Disclaimer: teen wolf does not belong to me in any way, shape or form (sadly) haha I am so on a roll guys haha like at this rate this book will be finished by like the start of the year haha, and as always a big thanks to all those readings, there's hundreds of you so thanks, and a big shoutout to Odie.18, guest, Linda96 and pup for reviewing you are all stars.
Also I have updated bedroom adventures and published a wee one shot of Isaac's feelings for Kayla :)
He was exhausted and drained, the grief that hit him all at once again knocking him sideways, his body feeling like it got hit by a truck. Or a bus. Hell, maybe even both - and a lorry just for extra measure.
He managed to dodge the upcoming panic attack - purely by luck, he thought. Or maybe because it was because of Isaac standing by his side of all people and he didn't want to embarrass himself anymore than what he already had.
Yet still the tears had already fallen, leaving trail marks down his pasty skin, pale from lack of sleep and energy. Resembling, eerily similar, to after the nogitsune separated his body. That was how bad his grief was.
"I didn't realise you were still struggling so much" Isaac observed softly, "I thought you turned a corner..."
"I have... I suppose" Stiles murmured, wiping his cheeks with the back of his hand, "or I've tried. I just keep waiting for it to get easier but it never does..."
Isaac's eyes were burning with sympathy, his shoulders hunched forward as his own grief made him smaller, weighing heavily on his shoulders.
"I didn't realise... you know, if you ever need anyone to speak to - and yes I know I'm probably the last person you want to open up to - but I'm here. Anytime. I struggle with missing her too"
Stiles nodded but avoided Isaac's stare, "she was pretty amazing wasn't she?"
Isaac chuckled, "oh, the best. You should've seen her as a kid... so boisterous and full of energy, so free... it's sad how the world tried to take that away from her"
"I forget you knew her back then" Stiles mused, once upon a time feeling jealousy over that but now what was the point? They didn't have to be at war anymore over the person they both loved, jealous bitter remarks being flung between them, because she wasn't here to fight over.
Isaac smiled, "yeah... seems like a lifetime ago"
Stiles finally looked up, crestfallen and apologetic, "I'm sorry about how I treated you... the things I said. I was insecure and insanely jealous and I treated you like crap"
Isaac waved off his apology, "don't worry about it. If I was in your position I would've hated me too. I should've respected her decision instead of flirting with her and pushing both your buttons"
"Yeah, that was a bit of a dick move" Stiles joked light heartedly with a forced chuckle, "but ever since the notgitusne... after he did what he did..." he swallowed thickly, the guilt seizing the back of his throat, "I wish she would've just picked you. I wouldn't have had her but at least she would've been alive"
Isaac frowned, "you don't know that. Maybe some things are just meant to happen at a certain time"
Stiles shook his head, "no, no if she didn't love me she would've lived. The nogitsune wouldn't have preyed on her like he did. If I could go back in time I... I would let her go. I would give her up so she could live and I would rather she was with someone like you, sometime that would treat her right instead of someone like Aiden. Because even if I couldn't have her... she would still be breathing. And that would be enough for me"
Isaac's heart ached for his friend, watching the turmoil and torment he was constantly under, day in and day out, no rest from his guilt.
He tried to play it down, to shake off Stiles' words, "don't be so silly. She would never have picked me. She didn't like me like that, remember?"
He watched as Stiles just shrugged, "I think she did... at least at the start, she just didn't want to admit it to herself. Too loyal to me to even consider that she might have feelings for someone else"
Isaac blanched, never even considering that, "what... no-"
"Why do you think I got so jealous?" Stiles chuckled, "because I saw something between you two and I didn't understand why she didn't choose you. You're the better option, the one that makes the most sense, so why not you?"
"Because she loved you..."
"And look where it got here" Stiles mumbled glumly, "dead and buried and forgotten about. Such a waste..."
"I think Kayla would disagree" Isaac said gently, "you know she did what she did through her own free will right? She chose to save you... it was her choice to die for you, it wasn't forced on her"
Isaac could see Stiles shutting himself off again, retreating back into his lonely, grief stricken brain to no doubt torture himself some more, as if the poor boy hadn't done enough of that the last two months.
"Maybe..." he settled on saying, dropping the subject entirely as he peered around Isaac to see their friends coming out of the building, shaking off his grief, "guess we'll never know if things could have been different, she's gone. She can't make any choices now"
Isaac was unable to say anything let alone think straight after Stiles' confession, his words that shook Isaac to the core. Was it possible he and Kayla could've had a chance? Maybe he shouldn't have given up so easily, maybe if he just told her-
"So... you're just letting us go?" Scott interrupted Isaac's thinking, glancing suspiciously at Araya as Lydia brushed past and went to check on Stiles, rubbing his shoulder and asking if he was okay.
"I sent four men out to where Kate was rumored to have been seen. None of them came back. Let's see if you can do better"
"Wow, thanks for the vote of confidence" Isaac murmured, "we love being sent to possible death"
Araya just smirked darkly at his words, her eyes gleaming with danger.
"You could've just told me she was alive" Scott murmured, "you didn't have to do all that"
"You wouldn't have believed me" she shrugged, "now I know what kind of Alpha you are. And where your next step lies"
Scott frowned, "What next step?"
"When you take the bite of an innocent, when you make a wolf of your own, when you do that, then, I will cross your border and come knocking at your door"
"Uh..." Isaac muttered, filling the awkward silence that followed as Araya cocked a brow at Scott, "I don't think he'll do that"
"We are all capable of lots of things" she said solemnly, "even the best of us. There is bad in every single one of us, just some more than others"
The silence was deafening, no one knowing what to say or do, standing there in ear splitting silence as Araya let her eyes wander, trailing over every single one of them; weighing them up.
"A piece of advice, if I may?" She asked but Isaac felt it wasn't really a question, the advice she was going to give having no option but to be heard by them all, "I've dealt with a lot of things. Seen many things your young brains couldn't even comprehend, and the way Kate came back... it's wrong. It's a disservice. She should've stayed dead. Every single time someone, or something, breaches the natural order, it negatively impacts the very world we live in. So if you find Derek... advise him to stop looking for ways to bring his cousin back. It's not worth the consequences"
That was when Stiles who was so quiet, tucked away behind the line of his friends, brushed past them and faced Araya, his emotions now in check and under control.
"Or what?" He challenged, raising his chin defiantly.
Araya shrugged, totally detached and cold, "or I'll put her back in the ground. It's what we do. So would it be worth it to have her back just to lose her again?"
She didn't give time for Stiles to answer, throwing a warning look to Scott before turning her back on them and walking back to the building, her little guard dogs making sure they weren't planning anything to her turned back before following her inside and slamming the doors.
Isaac blew out a long breath, the tension slowly dissolving from the air, "So what now?"
"She thinks she knows where we can find Derek"
"Is she gonna tell us where?" Malia asked, folding her arms across her chest.
"Well actually, she's giving us a guide"
The rev of a motorcycle assaulted their ears, each of them turning to see someone kitted out in all black skid next to them, spurts of dust fogging up the air around them as the mysterious person swivelled off the bike, taking off the helmet and shaking out her long dark hair.
Isaac blanched, recognising the woman that saved his life from the twins all those months ago, "Braeden!"
It was Malia who cocked a brow at him, the only one to not recognise the beauty standing in front of them, "who's Braeden?"
"She's a mercenary" Lydia answered, her eyes flickering with a little bit of suspicion.
"Right now, I'm the only one who's gonna take you to la iglesia"
Isaac couldn't help the knot that had formed in his stomach, dreading their next little adventure, unable to shake the feeling that something just wasn't quite right. With what, he didn't know, but something just sensed off.
They all piled back in the jeep, Isaac tucked away in the back and Scott on the back of Braeden's motorcycle, but he looked towards the Calavera's building, a pull forming in his stomach as if trying to tug him back.
"I have a weird feeling about that place" Isaac announced as the jeep spluttered to life, "like she's hiding something..."
Stiles met his gaze in the rearview mirror, giving him a knowing look, "yeah me too... can't quite put my finger on it though..."
They never acknowledged any more of their strange feelings, speeding off into the distance.
She was down there for many hours more, bound and gagged, dehydrated and hungry to the point of her stomach rumbling with painful aches and cramps.
There was no way this was going to be it... she didn't go through everything that she had, to fight to get better, to go back in time and reset the timeline - somehow - just to be kidnapped and starved to death. Nope. No way. This was not going to be how she died. Again.
But she didn't have to wait long to find out as the metal doors scraped open and in walked Araya followed by two big burly men, guns in their hands, flanking Araya like the good little obedient guard dogs they were.
"You're a stubborn little thing aren't you?" Araya purred, the light from the corridor shining in from behind her and casting an ominous shadow across the concrete floor, "surely you aren't scared to die again?"
Kayla just glared, her jaw clenching around the rag stuffed in her mouth, her stare furious and lethal.
"You know it's the right thing to do" Araya continued, "coming back from the dead... it's wrong"
Kayla just grunted through the rag, furiously rattling the cuffs around the pipe to make noise and Araya smirked, leaning down to tear off the duct tape and Kayla immediately spat the rag out at her feet, showing the upmost level of disrespect that she could.
"If it was so wrong, I wouldn't be here" Kayla spoke, the first time in over 24 hours, her voice still weak and raspy from coming back to life.
"There's many things that shouldn't be here, that are. Like cancer"
Kayla snorted, "you're comparing me to cancer now?"
Araya inclined her head to the side, her sharp eyebrow raising into her forehead, "do the right thing... abide by nature and fate"
"I already have" Kayla rolled her eyes, "I've already fixed what when wrong the first time"
For the first time, Araya looked confused and a little unsettled, the frown between her brows becoming more prominent, "the first time?"
She sighed, not even knowing where to start, "yes the first time. The first time this happened, what, nearly eight months ago?"
"What are you talking about?"
She didn't even know herself, confused beyond belief at the events that were unfolding.
"This has already happened" Kayla said, "this time has already happened except the first time I came back, I came back wrong. I was... bad" she said delicately, "you kidnapped me from my grave and I fought my way out, killed your men - the ones standing right there. Hell turned me into something I didn't even recognise and I became the perfect killing machine. A monster that should have been put down, I accept that. But then I started feeling again, I... I wanted to be better, but it cost me my sanity. Things felt wrong and dark and hard all the time. So we, well, my friends, they got me help. We found out the reason I came back wrong was because my soul was broken, parts of me left in hell to suffer and rot. So we did a spell, a ritual... I got dragged back to hell and found my soul. It was... so powerful. So full of light. I've never felt anything like it in my life. And then, well... I woke up back in my grave, just like the first time, on the very same day except I feel... whole. Normal even. I wouldn't be here again, given a chance to fix my mistakes, if "nature and fate"-" she quoted her, "-didn't want me too"
Araya continued to frown at her, face one of disbelief, "and how do I know you're telling the truth?"
Kayla sighed heavily, "I don't know the lottery numbers if that's what you're getting at" she quipped sarcastically, "but this has all happened before. I know my friends were here. I know you had them tied up, electrocuting Scott. I know Kate is back and I know she has Derek"
Araya was beginning to falter, her brain in overdrive as she watched Kayla, analysing her expression, trying to find any indicator that she was lying but judging by her disappointed expression she didn't know for sure.
"And how do you know all that?"
"Because I've lived through it before" she exclaimed in frustration, "Kate has Derek in that creepy old church, aging him backwards to erase all the bad memories he has of her"
Araya hummed, smirking as her eyes glinted in amusement, "you have a very active imagination girl"
Kayla blew out a breath, exhausted from trying to explain herself, "Urgh... you're so narrow minded. Unwilling to believe anything that doesn't fit your narrative. No matter what I say, you aren't going to believe me so just get it over and done with. Kill me, because I certainly will not kill myself again"
Araya bent down, picking up the knife and holding it in front of her, her eyes flickering between her and the blade, "why did you even do it the first time? Was a human really worth it?"
She swallowed thickly, her stare remaining steely and unwavering, "of course it was. I know someone like you isn't capable of love but someone like me is. And you know what? It took down the nogitsune and sent him back to hell he should've stayed in... win win in my book"
She twirled the blade, inching closer and closer to Kayla's face who just raised her chin defiantly, "you have no proof, and your tale is far fetched"
"We live in the supernatural world where everything is far fetched until it isn't... but you know what? Believe what you want to believe, I know the truth" she shrugged, "and I won't beg for my life. I've been through too much to stoop that low"
Her stubbornness was back and in full force, defiance and anger surging through her veins as she held herself steady as Araya moved forward, the knife edging closer and closer to her neck until suddenly slicing downwards between her legs, the blade shattering on the concrete floor.
"For once, I actually believe a supernatural creature" Araya said, "I can sense your honesty. I don't agree with it, but maybe you haven't come back wrong after all"
Kayla blew out a long breath, cocking a brow at the older woman, "so you've kept me down here for nothing, basically"
Araya had a smug smile on her face, "I wanted to test you, so to speak. See where your loyalties lay"
She rolled her eyes, shaking the handcuffs against the metal pipe, "well thanks for the hospitality, I'll be sure to rate you a 10/10 on tripadvisor but I really need to go"
Araya pulled a key from her pocket, reaching out to undo her cuffs, "your friends have already left. Probably already left Mexico by now"
"Why didn't you tell them I was here?"
"Until I knew your true intentions, I wasn't going to put them through more than they already have"
Kayla snorted, "that seems too nice of you"
The woman smirked, "maybe" surprisingly holding out a hand to help her up, "but I have known your pack for a while. They do good. It's the only reason they're alive"
Kayla accepted her hand somewhat reluctantly, letting the woman pull her up on shaky legs, "you've been keeping an eye on us? Why?"
Araya shrugged, "I have ties in Beacon Hills"
"What ties?"
Araya simply inclined her head sideways, her eyes dark and mysterious, "familial ties"
"You have family?"
"Regrettably" Araya murmured, "my daughter is... hard work" she settled on saying, "self absorbed and unfit to be a mother of her own"
Kayla snorted, "yeah, sounds like my mom-" she stopped short, probably getting way ahead of herself but frowned at the woman, linking everything together in her head, "... urgh... are you..."
Araya sighed, "yes. Jody is my daughter. The one I abondoned at a young age, as soon as I knew she would pass the genes of the encantado to her first born daughter"
Kayla's chest tightened, her eyes widening in shock, "well... I guess I know where my mom learnt how to abondon her kids"
Araya smirked, "it was for the best. The life of a hunter called for me, I was never made to be a mother. Just like how Jody wasn't either. Our bloodline is poison"
"Yeah, tell me about it" Kayla grumbled bitterly, "and the Hale bloodline isn't any better. I'm cursed on both sides"
"Our bloodline may be poison, but it's interesting" Araya's eyes gleamed, "maybe one day you'll learn more about it. Your mother and Jane haven't told you many things. About their upbringing, their past, let alone their real names"
"R-Real names?" She choked out, "what, is my whole life a lie?"
"Parts of it, yes. But you're not ready to know" Araya said, "not yet. You're too young"
"I've lived hundreds of years in hell, I'm technically older than you"
Araya quirked a brow, reaching out to cup her cheek, "with a face this young, definitely not. Not even signs of any wrinkles" she then dropped her hand, "now is not the time for any of your questions. Focus on fixing this timeline. Make sure things are different"
"Things are different already" Kayla shrugged, "I don't have the urge to kill anyone" she added with a chuckle but her humour fell on deaf ears - this woman clearly having no sense of humour.
"That's not entirely true" Araya proposed, "some events can be changed, influenced and adapted but others are fixed events, no matter what timeline. Some things just have to happen"
"... Like what?"
"That is for us to never know" Araya said, "now go. I'm already breaking my own rules by letting you live" she began ushering her out from the basement, "leave before my own hunters decide to take things into their own hands"
"Okay but-wait-I mean, I don't even have any shoes-"
"You're a resilient girl, I'm sure you'll figure it out"
"I smell of death, at least let me have a shower-" but she was pushed gently over the doorway, out into the stuffy night air of Mexico.
"Go" Araya's voice was firmer, a stark warning compared to their surprisingly friendly chat several minutes ago, "go home to Beacon Hills, you don't belong here"
"I'm so confused-"
She didn't have time to finish her sentence because the door got slammed in her face, leaving her shocked - and shoeless - on the doorstep.
"Great" she murmured, huffing out an annoyed breath and turning around, facing the eerie darkness of the small Mexican town, "just great. Could have at least given me a taxi number"
Isaac couldn't sleep since coming back from Mexico. His mind a whirlwind from everything that had happened. From being kidnapped, to his and Stiles' chat, to finding Derek - young and carefree - a stark contrast to what he was now. It was all so mind blowing, no wonder he couldn't sleep.
Camden had an early shift in a warehouse he was currently working in, jumping between jobs until he found what was right for him. It was just outside town, a few miles down the back road out of Beacon Hills, tucked away in the back and beyond.
So he asked to tag along, to get a ride over to the warehouse and then have a shot in his pick up to pass the time, practicing driving so he could finally get his license and get a car of his own. Camden reluctantly agreed, warning him not to crash his "baby", probably too tired to bother putting up a fight as he climbed in the pick up, the sky still blackened with night.
"What happened in Mexico really must've fucked you up" Camden cast him a suspicious glance as the engine of the pick up rumbled to life, "you look distracted"
"Yeah just... been a crazy couple of days"
"Are you sure everything is okay? It's not like you not to sleep"
Isaac scrubbed a hand down his face, his whole body aching with tiredness but his mind too busy to switch off, "I guess I just... miss my friends. Allison... Kayla... they should be here with us"
"It's only been a little under two months Zac" Camden smiled softly, definitely breaking the speed limits as she zoomed across town, "it hasn't been that long in the grand scheme of things. It'll take time"
"How long?" He asked brokently, "because I've tried to move on... I got back with Paige, I moved in with you but... I still just feel so sad"
"I know" Camden sympathised, "and I want to say it gets better but it never really does. I mean, look at mom. We both still miss her as much as when she died"
It felt like he had been stabbed in the chest, the reminder of his dead mom coming back to haunt him.
"Yeah... it'll soon be the anniversary of when she, yknow..."
Isaac heard Camden inhale sharply, "I know. I could never forget"
"I've just lost too many people that I love Cam" Isaac said brokenly, "it's never ending. And sometimes I feel that I only got back with Paige because I'm lonely"
Camden shook his head, "no, she's good for you that girl"
"But is she right for me?" Isaac asked, "I mean, she's not... she's not..."
"She's not Kayla?" Camden guessed, sending him a knowing look as they passed the Beacon Hills town boundary line and Isaac looked down sheepishly, "Zac... no one will replace Kayla, just like how no one will replace Laura for me but... they're dead" he said softly, "you can't put your life on hold for someone that's dead"
"I know... I know that, I do, but it's something that Stiles said earlier, about seeing something between us and now I can't stop thinking about it. I can't help feeling more for her"
"So, what? You want to break up with Paige?"
"No? Yes? I don't know..." he groaned, "but now I just know I'll look at Paige and see she's not Kayla and I'll be disappointed"
Camden's smile was sympathetic, "nothing happened between you two, did it?"
He shook his head, "no, not really. Almost, but it was always Stiles for her; never me. So I settled on being her best friend"
"Being her best friend was better than nothing" Camden said, "I know it won't ever be enough for you but-"
"I know, I know, be thankful I had her in my life, blah blah blah-"
Camden chuckled, "dont mimick me"
"It's what you were going to say"
"Oh shut up" Camden laughed, "I'm just installing my wisdom into you"
"Wisdom" Isaac snorted, his lips quirking in amusement, "funny"
"Zac, buddy, I know how it feels to love someone that's dead. I do. And it hurts like hell but you have to accept that you just don't have her anymore. You can't miss out on opportunities, on life, because you're pining over someone that's never coming back"
Isaac glanced down sadly, feeling like his heart was tearing in two, "I never stopped loving her. I tried, I did, but no matter what I tried... she still just had a piece of me"
"That's Hale's for you" Camden chuckled lightly, "once they have a grip of you they don't let go"
"Yeah... isn't that right"
Camden slapped a hand on his knee, "chin up brother... things will get better, they always do"
And Camden didn't know how right he was, his statement still hanging in the air as he turned the corner and suddenly had to swerve to avoid hitting someone walking on the side of the road, the unexpected figure scaring the life out of him and the pick up spun several times before coming to a stop in the middle of the road, both brothers staring at each other with wide eyes.
"What the hell was that?" Camden exclaimed, his breathing heavy and panicked, "who the hell is walking on this road at five o clock in the frigging morning?"
That same strange pulling feeling that he experienced back at the Calavera's took hold of his stomach and Isaac wordlessly slipped out of Camden's pick up, his eyes searching for the lone figure that enticed him forward.
"I'm sorry" the strangely familiar voice called out, about a hundred of so foot away from them, "I wouldn't be walking but this little bitch of a taxi driver kicked me out because I had no money, but it's like how was I meant to have any money after everything that happened and plus I have no shoes so walking on the road is so much better than-"
He was ashamed with how long it took him to recognise the voice, his mind too busy playing catch up as he squinted through the darkness, his feet moving forward as if on their accord before he realised the true magnitude of this chance meeting.
But there was no way... right?
He felt as if the ground was giving way beneath his feet, his vision tunnelling and focusing on one thing-
"Kayla?" He called out, half knowingly, half hopeful, a part of him sure it was her and another part prepared fo be disappointed, scared to be let down again.
The figure stalled a little, stepping into the beam of the headlights and squinting, raising a hand to cover her eyes from the bright light from the pick up and all Isaac's breath left him in one big whoosh, his legs almost giving way.
It was.
It was Kayla.
Somehow, miraculously, she was there. Standing in front of him. Alive and breathing and speaking to him.
It seemed she had the same reaction, her expression twisting into shock as she dropped her arm, calling out his name back to him.
The sound of her voice, so fresh and pure, washed over him and he found himself rushing forward, running full pelt into her and picking her up into the tightest hug he could muster, nothing but surprise she replied surging through his body.
"Oh my god... but this is... how is this... Kayla..." he was rambling, lost in the shock as he put her down on her feet, cupping her cheek so he could look down at her properly, seeing her dishelved state, dirt smudged on her skin and in her hair but despite the mess she was in, he was still the most beautiful thing he had laid his eyes on.
Nothing would ever compare to this moment... the moment he got his best friend back.
"It's a long story" she gasped, a smile pulling at her lips, "like, a really long story"
"You're alive" the tears were already brimming along his eyelids, never having experienced something so close to pure happiness in all his life, "you're here... you're back..."
"Yeah. Again" she nodded, her voice portraying something close to exasperation, like she was hinting at an inside joke, "did I mention it was a long story?"
Isaac swallowed thickly, his hands dropping to the sides of her neck, "I... I missed you Kay. Oh my god I missed you so much"
Her relieved smile was like warmth on a summers day, igniting these feelings he had buried deep down within him, holding her in his arms and not wanting to let go.
A/N) eeeeeek I'm so excited, there is so much to explore now, the Calavera's, Kayla's history, Jody and Jane (Jody who is still alive in this timeline remmeber), Isaac/stiles/Kayla chemistry etc so yayyyyy
Stayla reunion next 3
Also active on my tumblr everyday, it's fanficanatic-tw, come along and see edits and ask questions :)