The prodigal daughter has returned!
I am so incredibly sorry that I left you guys hanging like I did. These last few weeks have been hectic. I'd like to thank each and every one of you who has favorited, followed and reviewed this story.
I had a longer author's note planned out so I could answer a couple of things but this site is not cooperating with me at the moment so I'm trying to get this chapter out while Doc Manager is suddenly willing to save it.
Inspiration for this chapter: "Dog Days Are Over" by Florence + The Machine, "Cry Wolf" by Bebe Rexha, "Love Bites (So Do I)" by Halestorm, "Cosmic Love" by Florence + The Machine, and "In Your Room" by Halestorm (a very crucial song to this story)
Disclaimer: I own the Decker/Keating clan, Amy Shriner (portrayed by Janel Parrish), and the car known as Ron Burgundy. Everything else belongs to the rightful owners.
The first thing that Marlee did when she woke up on Monday morning was text Scott.
'If you tell anyone that you saw me shed even a single tear, I'll deny everything and kick your wolfy ass.'
After she was done showering, she found a response waiting for her.
'Oops. Too late. It's already all over Facebook.' Followed by a little winking emoji.
Cheeky bastard, she thought with a smirk before it quickly melted into a frown.
'You're okay though, right?'
Just as she tugged a shirt over her head, her phone chirped out a text alert.
'I'm doing better than I was.'
'Let me know if that changes. I'll pull the fire alarm or something. Get you the hell outta there.'
'Let's try to avoid getting you in trouble.'
'Pfft, "Trouble" is my middle name.'
Throwing together an outfit, she made her way downstairs to find Allison sitting at the table with Virginia. Marlee found it impossible to not smile at the sight. She knew from Lydia's first visit to the house that Allison's mother was dead and from what she could tell, Victoria Argent had passed shortly before summer had started. Marlee's mom had always been a bit of a mother hen, constantly wanting to take care of others. She managed to find the time to volunteer and help with her daughter's classroom activity in elementary and middle school. Hopefully this kind of behavior was something that the other girl would embrace and benefit from.
"Hey! What are you doing here so early?" Marlee asked as she took a seat and pulled a box of cereal towards her.
"Well, I was going to pick up Lydia and ask her for some notes but when I got to her house- guess whose motorcycle was in her driveway."
"Ewww!" Marlee loudly exclaimed. "I think I may have just lost my appetite."
"Who are we 'ewww'ing?" Virginia asked with an amused look on her face.
"This total asshat named Aiden. He and Lydia kind of have a thing going on."
"I'm going to assume that you are correct about that "asshat" comment and second that 'Ewww!'" The matriarch took a sip of her coffee.
Allison laughed at the older woman's words.
"Oh, Marlee," Virginia continued, "I forgot to tell you that the mechanic called on Saturday while you were gone. Your car should be ready to go at the end of the week."
"Wonderful."
"Allison, since you have been so kind enough to give this troublemaker rides to and from school lately, I was wondering if you and your father would like to join us for dinner tomorrow night."
The brunette grinned, pleased with the invitation. "I'm sure he would love that."
"Allison, no! This is her way of spying on my life and making sure I am not partaking in the drugs!"
"Oh really? Have you ever 'partaken in the drugs'?" Her friend raised an eyebrow with a smirk.
"If you count snorting Smarties on the bus one time when I was nine- then yes, yes I have."
"Speaking of 'smarties', how are you doing in Physics?" Virginia asked her daughter.
"Ummm… it could be better." She refused to meet her mother's gaze.
"Honey, why don't you just ask someone to help you?"
"I don't know how to math, let alone how to apply it to science. I wouldn't even know who to ask!"
"Scott's actually good with science," Allison interjected, "and I'd bet that he would be happy to help you out."
"Perfect." Virginia gave a toothy grin before turning to her mortified child. "Ask him."
"But- I mean- ugh, fiiiine. I'll text him about it later."
After several more minutes, the two teenagers left for school. Despite the stressful weekend they had endured, the girls managed to have a joyful drive to school.
Scrolling through the songs on Allison's phone, Marlee's lips quirked up at a particular song that had caught her eye. Glancing at her curious friend, she tapped the screen and placed it back in the cup holder.
"Happiness, hit her like a train on a track… coming towards her, stuck still no turning back…"
Allison grinned as Florence Welch's enthralling voice filled the vehicle. The singing from inside the car started quietly, gradually increasing until both of the young women's voices were intermingled with the one blasting from the speakers.
"Run fast for your mother, run fast for your father, run for your children, for your sisters and brothers, leave all your love and your longing behind, you can't carry it with you if you want to survive…"
When the song came to an end, the energy coursing through the girls was almost palpable. They glanced over at each other and couldn't help but laugh.
"Another round?" Marlee asked.
"Let's do it!"
A few mini jam sessions later, Allison's Toyota pulled into Beacon Hills High School's parking lot.
"Hey, there's Boyd!" Marlee rolled down the passenger window before cupping her hands around her mouth. "BOYD!"
The beta looked over at her, rolling his eyes good-naturedly; a faint smile appeared on his face and he gave a short wave.
Marlee grinned at him as she remembered the day before.
The bus had pulled away from the Glen Capri about twenty minutes ago. After Stiles had thrown Coach's whistle out, their group had fallen silent. Glancing back at Boyd and Isaac, Marlee could tell that the former was getting lost in his thoughts. Considering what had happened mere hours ago, she knew that was the last thing he should be doing.
"Boyd. Boooyd. Boyd!"
The young man was too far gone to hear her until-
"VERNON!"
Everyone on the bus turned to look at the blonde, who kept her eyes on her target.
"What?" He asked.
"Get your ass over here."
With a heavy sigh, Boyd heaved himself out of the seat he had been sharing with Isaac and moved to drop onto the spot next to the eager girl.
"What do you want, Marlee?"
She simply stuck her hand out and said two words: "Thumb war."
His expression flickered with shock, confusion, and amusement.
"Are you serious right now?"
"I am one-hundred percent serious. Let's go- you and me, pal."
Following a few rounds of Boyd beating Marlee, who spent the entire time cursing and laughing, she went up against Isaac. After ten matches- Marlee beat Isaac twice, though some cheating had been involved- the two boys competed. Their female companion acted as referee, keeping it fair and making sure they didn't use their wolf-powers to the point of destroying the bus.
Lydia had convinced Coach to drop the three girls off at the rest stop, where they would wait for Chris to arrive and put enough fuel in Allison's car to get to the next gas station. Marlee pushed thoughts of Scott almost dying on a dirty bathroom floor out of her head as the bus rolled up next to the area. She planned on sleeping in the backseat of the Toyota for the next several hours. As she followed Lydia and Allison down the aisle towards the front of the bus, Marlee reached over to ruffle Scott's hair.
"Take care of yourself, McCall."
Speaking of boys with brown eyes and crooked jawlines, a green dirt bike was currently being parked by the curb. The rider, sporting a familiar black denim jacket, dismounted agilely. Just from his posture, Marlee could tell that Scott was indeed doing better than he had been previously. He didn't seem to have that defeated look about him, like the weight of the world was on his shoulders. Taking off his helmet, Scott turned to scan the parking lot, a smile lighting up his face when his eyes landed on the Toyota. Marlee waved, feeling grateful that he wasn't looking at her in pity after finding out about her dad.
Stepping out of Allison's car, something inside of Marlee told her there was no turning back after this. She could never go back to the way her life was before, before she met the pack. To her surprise, she didn't feel even the slightest hint of regret.
The next night, as dinner was just finished being prepared, the doorbell rang.
"I'll get it!"
The excited individual darted towards the front door. Flinging it open, she gave Chris and Allison Argent a crazed grin.
"Welcome to our humble abode."
"Hello, Marlee." The older man smirked.
Virginia walked up behind her daughter, placing a hand on her shoulder. Chris blinked in shock, taken aback for a second. Marlee wasn't surprised in the slightest. Her mother had that effect on men. Parent-teacher conferences were always a nightmare for that reason… well, among others. At this point, Marlee didn't think much of it. It was just a natural thing.
"Hi, I'm Virginia Decker."
The man recovered a lot more quickly than most did when faced with the woman in front of him.
"Chris Argent," he extended a hand for her to shake, "it's a pleasure to meet you."
"Likewise."
Father and daughter followed mother and… other daughter into the house, taking everything in.
"This is a lovely home that you have here."
"Why, thank you."
Before anyone else could say a word, a blur of gray came hurdling down the stairs. Edgar immediately curled himself around Allison's ankle, begging for attention from this newcomer.
"Marlee, did you shut his door all the way?"
"Maaaaaybe." Marlee picked the cat up and adjusted one of her hands under his front paws, in order to avoid having claws sink into her shirt. "At least I thought I did."
"Is that the cat that you took in from the vet clinic?" Allison smiled at the feline peering at her from his owner's arms.
"The one and only."
"He's got some nice-looking battle scars there." Chris observed.
"Yep. He's my little warrior."
"Why don't you get him situated and then meet us in the kitchen? Maybe give him a treat or something." Virginia suggested.
When Marlee went to pass her mom and go up the stairs, the older woman leaned over and whispered, "You didn't tell me that he was so good-looking."
Oh, Allison, why did you and your dad agree to this dinner?
Stifling a laugh, Marlee whispered back, "In case you haven't noticed, everyone in this town looks like a model. There has to be something in the water."
After putting a pouting Edgar back in his room and taking a lint-brush to her clothes, she joined the others in the kitchen.
"She wasn't sure what you guys would like so she just stuck with burgers and tacos. Simple yet a bit of a variety."
"Well, it smells delicious."
Sitting down, it was Marlee and Allison across from each other with their parents facing one another. Dinner had been going off without a hitch until a touchy subject made its way into the conversation.
"Marlee tells me that the two of you moved to Beacon Hills in January." Virginia prompted.
"Yes, my job required us to move and my family has a bit of a history here, so it all worked out." Chris replied, adding condiments to his second burger.
"That was around the time that those animal attacks took place, wasn't it? Marlee insisted on staying away from this town because of those incidents."
While Virginia kept her eyes on Chris, Allison stared at the girl sitting in front of her with wide eyes. Marlee shrugged slightly and pulled a face as if to say 'Hey, I didn't know at the time!'
"Yes, well, those proved to be my sister, Kate's doing. I'm sure if you haven't heard about it by now, you would have heard eventually- especially with your job." The statement was said in a matter-of-fact tone.
Virginia choked on a piece of her food for a second before clearing her throat. She looked down at her plate, embarrassed and ashamed. "I'm so sorry. I-I didn't know."
"It's alright. I'm sure you wouldn't have said anything if you had."
Marlee knew that her mother would be beating herself up for days over that mistake. She also knew that if Virginia really had heard it from someone else, she would have shut that person down completely. While other women may have been hooked into the rumor mill and the grocery store gossip, Marlee's mother wasn't up for any of that; their own family and misfortunes had been talked about enough over the past couple of years to enforce that. The only person that Virginia would even think of talking to about such superficial things was Marlee.
"Dad did shoot the mountain lion that everyone thought was the problem." Allison piped up, hoping to steer the conversation away from Kate.
"You're a skilled hunter then?" The woman was thankful for the subject change.
"You could say that." Chris hid the tiniest of smirks behind his wine glass.
"That's impressive. I myself grew up in a family full of hunters. It's a pretty common activity in Wisconsin." Virginia smiled.
"My wife and I were actually living in Wisconsin when Allison was born."
Marlee, already aware of this piece of information, quietly started to hum "It's a Small World".
"Don't you dare start with that." Her mother warned, dreading the idea of hearing that song.
The humming just got louder and louder.
"Marlee Elaine Decker!"
The young blonde immediately stopped her noise-making at the use of her full name.
"Elaine?" Allison sniggered.
Marlee Elaine pointed her fork in the girl's direction. "Shut it, Argent!"
"I didn't say anything." Chris joked.
Marlee turned her gaze towards the usually serious man and uttered, "I thought we were cool, dude."
"You've never been cool, sweetie." Virginia gave her daughter a smile and a wink.
"At least Allison still loves me!"
"Well…"
"I hate all of you."
The following morning, Marlee scowled as she found herself rechecking her appearance in the mirror multiple times.
It's just Scott. Chill the fuck out.
Just as Allison had predicted, Scott was more than happy to offer his tutoring services. (Though Marlee had been insistent about the session not being referred to as "tutoring". She confessed that it made her feel 'kinda stupid'.) The two had made a plan to study Physics at his house after school; in order for that to work, he was picking her up. Deciding that she looked decent enough, Marlee made her way downstairs. She immediately wanted to turn back around and flee up the stairs when she caught her mother's expression.
"So, Scott's picking you up, huh?" Virginia teased.
"Don't make a big deal out of it, okay? We're just studying together at his house later."
"Mmhm…" The woman's smirk was hidden behind the coffee mug she held to her lips.
"And what, exactly, is that supposed to mean?"
"Honey, even at my age, 'studying' didn't mean that you were just reading dusty, old textbooks. At least not with a boy as good-looking as that."
"Ewww! Mom! First of all, that's disgusting. I could have gone my whole life without knowing that little tidbit. Second, we're just friends and nothing beyond platonic feelings is going on. Finally, Scott's not that kind of guy. He's really chivalrous and all of that gentlemanly stuff."
"Yes, yes, I can tell. Plus, I didn't mean that you two- or anyone else- would be having sex necessarily. It could possibly be honest-to-God kissing."
"Yeah, that's not happening, like, ever."
"I think what you meant to say was 'It's not happening yet.'" The teasing tone was back.
"Why? Why are you like this?" Marlee planted her face on the table.
"Because I'm your mother and like seeing your cheeks turn that lovely shade of pink."
A few minutes passed without much interaction except for the occasional 'Don't!' from Marlee whenever Virginia started to send her an amused smile. The faint sound of an engine made both of their heads swing towards the front of the house. Marlee scrambled to rinse out her bowl before placing it in the dishwasher and dashed to snatch up her backpack. It still wasn't quick enough to beat her mother to the door.
"Hi, Scott!"
"Hi, Mrs. Decker!" Scott called out with a grin after he took off his helmet.
"You didn't tell me that he had a bike." Virginia glanced at her daughter.
"You never asked."
Just as she started down the stairs-
"Aaaand I forgot my Physics book. Shit." Marlee hesitated before she hollered at her patiently waiting friend, "Hey, you wanna come in for a minute?"
Scott wordlessly started towards the house and up the steps, giving the older Decker a smile as he passed.
"Actually, this might take more than a minute. I kind of don't know where it is at the moment." The teenage girl amended.
Her mother looked like the cat that ate the canary at the prospect of being left alone with her daughter's future boyfriend. (She was holding out hope that Marlee would stop being so stubborn and realize what was happening here.) Seeing such an expression on her parent's face, Marlee turned towards an oblivious Scott.
"You might as well come upstairs with me and wait. I'll try to be quick about it."
Upon entering her room a few seconds later, the beta let his eyes sweep across it, taking in his surroundings. Scott couldn't seem to find Marlee's textbook anywhere and he informed her of that. She let out a groan, beginning to move about the room in search of the goddamn thing. The other teen used this time to inspect everything more thoroughly, slowly starting to understand the blonde girl better. Just as Lydia had noticed the first time she had been in the house, Scott eventually spotted the lone picture frame sitting amongst Marlee's books and movies. Walking up to the bookshelf, he studied the photo, faintly listening to muttered curses in the background. After several moments of hearing such colorful language, he spoke.
"Is this your dad?"
Marlee glanced over briefly before continuing her search. "Yep, that's my old man."
"You two look like you were close." His voice was barely above a whisper.
"We were… most of the time." She replied, just as quiet as he had been.
After another minute of searching, Marlee let out a rather loud 'Aha!' as she reached behind her bedside table to pull out her Physics book.
"No idea how it ended up back there. Come on, we have a day full of knowledge ahead of us."
"Did you find it?" Virginia asked as the two teenagers descended the stairs.
"Sure did." Her daughter responded, holding up the offending article before slipping it in her bag.
Marlee followed Scott down the front porch steps after pecking her mother on the cheek. Hopefully she could avoid any further embarrassment-
"Make safe choices!" Virginia called after the pair.
"Mom!" She shouted in response.
Scott was laughing by the time they reached his bike.
"Shut up." She grumbled.
"I brought you my spare helmet." He held out said-item, looking pleased with himself.
"Great. For the first time, I won't have to worry about you potentially pulling a Humpty Dumpty on me."
"I'm a bit more durable than that." He chuckled.
"I would say we should test that theory but I really don't feel like dying today. We'll have plenty of other opportunities to put our lives in peril."
"That's not funny." Scott said as he swung his leg over the bike and put his helmet on.
"You have to admit it was kinda funny." She countered in a teasing tone as she copied his actions.
Marlee hesitantly wrapped her arms around his waist- despite the fact that she was becoming more comfortable around her new friends, she was still on edge when it came to Scott. The weird feeling that seemed to pass through her at times when she was with him was something that she wanted to stop. Nothing good could possibly come from it.
All of her thoughts and worries over her muddled emotions disappeared as the bike roared to life beneath them. Something about it just made her slightly ecstatic.
Or maybe it's because you're with Scott. A small part of her mind seemed to whisper.
SHUT IT!
As Scott backed out of the driveway and started down her street, Marlee's arms hold on his waist tightened. Even behind the tinted glass of the helmet shield, she could tell that it was going to be a beautiful day. She was so distracted by her surroundings, she let out a little shriek when Scott sped up for a second on an empty street before slowing down again. She momentarily let go with one of her arms to give him a light smack on the shoulder blade. Clearly she wasn't the only one in a good mood. The sun shone down on them as they reached Beacon Hills High School. Marlee tried to ignore the self-consciousness that she was experiencing as she felt all eyes on them.
"Do you have enough room in your locker to keep the helmet for the day?" Scott asked Marlee after he had parked his bike.
"It's not an all-consuming black hole yet, so I think we're good." She winked at him. Realizing what she had just done, Marlee quickly walked past Scott towards the school. He was too busy staring at a spot on the ground, smiling, to hear her berate herself.
While a majority of the students had brushed off the curiosity at the captain of the lacrosse team showing up to school with the brazen new girl, some of them had not.
The three girls had beat the guys to lunch, already having settled down at a lunch table in the courtyard. They were discussing going on a shopping trip soon, Lydia insisting that Marlee needed more clothes suited for California, when the staring became obvious. Past the redhead's shoulder, a pretty, dark-haired girl was glaring daggers at their table- more specifically, at Marlee.
"Who's the chicky-poo over there trying to set me on fire with her mind?"
Lydia turned to see who she was referring to and snorted.
"That's Amy Shriner. That bitch has been waiting to sink her talons into Scott since he and Allison broke up."
"Interesting." Marlee drawled. After a minute or two of this Amy person staring her down, Marlee narrowed her eyes directly at the girl.
"Can I help you? Put your eyes back in their sockets, dollface. I know I'm pretty but you're straddling the line between admiring and full-out creeping."
Allison burst out laughing before putting her hand over her mouth to stifle it. Lydia gave her blonde friend a look of approval. Amy simply scowled before turning her attention back to her own friends.
"What the hell is her problem?"
"She probably saw you with Scott this morning and jumped to conclusions." Lydia said in a suggestive tone.
"Don't turn this into something it's not, Martin. There is nothing going on between us. He was just giving me a ride because we're studying together after school. That doesn't mean that we're a thing and this Shriner chick needs to simmer down a bit."
"Oh God, what did Amy do now?" Stiles asked as he walked up to the lunch table, having caught that last part.
"Amy seems to think that Marlee here is a threat." Allison answered, silently thinking that Amy was right to be worried.
"When is she going to take a hint?" Stiles complained as he took a seat next to Lydia. "Every time we saw her this summer, she would walk up to Scott and start feeling up his arms. It's freaking insane! Before he got bit, Amy never gave the slightest indication that she knew he even existed. Now? Now she gives him bedroom eyes whenever she sees him."
"Why doesn't Scott just tell her to fuck off?" Marlee interjected.
"Scott is too nice of a guy to say it so bluntly. Plus, I think the whole thing kinda weirds him out. He doesn't know how to react."
Allison shushed them before stating in a low voice, "He just spotted us."
"Hey, guys," Scott approached them, completely unaware of the previous conversation, "what's going on?"
"Nothing."
"Not much."
"Shopping plans."
"I don't have a clue."
"You ready to go?" Scott asked a few hours later as he walked up to Marlee's locker.
"Yep." She slammed her door shut, backpack over one shoulder and helmet under her arm.
The two made their way through the school, out the doors, and down to the parking lot. Both of them were a bit preoccupied as they reached the bike- Marlee was giving a death glare to Allison and Lydia, who were watching from the Toyota with amused grins; Scott was struggling to keep his eyes off of Stiles, who was hopping in the Jeep while wiggling his eyebrows at his best friend.
"Alright, McCall, let's get this show on the road."
The pair took off, leaving their friends to gleefully text about the situation.
"Hey, Mom!" Scott called out as he and Marlee walked through his front door about ten minutes later. "I'm home!"
"Hi, honey, I was actually just about to leave for my shift. There's pizza money on the kitchen table and- oh."
A woman about Virginia's age had stopped rummaging through her purse as she spotted her son and his companion.
"This is my mom, Melissa." Scott introduced.
"Hi, I'm Marlee." She stuck her hand out to shake the woman's.
"Hi."
Melissa inconspicuously examined the girl in front of her. She didn't know how long it would have taken her to find out about Scott's new crush if Stiles hadn't been loudly teasing him about it the other day. This one seemed different than Allison, in more ways than one. The dark eyeliner that rimmed blue eyes was the first thing that caught the mother's attention. She quickly brushed off the mild shock and continued to look. Marlee's smile was a bit uncertain, as if she was unsure of Melissa. What was most interesting though was how Scott was acting. He didn't look like the stereotypical lovesick teenager. The glances he was shooting in the young woman's direction every few seconds were almost protective and reassuring. He looked as if he wanted to make sure Marlee wasn't uncomfortable and his hand noticeably twitched, like he wanted to grasp one of hers.
Melissa approved.
"Marlee and I are going to study."
"I'm hopeless at Physics and I heard Scott is a bit of a science guy." Marlee slipped in there, hoping that it would reassure the woman that studying is all that was going to happen.
"Yeah, he's pretty good." Melissa smiled, proud of her son's intelligence. Scott was quite smart but his grades had dropped in the past several months. Eventually, she came to find that it was due to all of the supernatural madness that seemed to frequently occur.
"Alright, there's pizza money on the kitchen table and I should be back by one. No wild parties and- well, I guess you already have a girl over." Melissa teased.
"Okay, bye, Mom. Love you."
Nice to see him being the mortified one for once. Marlee smirked as she watched the boy rub the back of his neck in embarrassment while his mother snickered.
Following Scott up the stairs to his room, he led her down the hall to a door on the right. It seemed like a stereotypical teenage guy's room- not that Marlee had ever been in one- with his bed that had been hastily made and a shirt or two left on the floor. An object that was placed off to the side caught her eye.
"You play?" Marlee hovered by the stand, looking at the sleek electric guitar.
"Yeah, I took lessons when I was younger. Now I kind of just do my own thing." Scott answered as he kicked his shoes off.
"You'll have to play me something sometime." She sent a bit of a smile in his direction before taking one last look at the guitar.
He grinned, pleased about her request, and responded, "I can do that."
The two dropped their backpacks on the bed and sat down, getting comfortable. Neither Scott nor Marlee dared to openly express how abashed they were feeling at the fact that she was sitting on his bed.
"I don't think I've mentioned this before but I like your tattoo." Without even really thinking about it, Marlee reached out to run a finger along one of the black bands. Scott suppressed a shiver at the sensation. "What does it mean?"
"It's just something that I liked- I traced it with my fingers a lot but I'm not really sure why. Getting a tattoo itself means something though, right?"
"Yeah… I guess it does."
"Did you know that in Tahitian, the word 'tattoo' means 'to leave a mark'? The tattoo artist told me that, said it's like a rite of passage." Scott mentioned.
"Fascinating- I don't think the Tahitian definition is why you got it though." Marlee held eye contact with him as she asked, "How does a werewolf even get one of these?"
Scott chuckled at that. "Right after I got it, the tattoo healed. It was totally gone."
"Aw, that fucking sucks!"
"It did but Derek has a triskele on his back, so I knew it could be done. I asked him to help me and you know what did? He took a blowtorch to my back."
"Ahhhh! Don't tell me that! That sounds so painful." She cringed.
"Trust me, it was. Stiles had to hold me down while Derek was doing it and I passed out at some point." He shot Marlee an amused grin when he informed her, "But Stiles fainted at the tattoo shop when I was getting my first one done."
The young blonde cackled gleefully. "I will never let him live this down."
"As for what you said before- no, I didn't get the tattoo because of that meaning. In Samoan, the word means 'open wound'. I got it because when Allison and I broke up, it hurt… a lot. I wanted to call her all the time when she left for France but I didn't. I knew that she needed her space."
As Scott thought about what he was going to say next, Marlee filled the silence.
"The breakup kind of tore you up, huh?" She studied him as he responded.
"It did- at the beginning. For the first few weeks, I thought about Allison constantly- she was my first thought in the morning, my last thought at night. Then one day, I woke up and I didn't think about her; my first thought was whether or not I had finished one of my summer reading novels the night before. A couple of days later, I fell asleep thinking about new lacrosse plays I want to try out during the season. I started thinking about her less and finally, there came a day where I didn't think about her at all. Allison is always going to be important to me, no matter what. The friendship she and I have right now is going great and it's only going to get stronger."
Marlee smiled and shook her head at how loyal and supportive all her friends were of each other. "You guys are something else."
Eventually, they cracked open their books and got to work. Scott was patient with Marlee, even when she groaned in frustration and started snapping at him. He found that the girl wasn't as hopeless at Physics as she thought. While she struggled to understand some concepts and formulas, she caught onto others rather quickly. After about two hours of studying, the pair ordered a pizza before continuing their session. It wasn't until another two hours had passed that Marlee glanced at her phone again.
"Oh my God, I think my brain is going to overload. How can anyone handle this much crap in such a short amount of time?"
"It's only been a few hours." Scott smirked.
"It's still way too much information." She replied as she chucked the device in her hand at the comforter.
The two of them watched as her phone bounced off of the bed and heard it clatter on the floor.
"Ugggghhhh." She groaned before moving to grab it. However, while she was doing so, she couldn't help but catch a glimpse under his bed.
"Jesus! How much shit do you have down here?" She remarked.
"There's not that much." Scott defended himself.
Marlee scoffed, still scanning the items she could see. "It probably looks like a lot because that rolled-up poster is huge."
"It's for the band, Lost in Kostko. It was getting kinda sun-faded hanging up on my wall."
"Fair enough." Her eyes lingered on the other hidden object. "You also have a shoebox down here. If there's a new pair of shoes in there that you got a while ago, I'm going to be highly disappointed in you."
When she brought her head back up to look at Scott though, she could tell it definitely wasn't a pair of sneakers. His eyes had darkened in recognition and he looked a bit resentful.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be a nosy bitch or anything."
He shook his head slightly. "It's not you. It's…"
He examined Marlee for a minute, thinking things over. Just a few days before, she had told him the truth about her past and her own father. That took a lot of guts and Scott knew that it probably wasn't easy for her whatsoever. No one knew what was in that shoebox, not even Stiles. His mother might have had an idea since he would receive the contents and never mention them again. If Marlee could trust him enough to reveal her secret …
Scott leaned over to drag the box out and set it on top of his bed. He made eye contact with her for a brief moment before slowly lifting the lid. A dozen envelopes or so sat inside, all of them unopened. Hesitantly, Marlee looked at him as she moved her hand to hover over the box and when he made no motion to stop her, she picked up one of the envelopes on top. It was addressed to 'Scott McCall', as were all of the others as far as she could tell. The other similarity was that they were all from the same person: 'Rafael McCall.' A memory from the trip to Walmart replayed in her mind.
"My parents divorced when I was younger and my dad left town a while ago."
"Your father?" She questioned as she turned her focus back on him.
Scott gave her a solemn nod.
"He never visits or calls. The only time he ever acknowledges me is when he sends me a card for my birthday or for Christmas. I used to read them but around the time I turned ten, I started to get angry with him. It sucked, seeing all of the other kids in my class getting to do things with their dads. Mine left us and didn't even try to keep in contact. He hasn't even talked to me in over a decade. I don't want a card every once in a while that proves that he knows I exist. That doesn't make up for the fact that he hasn't been here for me. I guess… I guess I'm kinda lucky though. I've had Deaton to fill my dad's shoes- Stiles' dad has been there for me too. My mom has been more than enough for me. I don't need the occasional attention from this guy when I have her here, supporting me every step of the way."
As Marlee listened to Scott speak, she couldn't help but understand where he was coming from. Even she felt that Rafael McCall's behavior was complete bullshit.
"Hey," she reached over and jostled Scott's knee a bit, "screw him, okay? If he doesn't want to talk to you, that's his loss then. He's missing out on getting to know what an amazing person you are and honestly, I almost feel bad for him. What kind of idiot wouldn't want to get to know you?"
Marlee threw the envelope she had still been holding back into the box.
"Personally, I probably would do the same thing if I was in your situation. The only reason I would even consider opening them is for the money. That's what I do whenever I get a card from my dad's brothers. Except I also get kind of pissed off because they think throwing twenty bucks my way every once in a while makes up for years of them being shitheads."
"Huh… maybe I'll open them on a rainy day." Scott put the lid on the shoebox and slid it back under his bed.
"Buy yourself something pretty." She winked at him, hoping to lighten the mood a bit.
He cracked a smile at her, the pressure in his chest starting to lessen and make way for a warm, comforting feeling. Scott was glad that he had shared his secret with Marlee; it felt nice to talk to someone with fresh eyes about it- someone who didn't know Rafael and have an opinion on him already. She understood Scott's feelings towards the cards and his father- she understood him.
At that moment, his phone alerted him to a text message.
"Hey, my mom just asked me to bring her dinner. Would you mind if we…?"
"A girl's gotta eat. Let's go." Marlee jumped up.
"Are you sure you just don't want to work on Physics anymore?"
"Shut up."
Melissa looked over at Scott as he walked in with her dinner, Marlee only a couple of steps behind him.
"Oh, thank God." She moved towards them and took her food out of her son's hands. "I'm starving."
The pair of teenagers watched in mild amusement as she turned around sheepishly.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Thank you for bringing me dinner."
Marlee found the hug that the mother and son shared to be quite touching. This was obviously something that was routine for the two of them. They really did take care of each other, having the other's support and love.
"Is everything okay?" Scott questioned as he pulled away from Melissa.
The older woman surveyed the hallway full of wheelchairs, nurses, and people groaning in pain.
"Except for half of the accident victims in a ten car pile-up being rerouted here from downtown and the E.R. attending not answering any of his pages- yeah, I'm okay."
"What does not answering pages mean?" The beta could tell that this was a stressful situation but his mom seemed to be cool and collected, for the most part.
"It means that nobody can find him, so now we have to wait for the on-call to get here."
Neither of them noticed a woman holding her torso walking up to them.
"Miss." She sounded as if she were about to start crying.
"Yes?" Scott's mom immediately went into caring nurse-mode.
"Excuse me, can I kind of please have something for the pain?"
"Okay, I'm sorry. I know. But, actually, giving you something could complicate things, so we really just need to wait for the doctors." Melissa guided the victim to sit in a chair. "Okay?"
The response she got was a nod and a shaky sound of affirmation.
"Okay. How much longer on Dr. Hilyard?"
"Ten minutes." Was the receptionist's response.
Scott moved to sit down and his female companion positioned herself next to his chair, watching as he turned towards the patient.
"Uh, you know, I think that I read online that sometimes human contact can help with pain."
The injured lady, whose face displayed the agony that she was feeling, frantically nodded- whether that was meant to inform Scott that she understood him or that she had heard the same tidbit of information, Marlee didn't know.
The teen wolf glanced around, checking to see if anyone was watching except for the girl behind him, before resting his hand on the woman's clenched fist.
Emotions of admiration and awe flooded Marlee's senses as she focused in on the dark veins appearing on Scott's forearm. He was taking some of the pain away from a total stranger. This guy sitting in front of her was nothing short of amazing. It seemed like every time she thought he couldn't be any more selfless and kind-hearted, he unknowingly proved her wrong. The blonde couldn't help but softly smile at the scene in front of her.
There's not a lot of people like that left in the world.
The woman let out a gasp and slowly looked over at Scott in a vague sense of wonder. His face was full of innocence and concern as he briefly examined her for any tell-tale signs of pain. Her lips twitched a bit, as if she wanted to smile at him.
The moment was broken by a shout from the end of the hall.
"Someone… someone help me!"
The three individuals looked over to see Ethan supporting a hyperventilating Danny. The former started to collapse and the young alpha struggled to keep him standing.
"Ohhh, I need help!"
The two werewolves made eye contact, Scott's eyes conveying his confusion while Ethan's were full of panic. It was at that moment, Melissa came into view and she quickly noticed the alarmed teenagers. She motioned for them to bring Danny to a chair near her. Scott and Ethan supported him as they made their way towards her and after shooting the dazed woman from before a smile, Marlee followed. The boys tried to carefully lower Danny into the chair, causing him to let out a cry of pain.
"Okay, gentle, gentle, gentle!" Melissa directed them.
She started to examine the situation as Scott grabbed Ethan.
"What did you do to him?!" He snarled.
"Nothing!" Ethan snapped back. "He said he was having chest pains and trouble breathing but it- it just kept getting worse."
Marlee could hear the concern in his voice, the worry for his sort-of boyfriend quite clear. She snuck past the guys and stood on the twin's other side, ready to block any curious onlookers' view.
"This is not good." Melissa stated as she held her hands up to Danny's throat. "How much longer on Dr. Hilyard?" She called to the receptionist. The only reply she got was a gesture of a hand paired with an exasperated and confused expression.
"His larynx has shifted to the side. I think it's a tension pneumothorax." The nurse explained. Before she was even finished with her explanation, Danny pitched forward and started to vomit. He fell to his hands and knees on the floor at the sheer force of the action, his body trying to unblock his airway.
As gross as it should have been, the young female couldn't help but take note of the contents. The green leaves and white berries scattered on the floor looked a bit too familiar. Years of family Christmas parties at her grandparents' house, her aunts and uncles flirting with each other in the doorway, caused her to recognize the plant almost instantly- despite the unpleasant display. Apparently Ethan recognized it as well.
"Mistletoe." He quietly identified, causing Scott to turn in disbelief.
"Okay, we can't wait any longer. Can I get some help over here?" Scott's mother called the second part down the hall. A male nurse promptly brought a gurney over and the two boys lifted Danny onto it. Melissa and the older man swiftly rolled the gasping teen down the hall as he tried to inhale some air, to no avail. The group entered a room full of other people laid up in beds, obvious victims of the pile-up.
"Can you three please go back to the waiting room?"
Yeah, I'ma have to pass. Seeing people in pain is not my cup of tea.
The male nurse left to attend to other matters, leaving Melissa as the sole member of the hospital staff in the room.
"Where are the nurses and the doctors? Where is everyone?" Ethan questioned.
"It's a full house tonight. They're tending to other patients."
"Okay, well, Mom- how can we help?" Scott wasn't about to sit back and watch his friend die.
"Honey, you can't. His lung is collapsed. His heart is being pushed up against his chest cavity, so…"
Danny threw his head back against the pillow as he continued struggling to breathe.
"He's gonna die, isn't he?"
With a sigh, Melissa glanced at the door before answering, "No. No, he's not."
She pointed towards the drawer before directing Ethan to look at the tray, "Scott, you grab the tape. You grab those scissors and cut his shirt open."
As the boys followed the woman's directions- well, Scott did, Ethan ignored the scissors and simply tore the shirt open- Marlee grabbed her friend's hand that his boyfriend had been forced to release.
"Okay." Melissa said softly as Danny looked up at her, eyes begging for help. Feeling his airway being closed completely, he gave Marlee's hand a feeble squeeze.
"Mom, he's not breathing." Scott panicked.
"I know, I know. Okay."
The teenagers watched her raise an arm to position the long needle before stabbing Danny in the chest with it. He flinched as the metal pierced his skin. Melissa carefully brought the plunger back, removing the fluid from the young man's lung. After removing the needle from his chest, the four standing around the bed watched for any signs of improvements. A moment later, Danny's eyes opened and he said to the nurse, voice shaking, "Thank you."
Melissa let out a relieved sigh as she grinned back at him. "No problem."
The other three couldn't help but look at her in amazement.
"What?" She asked, not understanding the expressions on their faces.
"That was awesome." Scott answered, completely awestruck.
His mother nodded before modestly answering, "It was no problem, you know? I mean, it wasn't a big deal." Melissa beamed as she took in the fact that her son was impressed by something that was just an everyday thing for her.
After they were reassured that Danny was fine and would make a full recovery, Scott and Marlee left the room and made their way towards the front of the hospital. It seemed like all of the commotion from before had calmed down a bit.
"You never told me that your mom was such a badass." A smile lit up her face as she nudged him playfully with her elbow.
"I knew she helped people, of course, but I didn't know she did things like that." Scott was incredibly proud to have Melissa McCall as a mother.
"I guess that's where you get it from. No surprise there." Marlee crossed her arms over her chest as they walked towards the exit.
"Get what?" He inquired, curiously.
"That whole 'selfless and awesome, helping people' thing."
"Me?"
"Yeah, you. What you did back there for that woman earlier- that was admirable."
"Oh, that was nothing."
"See, that right there," Marlee turned her head to look at Scott, "you're being all humble and don't even realize that what you did was insanely impressive. You didn't know her. You didn't have to take away her pain- but you did."
"It wasn't that great."
"Just shut up and take the compliment, McCall."
The two grinned at each other for a brief moment before they pushed the front doors to the hospital open. Ethan went through one of the doors seconds later, just as the pair had reached Scott's bike. An irritated expression crossed the beta's face as Ethan moved to stand on the other side of the bike with his hands in the air, showing that he meant no harm. The alpha twin wasn't sure if the other two were aware of the way Scott moved to position himself to stand in front of Marlee.
"I know you're not gonna believe me but I didn't do anything."
"All I know is that the minute you got here, you went right for Danny and your brother went for Lydia."
"We're not gonna hurt him." Ethan responded.
"Why should I believe you?" Scott questioned.
"Because we knew one of them was gonna be important to you… and now we know it's Lydia."
Before he could reply, Scott noticed a vehicle driving into the lot, swerving. Moving around the bike, he and Ethan took a few steps towards it, watching in disbelief as it veered and hit the rear of a parked car. They ran towards the accident and after a moment of hesitation, glancing back at the hospital, Marlee took off after them.
Scott was the first to reach the SUV and pulled the driver's door open. Inspecting the car, nothing struck him as peculiar until he noticed something just between the seat and the console.
"What is it?" Ethan asked.
The blonde girl reached the two just as Scott held up a moth.
"A Darach will use nature to do its bidding." Delaney's voice echoed in her head.
Well, fuck.
"Two missing…"
"Ha-hang on, hang on. They were both in the car?" Sheriff Stilinski's mind was spinning.
Unsurprisingly, Stiles- who Scott had called- got there faster than the police, who had been called by someone inside of the hospital. He was given a rundown of the situation before his dad and a few of Beacon Hills' finest arrived.
"No, Dad, they're trying to tell you that it was two separate kidnappings, okay? Two doctors, both gone."
"So, whose car is this?"
"Dr. Hilyard, the on-call doctor. The E.R. attending is the one that never made it in." Melissa explained.
"Let me just focus on getting your story first, all right?" Stilinski said to Melissa, to which she agreed.
"Boys and…" The sheriff was at a loss for the name of the young woman standing a few feet behind Scott and Stiles.
"Marlee." She offered.
After Scott had called Stiles to tell him to haul ass over to the hospital, Marlee had volunteered to call her mother to get a ride home. Scott had been a bit upset that it had come down to that but agreed that it was probably for the best. However, Virginia had informed her daughter that there had been a breakthrough on the case she was currently working on and that she had gone back to her office. She was willing to take a break to pick her daughter up and drop her off at home but Marlee had refused. If Virginia took a break, that meant she would just have to work later. The result was that the younger Decker would find another ride home and the older one would get her business done and be able to go home sooner.
"Boys and Marlee," Stilinski amended, "give us a second."
The three teens nodded before moving off to the side.
"These are definitely sacrifices, right?" Scott asked his best friend.
"Yeah, it's one Deaton mentioned- Healers."
"What about Danny? He threw up mistletoe. That's not a coincidence and if he hadn't been with Ethan, he probably would've died. Danny's not a healer."
Stiles was about to respond but the sight of his dad, holding up his radio to listen into it, caught his attention.
"Can you hear that?" Stiles pointed over Scott's shoulder.
The noticeably quiet girl glanced at the two adults by the damaged SUV as Scott turned to check. A moment later, he faced Stiles with a slightly surprised look.
"They found a body."
After the police had left and the crowd that had gathered started to disperse, Scott and Stiles promised to text each other later. Marlee, helmet secured on her head, mounted the bike and the pair headed back to his house to pick up her backpack. The two of them didn't speak until they pulled up in front of the Decker house, all of the lights off.
"You know," Marlee was taking off her helmet, "when I moved to California, the only trouble I expected to find was maybe a sunburn. Instead, there's werewolves and alphas and Darachs, oh my!"
Scott chuckled softly, gazing at her in amusement and something else that she couldn't quite identify. "Sorry about that."
"Well, it certainly makes life interesting." She shrugged.
It was quiet once again, neither of them knowing what to say.
"You never did tell Stiles why you were so calm when you found out about all of this." Scott broke the silence.
"I didn't, did I?" Marlee looked at the ground, thoughtfully, before answering. "I don't know. With the way my life has been just constant weird and fucked-up shit over the past couple of years, why not throw supernatural creatures on top? Plus, if you guys can be thrown head-first into all of this- I think I can manage to follow suit."
"Well, you're doing a pretty good job so far."
At that moment, without much thought to it, Scott tucked a lock of Marlee's hair behind her ear. She jumped back as if he had shocked her. A nervous, forced smile appeared on her face.
"Okay then!" She spoke loudly and quickly, wanting to get the hell out of the driveway and into the house, away from that moment. "I guess I'll see you tomorrow. Don't stay up too late talking to your other half. I'm sure even Stiles needs sleep. Alright, so, bye!"
With that, she darted off towards the front door, leaving a conflicted admirer in her wake.
Fun Fact: 'Lost in Kostko' is the name of Tyler Posey's band.
I would really appreciate it if you would take the time to review this chapter. Thank you!