Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

From her coach seat on an airplane somewhere over the Midwest, Lydia Martin contemplated the recent events of her life. Following her misguided attempts at necromancy, she had returned her focus towards her schooling, and was now a rising junior after two years of excellence at M.I.T, and two years of being the resident omen of Cambridge. Her supernatural penchant for showing up just as things went wrong had established her as “bad-luck Lydia” among her roommates and the violent screaming fits she suffered had quickly irritated the other girls on the hall. The school had been accommodating after she had claimed these were due to an affliction of night terrors, but after her screeching broke a window in the dorm during broad daylight, the school began to question her “condition.” Rather than continue to deal with the rising level of suspicion, she had elected to find housing off campus. Quickly confronted with an inability to afford any apartment in Boston, she had ended up on the doorstep of the one house she knew would have to take her in: her fellow not-quite-humans’ small brownstone.

So she had ended up sharing the two bedroom house with Josh, Nora, Aidan, and Sally. She finished up the semester living there, helping her friends figure out whatever new supernatural question had arisen when she wasn’t busy with school or her own research. It was nice, if cramped, but she still couldn’t wait for the summer when she could go home to Beacon Hills. Even though she would miss her new friends it would be nice to get away from their chaotic lives for a little while.

Needless to say, she was quite surprised when her housemates announced their intent to accompany her home. Apparently they were curious to see the supernatural beacon that was her hometown, and thought it would be good to have another chance to talk with Scott and Stiles. She would have tried to talk them out of it, but they had already booked tickets for the same flight as her, and she could tell by their poorly hidden concern that they meant well.

Now, here she sat scratching in her notebook between a paler-than-usual vampire and a ghost incredibly smug about not having to pay for a ticket or submit to a TSA screening, with the werewolf newlyweds sitting two rows ahead of them.

“I think I’m gonna be sick…” Aidan moaned while gripping the armrest.

Lydia rolled her eyes and gave him a pointed glance. “All those years of moving around and you’ve never been on a plane before?”

“It’s not natural, flying through the air like this. I didn’t even ride in a car until the late 20s, so no, I wasn’t exactly jumping at the chance when air travel popped up.”

She tried not to chuckle at his discomfort as she turned back to her notebook. “Hey Sally, help me with something?”

“Yeah, what?”

Lydia flipped to a page in the notebook covered with equations and complex diagrams. “Okay so you’re non-corporeal and can pass through any solid matter, correct?”

“That’s me, the amazing ghost girl.” Sally said with good-natured sarcasm.

“But you’re still subjected to natural forces? Like gravity?”

Sally’s eyebrow furrowed in mild confusion. “I guess, I mean I haven’t floated away yet. Whats this about?”

“Think about it. Gravity forces an object downward until it meets a solid mass strong enough to cease its descent. But solid mass of any inertia is incapable of stopping you from lateral movement, shouldn’t the same be true for downward movement?”

The ghost sat baffled. “I’m sorry, was that a question?”

“Why don’t you fall through the floor of the plane? Or the house? Or the earth for that matter? You have no noticeable mass, yet retain a solid defined shape, but you still disperse when in contact with solid matter, and you are affected by gravity yet remain non-corporeal? I mean, whatever spectral material you’re made of, it exhibits properties of both matter and energy! Now on a subatomic level - “

“Woah, woah, woah, easy there ghostbuster. I think that's enough paranormal science mumbo-jumbo for a while.” Sally said, ending the investigative conversation. They all knew Lydia had spent a great amount of time trying to uncover the “natural in the supernatural” and were glad to help further her research, to an extent. However, they all still had doubts over how she would use this knowledge.

Lydia sighed and went back to writing frantically in the journal, and they all continued the flight with their own independent activities. The plane landed right on time, and soon Lydia was leading all of them to baggage claim, zigzagging through the crowd while attempting to carry on a phone conversation.

“Yeah, we just landed. Where are you? … There are hundreds of parking lots, which one? … Well, look for a number! … You know what, you focus on that, let me talk to Kira.”

Josh and Aidan gathered their luggage off the carousel as she talked. The entire group gathered around, awaiting directions.

“Okay, bye.” Lydia ended the call and turned to the others. “They’re in parking lot 3B. Did you get everything?”

“Yeah, we ready to head out?” Josh responded, to which Lydia nodded.

“You must be excited to see everyone, Lydia.” Nora said as they exited the airport.

The younger girl gave a slight smile. “Yeah, I actually kinda missed this circus of a town. I hope you’re prepared, you know Scott and Stiles are gonna obsess over you guys again.”

Sally laughed. “Aww, I kinda missed those little geeks.” Despite only meeting once, they had quite the effect on the Boston crew.

After a seemingly endless hike through the parking lots, the familiar sights of a blue jeep and Kira’s car appeared on the horizon, and Lydia struggled to keep from running straight to it at full speed. Scott, Kira, and Stiles all stood around it, and eagerly came over to embrace her once they caught sight of them. There were joyous reunions, amicable greetings, and energetic introductions in the ensuing chaotic meeting.

Stiles gestured to their large blended group and announced “I love this, McCall Pack West Coast meets McCall Pack East Coast!”

“Sure, keep thinking that.” Josh countered. Though he was grateful for the boys’ help, he was still reluctant to accept any official connection.

It began to grow dark as night approached, and they found themselves piling into the cars to get settled. Lydia, Aidan, and Sally got into Stiles’ jeep while Scott, Josh, and Nora went with Kira and followed behind them as they pulled out of the parking lot.

They talked casually for most of the ride. “So how are things in the apartment?” Lydia eventually asked, knowing Stiles and Scott had finally upgraded into a shared apartment.

“Good, good. How about your living situation?” He replied.

“Oh the house is great. The roommates are far from perfect though.” She said with a mocking glance into the backseat.

“Ha. Ha.” Sally deadpanned. Aidan gave a slight chuckle at the joke before asking Lydia how far away her mother’s house was.

“Ummm, you guys are definitely not staying with me.” She asserted.

Both Aidan and Sally raised their eyebrows in confusion. “Why not?” Sally asked.

Lydia sarcastically shrugged and responded “Oh, I don’t know. I’m sure if I walked in and said ‘Great to see you again mom, by the way this is the thirty-something year old man i’ve been living with and oh there’s a girl you can’t see so don’t worry if you hear me talking to myself.”

Aidan began to counter. “Okay, I see your point, but -”

“Oh but it is okay mom, because he’s actually two hundred-something years old and a vampire and that girl is my ghost friend.’ That would be a disaster.” Lydia concluded.

“Okay but where are we staying?”

Lydia and Stiles shared a glance before she responded. “With someone with a bit more experience with special cases like us. And with a recently vacated room. And it looks like we’re there now!” They pulled into a house’s driveway, with Kira right behind them. Scott dashed from the other car and went straight to the door while everyone else grabbed their bags. Soon Scott emerged from the house with a woman one step behind him.

Stiles gesture vividly at the house before them. “Ladies and gentleman, the Melissa McCall bed and breakfast. Enjoy your stay!”

The woman with Scott arrived at the crowd and after giving them a quick once-over, put her hands on her hips and sighed. “Alright, let’s get you all settled.”

Bags in their hands, they all entered the house and officially began what was certain to be a trip far more eventful than any of them had imagined.

Chapter Text

Melissa’s house was accommodating enough as far as her new guests were concerned. It was obvious Scott had dropped this responsibility onto her somewhat unexpectedly, but she took it in stride, distributing towels and even preparing a large breakfast for them the next day. In truth, it felt good for her to have someone else in the house that had felt too empty once Scott had left. She enjoyed being able to share a cup of coffee, just sit in the kitchen and trade work stories with her son’s “associates” as Scott had so cryptically put it. She knew that they had helped Lydia though, and that was good enough for her.

As they finished up breakfast, Scott and Kira could be heard pulling into the driveway and they quickly entered the house to join the group. It brought Scott a great sense of relief to see the kitchen so lively once again, memories of all the times he and his friends had stood around the same kitchen table and planned out their numerous escapades. He greeted his mother, who slipped upstairs to change for work, before realizing that everyone’s eyes were now fixed on him, searching for guidance.

“Morning, Scott! Is Lydia coming by soon?” Sally questioned.

Scott composed himself and addressed the questioning looks aimed at him. “Um, actually she’s going to be busy with her mom, and sharing some research with Stiles, so she thought maybe you guys could hang with us? We’ll show you around town, introduce you to everyone, you know… serve as welcome committee.” Kira smiled awkwardly as he concluded. The group of visitors looked to each other before collectively nodding.

“Great!” Kira chimed. “Sally, you can come with me. I’ll show you the town, we can get to know each other and, uh, well,  you know, girl-talk, I guess? and stuff.” She fumbled her way through her sentence with the grace of a kid asking their crush to a dance, obviously nervous.

Sally instantly reassured her with a smile. “That sounds great, Kira.”

Scott watched the two girls make plans before turning back to the table. “Josh, Nora. You guys are with me.” He spoke firmly, trying to give his words weight with his alpha status, but his youthful demeanor undermined his attempts. The other two werewolves didn’t seem to notice however, and simply shared a meaningful glance before rising to join Scott.

“Should I just wait here then?” Aidan questioned, noticing there was no one left to chaperone him around town.

“Oh no, you are coming with me.” Melissa said, reappearing in a set of green scrubs. Aidan raised an eyebrow but didn’t question it. After that, they were all heading out on their respective adventures for the day.

Lydia had missed her bed so much, she didn’t think she would be able to leave it ever again. Once she had equipped her outfit for the day, she simply sank back down onto it, just lying there for a seemingly infinite moment. The peace of the reunion with her sheets was eventually interrupted by the hurricane of activity initiated by Stiles throwing open her door.

“Heard of knocking?” She asked, lifting herself from the soft embrace of the comforter and composing herself.

“Your mom said you were ready to go? And you didn’t answer my text? I thought we were gonna try mapping out telluric currents today while Scott plays host.”

“We are. Do you have the charts from last time?” Lydia responded, strictly business now.

“I left them at my dad’s office. We can just swing by the station and grab them.”

Lydia instantly froze up. “Why don’t you go grab them and I’ll meet you outside the hospital?”

“Wouldn’t it be easy to take one car? Besides you should stop by the station, I know Parrish would be glad to see you.” Noticing her deepening frown, Stiles realized the cause of her hesitation. “Oh. Are you-”

“No!” She proclaimed. “It's fine. I’ll go with you. I… should say hello to Jordan.”

Things had been odd between her and Jordan ever since she left for school. The summer before she left, they had been on the brink of beginning a relationship, but both were too afraid to take the final step. Before she left, she had told him that they would both have to come to terms with never having fully committed to being an item. Things remained friendly, but there was now a vast rift, the result of them allowing fear to control them. He feared being alone without her in the dark world they found themselves in; she feared being trapped in such a world by choosing to be with him, with no reprieve from the death that radiated from them. As such, he continued to tell himself there was hope for them, while it took all she had to tell herself she could not be with him. Needless to say, the two of them in a room together was sure to cause tension. She grabbed her purse and moved past Stiles and out the door. “Come on, let’s go.” She said as she strode down the hall.

They drove halfway to the station in complete silence before Stiles began to break the ice. “So Deaton and Parrish have been trying to figure out why that other banshee came here last month…”

“Wait, what! Another banshee came here?” Lydia spoke up, clearly annoyed that she was just hearing this.

“Yeah, I thought someone had told you… I guess we were just so caught up in everything, that we forgot to call.” Stiles trailed off apologetically.

Lydia slunk back into the seat. They forgot. They actually forgot about me, She thought. Her fear was now set in stone; she was out of the loop, cut off from her friends.

Stiles noticed the pitiful look on her face as she sat there. “Look, Lydia… Maybe Scott just thought it would be best not to tell you, I mean, it wasn’t pretty. She- she just walked into town one day, straight into the middle of an intersection, and screamed. Then, she uh, well she dropped dead. Right there.”

She sat transfixed, thinking about this girl like her. This girl whose death was most likely the most public thing she ever did. An entire town stopping to hear her death cry; it gave Lydia chills. She had never given thought to the idea that one day her life may be the one cut off with a scream. “How did she-”

“Aneurysm. That’s what the coroner said, anyway. Parrish was there. He said her eyes were bleeding and she just… fell. The whole thing is weird. She was some college student from across the state, never even been here before. We think it has something to do with the Nemeton, you know beacon of the supernatural and whatnot. Parrish took her body there in one of his trances, and we figured-”

“Nobody thought to ask me.” Her tone was no longer questioning, but accusing. “No one thought I could help. Or that I should know…”

“Lydia, no. We just didn’t want to bother you.”

“Bother me? All I do is research these things so we can understand it, and you didn’t even bother to think I could help from over there. I mean, I have full libraries and labs at my disposal. Or maybe Aidan knew something, he’s seen a lot of things over the years, I could have asked him for you. We could do something for you guys, I mean half the time we’re just sitting at home anyway!” She realized she had spoken of Boston as “home” for the first time, and at that moment she was glad to have moved past Beacon Hills; it seemed to have moved past her.

They turned into the station’s parking lot at that moment, Stiles trying to apologize despite his slight annoyance and confusion at Lydia’s volatile attitude. She exited the jeep as soon as he parked, not even acknowledging his apology. He ran to catch up to her, and was by her side as she reached the entrance. She noticeably stiffened as Deputy Parrish caught sight of them and began walking over. She took a deep breath and prepared herself for the coming conversation, but to her surprise he seemed to disregard her entirely and address Stiles. Prepared to scold him for the cold shoulder, she softened once she saw the look of worry on his face.

“We have a problem.” He said curtly. It was then Lydia noticed his eyes were a bright, burning orange.

Scott, Josh, and Nora had spent most of the day strolling through Beacon Hills, enjoying the warm weather and peaceful day while making small talk. It was nearing noon when they found themselves in the parking lot of Beacon Hills High School. Scott ushered them around the back to the lacrosse field, empty under the Summer sun.

“Is this where you went to school?” Nora asked, enjoying the personal touch to the tour.

“Yeah,” Scott replied in a voice heavy with nostalgia, “no one comes here in the summer, so I figured this would be a good place if we need to train.”

Josh spoke up “Actually I think we’re good. Stayed in control almost every full moon for the last year."

“That’s great!” Scott replied. “And you’ve figured out the whole shifting-at-will thing?”

Josh nodded, but Nora spoke up, “No, he hasn’t. He hasn’t shifted at all for almost a year! He just refuses to. Is that healthy?”

Before Scott could respond, Josh cut in. “It’s not that I can’t, it’s just… why should I? What if I can’t go back at will?”

Scott seemed almost sad. “We talked about this, man. You can’t just deny this. Here, shift now. I won’t let anything happen, you’ll shift back just fine.”

Josh was still resistant despite Scott’s reassurance and Nora’s concern. “No, everything is perfectly fine as it is. There is no reason I should shift, so I won’t!”

Frowning, Scott sounded defeated. “I didn’t want to do this… Go!”

Almost immediately Josh felt something slam into his back, nearly knocking him over. Another hit struck his shoulder as he spun to check behind him. At the edge of the field, a kid stood chucking lacrosse balls at him. “What the -” A third ball hit him right in the stomach.

Scott called out to the boy “Keep going Liam, don’t hold back.” Looked down at Josh, who had fallen to the ground, he calmly stated “This is how we teach control in Beacon Hills. You can stop this at anytime. Just shift and make him stop. What would you do if you were really being attacked right now?”

Still, Josh resisted, suffering the blows. A sixth ball hit him, and then a seventh and still he held back. Noticing his resilience, Scott nodded to Liam, signaling him to move to plan B. The next ball sailed left of Josh, striking Nora directly in the hip. “Hey!” She called as Liam prepared his next shot.

Josh was on him before he could launch it, eyes glowing. He tackled Liam down and roared, raising a clawed hand prepared to strike. Liam quickly shifted as well, instantly flipping the older man off him and slamming him down. He continued to hold him down as thrashed about violently.

“Okay, now calm down and shift back.” Scott said to the pinned werewolf, who took no notice.

“Josh!” Nora called. The thrashing turned to panting and gradually to deep breathing as Josh calmed himself and returned to fully human form. Liam helped him up, and he staggered over to Nora, who beamed at him. “You did it!”

Scott put a hand on Josh’s shoulder as Liam properly introduced himself. The alpha patted Josh’s back in a friendly manner as he explained “sometimes you’ve got to fight. When that happens, you’re gonna be glad to be able to shift. We’ll work on it some more when-” He was cut off as his phone rang obnoxiously. Looking at the screen, he turned to Liam with a confused frown. “It’s Derek…” Scott said, causing Liam to replicate his confused look. Derek never called unless there was trouble.

Scott answered cautiously. “Hey Derek, is everything okay? … What!... Are you sure? … Well, what should we do?... Alright. Bye.”

Liam instantly questioned him “Well, what is it?”

Nervously shifting from one foot to the other, Scott spoke sternly. “I’ll explain later. For now, let’s get back to the house. We can figure something out there.” He gestured for everyone to follow him, and they began the long trek back to Melissa’s house.

Chapter Text

Melissa walked calmly through the halls of Beacon Hills Memorial Hospital, her lunch bag held securely to her chest. Smiling casually at her coworkers, she strided towards the parking lot. It had been a busy day, and she was barely able to find a chance to slip away for a few minutes. If anyone asked, she would tell them she was just slipping out to eat in her car; luckily, she was unimpeded. She collapsed into her car with a relieved sigh and handed the bag to Aidan, who had been waiting in the passenger seat. He opened the blue insulated bag to examine the contents.

“I didn’t know if the type mattered so I grabbed O-negative.” She explained as he drew multiple blood bags from the pouch. “I figured universal donor had to be a safe bet.”

He closed the bag and met her gaze. “This is perfect, Melissa. Thank you. Are you sure you don’t mind?”

“Please, I wish this was the strangest thing Scott had me take from the hospital. If they didn’t notice a body going missing from the morgue they won’t notice this.”

Aidan decided it was better not to know the story behind that little comment, instead reiterating his thanks. “I really do appreciate it. I would have brought my own, but with airport security…” She waved her hand in dismissal, displaying her understanding of the subject.

“It’s fine. After everything you’ve done for Lydia…” Melissa looked down and shook her head slowly. “That girl has been through so much. I think she forgets that she deserves to have a life of her own.” Aidan just nodded sadly.

To his surprise, Melissa tossed him the key as she started to exit the car. “You don’t have to wait around for me all day. Go meet up with the others, or just look around town. I’ll have Scott pick me up. House key is under the mat if you head back there.”

“Oh! Uh thanks.” Aidan was astonished. This woman knew him less than a day and was trusting him with her house, car, and to an extent her son. As he was driving back towards her house, he decided to stop and fill up the gas tank to repay her. The gas station was a small, locally owned stop off the main road. Despite it being midday, there were no other cars, though a woman stood outside fiddling with the ATM. He got out to fill the car up, and as he stood there he could practically feel her eyes staring into him. He shot a quick look her way, and she quickly blushed.

“Sorry!” She called across the parking lot. “I wasn’t trying to be nosey or anything, you just remind me of someone.” She smiled.

He looked up to see her coming towards him. She was attractive, tanned and fit, with long honey-colored hair under a ball-cap. He figured she had jogged there, since he still didn’t see any other cars. “It’s alright. Happens all the time.” He responded as she made her way to stand by the pump with him. Even as he told himself not to engage with her, he found himself desperate to continue conversing with her. “I’m Aidan.” He stretched out his hand.

She accepted the handshake, drawing even closer. “I’m Kate. Like my ring?” She placed her hand before his face, displaying an ornate ring set with a smooth, round stone. Before he could respond, he felt the ring smash into his face as she struck him. He heard a humming noise, following by a surge of pain throughout his body. The last thing he saw before losing consciousness was her standing over him with the taser.

Kira and Sally were enjoying a leisurely stroll along the path through the preserve, chatting the day away. A cool breeze would occasionally cut through the warmth of the summer sun, giving the air a pleasant stiffness. Their conversation, which had consisted almost exclusively of Kira sharing stories about Lydia in high school, was ended abruptly with the sound of footsteps approaching fast from behind them. They both turned in time to see a young brunette come to a halt and wave to Kira.

“Malia!” Kira called as the girl approached. Sally dropped her defensive stance upon hearing Kira’s jovial tone. “What are you doing here?”

“I figured I’d get a run in while the weather is nice. Who is this?” Malia curtly nodded in Sally’s direction, her eyes shrewdly watching the unfamiliar woman.

“Oh, this is Sally. She -”

“I can’t smell her.” Malia said with masked confusion. She was still standing stiff as a board as she scrutinized the stranger.

Sally was growing uncomfortable with the young girl’s suspicion and odd comment. “Um, thank you?”

“It’s because she’s dead.” Kira clarified to her friend, before sharply inhaling and drawing her hand to her face in embarrassment. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said that so -”

“It’s fine.” Sally gave a slight shrug. “It's true, isn’t it?” Her face fell, but she quickly composed herself and addressed Malia. “Nice to meet you.”

Malia shot a questioning look to Kira, who assuaged her concern. “She’s one of Lydia’s friends from Boston. Scott was going to introduce them all tonight, but I guess you’re getting a headstart.” Kira concluded with a wide smile, hoping for an enthusiastic sign of acceptance; the werecoyote was not so quick to accept their visitor.

“So what is she?” Malia asked Kira, disregarding Sally’s presence entirely.

“ She is right here!” Sally said bitterly. She was becoming annoyed with the bluntness of the other girl’s questioning. “And I’m a ghost. You know, boo and bedsheets and bump-in-the-night. The whole ‘who ya gonna call’ kinda spirit. And you should really-” Just as she was launching into full lecture territory, nearby shouting caught their attention.

“Guys, slow down! Where are you going?”

Malia turned instantly towards the noise. “That sounds like Stiles…” She instantly ran off in that direction. Kira and Sally shared a glance before following after her. When they had caught up, Stiles was indeed there, standing alongside Malia. A few paces ahead, Lydia anxiously stood at Parrish’s heels as they stared at the sight before them.

The nemeton looked almost unrecognizable on the ground before them. The large stump was spotted with moss, lichen, and beautiful flowers. The air smelled sweet and crisp as the sun shined down onto the beacon. It seemed even larger now, if that were possible. There was no sign of the body Parrish had supposedly placed there a little over a month ago. He now stood transfixed on the spot, eyes still glowing. It was unnerving, being so close to such a powerful force; the air around it seemed to buzz with energy.

“What are you guys doing out here?” Kira asked as she approached.

Lydia turned, just now noticing the girls’ arrival and how far behind Stiles had fallen. She didn’t stop walking as she began an explanation. “We went to the station and Jordan said he had to go because the hellhound was taking over. We followed him here.Stiles thinks it might have something to do with the dead banshee he took here. The one no one told me about.” She glared pointedly at Kira, who turned red and began fumbling for words.

“Well, Lydia, see it’s just… Scott, I mean, we all thought it might…”

“No, I understand. I left so obviously I must not care about anything here, or any of you. It was best you just cut me out completely.”

Kira, already flustered and eager to placate failed to pick up on Lydia’s sarcasm, believed she was conceding the argument to Lydia when she responded with a strong “exactly!” unaware of that with which she had essentially agreed. Lydia still did not stop her following of the entranced deputy, but shot back with a hurt voice.

“Is that what you think? That because I left I was done with you guys? How could you think I would be that self-centered?”

Stiles spoke up, having caught his breath and desperate to resolve the conflict. “No, Lydia, we don’t! I promise. We want you to be a part of things, it’s just hard with the distance. You can’t deny you’ve kinda drifted away.”

“If I have ‘drifted away’ it’s only because none of you tell me whats happening. I deserve to know what happens in this town, I deserve to know you guys are safe. You should tell me what you’re facing!”

Stiles was growing mad that Lydia would be so hostile. “What about you, Lydia? I don’t remember any status reports from Boston? Are we supposed to believe that you didn’t have any fights or mysteries or whatever you wanna call what we deal with? Apparently you just go to class and hang out with your new friends, that’s all we hear about. No bodies, no fugue states, huh? Cause I sure don’t remember you sharing anything about any of that.”

Sally was quickly growing uncomfortable, and sought to escape the situation. “Hey, I’m gonna go. I’ll see you back at Melissa’s house I guess.” She disappeared into thin air, but no one took exceptional notice.

What Stiles said really struck a nerve for Lydia. For the first time, she felt like she was being asked to choose where she belonged, as though leaving had broken some great rule that she never recalled agreeing to. She composed herself and responded to his accusations. “Maybe that’s because in Boston, the things we deal with aren’t all about saving someone or stopping something. Sometimes it’s about just being . I can be something out there. Something other than the banshee, or the smart girl.” She thought about all the times she had comforted Sally as she cried over her early death, all the times she had slapped some sense into Aidan before he did something he’d regret… and she thought of all the things they had done for her.

“Out there,” she continued. “I can just be broken. Because we all are, but unlike here I don’t have to pretend. I can be broken and make mistakes and still know I don’t have to save the city to feel like I’m winning. I don’t need redemption for being who I am. Just getting through the day, that’s a victory. It’s hard enough to just get that. Out here, things... don’t end well. Too many people get hurt. Maybe… maybe I’m not like you or Scott, I can’t keep hurting. I need to just heal and out there… I’m healing.”

There was a good moment of silence before Malia spoke, her voice heavy with a disappointment and sorrow that struck Lydia as very unlike the tough, determined girl.

“Then why did you even come back?”

She didn’t wait for a response before turning to leave, Stiles going with her. Kira shook her head slightly, unsure what to do. She slowly and silently began to walk away after them. Alone, save for the catatonic Parrish, Lydia sat down on the stump, and began to cry.