𝑹𝑬𝑻𝑼𝑻𝑵𝑰𝑵𝑮 // 𝑺𝑻𝑰𝑳𝑬𝑺 𝑺𝑻𝑰𝑳𝑰𝑵𝑺𝑲𝑰

07. Face to face

"Are you okay?" Scott asked, breaking the worried silence.

Neither of them had dared to speak a word, they were afraid to even breathe.

"Are you?" Alex quirked a brow, "you realise she wants to kill you, the nogitsune is poising her thoughts."

"We can help her remember, right" Scott hoped.

"I don't know Scott" Alex shook her head, "I can't entertain that idea, if I - we don't get her back.. I am feeling every ounce of that loss again and it is consuming and exhausting. I'm not the same person I was running about this town, I grew up and I became human"

"You really never healed?"

Alex's head shook, "No, why would I have to? I live a regular suburban life now. I have a daughter and husband and a house, I have everything I ever wanted and none of it is supernatural"

"I never could move on" Scott admitted, "I want all that.. I just couldn't fill that hole"

"Yeah it's a pretty big one" Alex nodded, "but you can't go into this with the expectations of coming out with Allison. She might not even be her"

"How are you doing this? How are you not hoping"

"Scott I spent every day for a long time hoping, I wished with every part of my being that she would come back, and it became time consuming and for a while I was willing to sacrifice my own life for hers." Alex explained.

"I let myself fall for this before, with the wild hunt. I won't again"

"Can I ask a question?"

"I guess"

"What's going on with you and Lydia?"

Alex rolled her eyes, "she cut me off 4 years ago and told me it was because she kept having some dream and sage being hurt. I guess I'm just having a hard time looking past it"

"Alex..."

"I know!" Alex snapped, "she was just doing what's right, but not everything is a premonition. This one does not have to be"

"Doesn't or can't?"

Alex looked down, "it can't. Because if something ever happened to my child, I would kill whoever hurt her and than I'd probably kill myself. So for once Lydia's dreams are just that, and when she cut me off... it hurt a lot. So I get to be mad because if all this wasn't happening we'd still be strangers"

"But it's you and Lydia. You two were-..."

"The dream team" Alex muttered.

Alex's phone buzzed, she looked Down at stiles number "If I don't answer he will think I'm dead or something"

"Answer" Scott nodded.

"Stiles" Alex barley said, before he was almost jumping down the phone.

"What are you doing? Your dad said you are gone to try and save Allison. Who by the way doesn't know who you are, do you realise how dangerous this is"

"Correction, I'm trying to save Eli. He's been having some issues with shifting, he's pretty much rendered useless which makes him a very easy target. I know it's dangerous, but I'm with Scott and you seem to forget I heal"

"If you haven't forgotten, it's been over 10 years since you done something like that"

"Stiles, I'm okay. I'm safe and I love you, but I have to hang up now."

"Alex I swear to-.."

"I love you, I have to go"

Alex hung up, noticing the fire in the distance. Scott sped up.

"He wants destruction, he's manipulating her" Alex gulped,

Scott came to a screeching stop, Alex jumped out of the car following the alpha.

"I'll give you and Eli time, you run." Alex told Scott

"What, no-.."

Alex pulled up the shutter, coming face to face with her sister.

Allison barely blinked, she shot an arrow towards them; Alex - somehow - caught it before it could hit them, forgetting how her reflex had advanced after the dread doctors took her.

"Eli, come on, let's go!" Scott urged, the young boy scrambled to his feet.

Alex felt the twinge of recognition, it was the nogitsune. It had to be.

"Go, now!" Alex yelled, "I've got it"

Scott with deep regret ran, dragging Eli along with him.

Alex pulled out her gun, holding it to Allison "it's me, it's Alex. I'm your sister"

"Get out of my way!" She yelled, an arrow pointing at her.

"Allison, whatever this is, whatever is controlling you. It's not real, this isn't you"

"What would you know!" Allison yelled, "you chose him. You chose Derek over your own mother"

Alex's brows furrowed "what?"

Allison walked closer, Alex's hands shook. She couldn't do it, she couldn't hurt her.  As much as Alex tried to delude herself, she still couldn't bare t0 hurt her.

Alex felt impact against her head, her body fell limp.

______

"God dammit!" Stiles yelled, slamming his hand against the desk.

He dialed Alex's number again, it rang out before going to voicemail.

Alex, please answer. I know you want to help Eli but I care more about your life Rivne now, please pick up.

Alex please, I'm getting worried.

Okay, this is the third voicemail. Please pick up.

Stiles paced the floor, waiting for Alex to answer. He only grew more worried by the second.

Stiles dialled the nanny's number, "hey sorry, I just wanted to make sure sage got home okay"

"Yes. She's sleeping now"

"Okay good" stiles exhaled,

"Is that all?"

"Yeah. Yeah, just let her know I called. Thanks for taking her last minute, I'll call tomorrow"

Stiles dropped his phone, his hands shaking with worry. He knew the only thing left to do was return to Beacon hills and maybe if it was any other supernatural entity, he would not care so much.

But,

He was terrified. Terrified the nogitsune would catch him in his grip again.

Maybe the creature, although 2000 miles away already had. Stiles was sleepless, irritable and when he did sleep he woke up gasping for air, not sure what's real until he checks off a list.

Or maybe it was just all in his head, it's exactly what the nogitsune wanted. Power and strife, manipulation was its best weapon, maybe non of this was even happening to stiles and was in fact fine.

Stiles only worry, his biggest worry was the nogitsune using his biggest weakness against him in order to gain control.

15 years ago that was Alex. 15 years later, it was his daughter.

Stiles dialled Alex's number once more, and again it went to voicemail. He knew it was inevitable, he knew he was going to have to go back.

Stiles was returning to beacon hills.