**Disclaimer** I do not own Teen Wolf, insert witty side comment here.
"Oh my god, Eric!" I said, running over to my brother and wrapped my arms around his neck.
He was out of breath and drenched it sweat. His arms coiled around me in response. He was the last person I'd expected to come to my rescue. I was disappointed in myself for even needing to be rescued. Then again, it gave me back my brother.
"What are you doing here?" I asked, releasing my grip on him and taking a small step back.
"Dad just picked me up from the airport, but when I realized you weren't home I followed your scent here," he explained.
Once again, I find myself thankful for my brother being a werewolf. Had he not tracked me here I could have been the next to fall victim to the kanima. As much as I hate it, I know that him taking the bite has worked to both our favors on more than one occasion.
"What's going on?" He asked.
"One of the kids from my school, Matt, he's the one controlling the kanima, who happens to be Jackson. Now he's here trying to kill us all," I did my best to explain the current situation. So much has happened in the week he was gone, but we didn't have time to go through everything.
"Jackson's the kanima?"
"Yes, and there's something else you should know," I said. I sucked in a breath. "I got my memories and abilities back tonight. I have no idea how, but I did."
Even in the dark I could see his eyes flicker about. He looked like Derek had earlier, as if he's putting something together. It made me wonder about just what he discovered in his week in Romania.
"Eric?" I said. He ran his fingers through his hair.
"Oh this isn't good," he muttered.
"Not good? What do you mean not good?" I asked.
I was beginning to get a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach. First Derek saying that I wouldn't want to hear his explanation for why I suddenly got my abilities and memory back, and now my own brother? The theories in my head had been building ever since I woke up on my bedroom floor.
"He's back, isn't he? Peter," I said quietly.
Eric's eyes glanced up to mine, but his mouth remained shut. That was all the answer I needed. I'm alive, because Peter is. My connection to him nearly killed me, yet saved me all at the same time. I took deep breaths, shaking my head back and forth.
"B-but how?" I asked.
"I'm not sure," said Eric.
"Eric, if you know something you'd better tell me or - "
A loud shriek echoed throughout the station, followed by a familiar roar. Eric and I both glanced at each other before running to the source of the sound. We would finish this interrogation later, right now we had to find Derek.
Eric let out another roar of his own when we got to the area where Melissa and Sheriff Stilinski were being held. Derek was wrestling with the kanima while Melissa watched them in fear. The Sheriff appeared to be knocked out cold on the ground. I ran over to his aide while Eric assisted Derek in battling the kanima.
"Sheriff? Sheriff?" I said, shaking him and turning him onto his back.
He had a gash on his head from where I'm assuming he was struck. I pressed my hand to it, but I could feel that it wasn't healing as quickly as it would have before. I'm just not strong enough yet. Growing angry with myself, I gave up and turned to see Melissa looking at me with shock.
Just as I was about to say something to her, Eric was thrown into the wall with a grunt. "Eric!" I called out to him, dodging around Derek who was fending off the kanima with a metal chair. I slid in next to my brother, helping him sit up. He wiped the sweat off his upper lip and got to his feet. He was in his full wolf form now. I don't think I'll ever be used to seeing my brother like this, the pointed ears, the claws, the fangs, the deformed facial features. Sometimes it's just too much, even though I've come to accept it.
After the kanima threw Derek aside, Eric attacked again. He let out a low growl as the kanima latched onto the metal bars keeping Melissa safe from all of this at the moment. Eric was kicked back, stumbling and hitting the ground with a thud. I scrambled back over to him, but he was slower to get up this time.
The kanima turned itself upside down, still hanging on the bars. It hissed loudly at Melissa, barring its razor sharp teeth. I didn't know what to do. After seeing what it could do to Derek and my brother, I knew that I wasn't near strong enough to take it on.
Scott then ran in, also in werewolf form, and dug his claws into the kanima's back, pulling it off the bars and throwing it to the ground. Melissa, who had backed herself into a corner, was now pressed up against the bars, eager to see if her son was okay. Scott was crouched down with his head turned away from her. I know that this is not how he wanted her to find out, but now he doesn't have much of a choice.
The kanima got back to its feet and ran out of the room. Derek jumped over a table to go after it, followed by my brother. I tried to stop him, but it was no use. I know he believes that it is his responsibility to fight this thing since he couldn't stop Jackson from taking the bite.
"Scott? Scott are you okay?" Melissa wailed, pressing her face in between the bars. "Scott?"
He lifted his head up slowly. Melissa threw a hand over her mouth and took a step back when she got a full look at her son. Scott stood up to face her, his eyes glowing a deep gold and his fangs causing his lips to bulge. She let out a sob as she took in the reality of what Scott is.
Scott hung his head low as his mother continued to back further away from him. "Scott," I said from my position on the ground. He glanced at me before running out of the room, leaving his mother crying in the back of her holding cell.
I stood up and looked at Melissa. I wanted to explain it all to her, but I know it's not my place. Scott needs to be the one to tell her the truth, since he's been the one hiding it from her. I let out a heavy sigh before running back to the room where I had left Stiles.
"Stiles?" I said, running into the room after seeing the door left open.
He was sat up against the wall awkwardly. The chair Scott had placed him in was knocked over. He looked at me when I entered and the sadness etched in his eyes made my chest hurt. I know he wanted to help, to do something, and he knows that he can't. He can't fight the way Scott can. He can't heal the way that I can. But he's far from useless. If only he knew that.
I sat down next to him, not caring about what was happening throughout the rest of the station. Slightly unsure of myself, I grabbed his hand and leaned my head on his shoulder. I felt his chest rise and fall as he sucked in a deep breath.
"I'm not leaving you this time," I whispered.
He squeezed my hand. He still hadn't looked at me. There was a distance in his eyes. Finally, he spoke, "I saw him hit my dad over the head, and there was absolutely nothing I could do about it. Do you have any idea how that felt?"
I swallowed hard and stared at him as my stomach twisted itself into a knot. I wished I had something acceptable to say back, but I didn't. There was nothing I could say to that. It was his pain, not mine. Though, it was surely beginning to feel like mine. Is that how you know you truly love someone? When you feel their pain as strongly as if it were your own?
Stiles glanced down at our hands. The veins in the back of mine were turning a dark purple, going up along my forearm and stopping just past my elbow. He then finally met my eyes. I felt his body relax under the weight of my head.
"Why'd you do that?" He asked.
I blinked a few times, running my thumb over the back of his hand. "Because I love you,"
I heard him suck in a sharp breath. He shifted his chest, causing me to lift my head off his shoulder. His movements were slow, as his body was still coming out of the paralysis. He was able to sit so that he was facing me. His eyes glanced to my lips before he began leaning in.
The anticipation was killing me. I wanted to break the distance myself, but I knew I had to let him do it. He needs to be able to feel like he's in control for once. I'm not one to deprive him of that. His lips were closing in on mine slowly, but I swear I could almost taste them.
"Emma, Matt's go - oh, uh...sorry,"
Stiles and I jumped apart to see Eric run into the room. If I had been glad to see my brother earlier, the joy I felt then was now shattered. I tucked my chin to hide the blush on my face, though I'm sure it was hardly noticeable in the dark. I refused to meet my brother's eyes.
I heard him let out a small sigh. "Matt and Jackson are gone,"
I brought my head up sharply, enticed at his news. "Gone?"
Stiles glanced over at me with wide eyes. We were both trying to decide whether or not this was a good thing. I stood up and helped pull Stiles to his feet, slinging his arm around my shoulder as he was still a bit wobbly. We followed Eric out of the room to find Scott unlocking the doors to his mother's cell. Sheriff Stilinski was still laying in the same position he was in earlier. I noticed Stiles' face falter.
I bobbed my head at the Sheriff to indicate for Eric to tend to him. He nodded and sat the Sheriff up against the wall, examining his head wound. "He's gonna be okay," I said to Stiles. He didn't respond.
☾
Once the Sheriff came around we came up with an explanation as to what happened. I feel bad that we always have to lie to him about what really goes on in this town, but he's not ready to hear the truth. Although, the truth is what really cost him his position. It was never Stiles' fault.
Scott, Stiles, Eric, and I all went back to my house after we had everything sorted out. We were finally going to get an explanation as to what the hell is going on with me. Even though we're all shaken and exhausted, we cannot wait any longer to hear about Eric's discoveries from when he was in Romania. I just hope that I'm ready to hear them.
We all gathered into my bedroom. Stiles and I sat shoulder to shoulder on my bed with our fingers intertwined. Scott was on my other side, continuously looking down at his feet. I know that his mother finding out about him being a werewolf has him on edge. I feel bad for him. She shouldn't have had to find out like this, but she did. He's just going to have to do whatever it takes to make things right with her.
Eric sat facing us seated in my desk chair. His beard had grown in the week he's been away and he has thick bags underneath his eyes. I wondered if he got much rest there, or if it was just the jet lag. I was hoping for the latter.
He kept twiddling his thumbs and taking in short breaths. It was beginning to make me nervous. I could feel my palm sweating against Stiles' hand and hoped that he didn't mind. Part of me wants to know everything, every little detail. Yet, another part of me feels better off not knowing for fear of something that I don't want to hear.
Eric sucked in a final, deep breath before speaking. "I found the same women that our mother talked to when she went to visit. They said they remembered her because of her peculiar interest in the matter. I guess the reason she went to find them was because she discovered that her birth father was a werewolf and her mother possessed the same healing gene."
Sometimes I forget that my mother was adopted. I just grew up thinking that the same people she called Mom and Dad for her entire life were truly my grandparents. I mean, they sure acted like it. They always brought Eric, Zoe, and me gifts and they came to all of our dance recitals.
"Peter told you that your kind is extremely rare, but he's wrong." Eric said to me. "There are hundreds of thousands of females that have the gene since it came from a bloodline that's been running for the past 1,000 years. It's just most of them are unaware that they possess the gene, which is why it seems to be rare. It's just not well known."
So there were more people like me. All this time of thinking that I was something rare, something special, and I'm actual more common than previously realized. I guess the fact that my abilities have been triggered distinguish me from the rest.
"But, that's just the back story. I told them about what happened to you," said Eric, his words coming out slowly. "They said they've only heard of one other case like it."
"And what happened?" Stiles asked impatiently.
Eric's eyes flickered with a hint of annoyance, but only for a moment before he continued on. "The wolf that bit her hadn't entirely died because he still had something holding him in with the mortal world. Just like you, she'd lost all her memories as well as her abilities."
"Did she get them back?" Stiles asked, earning another look from Eric. I squeezed his hand.
"Not exactly," said Eric. "Whatever plan the wolf had to bring himself back to life failed. They said something about being tethered to someone immune, I'm still confused about the whole thing. Anyways, he was supposed to reincarnate at the full moon but it didn't work."
"So what happened?" It was me who asked this time. I figured Eric would be less annoyed at my asking rather than Stiles.
"The girl..." Eric paused, sucking in a deep breath through his nostrils and letting it out with one big huff of air. "She died,"
"What?" Stiles exclaimed.
"But I told them about the wolfsbane and they said they'd never heard anything like this before. They said that whatever was going on behind the wolf who bit you, it was working," said Eric.
"So you think that Peter's alive?" I was surprised to hear Scott's voice. Though, he would be concerned when it comes to Peter.
"It's a possibility," said Eric.
As much as I don't want to admit it, it makes sense. Tonight was a full moon. If Peter had any sort of plan to bring himself back, tonight would have been the night to do it. And, if he just so happened to succeed, he would most likely be very week, which would explain why my healing isn't up to par.
"But how?" Stiles asked.
"They said that there are rituals you can perform if you leave the right ties behind when you die. You can keep yourself in a kind of in between state of death, not quite still on earth but not crossed over to the other side. Then, with the power of the full moon and a few other elements you can reincarnate yourself, in a sense."
"But who in their right mind would help bring Peter back to life?" Scott asked.
"Maybe," I spoke, my voice light. "Maybe someone not in their right mind,"
"Who? Lydia?" Stiles offered. I looked him in the eyes as a confirmation. "No,"
"But it makes sense! Think about it! Peter bit her, and nothing happened. Eric said that the wolf who tried it before had someone who was immune. And every time something weird was happening to me, it was happening to Lydia too. The ice rink, Economics...that can't just be coincidence," I said.
Stiles was shaking his head. I don't know why he wasn't believing me. I had more than enough evidence to prove my point. I don't know how Peter figured out that Lydia was immune, but he did. That's why he lured her onto the lacrosse field that night and that's why he bit her. He had to have known.
"Look, the point is that there's still a lot to this that we don't know, okay? So, for now, we're just going to have to take what we do know and do what we can with it. Alright?" Eric said.
I fingered the holes in my pants made by Derek with my free hand. The wounds had healed up by now, but my skin was still slightly tinted red from the blood. I noticed Stiles watching what I was doing. I turned my head to look up at him, our eyes locking. There was an apology in there, somewhere. He didn't say it, but I could see it. It must've finally clicked in his head that the proof against Lydia is too strong to deny.
After another still moment, Scott stood up. "I should go home. I have some pretty big explaining to do to my mom,"
Stiles stood up too and I followed suit. "I should probably go too,"
I hated hearing those words come out of his mouth. I didn't want him to go, ever. I hate watching him walk away from me, even if it only is to say goodnight. Clutching his arm, I leaned my head into his shoulder. I felt an immediate warmth. He's always so warm.
"I'll walk you out," I said, quietly.
Eric stayed behind in my room while Scott, Stiles, and I all headed downstairs. My father was asleep and Eric said that he had already told him everything on the ride home from the airport. I hoped that it was somehow bringing them closer again.
Scott went ahead and climbed in the passenger seat of Stiles' jeep, leaving Stiles and I to say our goodbyes on the front porch. I didn't want to say goodbye to him. I know it's selfish because he does need to be with his father after everything that happened tonight, but I can't help but want him for myself.
He held me, wrapped up in his arms and pulled close to his chest. "No matter how it happened, I'm glad you got your memories back," he said. "I hated having you not remember me,"
"I don't know how I could have ever forgotten," I said.
"Just don't do it again," said Stiles giving a soft laugh.
It caused my head to shake along with his chest. I love it when that happens. I love moving along with him. I scratched my nails along his back softly, taking in the way he felt underneath even the most delicate of my touches.
"I have to go," he said.
"I know,"
Still, I clung to him. He twirled a strand of my hair around his finger. I knew it had to be messy and tangled at this point in the night. At least it looked good for the party since Melanie was the one to do it. Now that I remember more about her, I feel bad for being so rude to her all this time.
Finally, I stepped away from him. His eyes were dark in the dim porch light. My head felt as though it was spinning as I gazed at him. My stomach flipped like I was looking at him for the first time. He just always seems to be able to make me feel like that.
"I'll see you tomorrow, okay?" He said. I nodded solemnly. "Goodnight, Emma,"
"Goodnight,"
He bent down only slightly and gave me a chaste kiss on the lips. He gave my hand a squeeze before letting it drop to my side and joining Scott in his jeep. I gave a small wave goodbye as he pulled out of my driveway to drop Scott off at home. With a heavy sigh, I headed back inside and up to my room. To my surprise, Eric was still there.
It reminded me of all the times I would come home to find him lurking in the shadows of my bedroom. At least the lights were on this time. His presence didn't give me minor heart attack like it usually does when I'm not expecting him.
"I figured you'd be passed out by now," I said, sitting back down on my bed and slipping off my boots.
"I could say the same about you. I mean, you haven't exactly had an easy night either," he said.
I tugged off my jacket, throwing it into the bottom of my closet. "I've had worse," I said, thinking back to the night I had to re-discover werewolves. Now that was a long night. Eric gave a chuckle and the sound surprised me.
"Well, there's more I needed to tell you...alone,"
"Alone?" I asked, pausing as I pulled my hair into a sloppy bun on the top of my head.
"It's - " he broke off for a moment, as if to regather himself. "It's about Zoe,"
I sat up straight at the sound of my sister's name. It was strange to hear Eric talk about her. We never talk about her, any of us. I guess her death was just harder to accept because of how young and innocent she was. Her name is a taboo word that is hardly ever uttered in this household. We acknowledge that she's gone, but that doesn't mean we've come to terms with being okay with it.
"Do you remember how Peter said it was supposed to be Zoe that he gave the bite?" He asked me. I nodded as I replayed the memory of Peter telling me the truth in the hold Hale house after the dance. I was thankful I even had the ability to actual remember it. "He said she would have been the most powerful, and he was right,"
"What'd you mean?" I asked, knitting my brows together.
"Here, look at this,"
He pulled two slips of paper out of his back pocket. When he sat down on my bed next to me I realized that they were photos. One picture was of Zoe, only a short time before she died. I knew that I was the same photo Eric carries with him in his wallet. The other was a worn and tattered painting.
After examining the images further, my jaw dropped. Whoever was in the second photo was identical to my sister, as if they were twins. But, the girl in the second photo looked older, only by a year or two.
"This is the daughter of the youngest witch," said Eric. "The first healer,"
I looked up at my brother.
"Zoe is her doppelganger. She would have been the most powerful healer to walk the earth. Emma, she would have even had the ability to cure cancer, permanent paralysis, even dementia."
I felt as though I'd stopped breathing. This was only more proof that it should have been me who died that night, not Zoe. She could have revolutionized the world, but me? I'm useless. I can barely heal a scratch. I'm no hero, but Zoe...she would have been.
She should have been.
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Thanks so much for reading!
I'm so so so so so sorry about the wait! I've been so busy and stressed you have no idea...I'll be out of state this weekend competing for a full scholarship (no pressure or anything) so I'm not sure when the next chapter will be up. There's only like four more until the end! AHHH
I hope you liked this chapter. We finally got some answers from what Eric discovered in his time in Romania. What do you think? Make sense?
Thanks again and don't forget to comment, vote, and follow!
No gif this chapter because all my files are on my computer and it's having a meltdown so...
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoox
-Alyssa