Reversing scars chapter 21
A/N: Chapter 21 here we go! Let me now what you guys think.
-There are wounds that never show on the body that are deeper and more hurtful than anything that bleeds.-
Water streaming over her hunched back, she shivers at the sensation. Steam fills the room as she sits curled up in the bathtub. Arms wrapped around her legs, head resting on her knees, she sits there completely still. Her head quite the opposite, thoughts racing through in a continued stream not unlike the water.
Sure she thinks about the war, about the pack a lot, sometimes losing track of time but never like that… Never did her body go where her mind had. This time it felt like she was there again, everything else, reality itself, fell away. God what if it had happened when she was in public or with the boys? She could've hurt them…
Was this what turning insane looked like?
Lifting her head slightly she sighs, tracing the cool bathtub interior she sits in the silence letting the warm water cascade over her tired figure. Maybe if she just stopped dwelling on the past and focused on the future she'd be okay, yeah then she'll be fine.
Getting up she turns the shower off and steps out of the tub, proceeding to dry herself. Putting on the clothes Caroline provided her with; simple jeans and a long sleeved shirt, she wonders if they are hers or Laura's.
Eventually she makes her way downstairs following the sound of laughter. Walking into the Hales living room she is confronted with an idyllic picture; six very happy kids, entangled on a twister tarp surrounded by lounging adults happily talking amongst themselves.
''Malia!''
She feels them before their voices even really register. One minute she's feeling the depths of despair and the next the warmth and zest of life is quite literally tackled into her by two tiny balls of blonde. A small smile forms on her lips as she squats down to hug them in return.
''You left.'' Aiden grumbles into her shoulder, clearly affected by her disappearing act.
Ethan nods against her other shoulder, ''without us.''
Pulling back she looks both boys in the eye, ''I did and sometimes I will be away from you guys but I'll always come back, I'd never leave you guys behind.''
''I don't like it.'' Aiden pouts, frowning profusely.
Scott nods, squeezing Aiden's shoulder in support. ''My mom leaves too, she has to work but she always comes home again.''
''Yeah, my dad too. He has to catch the bad guys and sometimes when he picks me up from school he secretly gets us curly fries to eat in the car.'' Stiles says, still laying in a tangled mess on the floor.
''Thanks for you know-'' Malia says, releasing the twins as she does so.
Talia nods, ''Not a problem, we like seeing more of you.''
A different hand tugs on her hand, looking down Malia is faced with Cora's puppy eyes. ''Can Ethan and Aiden stay? We still have to play tag, hide and seek, blind man, we're also eating pancakes and tonight we're barbecuing.'' Cora's head swings to look at Talia, ''They can stay right mom?''
Turning to the boys Malia is surprisingly faced with two very eager boys. Perhaps it's their wolf part that's latched onto the Hale pack or maybe it's the boys entirely, either way this is exactly what she hoped for. They get to experience a real pack, and from the looks of it if push came to shove they'd have other adults that could take care of them.
''Of course you're welcome to stay as well as the boys. I can understand your hesitancy to entrust them to us at this point in our relationship so feel free to refuse, no offense taken.'' Talia says from her spot on the couch, clearly seeing the wheels in her head spinning.
Though it makes her heart pound nervously Malia shakes her head, ''No, the boys can stay but I have somewhere to be today. Maybe I'll make it in time for the barbeque?''
Peter looks up from his book, acting as if he hasn't been listening to everything they just discussed. ''Darius and I are going hunting today, anything in particular you'd like?''
''I'm not a picky eater, besides I might not even make it so why bother.'' Malia answers even though a part of her wonders if there will be deer.
Saying goodbye to the boys, seeing them bonding with the Hales, she's struck by a flare of jealousy. And though she'd never admit it, it hurt a little to see how easily they seemed to trust the Hales compared to how long it took for them to trust her.
…
''Ladies and Gentlemen, please remain seated and fasten your seatbelt as we will be landing shortly.''
Closing her eyes Malia grips her armrests tightly, she hates having no control like this. Chances are she'd survive a crash but still. Steadying her breathing as they land and people rush to the exit. As she moves to grab her backpack she thinks about her next steps, she came here with a clear objective but can she follow through?
Can she kill her own mother, sure Corrin was never a true mother in any sense of the word and she posed a clear threat but was killing her really the way to go? Was it still a necessity if the Hale pack never burned? If the surrounding packs kept up their patrols?
Was it a necessity or did she simply want to kill her at this point. And if it was just her want would that be a bad thing?
''Welcome to San Ysidro, new Mexico airport. Are you here on pleasure or business?''
Looking up she's faced with a gate agent smiling a painfully fake smile, who seemed to rather chew glass than repeat that question one more time.
''Pleasure.'' She settles on after some thought.
''I see your return flight is booked for this afternoon, short trip.'' the gate agent responds, eyeing her suspiciously.
Fair enough seeing as it was a busy border state and illegal dealings happen here all the time. ''Meeting my birth mother for the first time.'' she simply states.
The gate agent grunts and lets her pass.
Walking out of the airport she hails a cab, which takes her to the seediest motel in town. Corrin was younger in this time, not nearly as notorious or as well paid. Paying the cabbie she steps out, walking to the dingy reception desk. The guy behind the counter avoids looking at her, he looks very meek and weak but appearances can be deceiving. His scent doesn't tell her anything other than him having poor hygiene and an interesting drug habit but one can never be too careful.
Laying down a hundred dollar bill she gains his attention, ''I'm looking for a woman about my height, 20- something with brown hair and eyes.''
His skittish eyes shoot between her face and the money, ''I- I don't-''
''Room number.'' She cuts him off coldly.
Swallowing he stumbles over his words, ''I can't tell you that.''
Rolling her eyes she throws down another four hundred. ''Room number, camera footage, you never saw me.''
His bloodshot eyes widened at her words, the meaning not lost on him.
''Either that or the cops get an anonymous tip about some drug related transgressions, they must love you and your side business. Heroin sure is a choice.''
''Room 10, last door. The cameras are dummies and I never see anyone.'' The clerk says, rattled by her threat but happily collecting the cash.
Taking the room key she made her way out straight to the last door on the lot. She could hear two heartbeats inside, wait two? Closing her eyes she strained her ears to check if the other heartbeat wasn't coming from the next room over but it wasn't.
She couldn't imagine Corrin working with someone. A client perhaps, or a hookup? Whoever it was they were in the way, she only had a short window to get this done if she was going to catch her flight back.
Listening in, she hears Corrin's voice, or at least what she assumes is younger Corrin's voice. ''I don't think you're hearing me. Either you tell me what I need to know or there are going to be consequences.''
There's some growling and multiple voices on the other side of the line before a man with a deep voice speaks, ''Corrin don't do this, I- we welcomed you into our home. I supported you in your time of need, don't throw this in my face.''
''Supported?'' Corrin laughs cruelly, ''Supported me by hiding that parasite's location? By conspiring with my enemies? You know what needs to be done, the choice is clear so what will it be? your daughter or mine.''
''You're not well Corrin, let us help you. We can get through this together, don't throw away all these years and make us into enemies when we don't have to be.'' The man pleads.
Corrin's voice only seems to get colder at his words, ''Your daughter's life or mine, what will it be, Moreno?''
Malia's stomach churns at the conversation, more than a decade would pass and Corrin would not change her mind even slightly. A parasite was all she was to her biological mother, nothing more than an invader and thief.
That's when she hears the sniffling inside the room, your daughter's life or mine… Is that how Corrin found her? Sold out by this Moreno guy?
''The time is ticking Moreno.''
A female voice pipes up through the phone, ''Beacon Hills! She never left Beacon Hills.'' There is a clear struggle on the other end of the phone.
Corrin scoffs, ''Of course they kept her close, hidden in plain sight… Thank you Eloiza, now I'm going to need a name or Belle here is going to have some discomfort.''
''Malia Tate.'' The man, Moreno, sighs defeated.
''So like Talia, disgusting.''
Creeping closer to the door Malia fights to keep a level head, the animal in her wanting to come out. Opening the door she only sees Corrin. A more youthful version but clearly not changed in any notable way; still out to kill her own daughter. A quick scan of the room tells her that the child of this Moreno and Eloiza is hidden or locked in the bathroom, good.
Corrin acts immediately upon noticing the intrusion. Dropping the phone on the motel bed, she pulls out her gun. She fires two shots before Malia reaches her, their combat skills aren't compatible in any way at this point of their lives. Malia having experienced years of combat during the war and Corrin just starting as a mercenary. It wasn't a fair fight but this situation was never going to be fair anyways.
Corrin's shots are fast, fast but too slow in comparison to Malia's advance. Reaching her, both of Malia's hands grab onto Corrin's head. Corrin's eyes widen almost as if she recognized Malia as her own, before her neck makes a sickening crunching sound.
Malia guides Corrins lifeless body to the ground, ignoring the worried voices coming through the phone. A silent tear travels down her cheek. Wiping it away angrily, she wonders why she'd feel like she's lost something here when Corrin wished her nothing but death all her life.
Small whimpering from the bathroom attracts her attention. Shit, so the door wasn't locked. She realizes as part of a child's tear streaked face peeks through the door opening. How much did she see? The girl in question looked to be around four, smelling surprisingly like multiple coyote's…
She'd never really thought about Corrin's affiliations beyond her mercenary life. Was this child somehow related to her? Did Corrin have a family or friends out there? They sounded close on the phone.
''Corrin?! Corrin?! Answer me, were those gunshots?'' The man, Moreno, frantically demands.
Malia grabs the phone, trying to disguise her voice making it sound deeper. ''Elaboster playground, 3 pm.'' She says before hanging up.
Turning to the kid she lowers herself down to her knees, ''Hi there kid, how about we go find your mommy and daddy?''
The kid walks into her arms like they've known each other for years, no fear whatsoever. Then again she probably said the only words that the kid wanted to hear most. Lifting her up she shields her from the view of Corrin's fallen form, closing the door behind her.
She feels so much yet so little having killed her own mother, a part of her wants to believe that Corrin could have changed like Peter did but it goes against everything she's seen from the woman. If anything, thinking of Corrin left her feeling a certain type of emptiness.
Walking for about half an hour they reach their destination, Elaboster playground. Surveying the surroundings she sees all types of people, children on the playground, teens on the basketball court and adults strolling around. A sunny afternoon in which the park was buzzing with life, perfect.
Putting the girl down she points at the tower on the playground, ''Hey Bella? How about you go play there, from up there you'll be the first to see mommy and daddy.''
The kid nods before running off towards the tower. Malia watches her from a distance until she sees a group of people enter the park. She watches as Bella squeals in excitement upon spotting them, she watches as they embrace her with love and concern.
''Oh Mija, are you okay?'' a dark haired woman, Eloiza asks, petting the girl's cheeks.
A darked haired man, Moreno, scanned the surroundings zeroing in on her for a second until some random kid mistakenly called her mom. After his assessment he lifted the little girl in the air, kissing her forehead lovingly, holding her in his protective grasp.
Four other adults surround the three, showering the child in love. All coyote's, a whole pack of them…
Walking away it leaves a bittersweet taste in her mouth, how come other coyote's loved their young yet her mother only ever hated her?
…
''And she said it was nothing?'' James asks, sitting at the kitchen island sifting through papers spread out around him.
Talia shakes her head, putting some dishes in the dishwasher. ''She laughed it off, but I could tell something was off.''
James looked up from his stack of papers, ''How so?''
Pausing her task Talia shook her head slightly. ''I don't know, small things. The way she sounded, the look in her eyes… It was like she'd just woken up from a nightmare.''
''Maybe she did.''
Frowning Talia looks at James, confusion tainting the air.
''Think about it darling, what do we know about her? Her pack was slaughtered leaving only her, she is covered in scars which shouldn't even be possible on her yet there they are. I'd be surprised if she has any nice dreams.'' James says.
''You think she imagined being chased or attacked?'' Talia asks, leaning on the kitchen counter across from her husband.
Shrugging, James shakes his head a little. ''I wouldn't say imagined, more like re-lived. It sounds like she is suffering from ptsd to me, I've seen it in a client years ago. A soldier charged with battery assault. When examined by our psychologist it became known that he had vivid dreams and at times would dissociate from reality, thinking he was back in past events. He couldn't even recall meeting the man he'd assaulted, he however could recall hearing a car alarm going off that afternoon.''
''A werecoyote with ptsd?'' Talia questions, doubt clear in her voice.
James taps his pen on the counter, ''I've heard stranger things.''
''Let's say she has ptsd what should we do to help her?''
Grabbing her hand James gives her a small smile, ''We've known her for a short time, I think we should get to know her a little better before trying to cure her of all that ails her.''
Sighing Talia nods, ''I guess I'm getting ahead of myself a little huh?''
''A little.''
''She might come to the barbeque tonight.'' she says with a hopeful lilt to her voice.
James nods, ''I heard.''
''Cora and her boys get along well.'' she says, wiping the counter clean.
Getting up he hugs his wife from behind, ''Small steps forward Tal, small steps forward.''
…
''Cam?''
Walking through the quiet house Isaac searches for his big brother.
''Cam, you home?''
Isaac opens Camdens room with some hesitancy, his brother didn't like to be bothered by him these days. The room, much like the rest of the house, unfortunately empty. Since mom died both him and dad seem to hate him…
Sighing he holds his rumbling stomach, they probably went out to eat without him again. He wonders if they excluded him on purpose or simply forgot about him. Biting his lower lip he slinks back into his own room, there he eats an old packet of crackers he found in his backpack. They didn't taste the best but it was something.
Sighing he lays down on his bed staring at a picture of his mom, curly auburn hair framing her kind face. He imagines her being there, next to him, petting his curls and singing to him until he falls asleep surrounded by her warm presence.
…
''Can I come hunting?'' Ethan asks running up to Peter and Darius.
Mirth fills the older men's faces. Darius squats down, ''Maybe once you're a little older bud.''
Rejection fills the youngsters face with gloom. ''Oh, okay.''
Pursing his lips Peter sighs, ''Why do you want to come kid?''
Scuffing his shoe in the dirt Ethan avoids eye contact before mumbling something incoherently.
''What was that?'' Peter frowned in question.
Sighing a heavy breath Ethan looks at them, ''I wanna get Malia something.''
''Is that so? And what are you planning on getting her?''
''A deer.'' he states matter of factly.
Darius laughs, shaking his head in amusement. ''Of course she likes deer.''
Frowning at Darius, Ethan gets a little angry thinking he's making fun of him. ''She does, you'll see.''
''Hey I wasn't making fun of you. I was laughing because Leroy Hale, your aunty's daddy loved deer, so it's funny they are so alike. Still you're a little too young to come with us.''
Deflating Ethan, resigns to his defeat.
''How about this little man, me and Darius catch your aunt some deer today and you'll get to claim the credit? And in a few years we'll take you with, promise.'' Peter says winking at Ethan.
Thinking it over for a minute Ethan nods, ''You have to get the best one though.'' he says seriously.
''The very best.'' Peter nods at him.
…
Later that day
''You made it!'' Laura surprises her by drawing her in with a one armed hug, the other holding a soda. ''This is my boyfriend, William Matthews. William this is Malia.''
''Deputy Matthews.'' Malia says shaking his hand with her own, hands that a few hours ago ended a woman's life.
''Malia.'' he nods, smiling kindly at her.
Looking between the two Laura frowned in question, ''You two have met before?''
''Briefly, he and deputy Stilinski helped me out awhile back.'' Malia smiles.
Humming William nods, ''I told you about her, the woman we might want to recruit.''
''You were talking about Malia? Wow, that makes so much sense. You threatened to kill my boyfriend, who are you Peter?'' Laura asks jokingly.
Peter looks up from his spot on the grill, laughing. ''You just joined the family and already threatened Will? You might be my favorite sister.''
''You wound me brother.'' Talia says, faking offense as she balances a tray of raw meats ready for the grill.
''Malia, look what I can do!'' Aiden yells jumping between logs with Ethan, Cora and Alex close behind him.
She smiles at them, ''Wow, good job!''
A soft melody fills the air, she watches Derek spinning Paige around on the porch unbothered by the surrounding eyes though she does see Paige blush when Caroline whistles at them.
''Here, a little birdy told us it was your favorite.'' Darius whispers as he hands her a plate with the unmistakable scent of deer.
''A bird, you say?'' she responds, smirking.
Shrugging Darius walks away hoisting Caroline out of her seat, twirling her slowly while she laughs.
There's a sort of calm rhythm to the chaos surrounding the Hale house. The talk, laughter and movement all blend into a pleasant whole.
Taking a bite of her venison she almost moans in delight, and maybe she actually did.
James smirks from across the yard, ''That good?''
''That good.'' She laughs a little.
Walking up to Talia and Peter at the grill she feels a little awkward but that feeling soon drifts away as conversation flows.
''Scott and Stiles couldn't stay for dinner?'' she prods a little.
Talia shakes her head, ''No, they don't come here often. We try to discourage the children from bringing humans home too often, it poses too many risks unfortunately. So it's nice to see them taking a liking to Ethan and Aiden.''
''That has to be isolating for you guys.'' Malia responds, swallowing another bite.
Shrugging Peter responds, ''It can be, but it's for the best at least until they're older.'' he says nodding at William.
''You mean better at hiding it.''
''It's our reality,'' he responds, ''Could imagine what would happen if others were to find out about us? About our kind living amongst theirs?''
''All too well.'' She says, a cold chill passing through her at the thought.
Noticing the shift in demeanor Talia changes the topic quickly, ''How has it been, the boys seem to be doing quite well. It's clear they love you very much.''
''It is?'' Malia asks, a little taken aback. Sure the boys finally trusted her and clung to her but wasn't that just because she was their only lifeline?
''Very much so, you're doing a great job with them.'' Talia responds, tentatively padding Malia's shoulder.
Peter, intuitive as ever, sees much more than he's supposed to. ''You know they only trust us because you introduced us as family right? They trust us because you showed trust in us, had you shown hatred towards us the beastyboys would've hated our guts right alongside you.''
Looking at the boys rolling in the dirt alongside Cora and Alexander a warm feeling fills her, ''Don't call my boys the beastyboys.''
''Meh, I think it suits them, that or the terror twins. Sure they're sweet now but can you imagine them as teens?'' Peter shudders for effect, ''Scary is what it is, especially if they keep they're alliance with shortie.''
''Shortie?'' Malia asks.
''The unholy offspring of our dear sister and her husband.'' Peter answers dodging Talia's swatting hand.
''He means Cora.'' Talia says before going after Peter, ''You can run but you can't hide from me Peter!''
Making eye contact with Darius she asks, ''Should I be worried?''
He smiles, shaking his head in response. ''Nah, they do this, it's kind of their thing. Talia will chase him and he'll evade and within minutes the kids will join in the chase, it's a thing they do.''
''The mighty Talia plays tag?'' she laughs a little at the thought.
Darius smirks as he walks to join her at the grill, ''That surprises you? She does have four children you know?''
Acting surprised Malia throws out, ''You don't say?''
''Shocking I know.'' Darius responds, laughing a bit at their silliness.
Joining them Caroline, Laura and William look at them in question. ''What's so funny?'' Laura questions.
''Peter's about to get his ass whooped, that's what's funny.'' Darius responds still chuckling.
William looks the most concerned out of everyone present, ''Why?''
''He called Cora shortie.'' Malia says.
Suddenly Cora pops out of a nearby bush, ''He what?!'' she screeches before joining the chase.
Running past Aiden, Peter winks at the kid as he evades his elder sister.
Somewhere behind him he hears his niece, ''Get him Aiden! Tackle uncle Peter, Ethan!''
Aiden looks at Ethan before shrugging and joining the chase as well. Ethan runs in the opposite direction as he and Alexander join forces to try and catch Peter by surprise.
''He's very good with kids…'' Malia says quietly.
Caroline smiles at her observation, quite pleased. ''Yeah, he loves kids. Can't wait to have some of his own.'' rubbing her bump.
She smiles but inside her mind is at war, what would happen if Peter found out he in fact already had a daughter? One that Talia hid from him…