I do not own Teen Wolf
Chapter Fourteen
"Hey dad," River smiled, passing Noah a bag of diner food. "I got you a veggie burger and sweet potato fries."
"Why?" Noah asked, confused by her choice.
"We have to watch your heart," River shrugged as another person cleared their throat, causing River to turn. "Oh. Hi, Claudia."
"Hi, River," Claudia gave her a gentle smile.
Noah sighed and River held in her eyeroll before turning back to him.
"I thought it was just us today?"
"I figured Claudia could join us," he shrugged.
"I would have gotten more food had you told me," River smirked.
"Would you have?" he smirked.
"Sure," River shrugged.
"I brought something," Claudia stated. "I'll go grab it from the break room."
Once Claudia was gone, Noah turned to River.
"I get dad and she gets Claudia?" Noah asked, brow raised.
River just shrugged, feeling uncomfortable as she took the seat opposite him.
"Riv, I feel like we should talk about this," Noah said, voice gentle.
"I don't know," River groaned. "Calling you dad is so easy. Calling her mom feels weird."
"You call Melissa mom," Noah pointed out.
"Maybe it has something to do with the two of you being the first adults I met?" River offered. "I trusted the two of you first. Makes it kind of hard to break the habit."
"I get that. Do we need to go back to therapy?"
"No," River shook her head. "I don't think it's that deep."
"Well, I will say that it hurts Claudia when you aren't excited to see her," Noah pointed out.
"I don't mean to seem unexcited," River stated.
"I know you don't," Noah smirked, sitting beside River and taking her hand. "I just want you to think before you speak to her, okay?"
"Okay," River nodded. "I'll try harder dad. I promise."
"That's all I ask," Noah smirked, standing and going back to his own chair as Claudia came back in.
River gave her a smile and patted the seat beside her before grabbing her food from the diner bag so that Noah couldn't steal her curly fries.
"Did you mean to get two orders of curly fries?" Noah asked, eyeing the other order.
River stared at the fries for a few moments, confused.
"I didn't," she shook her head. "One of you can have them."
"I love curly fries," Claudia smiled. "You must have sensed I would be here."
"Must have," River smiled.
River left the precinct feeling more confused than ever. She reached into her bag, grabbing the keys that she'd been keeping close by and holding them, a memory just on the tip of her mind. River shook her head and headed to Hale house. She smiled as she passed Derek and the others, going up to her room. She stared around the room that she had once shared with Cora when they were little, sighing before she tossed her bag down on the bed and fell onto the mattress.
"You okay?" Scott asked, walking into the room.
"Yeah," River sighed. "I still feel all out of it."
"Can I ask you something?" Scott asked, falling onto the bed with her.
"What's up?" she asked.
"Can I take you to dinner?"
"What?"
"Can I take you to dinner?"
"Like a date?" River asked.
"Yeah," Scott nodded and River stared at him for a moment.
"Sure," she decided, pushing the weird feeling in her chest aside.
"Cool," Scott smiled. "I'm going to go get ready and I'll pick you up at five?"
"Okay," River smiled, watching as Scott left.
River rubbed her chest, trying to push away the strange feeling as Shawnna and Elijah walked in.
"All packed?" she asked them.
"We are," Shawnna nodded and River stood, hugging them both tightly.
"Let me know when you make it back to New Orleans," River whispered.
"We will," Shawnna promised and the two walked out of the room.
River sighed as she watched them drive away from her window. She decided to go bug Isaac for a bit. River walked down the hall, stopping between Isaac and Theo's rooms. She stared at the flat wall in confusion, thinking that there was way too much room between the two bedrooms. Isaac walked out of his room and stopped, staring at River as she stared at the wall.
"You okay?" he asked and River shook her head.
"There should be something here," River shook her head.
"Like what?" he asked.
"Like another room. It's a lot of space. There's a window on the front of the house for right here, too," River explained.
"Weird," Isaac shrugged. "Did you need anything?"
"I was just coming to bug you," River smiled.
"I'm actually off to Allison's," Isaac flinched slightly.
"Okay," River shrugged. "Have fun."
Isaac kissed River's head and headed out. River stared at the wall for another moment before walking away. River went on a run through the woods, returning with enough time to shower and get ready. She chewed her lip as she stared at her closet, Malia coming in and sitting on her bed, watching River in confusion.
"Why are you just staring at your clothes?" Malia finally asked.
"Scott asked me on a date," River stated.
"And what does that have to do with clothes?" Malia questioned.
"I don't know what to wear," River explained.
"What's wrong with what you were wearing earlier?"
River thought about how to answer the question.
"Dates are special occasions," River told her as she grabbed a sundress. "You want to look nicer than normal for them."
"Nicer? How do you look nicer?"
"Not nice as in polite. Nice like looking good and wearing something that you don't wear every day," River told her as she looked through her jackets.
"You wear all of your clothes," Malia stated.
"Not every day," River shrugged. "I actually don't remember ever wearing this dress."
"It's cute," Malia shrugged.
"Thanks," River smiled before tossing her robe aside and dressing, knowing Malia wouldn't leave the room if asked for privacy. "What are you and Kira doing tonight?"
"We're watching movies," Malia shrugged.
"What movie?"
"I don't know. We never finish them."
River smirked as she turned to Malia.
"What?" Malia asked, looking confused.
"Nothing," River shook her head.
"I can't find that necklace you gave me," Malia admitted.
"How long has it been missing?" River asked.
"A week," Malia sighed. "I've been looking for it."
"It's okay," River smiled, trying to remember why the necklace had been so important in the first place. "It's just a necklace. I can get you another one."
"Okay," Malia shrugged.
"Were you worried that I would be upset?" River asked.
"A little," Malia admitted.
"It's fine," River shook her head as she slid wedges onto her feet. "I'm not mad. Things get lost. It's normal."
"It is?" Malia asked.
"I lose stuff all of the time," River shrugged. "Congrats. You're human."
"Not sure how I feel about that," Malia grumbled and River smirked.
"River! Scott's here!" Derek's voice travelled up the stairs as Erica bounced into her room.
"You have a date with Scott," Erica smirked.
"Leave her alone," Boyd's deep voice stated as he walked into the room.
River stared at the two, smiling and feeling tears form in her eyes.
"What's wrong?" Malia asked, standing in front of River and blocking her view of the now concerned couple.
"I don't know," River whispered, wiping her tears. "I need to fix my makeup. Can you tell Scott to give me a minute please?"
"Sure," Malia nodded.
Malia left the room, Erica and Boyd leaving with her. River stared after them for a moment, feeling confused. She sat in front of her vanity and fixed her makeup, shaking herself for a moment before pulling a leather jacket over her shoulders before grabbing her purse. River descended the stairs, smiling when she saw Scott anxiously hoping from one foot to the other. He looked up when he heard her approaching and his mouth fell open. River smiled down at him and his mouth snapped shut, a smile forming on his face instead.
"Ready?" he asked once she was in front of him.
"Yeah," River nodded.
Melissa's car was sitting out front and Scott held the passenger side door open for her. Once River was in the car, Scott ran over to the driver's side and climbed in. River smirked at how nervous he seemed, taking his hand to help calm his nerves a bit. Scott gave her a grateful smile and the two were off.
Scott picked up an order from the diner and they drove out to the preserve. Scott laid a blanket out where they could see the view of the entire city before the two sat, eating their dinner as they talked about school and college.
"No one is surprised that you want to be a vet," River smirked.
"No one is surprised that you want to be a chef," Scott shot back.
"I didn't mean it in a bad way," River added. "I meant it because of how close you are to Deaton. He's basically been your father figure your whole life. It makes sense."
"Oh," Scott nodded, thinking it through. "Yeah. I guess you're right."
"I tend to be," River smirked. "It's why Lydia and I make all the plans."
"Because your plans always go correctly," Scott smirked.
"They do," River nodded. "They also just so happen to end up getting me killed but that's neither here nor there."
"How do you do it?" Scott asked.
"Do what?"
"Sacrifice yourself for us over and over and still stay yourself," Scott shook his head. "If it were me, I don't think I'd be able to keep going."
"I'm not sure," River whispered. "I feel like I have a reason to keep going, though."
"What reason would that be?" Scott asked.
River stared at him for a moment, the answer on her lips before it disappeared again.
"The pack," she said instead. "Someone has to look out for all of you."
"Fair," Scott smirked.
"Lord knows what sort of trouble we would all get into without my common sense," River shot back.
Scott just laughed and threw a fry at River. She looked at him with mock offense before throwing a fry back. The two ended up throwing fries, ducking behind the car to hide from each other. River took off into the woods after hitting Scott with a pickle. He chased after her, the two laughing loudly as they ran.
Scott grabbed River by her waist, lifting her into the air and River got a sense of deja-vu, seeing a bathroom instead of the woods in front of her for a moment before Scott carried her back towards the car. She brought herself back to the moment she was in and smirked as Scott set her back on her feet gently. She turned in his arms, arms going to his shoulders.
Scott stared down at her for a moment before licking his lips and leaning in. River met him part way, kissing him back gently. Scott leaned River into the car, his hands on her hips. One of River's hands wrapped in Scott's hair while the other one held him close by his shirt. The kiss deepened and River let out a quiet gasp as Scott pressed into her. He pulled away and looked down at her swollen lips.
"Maybe we should slow down," he suggested and River let out a small laugh.
"Agreed," she smiled. "What else do you have planned?"
"Well, I thought about star gazing before I realized that I don't actually like star gazing," he shrugged.
"I have an idea," River smiled. "Let's go."
Scott tossed the blanket into the backseat after holding River's door open for her. River directed Scott until they reached the arcade. Scott let out a laugh before smiling to River.
"I like it," he nodded.
"Let's go so I can kick your ass at laser tag," River smirked.
"You're on," Scott smiled.
The two ran inside, Scott paying for a laser tag session for the two of them. River hid behind a pillar, using her wolf hearing to find Scott through all of the music, lasers, and smoke. The two turned a corner at the same time, shooting each other.
"I think we should make a rule against using certain abilities," River smirked before taking off.
She heard Scott laughing as she ran through the maze. Without using their extra hearing, it was almost like old times. River ended up winning like always at the end and Scott pouted a bit. River kissed his cheek to make him smile before passing him a token card.
"When did you get this?" he asked, confused.
"When you went to the bathroom," River shrugged.
"Hmm," Scott gave her a small glare with a smirk. "Bet I beat you at air hockey."
"Doubt it," River smirked. "Let's make a bet."
"What kind of bet?" he asked.
"Whoever wins the most tokens at the end has to buy the ice cream," River smiled.
"Deal," Scott smirked.
"Air hockey first," River nodded. "Come on! I have to show you how it's done!"
At the end of the night, River was ten points behind Scott.
"I'm never going to live this down," she complained. "The shame!"
"So dramatic," Scott laughed, pulling her over to the prize counter. "Pick what you want."
"I don't think that's how it's supposed to work," she smirked.
Scott just shrugged and River turned to the prizes, eyeing a few different things before her eyes landed on a small stuffed wolf. She stared at it in confusion for a few moments before pointing at it. Scott laughed as she was handed the small wolf. River just rolled her eyes and gave the rest of their points to the kids behind them.
They stopped at the ice cream shack on the way back to Hale house, River paying for the ice cream as promised. They sat at a picnic table under fairy lights, sharing their ice cream with one another.
"Why have we never done this before?" Scott asked River.
"Because you never got brave enough to ask," River smirked before looking to see Scott looking confused. "What?"
"Nothing," he shook his head before smiling and taking her hand. "I'm happy I finally asked."
"Me, too," River smiled, giving Scott a small kiss.
On Monday, the new couple walked into school holding hands, no one noticing the change as they walked close, talking excitedly back and forth. They stopped in front of the random locker again but kept talking, not even noticing before they began walking again.
"You and Scott seem closer than normal," Theo smirked, sitting beside River at lunch.
"Shut up," River smiled as Scott joined them.
Theo just laughed as Scott pulled River closer to his side. After school, Noah told River and Derek about people coming in to report missing people that never existed.
"Huh," River said, looking down at the missing person report.
"What?" he asked.
"It's blank," River shrugged, passing it back.
"What?" Noah stared down at the report. "I could have sworn she filled it out."
"Maybe you accidentally grabbed a blank one," River shrugged. "What's her name?"
"Madison."
River wrote the name down and decided to head upstairs while Theo went out to the woods, searching for any clues he could find. River made a salt circle and sat in the center with a clear quartz and the paper with the girls name. She chanted under her breath a few times before opening her eyes to see through the girls. River frowned at the man in a brown, dusty coat and old hat shooting at the girl as she ran around a corner to run straight into Theo's arms.
"Run!" he told the girl, pushing her behind him.
River watched as Theo was hit with a bullet and disappeared. A bullet hit the girl's arm and River was thrown back into her body with a gasp. She wrote down Theo's name next to the girls and put it in her magically sealed box that had every protection she could think of on it before running down the stairs to see a confused Noah and Derek staring at her with the blank police report.
"Someone took Theo and Madison," River told them.
"Who?" they both asked at the same time.
"Madison. The girl who tried filing the missing person report," River offered.
"What girl?" Noah asked.
"Who's Theo?" Derek followed and River felt fear gripping her heart.
River ran back up the stairs, running to where Theo's room was. She stared at the flat wall in confusion before running to her room again.
'Cora Hale, Malia Hale, Derek Hale, Noah Stilinski, Claudia Stilinski, Erica Reyes, Vernon Boyd, Allison Argent, Chris Argent, Isaac Lahey, Scott McCall, Melissa McCall, Theo Raekin, Elijah Thasos, Shawnna Thasos, Lydia Martin, Liam Dunbar, Jackson Whittmore'
River put the names in her box. She sighed, rubbing her head as Derek and Noah entered her room.
"Brook?" Derek tried.
"I'm fine," River shook her head. "We have a new big bad. It's making us forget who people are and taking them."
"What?" Noah asked.
"The worst part is, is I don't think it's the first time someone's been taken," she whispered.
"How do you remember then?" Derek asked, not quite believing her.
"I was looking through a girl named Madison's eyes when she and Theo were taken just now. Theo is someone Isaac and I picked up on the way to New Orleans. I need to make us all protection jars so our memories can't be messed with anymore but it's going to take time."
"What do you need?" Derek asked.
River texted the rest of the pack, telling them what was going on as Derek and Chris went to go get ingredients from Chris' office and Isaac and Allison went to gather things from the forest for her. River decided to write the names every day, twice a day, before putting them in the box for safe keeping.
"What if you get taken?" Noah asked, watching her scratch names on to paper. "How will we know to find you?"
"Well, if I have the protection jars finished by then, you'll just remember everything," River shrugged. "I'm not sure what else there is to do honestly."
"What did the guys look like?" he asked.
"Evil cowboys," River offered, feeling deja-vu again as Scott entered the room. "Definitely not the first time I've said that before."
"Are you okay?" Scott asked River, pulling her into a hug.
"I'm fine," she sighed. "Worried as hell but fine."
"We'll figure it out," Scott said, pulling away and looking into River's eyes. "We'll protect each other."
River just nodded before pulling Scott close again, hugging around his waist.
"When did this happen?" Noah smirked at the two.
"Over the weekend," River smirked and Scott shrank back slightly. "He isn't going to give you the scary dad talk."
"I might give him the scary dad talk," Noah offered. "Chris did give me some bullets."
"Enough of that," River rolled her eyes. "Let's go see where everyone else is."
"The Wild Hunt," Lydia explained. "It steals people away during storms."
"We haven't had any storms in a while," River frowned.
"We had a really bad one the night before school," Scott pointed out. "Could that have been it?"
"Why would they only now show up?" Erica asked.
"Maybe they were waiting," Noah offered.
"Or they weren't hiding at all and we just didn't realize people were being taken," River offered as she wrote all of their names down along with the information Lydia was giving before sticking it in the box.
"How would we not have realized?" Lydia questioned.
"Because they take away memories," River offered.
"Do we know that for sure?" Erica asked.
"I do," River nodded. "I remember Theo and none of you do. I've also got a list of names with no memory of who a few of the people on the list are."
"How do we remember?" Lydia asked.
"Memory jars are almost done," River shrugged. "Scott and I went into the forest to gather a few things. I don't know why I didn't ask Derek to do it when he offered to get supplies for me."
"Maybe you asked someone else," Lydia whispered as River put the list away.
"Maybe," River whispered back before speaking up. "There are memory spells as well but they aren't always safe. If I find a safe one, I'll just do that."
"Don't do a dangerous one if you get annoyed with yourself," Jackson told her, giving her a knowing look.
"I'll try," River promised. "No more self-sacrificing. I've been told off enough for it at this point."
"Have you?" Scott asked, brow raised in amusement.
"Shush," River waved her hand at him, which he just grabbed out of the air and held on to.
The two shared a smile before looking back to the rest of the group. Lydia stared with wide eyes as she finally understood. Kira leaned into Malia, whispering to her.
"I already knew that," Malia said, looking confused.
"You did?" Kira asked.
"Yeah. I saw her getting ready for their date," Malia shrugged.
"She did," River nodded.
"Speaking of date, we have one. We'll see you all later," Scott sighed.
"Stay in pairs," River instructed everyone before leaving with Scott.
The two ended up in the forest again, looking out over the city. Scott's laptop sat in front of them as they watched a movie. Well, watched was a strong word. Stiles shook his head, trying to get the image of River and Scott making out to leave his head. He'd seen it since the first kiss. Anytime either of them got closer to each other, he felt a pull at the mate bond and then when their kissing would get hot and heavy.
"Again?" Isaac asked, looking at Stiles in sympathy.
"Yeah," Stiles sighed banging his head against the wall before Isaac stuck his hand behind Stiles' head so he couldn't do it again.
"Are you going to yell at them when we get back?" Allison asked.
"When?" Peter scoffed. "It's a very unlikely if."
"When," Theo growled at Peter. "River and Lydia will figure it out. They probably already know something's wrong."
"I'm still not over the fact that werewolves and witches are real," Madison whispered from Theo's side, holding his hand.
Stiles groaned, rubbing his eyes violently.
"How bad is it?" Allison asked, voice soft.
"It just keeps forcing me to watch," Stiles sighed. "I feel like this is payback for having sex with Malia but way worse."
"Stiles, you're my favorite human," Peter told him. "If you could refrain from saying things about having sex with either of my daughters, it would make life a lot easier."
"How many other humans do you know?" Stiles asked before his eyes shot up to the person approaching them. "Shit."
"Good to see you, too," Cora rolled her eyes as she sat down by Peter, Jackson and Ethan on her other side.
Peter pulled Cora close, hugging her to his side. Cora sighed, leaning into the touch.
"Do they know people are missing?" Stiles asked.
"Yeah," Cora nodded. "Not you and Peter, but everyone else. River was using magic when Theo got taken and saw it happen. She remembers him. She and Lydia are trying to figure out how to save everyone."
"Oh, thank God," Stiles sighed, leaning back against the wall. "I give it two weeks tops."
"Are we placing bets?" Isaac smirked. "I say one more week."
"I'll go with three," Allison sighed.
"Three days," Theo offered.
"We don't even know how time works here," Madison pointed out.
"Week and a half," Peter shrugged.
"I'm never betting against Stiles," Cora said when everyone looked to her. "However, I will say your girlfriend and best friend are together now."
"Yeah. I keep seeing it," Stiles said, rolling his eyes.
"I forgot that was a thing," Cora sighed. "Sorry."
"Well, it's just making out right now," Stiles shrugged. "Could be way worst."
"Let us know if you end up doubled over in pain," Peter shrugged. "That means they had sex."
"Thanks for that," Stiles deadpanned.
"Anytime," Peter smiled widely, showing off all of his teeth.
"Are you all just waiting around for the rescue party or are you going to do something about it?" Cora questioned, standing. "Let's go."
The group stood, following Cora around the different parts of the train station. After what felt like a few minutes, the group found what looked more like a subway system than a train station. The group split in groups of two, looking around the area. Hooves could be heard approaching them and they all ducked behind pillars, waiting for the wild hunt to pass by them. Stiles and Peter exchanged a look before stepping out into the open again.
"How do they get back and forth?" Peter asked.
"Maybe the horses?" Stiles offered.
"We get a horse and we try riding it out of here," Peter nodded.
"We'll need to wait around for them to show up again."
"I think we have time."
Peter galloped out of the train station and back into Beacon Hills. He stared around in shock before pushing the horse faster, rushing through the forest and heading to Hale house. He jumped off the horse when he arrived and ran inside, bursting through the door.
"River!" Peter yelled. "Derek! Malia!"
A gunshot went off and Peter was back in the train station.
"No!" he screamed out as the group ran to him.
"What happened?" Stiles asked, reaching for Peter and helping him stand.
"I was there!" Peter explained, accepting Stiles' help. "I was at the house! The hunt shot me again!"
"So, if we get out, they're going to hunt us down again," Stiles nodded. "We knew that was a possibility. Did you see them?"
"No," Peter shook his head. "I called out for River, Derek and Malia but I was brought back before any of them could answer."
"This is bad," Kira sighed, causing the pack to turn to face her.
River stared at the open front door in confusion.
"I swear I heard our names," she whispered to Derek and Malia.
"I heard it, too," Scott offered from her side. "Someone was definitely here."
"Who though?" Malia asked.