Phew, got this done just before I leave for Europe. I tried to get it out quickly to make up for the fact that I won't be updating in for the next two weeks so I apologize if it seems rushed. All mistakes are my own. Thank you again to everyone who has read and reviewed this story. I can't even properly articulate how nice it is to hear what everyone thinks of the story. I hope this chapter will tide everyone over until my next update. Let me know what you think! Thanks again!
When Allison comes to, the first thing she notices is the sharp pain in her wrist. The throbbing is constant, and every few seconds a shooting pang streaks through her arm. She doesn't think it's broken but it's probably as close as it gets, and it definitely hurts. She tentatively tries to flex her wrist from her position on the ground, left cheek planted firmly on the cool tile, but flinches when her arm's protests become too strong.
Her eyes are still unfocused, her mind trying to process the what, when, and where of the situation. Based on what she can see from her position on the floor, she realizes that she can't have been out for very long. Her father is still pressed against the same wall, but now his gun is in his hand. Arm extended in a position Allison has seen numerous times, Chris Argent's gun is cocked and ready to fire at whatever is to the immediate left of her. It takes a millisecond for her to realize what is at the other end of the barrel.
She momentarily forgets her swelling wrist and sucks in a sharp breath when she pushes herself into a sitting position. She follows the direction of the gun and her heart stops short when she sees Scott hunched over, knees and hands planted firmly on the floor. She has no idea what's going on, no real understanding of the situation, but she is coherent enough to see that Scott is alive.
She smiles. It's brief, and it barely reaches her eyes, but she is grateful to know that she can smile at all, she didn't think she'd be able to anymore. An outsider probably wouldn't even call it a smile, merely a quirk of her lips, but she wants her external façade to have some semblance of control. She hopes to appear somewhat levelheaded. Internally she's grinning like and idiot. She knows that it's completely inappropriate considering her father is a finger-twitch away from putting a bullet in Scott's head. But her boyfriend, who she watched die minutes earlier, was breathing three feet in front of her.
Her eyes focus on him, and she feels herself subconsciously reach for him. "Don't!" Her father's tone is one she has grown accustomed to in the past few months, stern and commanding. She expects it. What she doesn't expect is the feral snarl that escapes Scott. "Get back." The demand is laced with a venom that she would never associate with the boy. Her hand retracts immediately as if physically burned by his animosity.
She studies him in astonishment. She can't see his face, his head is hanging limply between his arms, but she can hear his ragged breathing. His body is stained red, accentuating the tension that is rolling off of his shoulders. She can see every vein, every tense muscle, straining against his skin. His arms are stiff and she can see his hands clenched in fists. His wounds are healing, but she can see fresh blood dripping through his fingers. Peering closer, she realizes that it's his own claws that are creating the new gashes.
She finally understands the hostility in his voice. He's in his wolf form. He's trying to change back.
Flashback
They're strolling through the woods, which have quickly become their own personal sanctuary. Scott has a goofy grin on his face and he playfully swings their entwined hands between their bodies. She jokingly bumps into him and he's quick to stagger backwards, playing the helpless victim. Despite his alleged reflexes, he doesn't notice the rock behind him. He trips and lands less than gracefully on his back. The astonished look on his face as he sits up is enough to send Allison into a fit of giggles.
Scott suddenly becomes affronted and she tries desperately to quell her laughing but the leaves sticking out of his hair make it impossible. Her stomach is cramping up and she doubles over in laughter, no longer trying to appease Scott's wounded ego. She's gasping for breath when she suddenly feels a pressure on her ankles. A fraction of a second later she's on her back looking up at the sky. She's no longer laughing.
She shoves herself into a sitting position and sees her boyfriend wearing a smug expression. He's leaning backwards, hands placed behind him, and she uses her hunter skills to take note of every weakness he is displaying. Allison quickly becomes mischievous and, based on his slight look of panic, Scott's noticed. He raises his hands in truce but she is quick to use his unoccupied hands as an opportunity for a counter assault. She pounces and he topples backward, his shoulders hitting the forest floor with a satisfying thud.
His shock is evident but when the two teens make eye contact neither can keep a straight face. Their laughter is simultaneous and Allison can't help but marvel at how harmonious it sounds reverberating through the trees. He's still grinning like a maniac when he leans up to place a chaste kiss on her lips. She knows that she probably looks just as giddy.
She twists her body and lies down parallel to Scott, her head using his shoulder as a pillow. He wraps a protective arm around her waste and she revels in the feeling of complete and utter elation. Their hands find each other like magnets and she watches as he idly rubs circles along her wrist. She can't help but smile. His hand suddenly disappears from her own and she immediately misses the contact. She's about to question, complain about really, the lack of contact when she sees that he's pointing at something above their heads. "Look at that!" For a second she thinks that whatever Scott's wildly flailing his arms towards is something that requires the heightened eyesight of a werewolf. Allison squints, using her hand to block the sun, and finally sees the lone flower that's blossomed on the tree nearest them.
He bolts up, taking her with him, and lifts her by the waist above his head. He does it so effortlessly that she is momentarily stunned. Her hands are hanging limply at her sides and though she's laughing, she's not entirely sure why Scott decided to pick her up like a rag doll. "Can you reach it?" His question makes her look down at his cheerful face, showing no signs of strain from her weight, and she gives him a puzzled look. "What?" He somehow manages to lift her higher when he replies. "The flower! Can you reach it?" Allison is completely floored and thinks he's probably the only guy she's seen get excited over a flower. She chuckles to herself when she realizes the reason behind Scott's reenactment of 'Dirty Dancing' and reaches with her arm towards to blossom. She's a good four feet short of reaching it. Scott seems realize this because Allison suddenly finds herself falling into the cradle of Scott's arms.
Her arms immediately wrap around Scott's neck and she savors the sensation of being held by him. He has a look of irritation on his face and she uses her thumb to smooth out his brow. She has a questioning look on her face and Scott's facial features suddenly becomes determined. "What are you doing?" He gently places her on the ground and rolls his shoulders, as if preparing for a fight. His eyes close and when they reopen they're liquid gold. He takes a few steps back and meets her eyes with a look of intent. "I'm getting you that flower."
Allison watches in awe as he catapults himself towards the tree and effortlessly climbs. He jumps from limb to limb and is fifty feet up before she can even process what he said. He precariously walks along the branch and reaches the flower in a nanosecond. Allison watches as he gently plucks up the flower and waves to her from above in victory. Apparently he can't multitask though because as he waves down at her he loses his balance and plummets to the ground. She cringes when he hits the ground and gasps when she hears the unmistakable break of bone.
Allison is kneeling beside him in an instant. His face has lost all traces of its wolfish features and she realizes that the pain of the fall is probably responsible for Scott's human appearance. "Oh my god, Scott! What were you thinking! Are you alright?" She sounds like every worried girlfriend from the movies but can only focus on the stupidity of her boyfriend. She watches in abject horror as he pushes his arm into a more natural position with nothing but a grimace. "Yeah, yeah I'm fine." She sees that he's telling the truth because his arm looks normal again. Allison sighs in relief, allowing her heart to return to its normal pace. She shakes her head at Scott and smacks him in the head in frustration. "Don't ever do that again!" She doesn't know how her voice sounds angry and panicked at the same time, but it does. Scott seems to understand her emotions because he nods his head, stands up, and grasps her hand tugging her along to continue their original hike through the woods.
It isn't until she gets home that she notices the undamaged flower that Scott had surreptitiously placed in her coat pocket.
End Flashback
Allison watches in rapt attention as Scott's nails dig deeper into his flesh. She sees him shaking his head as if the physical movement will aid him in becoming human. "Scott?" It's barely a whisper but it's evident that Scott heard her. His body goes unnaturally still and he raises his head to meet her eyes. His own eyes are redder than the crimson blood that surrounds him. She is shocked and slightly petrified. Scott seems to pick up on her emotions because he scoots himself away from her with an anguished groan. Her body moves in tandem with his though and as he pulls himself away, she pushes herself closer. Because the fear that he can smell on her isn't fear for herself, it's fear for him.
She can here her father make a noise of warning, but she doesn't stop until her face is an inch away from Scott's. He's gulping in air and refuses to make eye contact, no doubt ashamed by the occasional growl that leaves his lips. "Scott? Scott hey, you're okay. Calm down." She grasps his chin in her hand and forces his head up. Red eyes meet brown and Allison makes sure she doesn't blink, refusing to break their stare. Her hands are on either side of his head and she can literally feel his body begin to relax. His body seems to sag and she watches in awe as his eyes transform from red to gold. She feels his hands reach for her waist and can tell that his claws have reverted back to being dull nails. She gives him what she hopes is a comforting smile and leans forward to place a kiss on his forehead, the only part of his body that isn't entirely covered in blood. When her eyes meet his she is relieved to see that they are back to being a deep chocolate brown. She breaks a little when she sees the look on his face.
His gaze is filled with an overwhelming amount of pain and regret. She understands why he'd be in pain, he did after all just rise from the dead, but she is slightly puzzled by the look of guilt. He gingerly grasps her wrist in his hand, lining up each forming bruise with one of his fingers. She realizes why he looks so regretful. "I'm sorry. Allison I'm so sorry." His words come out in choked sobs and she can't even believe that he would apologize for something so trivial after the literal torture he had experienced. She pulls him into a hug, stroking his hair and murmuring soothing words, as his tears cascade down her neck. She meets her father's gaze over Scott's head and he nods his head towards the stairs. She's quick to understand and pulls her head back from Scott's.
His eyes are red again, this time bloodshot from crying, and she wonders if she looks as exhausted as he does. She tugs at his hand and slowly pulls him to his feet. He stumbles slightly, still weak from his recent experiences, and she gladly supports his weight. She's grateful that he doesn't question her, he merely follows her lead and allows himself to be guided up the stairs into the Argent bathroom. Allison sits him on the closed toilet and quickly turns to start the shower. Her eyes constantly flit back to him though and she becomes increasingly worried.
His eyes are blank and he's just staring at the floor. His face is expressionless and she thinks back to all of the stories she's read about survivors of torture. Most were never really the same afterwards, could never really recover. She has a sinking feeling that Scott is another statistic for these common cases. When the water is warm enough Allison grasps Scott's arm and pulls him into the shower. The spray of the water hits them both and she notes that Scott's stare is just as blank as it was before. She grabs a bar of soap and begins to vigorously remove all traces of blood from Scott's body. She pushes her sleeves out of the way and when they become too difficult to deal with she pulls her shirt off altogether, exposing her camisole to the harsh sprays of the water.
She is completely focused on her task and once she's efficiently scrubbed Scott's torso, she moves onto his face. She jumps in surprise when she sees the small smile adorning his face. She stills and briefly thinks that the water dripping down her face is distorting her view. She swipes at her eyes with the back of her hand and returns her gaze to Scott's mouth. The minute smile was still there. She locks eyes with him and, like always, he notices her confusion immediately. The smile increases in size and he gives her a slight shrug. "It's just… It's not exactly how I imagined showering with you." Her mouth drops open and the soap slips from her hand. When her mind informs her that, yes, he did just say that, she lets out a choked laugh.
She's glad that the water of the showerhead is pounding down on her because, for what she thinks must be the hundredth time that night, she begins to sob. She feels herself fall to the floor and immediately after her knees hit the ground she feels Scott envelope her in his arms. She clutches at him desperately and buries her face into the crook of his neck. "I thought… I thought you were dead." Her words are muffled against his skin but he tightens his arms around her and presses a kiss to the side of her head.
She realizes that she'll probably never be able to understand whatever it was that Scott had gone through. All she knows is that she never wants him to feel what she had felt since he'd collapsed across her threshold. Because she didn't just think he died, he did. And Allison was pretty sure that a part of her died with him. She never wants to feel like that again, and she sure as hell doesn't want Scott to feel like that either.
She's not long sure how long they sit there but she's suddenly aware that the water is freezing and her lips are chattering from the cold. She reaches up and turns off the cold spray, never allowing herself to lose contact with Scott. The two step out of the shower and Scott wraps a towel around her shivering frame. She hates how, after everything, she's the vulnerable wreck. She hates how Scott is here comforting and protecting her. She hates how much she actually loves it.
They exit the bathroom, hands entwined, and Allison notices that Chris has left a pile of sweats for them to change into. They tug on the clothes and Allison walks towards the door, already prepared for the discussion she knows her father has prepared. Just before she reaches the door she feels a tug on her hand and she stumbles towards Scott. He catches her effortlessly and pulls her into a searing kiss. They break apart and she knows she's crying again. There is a somber smile on Scott's face and he gently uses his thumb to brush the tear from her face. She leans up to catch his lips again and when they pull away she's happy to see that Scott is slightly less somber.
They walk down the stairs hand in hand and make their way to the dining room where Allison knows her father is waiting. He's already sitting down, gun lying ominously on the table, and the two seats across from him have already been pulled out for them. The teens take their places and Allison watches Scott's face when Chris finally speaks. "Scott, I think it's time you told us what happened to you, and why you're suddenly an alpha."