TW and TMR - Newtmas

Part 20

Final Chapter – One Year Later

Thomas' POV

Beacon Hills wasn't perfect.

It was messy. It was complicated. It had monsters in the woods, people who could turn into wolves, banshees with voices like sirens, and the constant looming possibility that something dark would eventually crawl out of the shadows again.

But it was home.

Our home.

⸻

Scene – Graduation Day

The sun was warm, the sky cloudless as students filled the bleachers in their caps and gowns. Beacon Hills High's class of the year stood with wide smiles and trembling hands, ready to leave behind one chapter and step into the next.

Minho adjusted his cap for the fifth time. "Do I look like a dumbass in this?"

"You always look like a dumbass," Aris said, grinning.

"You love it," Minho shot back, wrapping an arm around him.

A few rows behind them, Sonya squeezed Harriet's hand. Gally rolled his eyes at Frypan's emotional sniffle. Liam and Isaac stood with their arms linked loosely, swaying back and forth.

I stood near Newt, who looked as out of place as I felt.

"I never thought we'd make it to a day like this," I murmured.

He smiled softly. "Neither did I. But you did, Tommy. We did."

⸻

Flashback – Weeks Earlier

We found a letter buried in old WCKD files — something from Ava Paige herself. A confession.

They'd known, toward the end, that the Maze trials were never going to cure anything. But they kept going anyway. Out of fear. Out of pride.

I burned the letter that night. Let the ashes scatter in the woods.

And with it, I let go of the last thing WCKD held over me.

⸻

Derek's POV

Watching them from the crowd, I could feel the difference in the air.

They were no longer the broken, hunted kids who stumbled into this town. They were warriors. Survivors. And now... something even stronger.

Healers.

Thomas caught my eye from the stage and gave a quiet nod.

I nodded back.

He'd never be Stiles again. But he didn't need to be.

He was Thomas — and he'd earned that name.

⸻

Scene – The Celebration

Later that night, the pack and the Gladers gathered at Thomas's house for a backyard celebration.

Laughter echoed under the string lights. Music played low from a speaker. Frypan grilled, Gally told wildly exaggerated stories, and Scott finally convinced Coach Finstock to show up — in a suit, no less.

Lydia slow-danced with Cora. Kira and Malia stole kisses by the fence. Liam got pushed into the pool by Isaac. Twice.

And I? I held Newt's hand as we sat on the porch swing, watching it all.

"I used to think the Maze was the whole world," I said.

Newt leaned his head on my shoulder. "And now?"

"Now I know the world's a lot bigger. And it's full of people worth fighting for."

⸻

Final Scene – Beacon Hills, Dusk

The sun dipped below the trees.

Thomas stood alone for a moment at the edge of the yard, staring out into the woods that used to terrify him.

They still did, in a way.

But he wasn't afraid anymore.

Because when darkness came again — and it would — he'd be ready.

Not alone. Not broken.

Not just a survivor.

But a fighter.

A friend.

A leader.

And finally... at peace.