She hummed back while she stuck a straw in her drink. "Allison asked you to do this, didn't she?"
Bianca froze in her movements and sipped idly on her smoothie. "You're her father, of course she did."
"You really don't have too." He said, nodding at her. "I'll be okay."
Bianca sighed and ran a hand through her hair, because even though she knew it was true, and Allison had asked her to watch over him, it wasn't the only reason she was. "I know."
Argent looked at her curiously. He understood her well. Lots of hunters that joined the Argents were just like Bianca. In search of something to fill a void, needing direction. When he looked at her, she reminded him of a soldier. Over the course of the last couple of months, he had grown to care about her, like another daughter. It was an inexplicable thing, but from his perspective he'd seen her as a girl with an absentee father, in turn that made her act out. As both a hunter and father, his instinct was to take care of her, only fueled by her desire to fight back.
"Thank you." He nodded at her and Bianca smiled back softly.
"What are you going to do with the firefly?" Bianca asked after a beat of silence. "Scott said you were going to take care of it."
"I know some people in Europe who might know how to keep it down." He responded.
"Does that mean you're leaving?" Bianca asked hesitantly. "For good?"
"I, well, I haven't exactly decided." Argent answered her truthfully. "The Argents based in France need a little reorganization, and I thought I might stay and help for a little while. With Gerard and my wife gone, the responsibility of leading would've gone to Allison, and I know the first thing she would've done was rewrite the code."
"We protect through who cannot protect themselves." Bianca murmured. It was the first thing Argent had taught her in French. "I thought all families of hunters go by the same code, that you and Ally were the exceptions."
"Not all." Argent shook his head. "The Calaveras do go by, we hunt those who hunt us. Most families do, but there are some out there that have their own." Argent had a curious look on his face and he scratched the back of his neck. "I made a few calls to a family based in Russia, called the Dasslers, they're the ones who might know how to deal with the nogitsune."
"They have their own code I assume?" Bianca questioned, pushing her hair behind her ear. "Are they important?"
"More or less." He responded. "They're kind of a mix between hunters and Russian Mafia, Bratva. They like to work with supernaturals, mostly for personal gain. It's more of a balancing act with them than hunting."
"I'm not following here." Bianca said, confused as to why he was bringing this up to her.
"I think they might know more about you." Argent sighed. "As a siren."
"They do?" Bianca asked hopefully, bringing her knees to her chest. "How could they?"
"Like I said, they work a lot with other supernaturals. I mean they aren't the most ethical about it, I will be honest, but they might know more than anyone here." Argent explained hesitantly. "There's a lot of politics about whether they actually are hunters or not, the Calaveras are opposed to them especially."
"Why is that?" Bianca asked curiously.
"Because the Calavers treat the code like law, and personally enforce it." Argent explained vaguely, his tone hardening defensively. "Araya Calavera especially."
"But the Dassler's, they would know more right?" Bianca asked again.
"They would." Argent nodded. "Which is why I was wondering if you wanted to come to France." Argent asked her evenly in his usual unwavering tone.
"What?" Bianca asked cautiously, snapping her head up in shock. "Are you serious?"
"I am." Argent nodded, crossing his arms before her.
Bianca contemplated his words. She wanted to go, as soon as he had asked, she knew she wanted to go. He was offering her a chance to learn about her powers, something that had been eating away at her mind for months. If she could learn to use them, then maybe she could save someone instead of watching them fade away.
"Okay." Bianca agreed, her voice quiet but confident. "But on one condition."
"What?" Argent asked, prompting her to speak.
"You train me, for real this time." Bianca said, looking him in the eyes. "Into the ranks of being a hunter."
Allison's funeral was exactly one week after her death. The day seemed perfect, warm and sunny, but not overbearing. The few clouds seemed to move in a slow haze and the birds were singing. It seemed so fitting for Allison to be buried in a perfect moment.
Like Boyd's and Aiden's funerals, the entire pack, plus Kira, had spent the night at Scott and Bianca's house. When they'd all woken up the next morning in various places of the living room, the mood was somber.
They'd quietly moved around the house, getting dressed in proper black clothes, nibbling on toast and eggs, offering silent comfort. It was sad to think they'd done this twice already.
Everyone was ready to go by eight am, mostly just loitering around to waste time. Kira was the one who'd been cooking the eggs and toast, even cutting a few pieces of fruit to lay out on the table for people to pick up as they walked by.
Lydia and Stiles were in the living room, sitting shoulder to shoulder, quietly whispering between them. A stray tear or strangled laugh would come from Lydia every now and then, and Stiles would always caress her cheek or run his hands through her curls to tell her he was there.
Last time before Boyd's funeral, Isaac had been the one staring out the window, but this time it was Bianca.
"Bianca?" Isaac said softly, catching her attention. "Are you ready to go?"
"Yeah." Bianca nodded, twirling her bracelet around her wrist.
"I miss her too." Isaac whispered, pulling Bianca into his arms so she could suck in a shuddered breath against his chest.
"Thanks." Bianca said, pulling away and pressing a kiss to his lips. "I'm going to check on Scott. Meet me downstairs?"
"Course, Bianca." He agreed and pecked her forehead one more time before leaving.
Bianca made her way to Scott's room and knocked on the doorframe. He was sitting on the edge of his bed in black pants and a black button up, leaning onto his knees and looking blankly into the floor.
"Scotty?" Bianca called, sitting down next to him. "We're going to leave soon."
Scott nodded absentmindedly and offered her a weak smile. "Okay."
Bianca just wrapped her arms around him and he melted into her, clutching tight to her arms and crying into her shoulder. "I'm sorry." Bianca had whispered into his hair, her own tears falling. "I'm so sorry."
"I couldn't save her." Scott whimpered. "Why couldn't I save her?"
Allison's funeral was in a cemetery, like her aunt's, and her mother's. She was going to be buried beside them. The funeral itself was completely closed off. They didn't want random people barging in, like the press or townspeople in general. So Argent had made sure there were tons of deputies around to keep the unwanted out.
Even with all the extra precaution, tons of kids from their school had shown up and stood around the perimeter, all holding signs, flowers, and candles. Acting like they all knew her and she meant something to them. Tons of people in town had shown up in fact, for varying reasons. Most paid their respects, but others were there, judging the Argent family. No matter the reason behind it, it felt like a mockery.
The press was worse, all pushing their way in. Trying to sneak a picture or pass the police. Random shouts of their names rang out, and the occasional questions. It was disrespectful and abundantly clear they didn't care a young girl had died. They just wanted to know what they could label her as. A victim? A sociopath? A reason to get paid?
But it was Allison's funeral, and they were going to honor her memory, regardless of what people think they knew of her.
As it was a closed funeral, not many people were in attendance. The sheriff and Melissa were already at the sight of her grave, both having taken the day off, standing a little ways away, arms hooked together. Derek was there as well, with Ethan standing beside him. They were both holding a single white rose.
Bianca, Lydia, and Kira, who were all hand in hand, moved to join them, standing around the edge of the freshly dug ground. Each girl carried a different arrow in their hands. Kira's was small and stout, best for short range. The one Lydia had in her fist was long and thin, the arrowhead made of lead. Bianca's was similar to Lydia's, long and thin, except instead of lead, it was silver.
A moment later Scott, Argent, Isaac, and Stiles had followed them out, carrying Allison's coffin. As soon as they placed it down in the center of the grave. The four of them moved to join the rest of the group. They could all hear the crowd of people behind the police line calling out condolences, and insults, and it wasn't right.
Allison's funeral was a quiet affair, because according to Argent, a man of tradition, when hunters passed, they didn't speak at the funerals, they left tokens of remembrance for them to be buried with.
Argent had gone first, and the only thing he dropped into the grave was a necklace. It was a large silver pendant, decorated with a wolf, a sun, and a few other engravings. Argent had held the necklace in his hand at the end of her grave and the metal slid through his fingers. The sound of it hitting her coffin rang out, and all of them would remember it forever. Argent would never tell them, but Scott knew that he'd chosen the necklace to be buried with her, because it's what she died for.
Derek and Ethan were next, walking side by side to her grave and they both dropped in a white rose. They'd hadn't been personally close with her and they didn't have anything that they'd shared with her. So they'd both chosen something symbolic, a white rose. For remembrance, respect.
Kira had gone after Derek and Ethan, the small arrow clutched in her hands. It was covered in blood, and slightly broken around the edge. It had been one of the arrows she used on Ethan, Aiden, and Isaac in the locker room. Allison had fired the arrow at whichever wolf Kira had been fighting, and it saved her life. She had just come across it when they were trying to get rid of any evidence of them being there, and for some reason she'd just dropped it of her dresser when she'd gotten home.
Isaac was next, slipping his hand from Bianca's and looking down at her coffin angrily. It shouldn't have been her. She had shot the arrow that saved his life, and now she was the one lying in a grave. They didn't do what they did to trade a life for a life. Isaac had simply dropped one of Allison's Chinese ring daggers into the ground and stepped away.
Stiles took a deep breath, wondering if he should actually be there. And as if Lydia could tell what he was thinking, nudged him forward and squeezed his hand. He ran his thumb over her wrist in thanks and stopped at the edge of the freshly dug ground. Oddly enough, what he had to give Allison wasn't anything that had to do with him at all. It was an old letter that Allison had written to Scott and they hadn't been allowed to see each other. He had found it when he'd been clearing out his murder board, and he didn't know how it had gotten there or ended up in his room. Maybe Scott had accidentally left it there or Allison had some point in time. All in all, it had a simple message on it, 'I miss you, it seems like forever until we'll see each other again, but know that I'm always thinking about you and that's why I know everything will be okay'.
It was a bit cliche and cheesy, but then again, so were Scott and Allison. Stiles had taken one look at her familiar neat handwriting and knew that he couldn't offer her anything. Afterall, he still felt like Allison's death was his fault. It was better he left her with the message, so wherever Allison ended up, she'll remember how she felt in the moment she'd written it. The feeling of comfort, love, and hope.
Bianca had gone after Stiles, the silver tipped arrow clutched in her hand. It wasn't one that Allison had made or from that night at all. It was one that Bianca had asked Argent to make so she could send one with Allison. It just seemed fitting to Bianca, to give her one. Not only was it the last thing Allison made, but it was the embodiment of who she was. Bianca ran her finger across the length of the arrow and nicked her finger on the edge of the it. She pulled her hand back and dropped the arrow and a speck of her blood hit the dirt at the same time.
Lydia was second to last, only her and Scott were left to go and Scott had motioned for her to go first. The arrow in her hands was a standard one that Allison tended to carry around with her. Even though both Kira and Bianca both choose arrows, Lydia just thought it'd be so fitting. Allison was her best friend, and she was constantly amazing Lydia. But there was one time that Allison had dragged her in the cold in the woods. Lydia thought it was a waste of time and all she wanted was for her heels to stop sinking into the dirt. Then they had stopped and Allison raised her bow and shot an arrow bullseye into a tree. Lydia remembered the moment she felt it, when she'd seen Allison in a different perspective. She was much more than the pretty faced girl who'd warmed her way into Lydia's heart.
Scott was last. He had watched all the others all go one by one, dropping in keepsakes for the first girl he'd ever loved. The girl he would always love.
Scott really didn't know what to give Allison. For the past week before her funeral, he had weighed so many different options. An arrow like the girls, a rose like Derek and Ethan, maybe even a new letter like Stiles. None of it seemed good enough, not for her. He had ran over all the important moments of his life, and he had found that most of them included Allison, right until she had died in his arms.
The first thing that came to mind was the first time he had met her, when she sat behind him in class and gave her a pen. He knew she had kept it, even when it ran out of ink. It had happened around halfway through their relationship, and she just left the empty pen in her case. Scott had seen it once, but he didn't need to ask her why.
The second moment that came to mind was the night in the animal clinic. It had been pouring rain and she had rushed in with the injured dog, looking scared and guilty. He couldn't not do anything because just the look on her face made his heart break a little. And standing side by side, with the rain hitting the windows and a strange calmness between them. He had offered her his shirt and he had wiped away a fallen eyelash, and that's when he knew. Maybe not that he loved her just yet, but he knew she was going to be important to him. That she was going to a force of nature that tattooed itself into his skin and he would remember that moment. Allison Argent was his first everything.
So, with the very same shirt from that night, clutched in his hands. He slowly walked towards the edge of her grave and glared down at the coffin with the Argent's symbol carved into it, wiping away the tear that had fallen from his eye and dropped the shirt with a light thud.
They all watched as the workers filled her grave with dirt, until it was level with the rest of the ground around them. Scott had fallen to his knees at the edge, threading his fingers through the dirt like it would somehow bring her back. But this was reality.
So, like Boyd's funeral, and Aiden's nearly a week before. The remaining six of them stared down into the Earth, wondering whether they would all be better off dead with Allison, than persecuted by the threats of Beacon Hills.
"Is everything alright, Bianca?" Her mother asked, placing a cup of tea in front of Bianca, then she sat down across from her next to Rafael, who was also at the table. Bianca was preparing to tell her parents Argent had offered to take her to France, and even though she wanted to go, she had to ask them first.
"This feels a lot like when you told me about the supernatural." Rafael cut in hesitantly.
Melissa paled. "You're not going to tell us there's something else are you? Oh, my God, you're not pregnant are you!"
"No!" Bianca protested, waving her hands dramatically. "I'm not pregnant! Mom!"
"Well, you're scaring me." Her mom defended. "Is something going on then?"
"I went to see Argent the other day." Bianca started.
"How is he?" Her mom asked sympathetically, her shock turning to concern. "Is he doing alright?"
"Yeah." Bianca smiled sadly. "He's handling it all pretty well, well he's also good at concealing his feelings, so I'm just taking a shot in the dark." She tucked her hair behind her ear and looked down at her hands. "He said he knows some people in France. That they might know something about me."
"What does that mean?" Rafael asked.
"As a siren." Bianca answered softly. "Scott can only go so far, changing the colors of my eyes is one thing, but he can't help me with the rest."
"You want to go?" Melissa asked, realization hitting her. "To France with Argent?"
"He asked me." Bianca murmured. "And I want to go."
"Absolutely not." Her father snapped, glaring her down. "You aren't going to France with someone you all call a professional hunter. Not to mention all the other crazy things going on."
"I wasn't really asking you." Bianca quipped, matching his glare.
"You can't just do as you please, Bianca." He snapped. "Would you like a synopsis of the safety that Beacon Hills is? Werewolves run around this town and are attacking my children. An ancient Japanese spirit possessed Stiles and one of your friends died." Bianca flinched back. "And now you want to go to France, to immerse yourself in more danger?"
"You're scared of the supernatural?" Bianca asked. "Is that what this is about? Scott's a werewolf, I'm a siren. You can't escape what we are."
"And we're not saying you should." Melissa cut in, calming them both down. "I would never ask you to deny it, like I never asked Scott too." She took a deep breath and twiddled with her mug. "But I think your father's right, you can't just go to France with Argent, what about school? And he just lost his daughter too, Bianca."
Bianca ran a hand through her hair and sighed, she knew her mother was right. Bianca knew part of the reason why Argent was asking her was to fill the new void in his heart. He would never replace his daughter, but training a new protege is definitely a coping mechanism. "When I saw Allison, one of the only things she asked me to do before she faded away was to take care of her father."
"It's still a risk, Bianca." Her mother said hesitantly, trying not to face the guilt, whether it was hers or Bianca's. "It's a foregin country, and like your father said, Argent is a hunter. He wants to take you to see more hunters."
Bianca pursed her lips and looked up. "What if I don't go alone?"
"Hey." Kira said, opening her bedroom door wider for Scott to enter. She hadn't been expecting him, because of everything that had happened.
"Hey." Scott said, leaving his helmet on her dresser. "I hope it's alright I came over."
"Of course it is." Kira nodded softly, leading him over to sit on the edge of her bed. "Is everything okay?"
"Everything's fine." Scott said, sitting down next to her, leaning down on his knees. "I just thought I'd come and stop by."
"Are you sure?" Kira asked, grimacing at his face.
"Well Stiles and Lydia are God knows where." Scott laughed lightly. "I'm pretty sure my sister and Isaac are packing to go to France, and well, I guess I just wanted to see you."
"France?" Kira asked, confused. "With Argent?"
"He wants to take her to see some people he knows to figure out her powers." Scott nodded. "But I don't want to talk about that now."
Kira nodded understandingly and nudged him over, so they were both lying down, facing each other. "Scott?" He hummed back. "I'm really sorry about Allison."
He slipped his hand into hers and ran his thumb across the top. "I'm sorry too."
"I'm getting really tired of funerals." Kira said, turning around to face the ceiling. "I'm tired of being sad."
"Kira?" Scott said, wrapping an arm around her so they were cuddling, her back pressed up against his chest. "I really like you."
"I really like you too." Kira whispered, a deep blush painting her cheeks. "But with everything-"
"I know." Scott said into her hair. "Not yet, but someday."
"I like the idea of someday." Kira said, sighing contently as he tucked his head to her neck.
Bianca and Isaac were sitting in a diner a little outside of Beacon Hills, closer to the next town over but not quite. The press were still following them around, mostly just the ones looking for a conspiracy, so they decided to just drive and ended up here.
Bianca was sipping on a chocolate milkshake, a sandwich in front of her while Isaac had a milkshake of his own and burger as well. A plate of fries was placed between them, and the whole scene all looked too mundane.
"So, Europe then? Is that our next plan?" Isaac murmured, scanning his eyes back and forth. It was a paranoia thing, one that had been there long before he'd ever become a werewolf.
"You don't have to go." Bianca nodded along blankly. She was mostly just staring out the window with her knees tucked up against her. "I'm asking, not telling."
"Of course I'm going with you." Isaac said, nudging her with one of his long legs. "I just didn't think you'd want to go. After all, you weren't ever too fond of England."
"It's not England." Bianca corrected him.
"Are you really going for you though?" Isaac asked her hesitantly.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Bianca asked curiously.
"I mean what part of you is going because you want too, and what part of you is going because you feel like you owe Allison." Isaac asked her bluntly. Argent was leaving soon, and they didn't have a lot of time left to decide.
"Why would you ask me that?" Bianca asked evenly. She knew part of it was because of the promise she made to Allison. Scott and Lydia were here and could look after each other, and no doubt Stiles. Kira would be able to look after herself. And if all else failed, Derek was still around to watch after them.
It had taken a while, but Bianca had realized she didn't know who she was anymore. After Allison's funeral, at the wake, she had watched everyone fall into place. Scott and her mom tending to those around them because that was just the kind of people they were. Lydia and Stiles hiding in their own little world, but always keeping an eye out for answers. Kira even fit in well, knowing how to immerse herself with the people with her endearing personality.
Bianca didn't know who she was though. She had literally been dropped onto Scott's doorstep and from then on it was a never ending cycle of fighting, surviving. Her life had completely changed and in the process, she had lost who she was.
Maybe Isaac was right and she was hiding behind Allison's promise as a rational reason to go. Maybe she wanted to go to find what she'd left behind in Europe.
"Do you want to go to France?" Isaac asked her once more, this time forcefully.
Bianca looked up and met his gaze. "I don't think I could stay here."
Cleaning out Allison's room was hard. It wasn't something that was initially planned either, but lately nothing was. It all kind of started when Scott stopped by to talk to Argent, just to check in and see what he was going to do with the nogitsune spirit. On his way out, he had passed by Allison's room, and it still seemed untouched, completely frozen like a permanent memory of her.
Scott had stood in the doorway for a long time before Argent stood next to him and told him he'd been meaning to pack up her stuff, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. Scott had called Lydia after that, and Lydia had called Stiles and Bianca, who in turn brought Isaac.
It didn't take long before Bianca was delegating them around. It seemed if her skills weren't being put into making really bad plans to fight the supernatural, then her talents were going to be used for the smaller insignificant things.
Lydia and Bianca were in charge of packing up her clothes, Stiles was packing up her trinkets, while Scott and Isaac were handling her weapons. If anyone was going to be around the sharp objects, it was going to be the ones that were self healing.
The girls were taking extra time to sift through her clothes, running their fingers across the fabric of her favorite jacket, putting aside the dresses that were just too Allison to place in a box, and holding on just a tad too long to the necklaces she always had.
Stiles was having a hard time packing away Allison's things. He still felt like it was his fault Allison had died and he owed her more than this. He recognized a lot of the things he was wrapping up, like the snowglobe Lydia had bought Allison because she thought it was pretty. The music box Scott gave her on her birthday. It was all so very Allison, simple and elegant.
"What exactly is Argent planning to do with all of her stuff?" Isaac asked, locking away some of Allison's arrows.
"Take some of it back to France." Bianca shrugged. "I don't know about the rest."
"Are you really going?" Lydia blurted out, huffing out a breath as she looked up at Isaac and Bianca. Scott and Stiles could sense the growing tension. Ever since Bianca had told them all they were going back to France with Argent, Lydia hadn't exactly been on board with the idea. Truth be told, neither were they.
They both exchanged a look. "Yeah, we are."
"And you want to?" Stiles asked, coming to stand behind Lydia.
"Why does everyone keep asking me that?" Bianca murmured, avoiding eye contact with all of them.
"Because it feels a lot like running." Scott said bluntly. If it was anyone else, he wouldn't have said a word, but Bianca was his twin sister.
"We're not running." Isaac defended them, setting down the case of knives he had in his hands.
"It's not forever, Scotty." Bianca promised, tilting her head to the side.
"It better not be." Lydia threatened. "I get that there are opportunities in France that you don't have here, but don't forget we need you too."
"Wow, Lydia, I think that's the most heartfelt thing I've ever heard you say." Stiles quipped. She smacked him with the back of her hand.
"Watch it, Stilinski." Lydia snapped, but she was smiling.
All their heads turned towards the door when a knock resounded in the room, and they all saw Ethan leaning against the frame. "Hope I'm not interrupting?"
"No, no." Lydia said, waving him in, her tone softening. "Are you looking for Argent."
"Yeah, actually." Ethan said awkwardly, looking around at Allison's half packed room. "Anybody know where he is?"
"Downstairs." Bianca, subconsciously looking down at the floor. "But I would wait. I think he's packing up the weapons." Which was code for packing up Allison's bows.
"How are you?" Lydia asked, moving to place a hand on his shoulder. Her and Ethan may not have been close, but they were the closest people to Aiden. They all knew Ethan was basically on his own at this point, and Lydia had made it her personal mission to make sure he didn't feel alone.
"I've been better." Ethan muttered hesitantly. "Thanks, Lydia."
She nodded softly and offered a small smile. "What did you want to talk to Argent about."
"Oh." Ethan hummed, looking contemplative. "I was, well, I was actually coming to see if I could head back to Europe with him."
"Really?" Stiles asked in disbelief. "You want to hitch a ride back to Europe with a werewolf hunter?"
"I know it doesn't sound like the brightest idea." Ethan muttered, rubbing the back of his neck. "But I can't stay here alone, not with all the enemies Aiden and I have… or well, I have."
Lydia offered him a sympathetic smile and stepped back. "I'm sure he'll be alright with it."
"He is taking me as well." Isaac said dryly. "I don't see why another werewolf would hurt."
"Come on." Bianca said, waving him in. "Might as well help us while you wait."
"Oh, I don't know." Ethan said, moving towards the door, but Lydia had grabbed him and forced him inside.
"I'd just go with it." Scott said, slapping him on the back. "The girls are going to drag you in either way."
They had finished hours later, but the six of them had stayed in Allison's room, looking through some of her old photos. At the moment Scott was looking at one from their day at the beach. It was of Lydia and Bianca eating ice cream underneath the largest umbrella ever. Stiles and Isaac were behind them, ready to pour buckets of water on their heads.
"I still can't believe you did that." Lydia snapped, reminiscing about the day.
"It was your idea to go to the beach." Stiles reminded.
"No." Lydia said, crossing her arms at him with an irritated purse of her lips. "You wanted to go and begged me to convince the others to go."
"Hey." Isaac said, catching their attention. He was holding another photo, this one older, taken around the beginning of sophomore year. It was taken in the cafeteria, Scott, Stiles, Lydia, and Allison were sitting at a table, surrounded by a few other people. Danny and Jackson were the only other two they recognized.
"Is that Jackson?" Bianca asked, pointing him out.
"Yeah." Lydia said softly, staring at the photo. "He's in London now."
"That's when Lydia used to pretend not to be smart." Isaac quipped, laughing lightly at her annoyed look.
"You used to pretend not to be smart?" Ethan asked, confused. "Why would you do that?"
"I was different back then." Lydia huffed defensively. "We all were."
Scott patted her arm placatingly, but his eyes never left the photo. It was around the time Allison and Scott had started really dating, and Lydia joined their lunch table. The photo almost seemed like a foreshadow of what their life would become. Because Scott and Allison were sitting side by side, their heads tucked together. Lydia and Stiles were both across from them, and as much as Lydia would protest that she didn't associate with Stiles at the time, you could clearly tell she thought he was the only one around with half a sane mind. Of course Jackson was beside her, but his back was turned away, only to show he wouldn't always be around. It was the four of them, that was the way it had started, even with Bianca, Kira, and Isaac, it wouldn't be the same.
Lydia dropped her shoes and purse on the floor by Stiles' bedroom door and pulled the pins out of her hair, letting it fall in waves around her. It was finally nighttime, but the darkness only seemed to bring harsher memories than she cared to admit.
Stiles was close behind her, shutting the door behind them. His dad was still at the station, where he seemed to be most days lately. So it was just him and Lydia, again. She had been staying at his house all week, and he wasn't one to complain, but it still struck him as odd.
"Here." Stiles called, ruffling around in the drawer that was basically hers and passed her a pair of shorts and a t-shirt for her to change into.
"Thanks." Lydia muttered softly and disappeared to change, and came back a moment later. She grabbed a book off his desk and crawled underneath the blanket, making herself comfortable. Before Stiles climbed in after, and an old police report tucked in his hands.
It was kind of their routine at this point. They would come back to his house after a long day, where it was spent at Scott's or doing something else, then change for bed and settle down for the night. Sometimes they would be doing homework, because after all, they were still in high school. Other times it would be like tonight, where Lydia would read and Stiles would scan old police reports to determine if they were supernatural or not. Sometimes he would ask Lydia about it, and she would glance at it before offering some sarcastic answer.
"Lydia?" Stiles called. She hummed back, not looking up from her book. "Are we really never going to talk about this?"
"Talk about what?" She quipped innocently. He fixed her with an exasperated look.
"This." Stiles deadpanned, waving between the two of them. "You know you're always welcome here and I don't mind sharing my bed, but what's going on?"
"You mean beside the obvious?" Lydia muttered. Stiles flinched back. "I can leave if you want me too."
"Don't do that." Stiles sighed, running a hand through his hair and holding her hand so she wouldn't get up. "You forget I know you, Lyds, and you're getting defensive."
"I am not." She scoffed, but the waver in her tone meant he was getting close.
"Really?" Stiles muttered sarcastically.
"I don't know what else you want me to say." Lydia shrugged, which only fueled his slight annoyance. Not that he was annoyed with her, more or less, her inability to open up when it was important.
"Fine." Stiles sighed, dramatically moving under the blanket to lay down and face away from her.
"Fine." Lydia mocked and shifted around to lay on her side as well, facing away from him.
The pair of them stayed in silence for nearly five minutes, refusing to give in first. Stiles was shuffling around, purposefully moving the pillows around to make himself more comfortable, only to end up with his arms hanging off the end and his back pressed up against Lydia's. Lydia on the other hand stayed incredibly motionless, huffing out as he moved around. She waited until he was done moving and settled before reaching out and using her feet to push him off the bed. He landed with a light thud and didn't seem all that surprised at her actions.
"Really?" He said exasperatedly, awkwardly sitting up and leaning on the edge of the bed, staring at her softly. "Lydia."
She waited a moment before sighing and then turning around, facing him with her arms tucked underneath her head. "I don't know, Stiles."
He got back into the bed and laid down in the same position she was in. "What do you need, Lydia."
"Same thing I've needed all week." Lydia whispered. Stiles knew her well, it wasn't just something he claimed. That statement meant a lot of things. That she needed Allison, maybe even Aiden. She wished Bianca were by her side more often instead of being preoccupied with going to Europe. She needed Stiles to be there and fill that void in her because Lydia Martin would never show weakness, but she was also smart enough to know that Stiles already knew.
So instead of bickering with her anymore, Stiles tugged her closer so he was laying in the middle of the bed and Lydia was half on top of him and half on the bed. She was right, he couldn't say much to her, so he pressed a lingering kiss to her forehead and they both fell asleep, Stiles waiting for her heartbeat, while Lydia let the voices comfort her, pretending they were messages from her lost friend.
The next three days had gone by in a flurry of activity, all members of the pack preoccupied with getting back on track after all the mass murders, evils spirits, and well, obvious loss of their friends.
It started slow, just going back to school. The press had finally stopped following them around, the suddenly murder of a girl no longer interesting to them, but that didn't mean the people of Beacon Hills were so forgetful.
The moment Scott, Stiles, Lydia, and Kira had walked into school together, people were already whispering and talking about them. Lydia kept making jokes about how it reminded her of when she finally went back to school after having wandered the woods for three days, the part about Allison being by her side the whole time had gone unspoken.
The teens of Beacon Hills High School would stare at them in fascination, as if they were a spectacle rather than people they'd grown up with. Some offered condolences about Allison, even some about Aiden. It was all a very generic reaction to the recent events.
Except what really bothered them all were the rumors. The strange whisper here and there about Stiles' mental health. Lydia's, who although remained popular, ruined reputation. Some wilder claims said being in near proximity of the pack would result in a death sentence. Erica, Boyd, Allison, Aiden.
One day, in the locker room, some people were talking about the rumors, speculation over whether it was true or not. Which wasn't unusual until someone had said it was the reason Bianca, Isaac, and Ethan had moved away. That the three of them had run away to avoid becoming a victim.
Scott nearly took his head off, but Stiles had dragged him out of the room, grabbing Lydia and Kira along the way. They left Kira alone with Scott to calm him down, while Stiles and Lydia waited outside. They didn't say anything, because nothing would be able to drown out the noises of Scott's anger, which faded in remorse.
Bianca, Isaac, and Ethan had left early the next morning. Even though it was nearing four am, the rest of the pack had followed them to the airport.
It was a mess of goodbyes, tears, and promises. Mostly Scott telling them that if anything happened then they should come home. Lydia asking, who were they kidding, she was basically threatening them, to both come home and to bring her stuff back from Paris. Kira left them all with what was supposed to be a reassuring message, but turned into an awkward tangent. Which made them all laugh. Stiles tacked on to the end of it, and left them with a sarcastic comment, mostly saying don't die, but that it was definitely a possibility.
And with that lasting thought. The three made their way onto the plane with Argent close behind them, and the other four watched them leave.
Bianca turned her back once to look at her brother, and he was staring back at her. It was very reminiscent of when their parents had gotten divorced and the two of them were forced to live separately. At the time they were much younger, and much more naive. He had hugged her tight and promised he would always be there, and she had given him a watery laugh and said the same. Except time had eventually tore them apart.
This time would be different though. Because they were different. Not only older and more aware of the monsters that followed them around, but they had more to care about, more to resent, more to regret.
Three months later
"Okay so how long has it been?" Stiles asked Scott, following him into the vet clinic. A sleepy Lydia trying to catch up with them.
"Weeks." Scott answered, heading straight for a cabinet and pulling out a cylindrical container. "He hadn't gotten back to any of my texts."
"Has Derek ever returned your texts?" Stiles asked with a confused look.
"Once." Scott said. "Definitely once." He placed the container in the middle of the examination table. "But this time felt different, so I went to the loft. The alarm was on. Everything looked okay." Then he took the lid off and slid it over to Stiles and Lydia. "But then I found these."
Stiles reached his hand in and pulled out bullets, looking at the symbol carefully. He was smart enough to know it came from a hunter. "Bullets?"
"So I sent a picture to Deaton, and he said that it's the mark of a family of hunters based out in Mexico." Scott explained.
"The Calaveras." Lydia murmured, leaning over Stiles to get a better look.
"How did you know that?" Scott asked.
"Bianca mentioned them to me last week." Lydia said, her voice light and airy. "Before she stopped responding to my texts and calls."
"Isaac hadn't responded to me either." Scott said wearily.
"You guys." Stiles reasoned, knowing it was nagging at both of them since Bianca had abruptly left the message and disappeared. It wouldn't have raised so much suspicion if she hadn't sounded so… hopeless. "She warned you guys that they were going on some remote trip and wouldn't be able to contact you, stop worrying."
"That's what she said." Lydia repeated, but it was clear she didn't believe it. Stiles grasped her hand and ran his thumb across the top.
"Stiles is right." Scott amended, trying to get his priorities in order. "Besides, we need to worry about Derek first. We know he's for sure missing and in danger."
"Okay." Lydia said, shaking her head. "Then what do the Calaveras want with Derek?"
"You don't think they killed him, do you?" Stiles asked her bluntly, rubbing his top lip.
"I...I don't know." Scott said, clearly conflicted. Because if Derek was dead, either Lydia or Bianca would have to know, or least felt some kind of inkling. Except this was the supernatural, and it wasn't always reliable. "That's why you're here."
Scott slid the container over to Lydia and she winced, before hesitantly grabbing a handful of the bullets. She didn't feel or hear anything, but usually she needed some kind of sound to trigger a response. So she let the bullets fall to the table, clanging sharply. Every noise was a whisper, and every whisper was a wisp of doubt.
"Lydia." Stiles called worriedly, taking note of her confused yet dark expression and tucked a curl behind her ear. "Is he dead?"
"No." Lydia said bankly. "But I'm not sure he's alive either."
"What does that mean?" Scott asked, exchanging a look with Stiles.
"I don't know." Lydia murmured softly, staring at the bullets rolling across the table. "There's something not right. I just… I don't know."
"So if the Calaveras have him, how do we find them ?" Stiles asked.
Scott picked up one of the bullets and traced the engraving of the skull. He couldn't help but compare it to the Argents. A symbol much darker and more threatening. "Mexico."
It's out last chapter folk! I can't believe it's the end, but here she is.
I will be writing a sequel starting with season 4!
Notes:
So I know I wrote the second season pretty similar to the show and I just added more scenes and details, but I did that to have a better lead into season 4. There are a few things I wanted to address as well.
The first being Bianca's character development. I know she didn't have a lot of it and I did that on purpose. At first, I was going to go with a completely different route for the ending, but then I started getting ideas for season 4 and I ended up changing her. This first story was more a set up for her powers, getting into the rhythm of being supernatural, that kind of stuff. Her background really does just consist of acting out whenever she could, and being a siren kind of changed everything about her, and that's why she such a blank canvas. I think kind of addressed it in the last chapter, but it was mostly hints for who she'll be in season 4.
Also, she is training to be a hunter, but that in no way means I'm going to make her into the new Allison. That is not my intention, and I will not be making her into a carbon copy of Allison. I also know I added how Argent is taking her under his wing, and I wanted to address that their relationship is more of like protector and protege, but I will be more detailed about it in the next book.
The next thing I wanted to talk about was the sequel. So as you can see, I put a three month time jump between the last season and the next one, even though the timeline doesn't make sense anyway. Because Allison died in March, but the boys are clearly starting lacrosse season, which is in January I believe, but I could be wrong. Anyway, the beginning of the next book will begin maybe a around a week after the second to last scene and dive into how Malia fits in with the group, the progression of Stiles and Lydia, and I will be exploring the Argent family, creating a background for them. The show probably won't start popping up until halfway through the second book.
Well, as this is the first story I've ever completed, I wanted to thank everyone who's shown support. I appreciate and am so grateful for all the favorites and comments, it means more than you know. Thank you again everyone, and I'll be back with the sequel soon.