And that was 6B. I hope those of you who asked that I include it enjoyed it; I actually liked writing it. It was interesting to write without the love interest being a constant presence.
I did say I was going to do an epilogue, and I kept to that and wrote it while I was writing 6B. This is gonna be in third person POV, and it's a long one, so buckle in, comment along the way, I hope you like the very final chapter of Riley Winters story.
Also, just a pre-read warning, some of you may be a bit shocked or annoyed at parts of this. Please keep in mind that I wanted to write this in a way that would address the issues that Riley was dealing with after the Anuk-ite and everything that happened in 6B, as well as the remaining issues that Stiles was still dealing with after the Nogitsune, and not just gloss over it as if it didn't happen.
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✧･ﾟ:*1 Year After the Anuk-ite*:･ﾟ✧
Riley Winters stood in front of the full-length mirror holding the white dress against herself. The silk was smooth beneath her fingers as she turned a little, looking at it from another angle. The sunlight made the silk almost glow as small specks of light danced down it, reflecting off of the diamond ring on her finger also.
The dress flowed with the movement, and the woman was unable to take her eyes off of it. It was an off-the-shoulder white dress with a lace bodice and a flat skirt that didn't push out from the waist.
It was definitely something Riley could have seen herself wearing.
"Don't you go getting my dress dirty," a voice laughed. "Iris will kill us both."
Riley looked up from the dress to see her sister standing at the door in the mirror. The woman looked beautiful, returning from having her makeup and hair professionally done. It was nothing over the top, her make-up natural, but enough to make her glow. Her hair was loosely pulled back and spun into a bun at the base of her neck, strands pulled free to give it that effortless look.
"No she won't," Riley laughed as she hung the dress back in its bag to keep it safe. "At least not until after the honeymoon."
Charlotte rolled her eyes as she walked over and embraced her sister. "I'm so glad you're here."
The younger sister pulled away, chuckling, "Of course I'm here. That is the role of the Maid of Honour, after all. And considering I'm the Maid of Honour for both of you, there was no way I could miss it."
"You know how much we both love you. Today wouldn't have happened if it weren't for you; it wouldn't have felt right without you here," the girl's sister stated.
"I wouldn't miss it for the world," she replied honestly. "You look gorgeous, by the way."
"I couldn't agree more," a male voice said.
The two looked over to see that their father was at the door. The man was dressed in a suit and tie, ready to walk his daughter down the aisle.
"Sorry, I hope I'm not interrupting," he apologised.
"No, of course not, dad," Charlotte grinned, walking over and putting her arms around him.
"You look so beautiful, sweetheart."
Charlotte chuckled, sniffling as she stepped back. "Stop, or I'll have to go and get all of this redone," she said, gesturing to her face.
"All right," he laughed, pointing to the door. "Josie is out in the living room, so I'm going to drive her to the venue, and then I'll be back to pick you girls up."
Charlotte nodded with a smile, "Okay. Thanks, Dad."
"Oh, and Riley, Scott and Malia are out there, as well," her dad mentioned.
"Thanks, Dad," Riley grinned, looking forward to seeing the two. The two girls waved as the man left, Charlotte shutting the door behind him so that she could start to get ready.
The two got to work on getting Charlotte dressed, Riley carefully helping her to step into her dress. She zipped it up slowly so there was no chance of breaking it or ripping the fabric, before stepping back to admire her handiwork.
The dress sat on the woman perfectly, fitting like a glove. Riley went over to the makeup table and retrieved the necklace Charlotte had chosen.
Like her makeup and her dress, it was simple, yet elegant. Draping it around her neck, she lowered the silver chain and let the teardrop diamond sit just below her collarbone.
After thanking her sister, Charlotte began to put on her earrings. While she waited, Riley checked herself over in the mirror, checking that nothing had moved out of place.
She was in love with the deep navy dress that Iris and Charlotte had chosen for their bridesmaids. It was a v-cut with straps and an open back, and even though she didn't normally wear dresses, this one was definitely an exception.
Her makeup was simple, with some dark eyeshadow and nude lipstick to go with her classically simple updo. She considered covering up the grey scarring from the Dread Doctors but decided against it. She had survived something, and that was what she was left with, and she wasn't ashamed of that. Seeing it reminded her that she was strong.
When she saw herself all dressed up like that, even though they weren't biologically related, she knew Charlotte and her were sisters. They had so much in common, and over their years of living together while Riley had been in high school, they had only grown closer.
She came home whenever she could on university breaks, but it wasn't always possible with how busy school and work was. She had managed to get a reception job at a hospital near the apartment which she actually didn't mind and was going to look good on her resume when she went looking for a job after her course.
They were both happy when Riley had returned a week ago, deciding to come back early for the wedding. Riley only had a week left of university work for that semester so she completed that online and put in for leave at the hospital. She needed a break and it was the perfect time to do so.
Focusing back in, Riley looked at her sister who was now completely dressed, shoes aside. "Char. . . you look amazing."
Charlotte blushed through her makeup, waving a hand, "Stop. You're going to make me ruin my makeup before we even get there. Go and see your friends before I start crying," she instructed.
Riley laughed, giving her sister a quick hug before heading out of her sister's bedroom and back down the hall. She heard the sound of voices as she grew closer, turning the corner to see Scott and Malia standing together.
Scott was holding her hand, talking quietly to the woman. Riley cleared her throat, not want the two to think she was listening to their conversation. "Hey, guys. When did you get home?"
The two turned to look at the woman, smiles on their faces. Scott walked over and wrapped his arms around the smaller woman. "Hey, Ri. We got in last night. We were going to come by, but by the time we got to my mum's we ended up crashing. But, we just wanted to stop by and see you before the ceremony."
When Scott stepped away, Malia took her spot, hugging her sister. "We were worried you were going to back out last minute," Malia said candidly.
"Mal," Scott said in a low, harsh voice.
"What?" she shrugged as she pulled away from the woman. "We were."
Malia was dressed in the dark navy also, asked by Charlotte if she would be a bridesmaid. All the sister jokes aside, the two had gotten to know each other, and they all felt like a strange, yet loving, family.
Scott tapped his fingers by his side as he shook his head, realising there was no point in beating around the bush at this point. "Do you know if he's coming today?"
It was obvious that he was talking about Stiles.
Riley had been expecting the question, but having to answer it made her feel sick. Twisting the ring on her finger, she shrugged, "Um, I'm not sure. I haven't really heard from him since we. . . I don't know, Scott."
The Alpha seemed disappointed, but nodding, understanding. He had been friends with both Riley and Stiles nearly his whole life, and he wasn't about to choose between the two of them.
Not that he could even if he wanted to, considering neither of them had told him what actually happened between them. He had asked Malia, but Riley hadn't told her either.
All he knew, was that Riley had left their Washington apartment a week ago to return to Beacon Hills without their other third. Part of him wanted to ask her more about it, but it wasn't the time or place, given the woman's sister was about to be married.
"Well, we're going to head over so Malia is there on time, and we'll see you there," Scott informed her with a lopsided grin.
"Great," Riley smiled back, glad that he had changed the conversation. "See you there."
After the two left the house, Riley collapsed down onto the couch breathing heavily. No one had asked her about him in days, not even Charlotte or Iris.
Things had been going well for a long time after they had moved to Washington together almost a year and a half ago. Riley started attending medical school and Stiles continued with his FBI program that Mr McCall had recommended him for. At first, they were blissfully happy. But things couldn't be that simple forever.
It had all started to spin on its head after they had returned from helping Beacon Hills that one last time. Between nearly dying, seeing her sister get shot, Iris being taken, Scott almost dying, and Isaac seemingly lifeless in her arms; Riley had changed after that trip. Everyone saw it. Stiles more than anybody.
He saw it reflected in the shadow of a frown that donned her face each day, the constant nightmares, the panic attacks, the way she jumped at small noises, how she cried when she was alone in the shower thinking he wouldn't hear her through the sound of the water. Stiles tried to help on multiple occasions, but Riley refused, claiming to be fine. She continued her pattern of sleepless nights and exhausting days and slowly they both began to break.
And then there was Stiles, who had begun to struggle under the weight of his course after their return home, his anxiety and the remaining sleeping problems he had developed after Void.
As the time went by and the work hours grew longer, they both began to take their frustrations out on each other, no longer seeing eye-to-eye. Eventually, Riley had decided that enough was enough. They needed some time apart before they both ended up hating each other.
"Hey, are you okay?" Charlotte asked quietly as she sat down beside her sister.
Riley was quick to plaster a smile on her face, nodding. "Yeah, yeah, of course, I am."
"You're still wearing the ring. That's a good sign," the woman said softly, eyeing her sister's hand, the sun glinting on the diamond. She had also heard pieces of what was being said before she came downstairs. She had known that Riley was struggling with coming back to Beacon Hills after the last time and returning without Stiles, but any time she attempted to speak to her about it, she was quick to change the subject.
The Sylph sniffled a little with a nod, "We're not broken up, I don't think. We just. . . we need time."
After the proposal, they had gone back to the apartment and tried to move along with their lives. They were both young and in love, but knew that they weren't ready to get married just yet. So instead, they stayed engaged.
And even after Riley left, they were still engaged. The ring was a physical reminder of the boy, reminding her of how much she loved him. She couldn't believe it had been a week since they had spoken last. Besides the time she had gone to Devonford after her mother's death, this was the longest they had gone without talking since they had met as children.
"Do you want him to show up today?" Charlotte asked.
Although they had had their issues, Riley loved Stiles with all her heart and wanted nothing more than to see him at the wedding. However, she also knew that they couldn't just move past the issues they'd had, they needed to actually work through them together. But after their last conversation, she wasn't sure whether Stiles would want to.
"Yeah, I do," she answered honestly, her fingers touching her ring lightly.
Charlotte grasped her sister's hands, squeezing them reassuringly. "I'm sure it will all work out then."
Thinking back to the argument that led to her walking out the door, she shook her head, "I'm not sure, Char."
"How do you feel when you see him?" she asked after a moment of thought.
"What?" Riley asked, looking up from the ring, confused by the change of topic.
The woman shifted, turning in so she was closer to her sister. "When I see Iris, I feel overwhelmed. Because, when she walks into a room, my heart stops for this small second. I feel like I can't breathe and it scares me. And then she looks at me, and she smiles, and I think to myself, 'there is no way she's smiling at me. Not this amazing, beautiful, force of a woman'. And when she kisses me, I feel like I could bring mountains to their knees with how strong, how beautiful, she makes me feel."
Riley was quick to wipe a tear away before it could do any damage to her makeup, squeezing her sister's hands. Seeing her happy made her heart swell.
"So, taking everything into account, you need to think to yourself, when you see him, how do you feel?" Charlotte continued. "If it's something you know you can't live without, something worth holding on to, then fight for it."
The Sylph put her arms around her sister, hugging her tightly. "I'm sorry you have to deal with this on your big day," she laughed lightly to keep herself from crying.
"Are you kidding? I live for this," she scoffed as she hugged her back. "I saw you two grow together as a couple, all the crazy things you did to protect the other, all the gestures, everything. I knew that it was more than just a high school sweethearts relationship.
"But I've also seen you fight, and that's going to happen in a relationship. Do you really think Iris and I haven't fought? Just two weeks ago, we were yelling at each other and she got so mad that she accidentally slammed every door in the house shut. Even the strongest of relationships get into fights, Ri."
Riley pulled away, dabbing a tissue carefully beneath her eyes to keep from ruining her makeup. She remembered all the times that Charlotte made comments about Stiles being her 'one'.
"I wish we had this conversation when I first got to town."
She also wished that she had picked up the phone and called him. She had almost done so multiple times but put it down out of fear of indirectly pushing him further away.
"I tried to have this conversation when you first got to town," the older woman reminded her sister with a light chuckle. "Just know, I'll have your back with whatever decision you make."
♧♤♢♡
The ceremony had been beautiful. Iris' dress had been the same cut as Charlotte's, but minus the lace bodice. Her bodice had layers of white silk overlapping elegantly, and the dress flowed from her hips.
Riley could tell how nervous Iris had been throughout the ceremony. Her abilities had caused a light breeze in the venue, which was obvious given they were surrounded by four walls.
Charlotte and Riley's father had walked the woman down the aisle towards her bride, neither of the two unable to stop smiling when their eyes found each other.
Their love was so pure and light in a world that Riley considered being rather dark. She couldn't help but smile also, listening to the two of them share their vows. Even Malia was getting emotional beside her.
After her conversation with Charlotte, Riley had found herself partially distracted throughout the ceremony, however. Her eyes had been scanning each face in the sea of guests in search of the Stilinski man.
Unfortunately, she was unable to spot him. But, there were plenty of people in the room and just because she couldn't see him, didn't necessarily mean he wasn't there.
As Charlotte and Iris said 'I do', the crowd burst into cheers, celebrating the two as they shared their first kiss as a married couple. Riley pushed Stiles from her mind, for the time being, cheering excitedly along with the rest of the guests. Charlotte and Iris were grinning happily, holding onto each other tightly as they began to walk down the aisle and towards the exit.
People threw rose petals on them as they went, the photographer taking the opportunity to capture the moment. The whole scene just brought tears to her eyes.
From there, everyone headed to the reception to celebrate with the couple. Riley sat at a table to the side watching Scott and Malia dancing and smiling. It was nice to see that they were still together since the Anuk-ite.
"It's been a while."
Riley turned, immediately recognising the voice. There stood Lydia Martin, as strawberry blonde as ever.
The woman stood up, throwing her arms around her friend, "It's so good to see you, Lyds."
"You too, Ri," the smaller of the two laughed as she pulled back. "It's nice to be back for something that doesn't involve one of us almost dying."
"Tell me about it," Riley agreed, the two of them sitting down at the table together
"Where's Stiles? You two are usually attached at the hip."
Riley bowed her head, eyes glazing over her ring again. "I'm, uh, I'm not sure, actually."
Lydia's eyes narrowed as she scanned her face, "What's going on?"
Riley didn't even think to lie to her. They weren't children anymore and there was no need to pretend as if something wasn't happening. Besides, any time anything happened, Lydia was usually the first one Riley called for advice.
"Come on, let's go for a walk," Lydia suggested softly.
The two stood up and walked out into a small garden beside the ballroom where the reception was being held.
"We got into a fight about a week ago and I came back here alone. I haven't seen him since I left Washington."
"I thought you guys were doing better?"
"We were doing fine. We weren't the problem," Riley answered. "It was everything else."
The strawberry blonde's eyes softened as a frown reached her lips, "The nightmares haven't stopped?"
Riley shook her head, "They're not as often anymore, but they're just as bad. One those nights I barely sleep and I'm just. . . I'm tired, Lyds. It's been a year."
"That's not that long, Ri. And besides, the time doesn't mean anything. A lot happened the last time we were all here," she frowned, thinking back to it herself. "But at least the nightmares are starting o go away."
"I know."
"So what happened with Stiles?"
Riley took a breath, beginning to retell what had happened that day.
Riley had just gotten home from work which she had gone to directly after a placement at the hospital. She was completely exhausted and the sleepless night she had had didn't help.
Stiles was home already, standing over at the counter and making dinner for them both. Walking into the apartment, Riley threw her bag down on the table and collapsed onto the couch.
"Long day?" Stiles asked from the stove.
Riley stretched her arm across her face to cover her eyes, humming in agreement. Feeling the weight of the couch dip, she lowered her arm to see that Stiles had set the knife down and come to sit beside her.
Reaching over, he traced a finger up and down her arm gently. "Are you okay?"
Riley stood up, Stiles' hand falling away from her. "I'm just tired."
The boy got up and put his hands on her arms, leaning down to look at her. "Hey, talk to me."
"I'm fine," she muttered, slipping free and walking over to the kitchen. Picking up the knife, she continued where Stiles had left off.
"I told you, I'm just tired."
Stiles frowned as he watched her walk away. He wasn't too surprised; this had been happening for a while now. But it was starting to hurt that she wouldn't lean on him.
"Ri, how long are we going to keep doing this?" he asked as he ran a hand through his hair. "I went through some pretty awful things in Beacon Hills, too. If anyone is going to understand what you're going through, it's me."
"Stiles, I don't need you to understand. Okay? I just want to forget."
"And it's nearly been a year and that's clearly not going to happen, so I need you to talk to me," Stiles insisted, a hint of frustration in his voice. "And don't just say you're fine just because you think it'll shut me up."
Riley shook her head as she cut more of the vegetables for their dinner, "You've got enough going on, it's fine."
"Don't try and make out like you're not talking because of something on my end, Riley," Stiles said pointedly. "I've been trying to get you to talk about what happened in Beacon Hills for months."
The woman didn't say anything, just chop vegetables.
"Would you stop and look at me for five minutes!" he snapped, hands raised.
Riley looked up from the board, slightly shocked by the sudden outburst. Stiles wasn't usually one to get so frustrated like that, and especially not her.
Stiles looked like he was about to apologise, but Riley was just as tired as he was and wasn't about to let it go.
"What do you want from me, Stiles?" she snapped right back. "I've spoken about it before and it does nothing. The nightmares haven't stopped. I fall asleep and it's all I see. I close my damn eyes, and it's all I see. I feel that bullet hitting me, I see Charlotte bleeding out, I feel Isaac starting to go cold in my arms. Over and over, that's all there is."
"You should have brought me with you."
"This isn't about you, Stiles!"
"I know that!" he shouted. "But I could have helped, I could've done something!"
"And that's exactly why I didn't tell you!"
Stiles threw his hands up, brows narrowed in anger, "Why? Because I would've said yes? Because I would want to help you?"
"Because you would've thrown yourself in front of every one of those bullets and I wasn't going to risk that!"
"Well, that wasn't your decision to make, Riley. They are my friends, too, you remember that, right?"
Riley slammed the knife down on the chopping board in anger, her hair lifting as she stared at the boy. "I'm not going to keep apologising for trying to keep one of the most important people in my life safe."
"So you're allowed to keep me safe but I can't do the same for you?"
"I'm not going to keep having this same argument either," Riley muttered as she took a breath, controlling her ability and letting the air go back to normal as she picked the knife back up and kept prepping food.
Stiles shook his head, "I'm not trying to have an argument with you-"
"Then let it go," she told him, her hand slipping as she looked up at him. Losing her concentration at that moment, the knife cut her hand instead of the food on the board. Riley yelped in pain as she dropped the knife, her blood already flowing from the wound.
Stiles rushed over as blood began to drip onto the counter, but Riley was already hyperventilating as she walked in the direction of the bathroom. Seeing all the blood triggered memories of what she had seen, flashes of it behind her eyelids every time she blinked.
Rushing into the room she shut the door behind her, going over to the sink and turning the tap on. As the water ran over her hand the wound was already beginning to heal, but Riley still felt sick.
Riley and Stiles didn't talk the rest of the night, the Sylph having a shower and going straight to their bedroom. She buried herself beneath the blankets and tried to fall asleep, but nothing happened.
After a couple of hours, Riley heard the living room television turn off and Stiles walk in. He got changed and then turned the lights out, climbing into the bed beside Riley.
She didn't say anything as he turned off the lamp and the room fell into darkness, the boy shuffling down under the blankets.
"Good night," he said quietly.
Riley didn't reply, still unsure of where her head was at after their argument. She just knew that she was tired and angry, and that wasn't his fault but at that moment it was hard to distinguish the difference.
There was a couple of minutes of silence before Stiles spoke again. "I love you."
Riley swallowed heavily as she pursed her lips. She didn't roll over to face him, but she also didn't stay quiet. "I love you, too," she replied softly, barely above a whisper.
They lay for hours side-by-side, Stiles eventually falling asleep. He had tried to stay awake to make sure that Riley got to sleep, but he himself was tired from a long day at the Academy. After a few more hours, Riley finally fell asleep.
She woke up the next morning from a nightmare, her heart racing as she sat up in the bed. She reached to the other side of the bed, only to find that Stiles was already gone. Climbing out of bed, she went out into the kitchen to see Stiles sitting drinking a coffee, already dressed and ready to leave for the Academy.
Turning the kettle on, Riley went about making herself a coffee. Once she made it, she went and sat at the table with Stiles. She was a bit zoned out as she sat down, still considering something she'd been thinking about through the night.
"Sorry, I would've woken you up earlier, but you were actually getting some sleep, so I left you," Stiles explained as he looked up from his phone and stood up, preparing to leave for the Academy.
"It's fine," Riley said softly, still deep in thought. "Stiles, I think I'm going to leave early for the wedding."
Stiles stopped what he was doing to look at his fiance. "Oh? How early? I'd need to check with my supervisor."
"Today."
"Today?" he repeated. "What about school and work?"
Riley shrugged, "I can submit my last assignment online and get my shifts covered. Plus, I have some sick days I can use."
"And what about me?"
When Riley didn't respond, Stiles was able to put the pieces together by himself. "Is this because of last night?"
"It's more than just that, Stiles, and you know it."
The man looked down at his watch, a strained look on his face. "I can't be late again. Let's talk about this tonight."
He put his phone into his pocket and picked up his bag, preparing to leave.
"Stiles, we don't need to talk about it, I-"
"Thank you," he said as he leaned down and kissed her on the cheek, either not hearing her or choosing not to acknowledge it. "I'll see you at dinner."
After recovering from confusion, Riley went to call his name, but he was already gone.
"So, you left anyway?" Lydia asked.
Riley nodded, "I booked an afternoon flight and left a note on the table for him."
"Why not wait for him to get back?"
"I thought I was doing the right thing by leaving," the brunette explained. "I was taking all of my anger out on him and I just. . . I needed to leave before he hated me."
"Are you actually kidding me right now?" Lydia scoffed.
Riley bulked as she looked at her, completely shocked by her reaction. "What?"
"You've met Stiles, right?" she asked sarcastically. "That boy is obsessed with you. I don't think I've ever seen two people who love each other that much."
"You really think he would forgive me?" Riley asked nervously.
Lydia was about to answer when a smile spread across her lips. "Maybe you should ask him yourself," she suggested, pointing over the girl's shoulder.
Riley turned around to see Stiles standing at the door to the ballroom, watching the two talk. When he saw her turn around, he walked over to them both. He was dressed in a black suit with a white dress shirt and a black tie, and he looked devastatingly handsome.
The Sylph thought about what her sister had asked her earlier that day - how do you feel when you see him?
He made her feel warm, her heart stopping and her eyes welling with tears. The way he was looking at her made her feel like she was under a spotlight. He made her feel breathless, which was quite a feat considering what she was. She felt love and comfort as he began to grow closer. But most importantly, when she saw him, she felt safe.
"Lydia, do you mind if I borrow Riley for a minute?" he asked politely.
The strawberry blonde looked to Riley to check with her. The woman hugged Lydia, whispering a thank you to her before Lydia went back inside. Riley stood nervously as Stiles came closer.
After checking that they were alone, Stiles looked down at his fiance. "Fancy running into you here."
"At my sister's wedding? Sure, what are the chances?" Riley replied, playing along.
"Well, at least I wasn't lying when I said that the next time we'd be in a church would be for something different," he shrugged, one side of his mouth hitching upward.
After a moment, Riley's eyeline fell to her shoes. "I wasn't sure you would come."
Stiles didn't respond to the statement. Instead, he reached over and took the woman's left hand, his finger tracing over the diamond ring. "You're still wearing the ring."
"Of course I am," she said softly.
There was a moment of quiet before Stiles looked to her face. "Why did you leave like that?"
Riley shrugged somewhat. "I thought I was hurting you."
"You were," Stiles told her. "But not in the way you think."
She wanted to say something, but she didn't know what. He was right. "I'm sorry," she said quietly as she bowed her head, trying to maintain even breaths. "I just. . . I thought it would be easier."
"Nothing about coming home and not seeing your face was easier, Riley," he said with a frown. "Honestly, it was selfish."
Riley didn't deny his words, because she knew he was right. "I'm sorry."
It was all she could think to say.
Stiles expression softened as he placed his fingers under her chin, getting her to look up at him. "Do you remember that night when we saved Kira from Barrow, what I said to you at the station?"
The Sylph thought for a moment trying to think back to that night from years ago. After a moment, she nodded, lips pursed. She knew exactly what he was talking about.
"I told you that no matter what was going on, you could talk to me, because I love you and everything that comes with that," he said, wanting to reiterate the point to her. "And what about when I proposed to you at the lookout?"
"Of course I remember what you said," Riley replied immediately. "I remember every word."
"That I wanted to be by your side for the rest of my life," Stiles told her. "And you said you felt the same. So why did you leave?"
Riley thought for a moment, thinking about his question. "Because with everything that was going on, I wanted to leave first before anyone could leave me," she answered honestly.
"Did you really think I would ever leave you?" he asked, hurt by the insinuation.
Riley bit her lip as some tears fell, shaking her head. "No. But maybe you should have. I was awful to you that night. I was worried that after that, I was going to ruin the vision."
"Don't ever say that."
When she tried to look away, Stiles held his hand beneath her chin firmly. "Listen to me; there is no vision, no future I see without you in it."
"That might be one of the cheesiest things you've ever said to me," Riley said through a light laugh.
"Riley, couples fight," Stiles pointed out. "After everything we've been through, I'd be more worried if we didn't."
She didn't feel right about him just forgiving her so easily, "You can't just say you're okay with this. I walked out."
"I wasn't okay with it; I was so angry for days. But I get it. You've been struggling for months, Ri, and you were bound to snap," he reminded her. "I just wish you had spoken to me."
The woman fell silent once more, unsure of how to continue.
"How about this? How about for tonight, we just pretend we're teenagers again - before any of this happened? We're at a party and we're just trying to have fun," Stiles suggested.
Riley felt herself smile, the idea of just forgetting for the night rather appealing. "You really want to just forget for the night?"
Stiles nodded. "This is your sister's wedding, something that we've been looking forward to for months. So, yes, for tonight, let's just push it to the side."
And that was exactly what they did. They drank, danced and had a good time with their family and friends. Everyone available had made it to the wedding - Scott, Malia, Lydia, Isaac, Liam, Theo, Melissa, Noah, Argent, Derek and even Peter stopped by for an hour to visit Riley and Malia.
When it was almost midnight Stiles offered to drive Riley home, which she accepted. They left in the Jeep, the boy driving to her house.
When he pulled over in the driveway, Riley cleared her throat. "So, were you wanting to come in?"
"I think I might stay at my dad's place tonight," he replied. "Just so we both have time to think. You know?"
"Yeah. Yeah, of course," Riley said quickly. "Thank you for tonight. I had fun."
"I'm glad," he smiled.
"And I just want to say again how sorry I am," she told him, her hands shaking in her lap. "We're supposed to be in this together and I forgot that and I'm so sorry."
Stiles reached over and put his hands on her, doing his best to calm her, "It's okay, I understand."
"But you shouldn't have to," Riley replied. "Instead of reaching out to you, I made a selfish decision. I should've spoken to you instead of just running away. It just felt easier at the time."
"I wish you had, too. I'm just glad you're speaking to me now," Stile said honestly. "I missed you."
"I missed you, too," Riley mirrored as if it weren't obvious. "Why didn't you call?"
"I tried; I picked up the phone so many times. After our fight, I was worried about pushing you further away, so I figured I'd just give you the time you needed," Stiles explained. "Besides, I knew we'd find our way back to each other. We always do."
Riley felt her heart warm as she leaned across the centre console. Stiles moved to meet her halfway, their lips meeting in the middle. Their lips moved against each other slowly as Riley moved her fingers up into his hair tugging it lightly. It had only been a week, but being in his arms at that moment made it feel like it had been a lifetime.
When it started to look like Stiles might have changed his mind about saying he no to coming inside, he pulled back. "I love you so much."
"I love you, too," Riley smiled, resting her forehead against his. "Are you sure you don't want to come inside?"
Stiles scoffed, "Trust me, I would love to. But after everything we spoke about, I just don't want to rush it."
"You're probably right," she sighed, straightening up.
"Well, that was a given," Stiles stated with a sarcastic smile.
Riley climbed out of the Jeep, closing the door behind her before leaning through the window. "You'll be back?"
"First thing in the morning," he assured her.
Only after hearing that, did Riley back away from the car. Stiles hesitated for a moment before driving away. Riley went into her house, locking the door securely behind her. Charlotte and Iris had left straight from the reception to go on their honeymoon, not planning on returning to Beacon Hills for just under a month.
She managed to sleep without interruptions that night, no nightmares plaguing her dreams. When she woke up feeling reasonably rested, it brought a smile to her face; she had been worried the feeling would become foreign.
Grabbing a book from her luggage she climbed back into her bed and continued from where she had left off. She almost felt like a teenager again, sitting snug in her bed and reading in the silence of her room.
The only thing out of place, was the sudden tapping sound later that morning. Sticking a bookmark between the pages, Riley got up and went over to her window, sliding it open.
When it was open, she heard soft music playing. A wide grin reached her lips when she saw Stiles standing on the front lawn with a handful of small rocks and a boombox sitting on the grass beside him.
Stiles dropped the rocks to the ground when he saw her lean through her window.
"I told you I'd get you the boombox," he smiled as he pointed down to the boombox. He then went down onto one knee, "Now, let me give you the world."
Riley bit her lip, still smiling as she climbed through her window and began walking towards him. "I stand corrected. That is the cheesiest thing you've ever said to me."
"What can I say? I aim to exceed expectations," he smiled. "This was going to be my original proposal, but I just couldn't wait last time."
Riley lowered herself to kneel in front of him, "You know you already asked, right? And I did say yes." She then held up her hand to show the ring on her finger.
"I know that," he laughed. "But I wanted to remind you who you are to me and of how much you mean to me."
She reached a hand up, placing it on his cheek, "I already know," she replied softly. "Thank you for giving me some time. The nightmares aren't as bad anymore. I mean, they're still there, but not as often."
"I'm glad."
Stiles leaned into her hand, placing his on top. "We're a team, okay? If you're struggling, I'm struggling. It's going to be hard, I can't guarantee that the nightmares will go away completely, and this probably won't be our last fight. But that doesn't matter, because I intend to make sure that there are more good days than bad. All that matters to me, is that we do this together because you are the love of my life and you aren't going to get away from me that easily. So, one more time for good measure, Riley Winters-"
"Wait," Riley interrupted.
"What's wrong?" Stiles asked, worried all of a sudden.
"Nothing. Everything is perfect," the Sylph was quick to reassure. "I just think it's only fair that it's my turn."
The man's brow creased as he looked at her, "What do you mean?"
"Stiles," she started, a smile set on her lips. "You are one of the most amazing people I've ever met. You are kind, you are smart and you are honest, and I consider myself so blessed every day I wake up and get to be loved by you. We used to speak about what our future would look like, and I know that that might not look the same anymore. All I do know is that I don't know where I'd be without you, and I don't ever want to find out. I told you once that I would always say yes to you, and that hasn't changed. Now, I need to know your answer, because I never want to be apart again. You are the love of my life. You are my everything. Stiles Stilinski, will you marry me?"
"Yes. You know I could never say no to you."
Stiles leaned forward, kissing his fiance passionately as his hands reached down and gripped her hips, pulling her towards him. Riley didn't hesitate to respond, her fingers weaving their way into his hair.
Reminding herself that they were still out on the front lawn, Riley pulled back for a moment. "I'm the luckiest person alive," she whispered against his lips.
Stiles turned her left hand over so that they could both see the ring on her finger. "I don't know, I think I've got you beat in that category."
Riley stood up and held a hand out to Stiles, "Now do you want to come inside?"
"You have no idea," he said quickly, grabbing onto his fiance's hand and getting to his feet, lightly pulling her back towards her house.
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And they lived happily ever after, eventually getting married and I like to imagine that they had kids
I hope you guys liked this, I just really wanted to give them a cute little ending, while also addressing the issues and anxiety that Riley was struggling with after the Anuk-ite and everything that happened throughout 6B. I thought it was important not to just glaze over that because - like shown in the epilogue - I do believe it would have put a strain on their relationship over time. But, obviously, it was something that they were able to work through together *heart eyes*
This epilogue was so much longer than I planned it to be, I just started writing and couldn't stop - probably because I realised that this was the last time I would be writing Stiles and Riley. Also, I know the other characters didn't make much of an appearance in the epilogue, but this story has been a part of my life for about 4 years now, and I'm still struggling to believe that it's come to an end, so I just really wanted to write something for them.
I hope that you guys enjoyed both books and the whole story overall. I know some parts are cheesy and I'm sure that there are some plot holes, but overall I'm so happy with this series.
If you enjoyed my writing you're welcome to check out my other stories also. I'm even starting an Isaac fanfiction for those of you who shipped Riley with Isaac haha
I just want to thank everyone who took the time to read this story, and especially those of you who have been here and supported it since the beginning. All of your votes, comments and words of encouragement are what completed this story.
I'm going to miss Riley and Stiles so much, but I'm also so glad that I got to write this story and have so many people enjoy it with me.
So, thank you
xx
Aly