Together

Women of the Otherworld Fanfiction

Singingfrogs

No copyright infringement intended

The young Doctor could feel the refreshing late morning air swirling over her petite figure. The window was slightly ajar, wind blowing through the loose tendrils of her auburn hair as her sensitive hearing picked up on the quietness of the forest due to the bleak snow covered surroundings. She had perched herself to the dense window seat of the bedroom, the sun hidden by the dense cover of grey clouds while the trees struggled to move in the wind due to the heavy branches they were carrying. Riley simply collapsed her back further in to the wall that was supporting her, moving her arms around her legs as she hugged her knees closer to her chest as she studied the various emails detailing the updates of her patients.

The collar of her shirt was poking out from underneath the thick material of her knitted jumper as her arms were adjourned with goose pimples underneath her long sleeves as she played with the patterned edges of her sleeves. Her internal temperature was cooling as she unconsciously thought back to the number of patients she had left undiagnosed or unwell over in England.

However, she was bitterly pulled from her thoughts when her iPhone started ringing from it's position by her feet, the strong vibrating causing the phone to clatter against the cushions before Riley cautiously picked up the offending object but smiled when she noticed Sophie, her best friend from England was calling her.

"Sophie?" Riley started as she lifted her phone to her ear. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, everything's fine, I just finished work so I wanted to make sure you made it there alright. I would have called earlier but I had to pull a double shift on the Cancer ward." Sophie assured, a small tinkling laugh vibrating over the phone speaker as Riley allowed herself a small smile at her friends reply.

"I hope that wasn't my doing. I hate it when someone else has to cover for me."

"Stop your fussing, it's about time you took some holiday, you're always covering for everybody. Besides it's not like you're waxing off in New York, you're there for your family."

"I think there was a compliment in there somewhere." Riley joked, making sure her smile was etched into her voice.

"I'll let you decide that one." Sophie started, before the jiggling of keys and the tussling of the phone call made Riley realize that her friend must have just made it home and was struggling to juggle her phone, keys and bag as she moved into the mouth of her home. "So any news about your family? How are they holding up?"

"We're taking it a day as it comes, but my cousin is struggling to understand all the funeral arrangements. We're all just trying to be there for him you know." Riley voiced, a little surprised that Sophie had believed the lie she had told her employers to successfully get the time off work. It seemed, that her orphan status was not common knowledge at the hospital and Sophie and her brother Ryan knew next to nothing about her past. Just the way she liked it.

"We're? Who else is there?"

"Antonio and his son Nick, an old family friend." Riley started, inwardly cursing as she hoped her friend would not make the connection.

"Nick? As in the Nick who buys you flowers?"

"The very same." Riley mumbled as she readjusted her position and crumpled her body, grimacing as she placed her hand to her forehead as if protecting herself against Sophie's enthusiasm that would only spark a conversation that made Riley more and more uncomfortable.

"Now I understand why you were in such a hurry to leave." Sophie expressed with a laugh, a laugh that grated on Riley's nerves as she flickered her eyes towards the forest in front of her window as she tried to redirect the conversation away from her inappropriate relationship with Nick that Sophie was only too happy to enthuse about.

"That's not the reason and you know it." Riley started. "Nick grew up with my cousin so why wouldn't he be here besides we both know that you read far more into mine and Nick's relationship. It is purely platonic."

"You forget my dear Riley, that I pride myself in being your closest friend. I know you far better than anyone and I want to see you happy. Nick makes you happier than anyone else I have tried to set you up with, why wouldn't you proceed with this blossoming relationship?" Sophie asked with a seriousness Riley very rarely heard in her voice.

"Because I'm not in love with him, even if you think otherwise." Riley lied, her heart hammering in her chest as she prayed to any god that would listen for Sophie to believe her. "Even if I learn to love him, I wouldn't jeopardize the one friendship I rely on, I can't endanger that."

"Can't or won't?" Sophie questioned, unknowingly causing her friend to falter as the werewolf allowed her words to cut right through to her heart. Once again Sophie had understood her emotions better than even she did. "Sometime soon, someone's going to show you how beautiful the world can be and you will be powerless to stop him."

"I know." Riley whispered before she heard another frantic ringing of the bell that communicated to Riley that her friend's frustration was growing at her lack of appearance at breakfast. "I'm sorry Sophie, but I've got to go so ill talk to you later."

"Just think about what I said alright, I have your best interests at heart, you know that right?"

"I know, speak soon. Bye."

"Bye Riley." Sophie finished before Riley disconnected her call, un-tucked her legs and glided towards her bedroom door.

Riley soundlessly pulled the door closed behind her as she emerged onto the landing. She could feel the frigid chill of Stonehaven seeping from the walls as she tottered down the hallways and towards the first set of stairs. However, as she rounded the large totem that was the centerpiece of the main entrance and down the final steps she balked when she noticed the unfamiliar figures of the Sheriff and his Deputy.

The young Doctor tried to descend the stairs as quietly as possibly, but due to the age of the building the usually silent staircase gave a sickening crack; the noise pulled the attention of the visiting officers to turn their focus from Clayton to her. Riley just swallowed her anxiety and greeted them with an anxious smile before flashing Clay a disconcerted expression, a look that was answered with a cold warning glare of his own. Why wasn't she surprised that Clay expected her to screw everything up?

The werewolf simply came to a firm stop as soon as she felt her feet pressing to the level wooden flooring of the foyer, her eyes sparkling with apprehension as the Sherriff and his co-worker turned to face her. Again, Riley placed a friendly façade onto her features as she took the Sherriff's offered hand and welcomed him into Stonehaven.

"You must be the young lady Mr Sorrentino and his son were meeting in town yesterday." The older gentleman voiced as his aged countenance reminded Riley of Jeffery the Shaman who she hoped had been discharged from her care.

"That's right. I'm Riley, Riley Thompson." Riley introduced, her strong British accent sounded remarkably out of place as she conversed with the Sherriff.

"Sherriff Peterson, nice to meet you." He replied kindly, as his vivid blue eyes shone with apprehension as he frantically studied the various artifacts and other rather disturbing ornaments or antiques that littered Stonehaven. Riley watched as Clayton came to stand at her side while the Deputy sauntered towards his boss, a hard glare shoved in her direction as if he suspected her. To say she squirmed under his intense glare was an understatement.

"You too." Riley replied with a sickeningly sweet smile of welcome. Clay just looked down towards her, his eyes speaking towards her; Riley just ignored him as she swept her fringe from her features and looked between the two officers in front of her.

"So are you aware of what's been happening around here the last few days?" Peterson questioned, his hands clasped by his waist while Riley took a cautious look behind her shoulder and towards the smoldering glare of Clayton before she turned back towards the police.

"Only by what Jeremy has told me. To be completely honest with you, I was a little taken aback by the news. Nothing like this really happens here at Stonehaven. Jeremy and his family are very private so how that body turned up at the edge of the property is a little disturbing." Riley voiced professionally, her false look of apprehension and concern washing to her expression as her usual callous and impassive way of talking with people would not have helped to make Jeremy, Clayton and Elena look innocent; so here came the acting skills as she paraded looks of exaggerated expressions. She was glad that the officers thought her emotions were genuine. "We just hope the animal gets caught quickly."

"We hope for that too Miss Thompson, but we're not completely sure that our coroners report was completely accurate." The Sherriff replied with a discomfited look.

"I don't understand." Riley asked with honest appearance of confusion.

"Some of our collected evidence isn't adding up so we are searching for other maybe more obscure indications that it was indeed a wolf attack."

"We're looking for a second opinion." The deputy imputed causing the two werewolves who were standing in front of them to turn their attention briefly towards him.

"I would be more than happy to help. I mean I'm a Doctor over in England, if you need another professional medical opinion I maybe able to help you." Riley inquired, not failing to notice Clay's uneasy shuffling of his feet as Riley took in the officer's surprised expression.

"I would appreciate that, thank you. We're only a small town so we need all the help we can get. May we call upon you when we are ready?"

"Of course, I should be here for the next few days as we gather, call anytime." Riley finished and took Peterson's hand again.

"Right this way Sherriff." Clayton growled as he held out his hand and guided his visitors to the living room. As Clay stalked passed her he shot her a warning glare, Riley however returned his dark expression with a defensive look of her own. She just rolled her eyes at his single mindedness; as usual Clay had missed her subtle plan.

Riley wasn't shocked to find Antonio seated at the table with a newspaper resting in his hands while his son hovered over the mouthwatering foods that covered the tabletop. The table was almost completely covered had it not been for the table settings that were resting to the sides of the table.

"Riley!" Antonio greeted as he placed his paper to the floor, got to his feet and wrapped his strong arms to his companion. Riley just smiled into his chest before he let her go and guided her towards the chair next to him.

"Are we starting or are we waiting for Jeremy?" Riley asked as she eyed the untouched platters of meat in front of her, her stomach growling which caused the two men she was sitting with to smile towards her.

"No, Jeremy told us to start without him." Nick expressed as he helped himself to a large handful of sausages that stumbled onto his plate.

"He isn't sure how long the Sherriff will be here." Antonio imputed as he too stacked his plate high with food.

"Are we even sure that they don't suspect Jeremy and the others?" Riley asked with a serious expression as she momentarily stopped her grabbing of bacon as she looked towards Antonio who glanced towards her.

"They don't have much to go by and they're only asking questions."

"But what if they search the property? We have too many skeletons buried on this property to lie."

"Jeremy won't let it get to that honey." Antonio comforted as he turned his attention towards Riley whose expression was remarkably blank as she conversed with the two of them.

"Besides they tried five years ago remember?" Nick attributed before Riley succumbed to her hunger and dug into the foods piled high onto her plate.

0-0-0

Snow was falling. The elegant snowflakes were spiraling from the dense cover of clouds before gracefully falling onto thick tree branches, outdoor wooden furniture or the grass that had disappeared under the seven inches of the white powder that had covered Stonehaven's grounds for the past week. The young Brit however was enthralled with its beauty, her eyes registering a sight she very rarely saw within the deep catacombs of London buildings, her fingers hungrily searching out for the handle of the back door, pushing it open before she emerged into the cold air.

Riley smiled when she heard the unfamiliar crunching of untouched snow compacting under her weight, her inexpensive winter boots that were a cross between Eastern chic and vintage hiking boots were almost lost within the snow if it hadn't been for her shoes climbing to the middle of her calf. The young Doctor just let out a joyous smile when the thick wool that lined her shoes helped to counteract the chilly affects the snow would have on her feet.

As she moved further into the back garden she readjusted her scarf, she tucked the material deeper around her neck and down the front of her fitted trench coat and continued to walk to the line of tree's that dominated the end of the garden. However, in the midst of her walking she could feel the freezing flakes falling on her, the young werewolf momentarily blinded by her inquisitiveness and looked towards the bleak sky. Her mind fell back to the last time she had been at Stonehaven in the winter, a time very different to the one she lived through now. Back then the Pack had been much larger, a time where Elena was still struggling with her life as a wolf and when both Peter and Logan had been around to distract Clayton from his frustrations when it concerned Elena. Riley was not surprised that whenever things did not seemed to be going smoothly with Clayton's temperamental girlfriend she got the brunt of his anger; what do you expect when the only other woman who was a female werewolf like his girlfriend was staying in the same house. Now, Nick had taken it upon himself to try and keep Riley from the firing line but as of late Riley had done little to provoke Clayton.

Nevertheless, as she stood there her mind was overcome with fond memories of tussling in the snow with Peter, Logan and the rest of her pack, taking a run in the middle of an intense snow storm before all huddling together to keep warm. Looking back, she had been far more open and more confident with the Pack; it was like she hadn't been hiding all of these conflicting emotions and what she had lived through hadn't been as troubling as the things she suffered with now. Sure, she had always been close with Nick and she considered him her closest confidant just like she did now, but these days, deep down Riley knew that she had fallen head over heels in love with him. It didn't help that she did not have the confidence to tell him, instead she suffered with all the fluttering's of her heart when he touched her, readily agreeing to come with him whenever Jeremy ordered the pair of them to do something or more than eager to help him in whatever ways she could. It had been Peter who had noticed the subtle differences in her when she was falling for him, he had also been the one she went to when she needed counsel; now she had to deal with it all on her own. How she wished Peter was here so she could tell him that Nick was always somehow involved within her troubling dreams; she knew that he would be able to provide her with a unique opinion.

"You know you've been standing here, just looking at the snow for the last five minutes right?" A voice sounded from behind her, Riley just turned to see Nick stumbling through the thick snow as he made his way towards her; Riley couldn't stop the affectionate smile from gracing her lips as Nick held his arms to his side as if to help balance.

"We don't get snow too often in Britain, I might as well enjoy it." Riley countered as soon as Nick stopped in front of her, the older werewolf grasping at the large collar of his coat as he quickly wrapped it around his neck. It also gave him the chance to study Riley as her eyes fluttered towards the picturesque forest in front of them. She was breathing through her mouth causing the wispy condensation to freeze in the air; her nose and cheeks were a flustered pink causing his eyes to flutter towards the normally unnoticeable scar that travelled from underneath her chin and towards her collarbone. The majority of the scar hidden under the scarf that Riley was snuggling closer too as she finally moved her attention back to Nick.

"Yes, well considering we see it for a potential six months a year, the novelty wears off." Nick stated as the pair of them headed towards the large irregular tree whose branches seemed to heavy for the trunk to lift. Riley just trailed her fingers over the uneven texture of the wood, noticing how the canopy had protected the branch from any intruding snowflakes; she gracefully heaved herself into a seated position as she faced Nick who had come around to face her.

"I wish we'd see more of it." Riley breathed warmly, "There's just something about snow that makes the child in me bubble to the surface. I mean everything looks so breathtakingly beautiful and quiet, you just can't help but go out and explore your surroundings that look totally different."

"I understand that." Nick said with a smile as he too gazed at the canopy above him that was vibrantly white with snow. "I've lost count how many snow fights we had here at Stonehaven when I was growing up."

"All I got was rain, and my sister's always had more important things to do than play with an eight year old who wanted to go puddle jumping." Riley explained with a genuine smile, her eyes never leaving her study of the trees while Nick moved to her side, his shoulder almost touching hers as he leant his elbow directly next to her.

"Were you much younger than your sisters?"

"Lydia was eight years older than me, so being a sixteen year old with an annoying younger sister you could kind of see why she used to hang out with her friends a lot more than her family." Riley countered as she turned her attention down towards Nick who was hanging off her every word. It was a rare occurrence for Riley to even mention her family so he wasn't about to let her stop.

"And she didn't even like the idea of puddle jumping." Nick responded with a genuine smile, relieved to hear Riley's tinkling laugh as she curled her hair around the shell of her ear.

"Not likely. Nicola used to humour me though. I think she quite enjoyed the idea of having a sister who wasn't obsessed with the cute boy down the street or a sister who would rather listen to music than talk to anyone else."

"You were eight." Nick balked, a large half smile plastered to his expression which only caused Riley to allow a far off, rather fond expression to take hold of her features.

"We didn't change much as we matured. Lydia seemed to have a new boyfriend every week while Georgina wore black, listened to heavy music and locked herself away in her room."

"And you? Were you always so…" he asked with a knowing glint sparkling in his eyes as one of his eyebrows rose from its usual position.

"So what?"

"So reserved?" He questioned and watched as Riley nodded her head in response.

"I guess so, but I was never the kind of person to fight for what I wanted. My sisters were always super confidant, always demanding they get their own way. I never wanted that, I just wanted to be loved. But when you have three other teenagers all fighting for attention at least one person gets overlooked and it's normally the quiet one."

"How can you think that?" Nick replied as he placed his warm hands over hers causing Riley to flutter her eyes to their hands before looking back to his eyes.

"My mother always blamed me for my father leaving considering he left only a couple of days after I was born. Lydia was old enough to remember our father while Nicola could only remember certain things. I guess, because I wasn't the favorite my sisters tried to pass the blame onto me, and most of the time it worked. My mother thought I was a child that was destructive, noisy, rebellious and not worth her time, when I was the complete opposite. I guess because of the tyranny I got from my sisters, my mother and my stepfather I withdrew into myself resulting in a grown woman who has little confidence, barely fights for what she wants and has a past that she hates dwelling over."

"I think you have a little more self-confidence than you're giving yourself credit for." Nick disputed, moving so he was resting his hips to the large branch while his hands were crossed over his chest. "You stand up for yourself pretty well when Clayton is a little belligerent and you come out of your shell a lot more when your comfortable with people, just like you are with me and Dad."

"Sophie said the same thing." Riley retorted with a smile, her hands tucked under her thighs as she watched Nick's smile taking hold of his lips.

"Your Doctor friend in London?" He started and smiled when he understood Riley's nod. "Well, I think me and this Sophie need to talk because we're on the same page. But I'm glad you're not on your own over in London, it must get so lonely."

"Sophie and her brother Ryan provide a very different friendship I have with you guys, besides Sophie could never help me with werewolf troubles. That's why I need Elena as much as I need you or Jeremy."

"She'll appreciate you saying that. Even though she won't say anything, she's missed you. Just as much as the rest of us have."

"I have been trying to get over here, you all know that right." Riley voiced, her eyes hard with concern as she observed Nick lifting his head and eyes so he could get a better look at her expression.

"We know, but it doesn't stop us from missing you. A lot has happened Riley and we hate the fact that you're missing so much. I just wish you could travel over to us more."

"That's a lot easier said than done." Riley countered despondently "Besides, you know why I've struggled to get out here." Riley finished, her heart hammering as she thought back to the conversation the pair of them shared half a year ago by the Thames. She knew of the massive step she had taken in revealing to Nicholas of her genuine fear, her insecure persona making her uneasy when it came to explaining her concerns due to the possibility of people judging her, or going so far as to loosing those she held close to her heart.

"I know, your shift work screws everything to hell and you've been a little apprehensive in coming back but we really need you here." Nick replied, his confusion evident as his mannerisms suddenly changed into one of comfort.

"You really don't." Riley said with a snort of disdain.

"And then as soon as anyone tries so get close to you or make things right you just shut them out. I know Riley, because you do it with me all the time." Nick countered, moving so he could get a better look at her. His eyes boring deeply into her silver eyes as he slowly brushed her side fringe from her face so he could get a better look at her expression.

"Yeah well, I shut everybody out. Don't take it personally. It's just easier." Riley retorted with a shrug of her shoulder as she tried to look away from Nick who was making it increasingly difficult.

"It's a sure fine way of making sure you don't get hurt but it's also really lonely." Nick replied as he moved his lips to the side in a sorrowful manner. Riley just looked down towards her lap before fluttering her eyes up to his. "I want you to be able to trust me, to talk to me and not hide away."

"I'm so much closer to you than anyone Nicky, you have to believe me." Riley urged, her eyes were wide with panic as she forced Nick to understand her statement.

"I know, but no one here is out to get you. We just want you to be happy." Nick expressed and was astounded by Riley's actions as she lifted one of her hands and gently cupped his cheek.

"Right now, right here, I'm the happiest I've ever been." She responded. Nick took a cautious step forward, his eyes inquisitively searching hers and continued to lean forward. But before he was able to reply or retaliate to his actions two perfectly formed and faultlessly thrown snowballs collided with both Nick and Riley.

Before either of them could even comprehend what had just happened Clay propelled his figure from the clearing, his bulky shoulders contacting with Nick around the middle as the Pack's bodyguard rugby tackled the graphic designer to the snowy floor. Riley couldn't stop the laugh from falling out of her lips as she continued to watch Nick recover from his attack and progressed to tussle with the man who was his childhood friend. But, she couldn't relax as another snowball was flung in her direction; the youngest werewolf was able to counteract the attack and flipped from the branch, landing elegantly on her feet as Elena came bursting from the undergrowth. Riley simply curled her gloved hands around a handful of snow and crunched it together before she too flung a snowball towards her female companion who was hit directly in the stomach.

Snowballs flew, people tussled in the snow, the sound of laughter radiated around the grounds of the ancient building, but as Riley slowly recovered from a snowball that had been thrown by Clayton she couldn't help but laugh as she felt a large clump of snow sticking to her hair. Clay shot her a very rare smile in her direction before his wife distracted him. Riley however could see that Nick was struggling with his boot and so an idea came to mind. She slowly ducked to the floor, scooped up a handful of snow before she snuck behind Nick's couched form. With all the stealth of a jaguar she pounced on her pack-mate and progressed in her attack. When Nicky finally realised what Riley had planned he quickly tried to get out of her grip, but considering her small petite size Riley's ability to contort her body to wrap around his back meant he was unable to get away. He couldn't help but laugh with her as he felt the cold snow that she had shoved down his shirt, melting and causing him to shiver.

Nevertheless, he couldn't help but smile and laugh along with her as she wrapped her arms around his neck, her knees effortlessly clapped to his middle as she continued to cling onto him. Nick in return lifted his own arms and held her knees as he secured her to his back in a much warranted piggyback. He turned his face back to look at her as she rested the side of her head with his and his heart trembled within his chest when he felt her soft lips pressing to his cheek.

0-0-0

He sat within the walls of his studio, listening to the silence of the uninhabited rooms. Antonio was finishing up his duties in the kitchen while the other four had all excused themselves or busied themselves with other distractions. He had hoped to sit in front of a canvas to order his frantic thoughts; instead he sat their nervously contemplating what may conspire in the next few days, weeks or months. It was moments like this when he wished he did not have the intense volume of responsibility when it came to being Alpha, after all his decisions effected five other people and they ultimately entrusted their lives to him. That was why they had lost two members of their pack five years ago.

However, a deep frown engulfed his usually composed expression when a lurid hooting of laughter washed to ears, removing his attention from his sketching considering it had been a very long time since he had heard such an intense and joyous laugh. When it was just the three of them it was very rare to hear such jubilant laughter. Sure Clay and Elena provided a great range of different emotions, whether that be laughter or voices raised in anger but Stonehaven's atmosphere always changed when the whole of the Pack was under one roof. The building shook with every pounding footstep, every barrel through a doorway, every tinkling laugh, noises so loud he could still hear it in the walls when they were gone.

But right now, as he shuffled towards the large window that overlooked the hefty back garden, what he saw made his heart swell with adoration. All four of the younger members of his Pack, even though most of them were in there forties, were all enjoying the snow like a group of eight year-olds who had never seen the white powder before. An uncommon smile washed to his lips as he watched Nick and Clay wrestling like they did when they were boys, or Elena and Riley finally completing a very childlike snowman.

As he kept watching he regretfully removed his gaze from his son and Elena, his eyes sweeping to Riley's euphoric expression as she clung onto a withering Nick who was struggling to remove a clump of ice that Riley had shoved down the back of his shirt. His smile only widened when he watched Riley pressing an affectionate kiss to his cheek as he carried her.

"It's been so long since they've been able to be just the pack." Antonio voiced as he pulled Jeremy's attention from the four werewolves and towards his old friend.

"We always get to distracted by the situation at hand, I don't blame them for wanting to blow off steam." Jeremy stated as he drew his attention towards Nick and Riley who were slowly moving towards Clay and Elena before turning back towards Antonio.

"But we need Riley focused, she's been too distracted the last couple of days."

"She's been having a rough time these last few months, I just want her to feel at home, we can't afford to alienate her more than she already is." Jeremy said as he gazed at Antonio. His old friend just shot his alpha a fond smile and looked towards his feet.

"And when this thing is all over, Riley will leave again." He stated, his footsteps clanking against the wooden floor as he moved to Jeremy's side, his own eyes taking in the happy expression of his son and the woman who had each of them talking.

"We all want her back. The best way of bringing her back is just giving her a chance to remember that this is her home." Jeremy urged as he pursed his lips.

"Well, we can only hope that the good here outweighs the bad." Jeremy expressed before he turned towards his ringing phone and frowned when he noticed the caller ID.