To be defeated by a name

Chapter 2

It had started out a normal day.

Jackson and Stiles - since they had met at the cinema - were at one of their monthly catch up sessions in a little-known coffee shop near Stiles' apartment so Stiles could find out about how everyone back in Beacon Hills was. They had been meeting up here for around 4 months, swapping stories and allowing Stiles to catch up on everything he had missed in his time away.

Jackson had moved back to Beacon Hills with his new fiance (who just happened to be Ethan) shortly before Stiles' 'death' and had been accepted into the pack by Scott who had - luckily for Jackson - decided to put the past behind them and see him as a friend rather than a foe.

Jackson had also made up with Lydia and they had become really good friends. He had told Stiles how much she and the others missed him and that he often caught her crying when looking at pack photos that included Stiles, Allison or both, saying that it was unfair that two amazing people had been taken so unfairly.

Apparently, the fact that Stiles' death had been unrelated to the supernatural had meant it hit harder for the pack since they seemed to have forgotten he was human and could very well die by rather mundane means.

Stiles had felt bad about both these things. He hadn't wanted to hurt anyone but at the time he had needed to escape. To no longer be Stiles Stilinski but someone else entirely, who had no one around him who could be killed, despite knowing those he cared about faced their own dangers constantly. With Katrina gone he couldn't stay Stiles, couldn't stay the person he was in order to avenge her and the others who suffered that day.

The CIA was well aware of his past and was content to allow him to live his life as Mitch Rapp, even creating an entire fake backstory for him when he first agreed to join. He had chosen the name Mitch as a shortened version of his first name - Mieczyslaw - to still keep a part of his past with him, even if he cut himself off from everyone.

Irene Kennedy had often tried to convince him to return home - even if it was just to tell everyone he was alive and well - but he had shot her down. After all this time he didn't want to cause them more pain by knowing he was alive and never came to see anyone. He was too scared of how they would react and felt like he had betrayed them all by leaving, even if that wasn't the case.

He was glad to discover, through Jackson, that his dad and Melissa had gotten together about a year after the attack. Apparently, she had helped his father through his downward spiral and been influential in helping him live his life how Stiles and his mom had always wanted him to, without turning to alcohol at every opportunity but doing his best to keep healthy and make the most of everything.

Jackson was just telling him how the pack hadn't had any new members in the last four years but had made alliances with other packs throughout California when a loud cry sounded from behind them.

It had been four years but he knew that sound anywhere.

Stiles' eyes had widened in both fear and surprise at the knowledge of who he would find behind him, mimicking Jackson's incredulous expression as he stared at the door, and before long he was taking in the image of the girl he had once been in love with - before Katrina - her face a mixture of anger, shock and hurt.

"Stiles?" She whispered, moving slowly towards their table as though she thought he would disappear at any moment like a frightened animal.

"Lydia?" He replied, trying to figure out whether he should run now or just stay and face her, finding himself grateful that Jackson was here to intercept them if things got out of hand or Stiles was accidentally outed in an unsuspecting coffee shop.

"Lydia. I don't know whether you followed me or just happened to turn up here but let's go back to Stiles' apartment to talk about this without letting the whole place know that he is supposed to be dead." Jackson suggested, gently touching her arm and leading her out to the black Jeep in the parking lot he knew to be Stiles' - another thing from his past he hadn't been able to let go of. 

Lydia stayed quiet the entire time they headed out to the car, barely looking at either of them as they got in and Stiles drove off, more scared than he had felt in years and in the face of his childhood crush, as opposed to the barrel of a gun.